harveyb Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Hello can anyone help I have been told that Lanyard cut out switches are going to be compulsory for all Youth classes in 2014 can anyone confirm if this be true Thanks Harveyb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilnh Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 It certainly is for ACU events don't know about AMCA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harveyb Posted December 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Thanks for your prompt reply Harveyb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilnh Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 ACU rule tsr 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p@ul250 Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 (edited) This was first put forward in March or April 2013. With the ACU saying that lanyard kill switches were highly recommended on youth bikes for 2013 and would be compulsory from 01/01/14. As I hadn't seen any more news regarding this I contacted ACU house. Here is a copy of the email I received from the ACU to my inquiry about this matter in December. hope it helps! Hello Paul, Yes I can confirm that it will be compulsory from 2014. A summary of Handbook changes will be circulated to Centres shortly but the information may not filter down to Clubs very quickly so a reminder at your event would be most helpful. Regards Alison Alison Devine Trials & Enduro Secretary National Road Rally Entries Secretary Tel +44 (0)1788 566409 Fax +44 (0)1788 573585 Edited December 30, 2013 by p@ul250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 The funny thing is the switches have been around for decades now. Anyone can see why the world riders could use them as the obstacles are just insane at times. I can almost agree with the kids. I have ridden for 42 years now and honestly say I do not remember a crash (I have had some great ones!)that the tether would have done much good. Being it is a competitive sport, I see more problems than solutions. Anyone with half a brain can wire it just for looks. So when someone crashes and is injured due to the lanyard being pulled, what then? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p@ul250 Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 First off this is just youth bikes that it's compulsory for. Here in the UK at ACU events it is the clerk of the course's responsibility to make sure that bikes ridden by youth entrants are fitted with a WORKING kill switch! Just the other week I witnessed a crash. That when the bike came down off a step and landed on the rider, his natural instinct was to push it away and he very nearly lost his hand in a racing back wheel. A lanyard kill switch would of stopped the engine/wheel before it landed on him! At the end of the day the lad had a torn glove, massive bruising to his hand and wrist and was quite shaken up as he came to realize just how close a thing it was. The lanyards are quite short and I tuck mine under my palm/thumb so it doesn't hang down where it can be caught by twigs/bushes and such. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 Oh , I knew someone would respond. I understand it was posted under youth. I`m surprised how fast the idea has spread. Motorcycles are dangerous. Being competitive I`m not liking an accidental 5 from the ignition shut down, or a dnf from a missing lanyard. Been sitting about 50/50 on this issue. Thanks for replying. Seen any of the moto x guys changing to this? We have had a few of the eastern clubs go to this already. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetupfun Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 I rode with a Leonelli lanyard for my last four or so trials in 2013, to get ready for the 2014 season (they are now compulsory for all trials riders at Motorcycling Australia events). In 40 years riding trials, it was the first time I had ever used one. I had no problems with accidental activation or missing lanyard. Holding it under your thumb as Paul suggested is a good idea. I did try and move my left hand off the bars a few times to do something while stopped, but the strong magnet in the Leonelli lanyard meant that I felt resistance to lifting my hand so didn't pull the magnet off. I have had many crashes in trials where a lanyard would have made for a better outcome. I reckon the benefits of a good quality lanyard switch outweigh the risk of negative outcomes by a huge margin. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p@ul250 Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 I know my wife will probably kill me for telling you this. but ten years ago when she was having a go on our son's Gas Gas 50, she crashed and got her left leg court up between the back of the frame and the front of the back wheel. By the time I had run across the field to help the back wheel had made a bit of a mess of her leg! She hasn't worn shorts, skirt or a swim suit since that day and it has taken until this year to get her into a sidecar let alone on a bike! If these Lanyards save just one child from something like this I for one will be a happy man! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfc Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 (edited) I was doubtful of the merits but having to fit a lanyard to my eldest sons bike for the BTC rounds has been an eye opener just how well it works, so much so that I have fitted another to my younger sons bike as well. Normally a runaway bike develops after the rider has fallen from the bike or a screaming bike on the floor happens once the rider has dropped the bike and the throttle has stuck in the ground, both of these situations are stopped before the bike has reached high revs as the engine is killed before the situation has reached the danger point and the bike tends to just stop in its tracks. Edited January 1, 2014 by jfc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 I know my wife will probably kill me for telling you this. and it has taken until this year to get her into a sidecar let alone on a bike! If these Lanyards save just one child from something like this I for one will be a happy man! My wife finally got back on a bike about two years ago. In `93 I bought her a TLR200. She lasted about two hours until she launched it in a tree. The wide open throttle is the worst problem we have and the lanyard does not over come panic in a rider. I`ve had many vehicles since the 70`s with the tether switches. In fact I bought one for my trials bike in the mid 90`s. I still have it in the original package. I`ve thought about this longer than most. Interesting thing when I scored the world round in the USA, a couple riders just looped it on the bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axulsuv Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 Now that you mentioned it , I remember as I was marking cards in TN. , It was looped around the bars on almost all the riders bikes when they pulled up to me to get their score .... May be a hard rule to enforce ??? Bikes may be equipped , but will the pro's wear them ? Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr neutron Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 (edited) First of all, I apologize to Harveyb & everyone else for going off topic here, sorta...... Lineaway & Axulsuv, do you folks know of anyone here in the States that sells a spare magnet for the Leonelli switches? I can already forsee the day when I forget or lose the one I got with my kill switch, and it'd be nice to have an extra or tow laying around in the tool box...... This is an interesting topic, and kinda brings back memories. My first motorcycle I bought in 1969 (I was13 yrs. old at the time) was a Honda 90, set up for the local Hillclimb competitions there in Oklahoma. It was mandatory back then for all the bikes to have one of these, & I can think of no better reason to have them than hillclimbing crashes. Bike & rider almost never end up in the same place when things go bad in that discipline of motorcycle competitions. Anyway, nobody really made these switches back in 1969, so some "engineering" was required back then. My bike came with a wire from the ignition up the handlebars, and to a set of ignition points (anyone else remember those?) clamped to the bars. There was a short piece of flat plastic, a mm or two thick, between the points contact surfaces. This plastic had a string tether that was tied to the rider's wrist. When the rider's hand/wrist/arm pulled the string, the plastic came out from between the points, the points made contact & completed a circuit, thus grounding the ignition there on the handlebars. It worked well..... I knew if I stayed with this sport long enough, I'd see stuff come back around full circle...... Maybe I should look for a set of points rather than a Leonelli magnet; I dunno which would be easier to find..... Jimmie Edited January 5, 2014 by mr neutron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 First of all, I apologize to Harveyb & everyone else for going off topic here, sorta...... Lineaway & Axulsuv, do you folks know of anyone here in the States that sells a spare magnet for the Leonelli switches? I can already forsee the day when I forget or lose the one I got with my kill switch, and it'd be nice to have an extra or tow laying around in the tool box...... I knew if I stayed with this sport long enough, I'd see stuff come back around full circle...... Maybe I should look for a set of points rather than a magnet; I dunno which would be easier to find..... Jimmie We have several large family`s in our club. When I first saw this becoming compulsory to ride, I worried about these riders. First, 5 or six switches is not cheap. Due to the size of these family`s, organization is not always there strong points. I could just see them showing up with no tethers. Myself I can see the tether catching on my knee brace, or on brush when breaking trail. In sections not so much, but just out riding we have a lot of over growth that could make things go wrong. I have not heard of any spare tethers yet, though I`ve heard a few switches have been bad, out of the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.