There's a version of this story that ends a lot worse. I know that because I've replayed it enough times over the past few months lying on the couch with a bruised shoulder and too much time to think. But it didn't end worse. And a big part of the reason it didn't comes down to what I was wearing that day.
Let me back up.
The Laverda. The Rebuild. The Ride.
If you've been following Biker Torque for a while, you'll know about LaDiva, my 1972 Laverda 750SF. She's been a labour of love, a source of heartbreak, and an occasional money pit that I can't seem to walk away from. After blowing a piston on a run down to Huskisson a while back, lean mixture, melted piston, you get the picture, she went up to Redax Laverda for a full engine rebuild. Ceramic coated racing pistons, new crank, new valves, electronic ignition. The works.
When I got her back, she was running beautifully. The plan was simple, get some kilometres on the new engine, run it in properly, keep it between 4,000 and 5,000 RPM, vary it up, don't thrash it. That was the plan and I was sticking to it. So a group of us headed out, down through some of the best roads in NSW, lunch at Farm Club Australia, and then back via Kangaroo Valley and Macquarie Pass.
Up until that point, it had been one of those days that reminds you exactly why you ride.
Macquarie Pass. Left-hand Bend. Front Brake.
I've ridden Macquarie Pass plenty of times. It's a good road, winding, scenic, the kind of road a 1972 Italian twin was born to be on. I was moving at a brisk but sensible pace, coming down through a left-hand bend when I noticed a couple of cars coming up a little quicker than I'd have liked. Nothing dramatic - just enough to make me think I should scrub off a bit of speed.
I sat up slightly and applied the front brake.
It grabbed. Hard. And immediately.
The bike went down before I had time to process what was happening. The left foot peg dug into the bitumen, the Laverda started to spin, and I let go, which is exactly the right instinct when a bike goes down at speed. The bike collected the rear wheel arch of one of the oncoming cars. I came down hard on my shoulder.
For a moment I just lay there on the road taking stock.
Shoulder - painful. Very painful.
Everything else - moving. All accounted for.
10 weeks on, the shoulder is still giving me a little bit of grief but nothing was broken. I got very lucky. But luck only tells part of the story.
What Was Between Me and the Road
This isn't a story I'm telling to just sell gear. It's a story I'm telling because it's true, and because what I was wearing that day made a genuine difference to how this ended.
On my head, my Shark Spartan RS Byhron helmet. When you come off and your head hits the road, you want the best possible barrier between your skull and the bitumen. The Shark Spartan RS is that barrier. Full face, ECE 22.06 certified, multi-axial composite shell, properly built for exactly this kind of moment. I walked away without a head injury. That's the headline.
On my hands, my Helstons gloves. Your hands go out first when you fall. It's instinct, you can't help it. Helstons gloves are built for exactly this moment, proper leather, proper protection, proper construction. My hands came through without damage.
And on my back and arms - my Segura Retro jacket in Brown and Orange. The one I bought specifically because it matched the Laverda perfectly, that warm brown leather with orange accents sitting alongside the Laverda's iconic orange tank. I'll be honest, when I bought it the colour coordination was a big part of the appeal. But when I hit the road on Macquarie Pass, what I needed wasn't a jacket that looked good, I needed a jacket that worked.
It worked.
The jacket that came back for more
The thing about quality leather gear and this is something I've come to understand from wearing Segura jackets for years now. When it does its job in a crash, the evidence is in what's left behind. Lesser gear gets destroyed. It takes the hit and it's done.
My Segura Retro? Minimal damage. Genuinely minimal. We're talking a jacket that went down the road on Macquarie Pass and came out the other side still wearable. Still good. In fact it's still in regular rotation. It just looks like it's got a bit of history now, a bit of road credibility baked into the leather. Some gear earns its character in a showroom. This one earned it on the road.
The Segura Retro Brown/Orange is no longer available, but the DNA is very much alive in the new Segura range we've just brought in. Same brand, same engineering philosophy, same commitment to protection. Just wearing different colours.
The helmet that did its job and why I'm buying the same one again
After the crash, I had to make a decision about my helmet. Once a helmet has had an impact it needs to be replaced. The liner compresses on impact and even if it looks fine on the outside, the protection has been compromised, that’s just physics.
So I went through my options. Tried a few things on. Thought about it properly.
And then ordered exactly the same helmet.
The Shark Spartan RS Byhron. Same model. Because when a piece of gear does its job in the moment that matters most, that's the only review you need. The Spartan RS is comfortable enough to wear all day, the fit is outstanding, the optical Class 1 visor is as clear as anything I've worn, and the multi-axial composite shell and multi-density EPS did exactly what they're designed to do when my head met the road.
When something works, you don't go looking for something else.
We stock a range Shark helmets, including the Spartan RS Byhron in Blue/White/Chrome, the same striking graphic that Troy Lee Designs collaborated with Shark to create. It's one of the best looking helmets in our range and now I can tell you from firsthand experience that it's also one of the best performing. If you're in the market for a premium full-face helmet, this is the one I'd point you towards without hesitation.
We also stock a broader range of Shark helmets for riders looking at different styles and price points - worth having a look through if you're due for a new lid.
Why This Matters Right Now
We've just brought in a new range of Segura leather jackets at Biker Torque, and I'd be telling you about them regardless of what happened on Macquarie Pass. They're genuinely outstanding jackets and I've been wearing the brand long enough to put my name behind them.
But given what happened, I think it's worth being direct about something. Motorcycle gear is not a fashion decision. It's a safety decision that happens to involve fashion. The jacket you choose, the helmet you strap on, the gloves you pull on before you leave the driveway, these are decisions that matter in a way that almost nothing else in riding does.
The new Segura range we're stocking covers multiple styles and certifications:
Segura Romeo Men's Leather Jacket available in Black/Red and Black/White. Buffalo leather, body fit cut, CE AAA certified - the highest certification a motorcycle jacket can achieve. This is the jacket for the rider who wants maximum protection wrapped in a silhouette that looks as good off the bike as on it.
Segura Romeo Ladies Leather Jacket has the same AAA-certified Buffalo leather construction, engineered specifically for women riders. Not a men's jacket with a different tag, a jacket built from the ground up for the female riding position and female proportions. Available in Black/White.
Segura Orion Men's Leather Jacket in Cowhide Drago leather, Regular Fit, CE AA certified with BWTECH Super Membrane waterproofing built in. The Orion is the all-rounder, comfortable on long days, protective when it counts, and in Camel it's one of the best looking jackets we've had in stock. If you've got a classic bike with warm tones and you know who you are this is the one.
All of them are all-season. All of them are CE certified. All of them are backed by a brand that has been engineering motorcycle protection since 1967. And all of them carry the same DNA as the jacket that brought me home from Macquarie Pass.
The Gear You Hope You Never Need
I didn't plan to crash on Macquarie Pass. Nobody ever plans it. But somewhere between leaving the house and hitting that left-hand bend, I made a series of decisions that meant when things went wrong, I had the best possible protection on my body.
Good helmet. Good gloves. Good jacket.
That's the brief. Everything else is detail.
If you want to talk through any of the Segura range or the Shark helmet lineup, sizing, fit, which jacket or lid suits your riding, reach out. We're here and we know this gear firsthand. More firsthand than we'd necessarily have chosen, but there you go.
Ride safe. And gear up properly. Every single time.