after a slight disagreement at the pines with a stump on the weekend my wife and i have decided to invest in some head and neck restraints. Hans is the first one that comes to mind but after doing some research and speaking to some people im not convinced its the way to go. can anyone with a hans tell me how much lateral support they offer (ie ear to shoulder movement). does anyone use a different brand that can offer some insight?
Leatt is a brand that has been thrown into the ring, essentially a neck brace that apparently alot of sprint car drivers use now, not sure how they would go with harnesses though as theyre designed for moto x.
Hi Darran, I have a Defender which i think is far better than a hans as it stops lateral movement with solid plastic type rail that contacts the bottom of the helmet. I don't think you can buy them anymore but there is a similar one just on the market called NecksGen and it goes for around $600 instead of about $900 for the defender. They take a little getting used to but you seem to forget about them once you start racing. Hope this helps?
we run the r3 which i like because it has no hard peice that sits on your sholder , the new hybred r3 has straps that how clip into your harnass latch .
I'm with Spaz i have a Defender and would love a second one for the nav but they seem to have done a disappearing act. I wouldnt be racing in the Pines without a neck restraint. At the end of the day its cheaper than a wheelchair...
We run Leatts and havnt had a problem. They do take some getting used too but that will be with any neck brace. The harnesses sit over the brace with a cradle sitting just below the helmet. There are no teathers back to the helmet so there is still plenty of movement to look around.
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GETTING OFFROAD RACING THE RECOGNITION IT DESERVES
some great advice here thanks. think it will come down to what we find comfortable with brain buckets on. leaning towards leatt or necksgen at the moment. any more advice certainly welcome!
I broke my neck in a rally accident 9 years ago. I never race without my Hans now! You must purchase a device that attaches to your helmet! I use a Leatt brace when riding a motorbike but it is no good for a frontal impact in a vehicle. If you hit that tree one day, your head goes straight forward (chin up, straight out!) because your shoulders are held by belts, your head doesn't roll forward like you think it might.
I encourage people to use any device over nothing at all! Buy the best you can afford. Look at what the highest level drivers wear and go with that.
I use Hans because that's all there was 9 years ago. I don't even know I have it on once my right foot goes down!
