Well,,,,, a hump has no significant advantage ,apparently,until around 160 MPH.The design was to allow streamlining the air around the helmet and reducing
wind drag areas behind the rider/bike. As many noted they do get a more stable helmet at speed.So it does help stabilize your head from buffetting at lower speeds.
Problem is,,, as was pointed out from a medical perspective,, the issue you get if you need medical first responder help. All humps are not the same!
The good ones start well down your back and slowly increase in size up your back.They also are inside the suit. Not an add on. So what you will see is the back of the suit built up but no seams.I have seen track paramedics stabilize riders with the hump in these suits as your helmet and shoulders are flush when lieing on your back.
The other ones have a seam around the hump and are more pronounced. These are the ones that really raise your shoulders up awkwardly should you find yourself in a situation. They also have a greater chance of ripping off, or the suit open.
The hump also has to allow you to hyperextend your head! If it stops your head from going back you can not see where you are going if you tuck behind the bubble. Imagine how stressful that is going up the back straight at Mosport at 170MPH and not being able to see where you are going!
That being said let me tell you what I have seen,,, suits ripped wide open from poor humps,riders getting into visual problems from poor positioned humps,riders getting into tumbles on a crash becasue the foam in the hump was too soft and grabbed.
The good,,,with good humps with no gap between the head and hump so the helmet and hump are like one allowing a smooth clean slide. Riders getting good added value from a decent density rubber that spreads or dissapates the energy. A good hump is easier to remove by Paramedics if need be [but still hard],,clean slice down the back of the suit and the foam can be removed as it covers more of the back and is easier to get at.
So,, I won"t install a hump on a suit becasue I do not think I can't redesign a suit to fit it properly and do it right. Just cutting a hole and sticking a piece of foam with leather over it is easy! Doing it right is very hard.
Street riders are between a rock and a hard place.Hopefully you don"t get into a situation where you do or don"t need it. Street riders crashes are usually much different then track riders and thus the pro's and con's.But a well designed hump will protect both track and street.
Riders should first buy a good suit and then look for how the hump is added.So basically find a good fit and then look at the design.
So a good hump would be an asset,,a bad hump, has no reason like the wing on that car! Or look at a good suit with a back protector like the Forcefield Sub 4.
But I would certainly spend my money more on a "good" back protector then a hump! Not to mention,, there are only two types of riders,, those that have been down and those that are going down. So plan for it people!
