Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Riding Technique Helmet? Who freaking cares?

A good, Aria full face helmet saved my daughter from serious injury two years ago. She slid across the road on the crown of the helmet and rec'd no injuries besides two broken feet (no boots..). I took one look at her helmet and put my skid lids in storage and bought a good Scorpion 3/4 lid. It's a personal decision. At times this summer I rode in shorts. No doubt that is risky behaviour.

But the use or not of safety equipment should have no bearing on whether or not a person who is at fault in an accident is held completely accountable. Sadly, this never seems to happen thru our courts (Billy Lane case excepted).

I took one look at Freedom's face and decided against a 3/4 helmet.

My wife told me that when I cover my face with a helmet...


... it's an upgrade

Some on this blog really need to get rid of their bikes and just cage it.

I always wear the gear. The full gear....full face helmet with face shield, gloves, armored riding jacket, kevlar jeans and boots.

When I first got the bike I went down twice in a month both executing tight left turns at about 2 MPH and I was looking at the ground instead of where I wanted to go. I ended up on the ground. Both times my noggin was bashed against the ground.

When I had a serious mishap in 12/08 at 35 MPH I dumped the bike to avoid being T Boned by a car full of teens at night and again the helmet saved my noggin. The other stuff was handy as I suffered no road rash, no lacerations but I did get some brusing and a broken Fibula when the bike fell onto my ankle.

I just finished riding through a Las Vegas summer of h%%$ wearing all the gear. I found a wet vest that I wear under a mesh jacket and it makes riding in hot weather bearable.

Not pleasant but bearable. The head is a big item to cool and even with a well ventilated helmet the air trying to cool you down at 110 degrees does not do much to make your head comfortable at all. It became a sweat bucket and I wonder why it does not stink with all the sweat it has absorbed.

To ride the bike at low speeds (up to 50) is OK without the windshield but to ride the bike on the highway at 60 MPH or more the chunk of plastic in front of me is very welcome and appreciated.

Re wearin' the helmet in extreme heat, and to expand upon your post, Dan...

A few weeks back, Larry Disney riding from his home in Des Moines to California in order to attend a seminar about his future purchase of a UPS franchise, stopped for the night at my place here in Prescott.

(yes, yes, folks...if you're wonderin', we had a couple of very stimulating political discussions while he was here...but that's really NOT the point of this, and so I'll move on...OKAY?!)

Well ANYWAY, just as he left my house the next day to continue on down the mountains around here and into the desert to connect to I-10 and onto California, I asked him to give me a call on his cellphone when he got to his destination in SoCal so I would know he made it there in one piece and in good shape...which he did.

(and btw, if you see this Larry, thanks for the call, and it truly was a pleasure to have finally met ya face-to-face!!!)

And, while on the phone, he told me that while going through the deserts of AZ and CA he noticed that wearing his helmet really helped him fight the extreme heat down there (which is somethin' I pretty much knew anyway) as it was averaging about 110F that day on I-10.

And so, the point is, during the extremely hot dry summer months in the lower elevations of AZ, I tend to see many if not the majority of riders who are comin' up to the higher elevations of Prescott to escape the summer heat who aren't wearing helmets(for those who might not know, AZ has no mandatory helmet laws for adult riders), and I've always wondered how it is that those riders seem to be under the misconception that it's somehow cooler(not "cooler lookin'", which I'll bet is what they're thinkin') for them by not wearing a helmet in these kinds of temperature conditions?

(...but then again, most of the riders I'm talkin' about here are ridin' them there Harley-Davidson motorsickles, and so these are folks who are probably under a whole host of misconceptions about things, huh?!...like which motorcycle brand is the coolest...lookin', in THIS case!)

My helmet keeps me cooler in the hot weather around here, also the H-D crowd here does'nt get it, cuz the leather beanie seems to be the way to go!

I can honestly say, the more I wear my full face helmet, the more I like it. It's hard not to put on the half for around town in the hot summer though. I've actually been looking to get more gear for all weather, I do feel more comfortable on the bike when I'm protected. Maybe one day I will even put the armor back in my Triumph jacket

I thought that I perceived a shift or convergence in the space/time continuum.

Anyway, I've always asserted that my full gear; full face helmet, mesh jacket, long pants, full gloves, boots help keep me more comfortable during the peak heat of summer.

Looks like Larry and I will agree on that

And helps you extend your riding season up here in wisconsin

Personally one needs his/her head examined for not wearing a helmet. It is not remotely close to a seat belt law. It is more requiring a seat. Hit the brakes hard at 5 MPH in rainy weather stopping on the large crosswalk paint . Bike was on the ground in NY second, head slammed the pavement. Instead of a trip to the hospital and head fracture I righted the bike shaking and unhurt thanks to my helmet.

For you riders not wearing a helmet religiously please have your organ donor card current and life insurance for family. You spend good money on leather, boots and glasses why not the most important safety apparell? As hazardous as motorcycle riding is most head injuries are preventable using a good DOT helmet.

There were no portents of doom, no premonitions, for Tommy
it was just another Thursday. He got up, showered, shaved,
had his usual breakfast of Oatmeal and Cheetos, all systems
normal. He went out for his morning commute to his job as
Sou Chef at the Roadkill Cafe. But during his drive, the traffic
seemed particularly mindless. The number of texters, makeup
artists, tweeters, status updaters and those affirming their
love had increased to critical proportions. Earlier, a brief
rainshower had fallen, just enough to float the highway grease
to the surface. To make matters worse, today of all days, Tommy
had not worn his helmet. As he passed exit 34, an overwrought,
underappreciated Soccer Mom decided, at the last second,
to take exit 34, and spend her hard-earned cash at Chantelle's
Aromatherapy, Lingerie, and Liquor Store. She cut hard across
six lanes of traffic, directly at Tommy. Directly at his Helmetless Head.
Tommy slowed down, let her go by, and continued safely to work,
where he made his famous Tequila, Psilocybe, and Sinsemilla Reduction Sauce.
Which would be World Famous, if not for it's amnesia-inducing qualities.

I would almost be tempted to say that anyone who has not rode without a helmet, without any protective gear, just the wind in your face, does not really know what freedom and bikes are about. I would never say that anyone who chooses to wear all of the gear needs to have their head examined. I choose not to.

I would not be here if I was not wearing a helmet @16.
Wear your brain bucket please,
Uncle Charlie

I never wear a helmet unless passing through a state that requires I wear one. I also wear a T shirt and jeans when the weather is warm enough to do so. My choice and I love the feeling of freedom it gives me. I love the wind in my face and can not understand why anyone would want to wear all that restrictive uncomfortable gear when the point is pleasure and fun and freedom. Almost everyone I ride with chooses not to wear the gear including Wendy. I can actually see it from both angles and do understand why some choose to wear it but it should be a choice and because I choose not to does not make me any less intelligent than the person who chooses to wear all the gear all the time. All it means is I choose freedom.

Please, do not concern yourself with my actions, or my beliefs. I take full responsibility for myself. If I were to die tomorrow on my bike, I would die a happy man, because I ride. My family totally understands this. My grandfather rode, my dad rode with my mother, and my wife rides with me. This is why I have lived so long. Remember, if you ain't busy being born, you're busy dieing.

Do what you like. And I've ridden without the gear when I was young and invulnerable so I understand what it's like.

As far as "restrictive" and "uncomfortable"; neither applies, in fact as I've pointed out, the gear actually makes the ride more comfortable and thus more enjoyable.

So If you choose to not wear the gear, that's all you do, is choose not to wear the gear. No need to try to rationalize it.

And no, it doesn't make one less intelligent to make that choice, and I won't argue the converse either.

It's not choosing freedom or any other such noble pursuit, it's simply not wanting to wear the gear.

At work, I wear safety glasses, hard hat and safety toe boots. It's a condition of employment, but I would wear them even if it wasn't.

On the bike I wear the gear because I choose to (the helmet is required, the rest isn't).

The BIG problem I have with people who don't choose to is that they tend to try to make assertions that wearing safety gear somehow makes the rider less safe Or they have to make excuses about comfort and freedom that are also misguided.
If you don't want to, just say so and leave it at that.

And if someone thinks you're a dumbass for making whichever choice you make...................well, I stopped giving a sh!t what other people think somewhere around the second grade.

I CHOOSE to make a risky behavior, hobby, choice, (addiction? ) a little less likely to seriously f*ck me up and leave my family without my adored presence.



Because I WANT to.

+1 to what the Dogg and Satxron said.

+1 to what Big Bill said

thanks for stating the obvious so clearly. we made a choice not to live in fear. NO ONE LIVES FOREVER. lets not forget freedom so easily.

it is about freedom when they make laws that force the issue. i have insurance good insurance actually my family would be better off if i die. money wise.

If you think you are in controll of any of the factors in an accident you are already brain damaged. I have read as many time a healthy person jogging in the park died, and teens playing football die every year. the jerks who complain about folks who smoke usually drink, and the ones who complain about bikers wearing helmets talk on cell phones driving. i saw a child riding a plastic tricycle in a grassy yard wearing a helmet and pads. poor thing looked like a hockey player in 100 degree weather. i wonder how long the child played that day?

Freedom??

What really kills me is the FL law that mandates wearing a seat belt. Not wearing one is enough to get you pulled over by a leo, that is it is a primary offense. So, 3000 miles on my truck per year and 20g+ on the bikes. Gov'mt mandating safety belts is kind of out of left field, as to this day I CANNOT find the safety belt on either of my motorsickles! Double standard eh? Those that own (and ride) a motorsickle ought not be subject to the nanny state vis-a-vis seat belt laws when they have to cage it.

[[[(I choose to wear a seat belt while in a cage.) ((Just the other day I was riding in 57 Coronet and dang, real strange not having a shoulder strap. Only the lap belt and with that big ole bulky, triple chromed buckle! ))]]]

My 55 Studebaker has no belts at all and never did. There is a seat belt law here in PA too. I think that should be a choice just like the helmet.

those laws are a way of making money for a corrupt machine. They dont give a rats a## about safety. its all about $$$$$$$$$$$. so keep re-electing them till they take it all, and we can be as free as the Chinese. We can all live in tiny huts and work our a** off for our government hand out. when we are really good we can have a small piece of meat as a reward on the holidays.

Check your local school buses for seat belts

You get a ticket if you take your kid to the bus stop without a belt so he can get on a bus without belts.

That is because they don't want the liability of an accident and not having them belted. So they just don't have them avoiding that inconvenient litigation should your kid get hurt and not be belted.

But that is a whole other issue.

The poor guy on HD got killed. I think its a shame and feel for the family he leaves behind. I don't really care to judge him. He should have had his seat belt on!

I was thinking about this thread while riding today, during one of those butt puckering moments involving a blind cager.

If a car wrecks, they'd include the fact that someone involved wasn't wearing a seatbelt, so I suppose its relevant.

Sorry if this has been poasted already

I'm just gonna override any and all posts in this here thread by answering to the original subject... that being and I quote, "Helmet? Who freaking cares?"

I CARE... THAT'S WHO FREAKING CARES!!!! (No emoticons that I can find to emphasis my point!)

I care too...BUT...I also believe in personal responsibility.
My Dad and I are talking about riding to Sturgis next year. It's been one of his dreams. My Dad is one of those only a helmet if he has to, no protective gear what so ever. I wish he would, I am an ATGATT sort of guy, so it makes me crazy, but it's his choice and it makes him happy.
I never wore anything when I was a kid, other than jeans and a T-shirt and old, old, old fullface helmet. That was the only thing my Mom asked me to do. I never wore a seatbelt either, but now I couldn't imagine not wearing one, or wearing all the gear. I wouldn't do it, but it should be a choice.

~Brent

Plus, business has been down.

The gear will/MAY protect you IF you are involved in an accident, but the goal is to NOT be involved, and ones awareness is undoubtedly improved when your 360 vision (and hearing) is not impeded by a massive head cover, IMHO.
I FEEL much more in tune with my surroundings then my heads not covered. Just MY reasons for not wearing a helmet. Everyone's opinion is just, whatever makes you feel safer.
In this Florida heat, a lot of the ATGATT riders aren't out during our extended summers. The ones that are, are b1tching all the time about the heat.
Again, whatever makes YOU the most at ease, and gives you the most awareness of your surroundings.

One of misconceptions people have about helmets, is that they block vision, hearing or are hot