 Re: Too Hot !?
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Although it may be true that the "rest of us pick up the tab for their 'freedom'", it is also true that society picks up the tab for smokers, drinker, drug user and even for people who are over weight. I don't have any numbers but I am pretty sure that both smoking and people who are over weight cost me more that motorcyclists (even if Canada didn't have helmet laws).
Do I wear a helmet? Always!
Do I wear shorts on a bike? Never?
Do I wear a jacket on a bike? Almost always!
Does that give me the right to preach to others? No.
Kinda ironic how this thread started with someone making fun of someone for wearing gear and has end up with people deriding those who don't.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146 |
Quote:
Although it may be true that the "rest of us pick up the tab for their 'freedom'", it is also true that society picks up the tab for smokers, drinker, drug user and even for people who are over weight. I don't have any numbers but I am pretty sure that both smoking and people who are over weight cost me more that motorcyclists (even if Canada didn't have helmet laws).
Do I wear a helmet? Always!
Do I wear shorts on a bike? Never?
Do I wear a jacket on a bike? Almost always!
Does that give me the right to preach to others? No.
Kinda ironic how this thread started with someone making fun of someone for wearing gear and has end up with people deriding those who don't.
You're absolutely right and I know people who also insist that smoking isn't as bad for them as, well, everyone with a lick of sense tells them.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,669
Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
Joined: Aug 2009
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I can't say much for my gear, I always wear my helmet and gloves, mostly wear my jacket, and often wear my riding pants. I haven't have tested these in a wreck and really don't want to. But it deffinetly helps with road debris, bugs, and all kinds of other crap that tend to smack me when im running 80 mph.
Speaking of cages and seatbelts, I've been in a few really bad wrecks, one of them I flipped upside down, airborne and landed on the top, (t-tops), IF I had been wearing my seat belt I would have been dead, cause it crushed the top down to middle of where my cheast would have been. Luckely I was thrown halfway into the passenger seat and my back got all the broken glass and road rash. In other wrecks I'd have to say the seat belt saved my life or at least prevented major injuries. To sum it up when its your time its your time, nothing you can do about it. For that matter you could trip getting outta bed and crack your skull and die on the spot. Something smilar happend my last deployment, a guy tripped going thru a passage on the ship and was dead insantly from smacking his head on the floor.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,297
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,297 |
After reading through this, I need a drink, RIGHT NOW.
I will admit there are times here in the Florida heat that I do not don a jacket and sometimes even a helmet. 95% of the time, however, I wear both.
I agree in freedom of choice. I also agree that an individual's choices should not fall into the state's hands to rectify should there be disastrous consequences. Above all else, I firmly believe that driver's license testing needs to be improved. It is a joke what who and what is allowed on the roads.
Where is that drink???
In Between the Dark and the Light..
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,212
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Jul 2011
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Quote:
After reading through this, I need a drink, RIGHT NOW.
I will admit there are times here in the Florida heat that I do not don a jacket and sometimes even a helmet. 95% of the time, however, I wear both.
I agree in freedom of choice. I also agree that an individual's choices should not fall into the state's hands to rectify should there be disastrous consequences. Above all else, I firmly believe that driver's license testing needs to be improved. It is a joke what who and what is allowed on the roads.
Where is that drink???
here ya go Ryan!
2007 Speedmaster and miss it!
2013 T-Bird Storm and Luvin it!
Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,243 Likes: 64
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,243 Likes: 64 |
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Got an old friend, Harley guy. We go back 40 years. He moved to a state without a helmet law and went with the flow. Whenever I'd visit he'd give me crap about wearing one. All the same arguments about 'you're just trading one injury for another...blah...blah...blah'.
He staunchly stood his ground about how he was just as safe without a helmet...until his daughter was born. Apparently, the laws of physics changed at that point because he never rode without one from that point on.
Now ya see, I think that is wrong. I never give anyone I ride with crap about wearing any kind of gear.A I don't want crap for my choice. B maybe they are not that good a rider and if I gave them crap and they cracked under pressure and did get hurt I would feel bad weather it had anything to do with the gear or not. Brokenfixed used to come up here to ride and he wore a helmet, I never gave him crap about it.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,393 Likes: 1
Second Wind
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Second Wind
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,393 Likes: 1 |
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Proper gear and a helmet do not guarantee you will survive a crash. Wearing a seatbelt does not guarantee you survive a crash. There are no guarantees in life. But seatbelts as well as proper gear and a helmet significantly increase your chances surviving a serious crash. There is no argument that can successfully be made against that fact. It has been statistically proven over and over again. Even the organizations that argue against mandatory helmet laws generally do not dispute that fact, but instead base their arguments on personal freedom, choice and acceptance of risk.
I agree with that argument. We have too much government and too many laws as it is. If someone wants to put their own life at risk, they should have that right. I don’t think a helmet law should be imposed on riders over the age of 21. Let people make their own choices. It’s better for society as a whole in the long run.
That thing he just said. Very logical very well thought out. I like it. That guy for president.
I have no faith in human perfectability. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.
Edgar Allan Poe
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 593
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 593 |
Quote:
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Although it may be true that the "rest of us pick up the tab for their 'freedom'", it is also true that society picks up the tab for smokers, drinker, drug user and even for people who are over weight. I don't have any numbers but I am pretty sure that both smoking and people who are over weight cost me more that motorcyclists (even if Canada didn't have helmet laws).
Do I wear a helmet? Always!
Do I wear shorts on a bike? Never?
Do I wear a jacket on a bike? Almost always!
Does that give me the right to preach to others? No.
Kinda ironic how this thread started with someone making fun of someone for wearing gear and has end up with people deriding those who don't.
You're absolutely right and I know people who also insist that smoking isn't as bad for them as, well, everyone with a lick of sense tells them.
I think you may be missing my point. From what I have heard here those that chose to ride without gear know the risks, they just choose to accept them.
The fact that society has to pay for their choice is irrelevant since that is really one of the points of having a society (individuals may die but the herd survives).
Plus, lets take your argument to the extreme. Cars and seat belts are way safer than motorcycles, even with all the gear. Why not just ban motorcycles? But that of course would infringe YOUR right to choose.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,669
Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
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Posts: 1,669 |
Maybe they should make it mandatory for ppl in cars to wear helmets.  
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 322
Adjunct
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Adjunct
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I had an accident in Colorado back in 2000. I was very happy I had on a 5mm Leather Jacket, Helmet, and Gloves. No road rash or broken bones, but serious nerve damage in my right arm.
I don't always ride in full gear, but I was very glad I was wearing it that day!
My standard is almost always Helmet & Gloves (i'd hate to lose a finger, don't know how Id pick my nose) and occasionally my mesh armored jacket.
To each his own. Keep it rubber side down.
"stupid's in the water these days, they're gonna drink it anyways, until they don't know right from wrong..."
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8
New Tires
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New Tires
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8 |
Quote:
Quote:
Proper gear and a helmet do not guarantee you will survive a crash. Wearing a seatbelt does not guarantee you survive a crash. There are no guarantees in life. But seatbelts as well as proper gear and a helmet significantly increase your chances surviving a serious crash. There is no argument that can successfully be made against that fact. It has been statistically proven over and over again. Even the organizations that argue against mandatory helmet laws generally do not dispute that fact, but instead base their arguments on personal freedom, choice and acceptance of risk.
I agree with that argument. We have too much government and too many laws as it is. If someone wants to put their own life at risk, they should have that right. I don’t think a helmet law should be imposed on riders over the age of 21. Let people make their own choices. It’s better for society as a whole in the long run.
That being said, I can say from personal knowledge that helmets do save lives. My brother used to ride, and hit a tree one night. He fractured his skull, collarbone, wrist, several ribs and his leg. He spent a week in intensive care and a total of 49 days in Strong Memorial Hospital. I clearly remember the Dr saying that without that helmet (which actually cracked in the crash) there was zero chance he would have survived. I always wear full gear when I ride, and always will.
As with a number of things in life, the rest of us pick up the tab for those who choose the 'freedom' to do 'less than wise' things. Even if you have great insurance, it's not covering the tab for the documented increase in head injuries in states where people are given the 'freedom' to choose whether or not they will use good judgement.
From the extensive experience my wife has working with health insurance (she is a surgical case manager as well as the owner of 2 motorcycles) the irony is, those who most often choose not to use appropriate safety equipment are also those who are most likely to not have health insurance. The rest of us pick up the tab for their 'freedom'.
I wear gear, but your argument justifies banning everything or anything. There is a societal cost or benefit to everything we do. The same argument justifies banning motorcycling, it's an easy case to make by the usual do gooders. 
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2011
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Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
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It's interesting, one of the legal precedents used when folks try to overturn helmet laws is the court case which challenged the seat belt ignition interlock, where you could not start your car until the seat belt was fastened. The result of the case was that manufacturers had to quit building in the interlock because safety equipment could not be mandated.
Now, we have seat belt laws. Go figure.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,839 Likes: 3
Loquacious
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Loquacious
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a helmet is good for one bounce after that its pretty much useless as most will crack into pieces after that bounce. now, granted it saved you from that bounce but after that??? i was reading an article written by the guy who was in charge of coming up with the standard's for helmet rating and he pretty much said just that he also went on to say that he foam helmets that kids wear for bicycle is a safer helmet in as much as it will take several bounces and hold up very well. now these helmets are very well ventilated and light weight so why may i ask are they not also DOT approved for mc use?? what make me laugh right out loud is when i see adults wearing those helmets while riding a bicycle, i am like WHAT?? you dont trust in your judgement enough to ride a bicycle??? your that afraid of life?? my advise to them is that they should just stay home, lock the dorr and dont ever go out or let anybody in. i dont care what people wear, smoke, drive, we should all be allowed to make up our own minds about our lives!!!! i have a big brother and i dont want him telling me how to live either. i understand you telling me that i have to buckle my child in the bacvk seat, i might not have the intelligence or care but i dont need anybody telling me that i have to, that should be my adult decision!!!! like some here, i have been in a few wrecks (couple roll overs, hit 5 times by garbage truck while driving a VW,things like that) , both bike and car and have been fortunate enough to have walked away in reasonable condition. sometimes i wear my gear, sometimes i dont, thats the way it should be.....my choice not govt!!!!!!! i mean we never had airbags/seatbelts/padded dashes/ breakaway steering wheels and the list go's on and on and i think its amazing that the human race has lasted as long as it has before these things, so i think its very important that the govt take over all aspects of my life so that i may live to be 105yr old. like telling me that i cant smoke in my own establishment or that i cant have over 16oz of soda if i want. i tell you its just amazing we have gotten this far on the planet. do they have helmet and seatbelt laws in tiawan or india?? and the people that stick their noses into my biz @#%^%$#@ i had a lady pull up next to me the other day in her cage and she rolls down her window just to tell me "you should be wearing a helmet you know, you would be much safer" wtf???? you had to tell me that??? its probably you that i need to watch out for!!!!!! LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE!!!!!!!! what is best for them. I HATE THAT STUPID SEATBELT!!!!!!   OH AND P.S. this is one of those never ending arguments because people have been brainwashed in so many ways that they cant see the truth, they think its right to be told and they are deadset in their belief and same holds true for the other side of that coin. its kinda like the noisy exhust debate, my 83yr old mother sez she likes noisy pipes because if she cant see them she can hear them and she knows to watch for them... i guess loud pipes CAN possibly save lives
Last edited by newt; 06/21/2012 12:14 PM.
ENJOY!!!!! NEWT!!!!!
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 593
Adjunct
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Adjunct
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Posts: 593 |
Quote:
............... i guess loud pipes CAN possibly save lives
I see what you did. 
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 282
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Jul 2009
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I'm down with the Dog on this one. Been riding my whole life, have had my moments in the gravel. Still, I prefer to feel the wind in my hair. A person can try to make himself as safe as he can, but, in the end, stuff happens. I ride out here in 103 degree heat. The guys with their helmets look like their heads are going to explode when we stop for a break. Kinda like lobsters. They also seem more exhausted than the rest. Exhaustion relates directly to how you handle your bike. I also believe that guys that wear helmets suffer from an artificial belief in their safty and tend to run faster than they would without a helmet. I will never argue the merits of protection. But, I don't want to be the guy waking up being slid into the meat wagon and some guy standing over me saying "Man, its a good thing you wore your helmet, its the only thing that kept you alive. You're never going to walk or feed yourself again, but your alive." Personal philosophy, don't expect anyone to understand or agree. If I wanted complete safety from the ills of life, I would stay home and order everything through the internet, including U-tubes of guys riding their bikes. Then I'd be safe.
Pacific Blue/White 2009 America in the TX Hill Country
Not all that glitters is gold. Tolkien. Hmm Must've seen the chrome on my TA coming down the road.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146 |
Quote:
a helmet is good for one bounce after that its pretty much useless as most will crack into pieces after that bounce. now, granted it saved you from that bounce but after that??? i was reading an article written by the guy who was in charge of coming up with the standard's for helmet rating and he pretty much said just that he also went on to say that he foam helmets that kids wear for bicycle is a safer helmet in as much as it will take several bounces and hold up very well. now these helmets are very well ventilated and light weight so why may i ask are they not also DOT approved for mc use?? what make me laugh right out loud is when i see adults wearing those helmets while riding a bicycle, i am like WHAT?? you dont trust in your judgement enough to ride a bicycle??? your that afraid of life?? my advise to them is that they should just stay home, lock the dorr and dont ever go out or let anybody in. i dont care what people wear, smoke, drive, we should all be allowed to make up our own minds about our lives!!!! i have a big brother and i dont want him telling me how to live either. i understand you telling me that i have to buckle my child in the bacvk seat, i might not have the intelligence or care but i dont need anybody telling me that i have to, that should be my adult decision!!!! like some here, i have been in a few wrecks (couple roll overs, hit 5 times by garbage truck while driving a VW,things like that) , both bike and car and have been fortunate enough to have walked away in reasonable condition. sometimes i wear my gear, sometimes i dont, thats the way it should be.....my choice not govt!!!!!!! i mean we never had airbags/seatbelts/padded dashes/ breakaway steering wheels and the list go's on and on and i think its amazing that the human race has lasted as long as it has before these things, so i think its very important that the govt take over all aspects of my life so that i may live to be 105yr old. like telling me that i cant smoke in my own establishment or that i cant have over 16oz of soda if i want. i tell you its just amazing we have gotten this far on the planet. do they have helmet and seatbelt laws in tiawan or india?? and the people that stick their noses into my biz @#%^%$#@ i had a lady pull up next to me the other day in her cage and she rolls down her window just to tell me "you should be wearing a helmet you know, you would be much safer" wtf???? you had to tell me that??? its probably you that i need to watch out for!!!!!! LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE!!!!!!!! what is best for them. I HATE THAT STUPID SEATBELT!!!!!!
OH AND P.S. this is one of those never ending arguments because people have been brainwashed in so many ways that they cant see the truth, they think its right to be told and they are deadset in their belief and same holds true for the other side of that coin. its kinda like the noisy exhust debate, my 83yr old mother sez she likes noisy pipes because if she cant see them she can hear them and she knows to watch for them... i guess loud pipes CAN possibly save lives
Motorcycle helmets have a polystyrene core, which is what bicycle helmets are made of, though the exterior shell on a bicycle helmet is much, much thinner. They are designed for different types of impact. I have smashed both. For the record I have incurred far, far, far greater injuries mountain biking (like a series of reconstructive surgeries and a year out of work).
They should probably be banned.
I've probably worked 25-35 motorcycle accidents and witnessed a few more. I've never seen a helmet 'crack into pieces'. In fact I've never seen one do anything more than indent at the point of impact, as they are designed (and required) to do. Unless you're buying a non DOT and/or Snell approved helmet (like some of the 'beanie' things) any helmet you purchase would be extraordinarily unlikely to break into more than one piece. Your tires are more likely to burst into flames.
I think it was Cook Nielson who said what you spend on you head protection should be proportionate to the value of what it's protecting. I guess I'm somewhere in the middle because I buy good helmets but not the most expensive. I find a comfortable one that has the features I want (I currently wear a Nolan modular). I buy a new one every 4 or 5 years. Not much of an expense, really.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,669
Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,669 |
"Momma always said stupid is as stupid does."
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
a helmet is good for one bounce after that its pretty much useless as most will crack into pieces after that bounce.
Hmmmm...OH! Well, then THIS must explain why I see all those helmets "cracking into pieces" off a racer's head when they crash at the speedways, huh!
(...man I'll tell ya, some of the "logic" some people use to justify their opinions REALLY cracks me up sometimes!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Btw newt, IF you were insinuating that a helmet should be REPLACED after a crash, THEN you're as right as rain!!!
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
OH! And to get off this whole freakin' helmet thing, 'cause as we ALWAYS see here, NOBODY'S freakin' "opinion", be it based on fact OR on some freakin' urban legend, is EVER gonna be changed one way or the other...and soooooo, I'VE been wondering why some guys here choose to ride in the heat in a leather jacket instead of an armored mesh one, or even maybe a perforated leather one?
Uh huh, 'cause believe it or NOT here all you T-shirt/leather vest wearin' riders out there, those MESH jackets ACTUALLY make you feel COOLER while you're out there in 80degree-plus weather than in just a T-shirt!
(..uh huh...BELIEVE it or NOT...and I should KNOW, livin' as I do in ARIZONA...uh HUH..and NOT to start all this freakin' helmet thing again, BUT this ALSO goes for wearin' a freakin' helmet TOO!!...and THAT is NO urban-freakin'-MYTH...it DOES keep ya cooler!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 30
Greenhorn
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Greenhorn
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You should not be seeing the foam helmets for bicycles any longer. They were banned years ago. Bicycle helmets now have to have a shell over the styrene foam to prevent the foam from sticking when it hits the pavement. There was a significant increase in neck injuries after the wave of mandatory bicycle helmet laws with pre-teens taking the majority of injuries. The shell allows the helmet to slide while the foam disperses the force. A bike helmet shell does not have to handle the same type of penetrating force or handle a 100’ slide on concrete, and bicycle helmets have the same limits, one hit and the styrene is compressed, every subsequent hit to the same area will transfer greater force through the denser (compressed) foam.
I wear a helmet, not because they are comfortable or because I was told to by the State, but for the same reason I left the guards on my table saw, use a clamp at the drill press or have locks on my doors, stuff happens, some we can control some we cannot, but anything that gets me a few extra percentage points of survivability without destroying the experience is generally a good thing as long as it is my choice.
Wearing a helmet should always be a personal choice, and the Feds ought to have no place in the discussion, but hypothetically: if you were forced to wear one would you give up riding or ride less?
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
a helmet is good for one bounce after that its pretty much useless as most will crack into pieces after that bounce. now, granted it saved you from that bounce but after that???
Um...  ...after that get down on your knees and thank God and your helmet that you're in such a predicament!
Then, run right out and get yourself a brand new helmet. You may also need a new machine to go with it so make sure they are color-coordinated. 
While it is true that a helmet should be replaced after any kind of serious "bounce", they VERY RARELY "crack into pieces". 
Five years ago we were in a serious crash where my wife was injured even though we were wearing good gear.
Her full face helmet was deeply scratched ALL THE WAY AROUND.
Without a full face helmet, her injuries would have been far more serious, and likely life-threatening.
Ride safe folks.
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,669
Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,669 |
I have to agree with Dwight on the cooling thing. The jacket I wear really isn't completly mesh, but textile, with a mesh inner, and several vents and of course armor. Like I said i haven't tested nor do I want to but in the heat, it actually help keep me cooler. And I'm talking temps in the high 90's. Same goes for my full face, the vents work. BTW they're both black, and Im sure it would work better if it was white of yellow and im sure ppl could see me better also, but its what I got.
But if I wanna ride completly butt ass naked I should be able too.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
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... but hypothetically: if you were forced to wear one would you give up riding or ride less?
Ya know Rob, THAT is a GREAT freakin' question there!!!
And I'll tell ya MY opinion about THAT!!!
When I was still livin' in Calfornia and just before that state enacted their mandatory helmet law a few decades ago, I would've liked to have had a freakin' NICKEL for every so-called confirmed "biker"/"motorcyclist" who I heard cryin' the following thing here: "Well, once that law goes into effect, I don't think I'll be ridin' my bike nearly as much anymore!"
AND, ya know what I'D always tell these guys when they'd cry like that to me. I would tell 'em THIS:
"Well(fill in the name), if THIS is ALL it's gonna take to turn you off ridin' motorcycles, THEN I guess you REALLY don't have motorcycling in your freakin' soul and/or blood AFTERALL, do ya???!!! 'CAUSE, it's gonna take a HELL of lot more than THAT to get ME to stop or even lessen the time I spend on MY bikes!!!"
(...YEP, once again, believe it or not, THAT was what I told 'em...the freakin' CRYBABIES!!!!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8
New Tires
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New Tires
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8 |
Of the cyclist I've known personally that died, all died at the scene of the accident, pretty much instantly. One didn't have a helmet on, he lost a leg, but died of internal bleeding, no head injury. The others, three were road pirates that were either drunk or drugging and hit stationary objects at high speed. The last four bushwhacked, like the first, by autos and never saw it coming. So, I guess all the protection in the world doesn't save you if you don't have that split second where you see it coming and have time to react, like racers Dwight.  But, yes I prefer perforated leather to mesh. I've never found a mesh that fit like a leather jacket. Considering that good leather jackets cost $400 and above, a leather jacket with adequate zippered vents is a good compromise.
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Jul 2011
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Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,212 |
I wear a helmet, not because they are comfortable or because I was told to by the State, but for the same reason I left the guards on my table saw, use a clamp at the drill press or have locks on my doors, stuff happens, some we can control some we cannot, but anything that gets me a few extra percentage points of survivability without destroying the experience is generally a good thing as long as it is my choice. here here Helmets are considered to be 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcyclists. This means for every 100 motorcyclists killed in crashes while not wearing a helmet, 37 of them could have been saved had all 100 worn helmets.
2007 Speedmaster and miss it!
2013 T-Bird Storm and Luvin it!
Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8
New Tires
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New Tires
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8 |
Smokey, I read where jogging in the forest is twice as good for you than doing it in the gym. So, I'm going out on a limb here, You riding in the forest has to be twice as good for you than tooling around the neighborhood. But like in skiing, don't hit a tree, be safe.
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 413
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 413 |
Quote:
... what make me laugh right out loud is when i see adults wearing those helmets while riding a bicycle, i am like WHAT?? you dont trust in your judgement enough to ride a bicycle??? your that afraid of life?? my advise to them is that they should just stay home, lock the dorr and dont ever go out or let anybody in.
No, I have kids. Since they saw that everytime we went for a family bicycle ride Mom & Dad put on their helmet that pretty much eliminated the "but you don't" excuse. Since my 19 year old daughter now has her Class M endorsement the same applies with motorcycle safety gear. It is called being a good example.
Gear up, or don't. I understand the "freedom" factor, and I believe that's a part of why we all ride. Sometimes I want to forego the helmet and jacket (boots just make shifting easier, and for some reason I just prefer wearing the gloves), but I rarely do.
If you want to make safety or "its cooler without" arguments, well, think what you want, I don't care. I won't change your mind, you won't change mine. And in the end it comes down to weighting the advantages/disadvantages with what you consider important, and that's an individual exercise that everyone does for themselves.
Ride. Enjoy. Be Safe (however you feel you can best do that).
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,937
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,937 |
Quote:
Uh huh, 'cause believe it or NOT here all you T-shirt/leather vest wearin' riders out there, those MESH jackets ACTUALLY make you feel COOLER while you're out there in 80degree-plus weather than in just a T-shirt!
So D, 80's pretty damn cool, when ya factor in wind chill.
A good leather jacket is in order ANYTIME the temp's drop below 90.
And you may see me tonight
With an illegal smile
J. Prine
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,937
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,937 |
And NONE of you "Tweekers" are factoring in our Florida HUMIDITY! 
And you may see me tonight
With an illegal smile
J. Prine
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
Uh huh, 'cause believe it or NOT here all you T-shirt/leather vest wearin' riders out there, those MESH jackets ACTUALLY make you feel COOLER while you're out there in 80degree-plus weather than in just a T-shirt!
Absolutely.
Funny enough, last night we were on the ONLY group escorted ride we will do - Gooch's Garlic Run. It's mostly a cruiser crowd of over 1,000 motorcycles.
It was hot. I mean 95 degrees hot. And everyone was hanging around in a parking lot for a couple of hours waiting for the ride to roll out.
The number of numbskull wearing leather vests with their "colors" was pretty high.
And they were giving me the evil eye when I put on my mesh gear.
Um... there's no airflow through a leather vest!
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Oh! Is it humid back/down there a lot???  (...bet that brings the bugs out some, eh?!) 
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146 |
"... what make me laugh right out loud is when i see adults wearing those helmets while riding a bicycle, i am like WHAT?? you dont trust in your judgement enough to ride a bicycle??? your that afraid of life?? my advise to them is that they should just stay home, lock the dorr and dont ever go out or let anybody in."
I can't speak to people peddling around the subdivision on their Huffy but I've never even met anyone stupid enough to climb on a mountain bike without a helmet. If you're a serious rider you WILL crash occasionally. Shoot, if you are a professional rider you WILL crash. It will hurt, too, because you are probably flying through the air down the side of a mountain at the time. Most serious mountain bikers go through a couple helmets a year.
My worst crash I wasn't able to tuck and roll as I was in an uncontrolled descent. I hit elbows first, driving my humerus (upper arm) bones through my AC joint (the end of the shoulder) snapping them. Both labrums were torn, as were all the major tendons in both rotator cuffs. I had four surgeries over 7 months. Rehab took about a year. My helmet was destroyed but did its job. Pretty sure I would have had a broken head without it.
Last summer I broke a clavicle riding out in Moab, Utah.
Yeah, I wear a helmet when I ride my bicycle.
Last edited by Smokey3214; 06/21/2012 8:43 PM.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 7
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 7 |
methinks that maybe lil'm shouldhavebeenkeepinganeyeon this thread instead
Always remember to be yourself. Unless you suck. Then pretend to be someone else.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
Oh! Is it humid back/down there a lot???
(...bet that brings the bugs out some, eh?!)
That's what we call a WET heat.
And I never noticed the bugs.
But it DOES make everything green.
I've lived in the desert with the 115 degree "dry" heat. 
I'll take the east coast any day of the week.
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,212
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,212 |
Quote:
"... what make me laugh right out loud is when i see adults wearing those helmets while riding a bicycle, i am like WHAT?? you dont trust in your judgement enough to ride a bicycle??? your that afraid of life?? my advise to them is that they should just stay home, lock the dorr and dont ever go out or let anybody in."
I can't speak to people peddling around the subdivision on their Huffy but I've never even met anyone stupid enough to climb on a mountain bike without a helmet. If you're a serious rider you WILL crash occasionally. Shoot, if you are a professional rider you WILL crash. It will hurt, too, because you are probably flying through the air down the side of a mountain at the time. Most serious mountain bikers go through a couple helmets a year.
My worst crash I wasn't able to tuck and roll as I was in an uncontrolled descent. I hit elbows first, driving my humerus (upper arm) bones through my AC joint (the end of the shoulder) snapping them. Both labrums were torn, as were all the major tendons in both rotator cuffs. I had four surgeries over 7 months. Rehab took about a year. My helmet was destroyed but did its job. Pretty sure I would have had a broken head without it.
Last summer I broke a clavicle riding out in Moab, Utah.
Yeah, I wear a helmet when I ride my bicycle.
Wow Chet, i am thinking that bull fighting wouldbe safer then that man! LOL
2007 Speedmaster and miss it!
2013 T-Bird Storm and Luvin it!
Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 117
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 117 |
I don't care what y'all do as long as you keep your clothes on. I was riding through PA about two years ago, minding my own business, when I came to a stop sign. I looked to my left: no care. Looked to my right: and there was a guy on a Harley wearing nothing but a pair of sunglasses. He rides by completely naked. I'm still trying to scrub that image out of my head.
Moral of the story. Helmets are at your discretion, clothing is manditory.
2005 Green America
Fishtail Exhaust, Whitewalls, ISO Grips, Light bar with Relo Turnsignals
"...To them, I'm just a screaming ball of noise."
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,146 |
Quote:
Quote:
"... what make me laugh right out loud is when i see adults wearing those helmets while riding a bicycle, i am like WHAT?? you dont trust in your judgement enough to ride a bicycle??? your that afraid of life?? my advise to them is that they should just stay home, lock the dorr and dont ever go out or let anybody in."
I can't speak to people peddling around the subdivision on their Huffy but I've never even met anyone stupid enough to climb on a mountain bike without a helmet. If you're a serious rider you WILL crash occasionally. Shoot, if you are a professional rider you WILL crash. It will hurt, too, because you are probably flying through the air down the side of a mountain at the time. Most serious mountain bikers go through a couple helmets a year.
My worst crash I wasn't able to tuck and roll as I was in an uncontrolled descent. I hit elbows first, driving my humerus (upper arm) bones through my AC joint (the end of the shoulder) snapping them. Both labrums were torn, as were all the major tendons in both rotator cuffs. I had four surgeries over 7 months. Rehab took about a year. My helmet was destroyed but did its job. Pretty sure I would have had a broken head without it.
Last summer I broke a clavicle riding out in Moab, Utah.
Yeah, I wear a helmet when I ride my bicycle.
Wow Chet, i am thinking that bull fighting wouldbe safer then that man! LOL
If you only knew. Add to the above 2 knee surgeries, one back surgery, and a ruptured achilles tendon along with a litany of less serious boo boos (the bar is set pretty high).
I carry a card with my medical history in case I end up in an ER (like I did in Moab) because it just takes too long to fill out that little chart they give you to indicate any surgeries.
When I first met my brilliant (and really good guy) ortho surgeon he was coaching his son's little league team. When I most recently saw him for my broken clavicle he told me said son is the director of trauma surgery at a major university med center. When he retires I'm screwed. He's put Humpty Dumpty back together again so many times he's the only one that knows how I'm constructed.
Amazingly, except for the first few minutes out of bed every morning, everything works pretty well and relatively pain free. I'm pretty good about keeping up with my martial arts exercises and that helps a lot.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 593
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 593 |
Quote:
I don't care what y'all do as long as you keep your clothes on. I was riding through PA about two years ago, minding my own business, when I came to a stop sign. I looked to my left: no care. Looked to my right: and there was a guy on a Harley wearing nothing but a pair of sunglasses. He rides by completely naked. I'm still trying to scrub that image out of my head.
Moral of the story. Helmets are at your discretion, clothing is manditory.
Than you should like this.
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Re: Too Hot !?
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 322
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 322 |
Quote:
a helmet is good for one bounce after that its pretty much useless as most will crack into pieces after that bounce. now, granted it saved you from that bounce but after that??? i was reading an article written by the guy who was in charge of coming up with the standard's for helmet rating and he pretty much said just that he also went on to say that he foam helmets that kids wear for bicycle is a safer helmet in as much as it will take several bounces and hold up very well. now these helmets are very well ventilated and light weight so why may i ask are they not also DOT approved for mc use?? what make me laugh right out loud is when i see adults wearing those helmets while riding a bicycle, i am like WHAT?? you dont trust in your judgement enough to ride a bicycle??? your that afraid of life?? my advise to them is that they should just stay home, lock the dorr and dont ever go out or let anybody in. i dont care what people wear, smoke, drive, we should all be allowed to make up our own minds about our lives!!!! i have a big brother and i dont want him telling me how to live either. i understand you telling me that i have to buckle my child in the bacvk seat, i might not have the intelligence or care but i dont need anybody telling me that i have to, that should be my adult decision!!!! like some here, i have been in a few wrecks (couple roll overs, hit 5 times by garbage truck while driving a VW,things like that) , both bike and car and have been fortunate enough to have walked away in reasonable condition. sometimes i wear my gear, sometimes i dont, thats the way it should be.....my choice not govt!!!!!!! i mean we never had airbags/seatbelts/padded dashes/ breakaway steering wheels and the list go's on and on and i think its amazing that the human race has lasted as long as it has before these things, so i think its very important that the govt take over all aspects of my life so that i may live to be 105yr old. like telling me that i cant smoke in my own establishment or that i cant have over 16oz of soda if i want. i tell you its just amazing we have gotten this far on the planet. do they have helmet and seatbelt laws in tiawan or india?? and the people that stick their noses into my biz @#%^%$#@ i had a lady pull up next to me the other day in her cage and she rolls down her window just to tell me "you should be wearing a helmet you know, you would be much safer" wtf???? you had to tell me that??? its probably you that i need to watch out for!!!!!! LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE!!!!!!!! what is best for them. I HATE THAT STUPID SEATBELT!!!!!!
OH AND P.S. this is one of those never ending arguments because people have been brainwashed in so many ways that they cant see the truth, they think its right to be told and they are deadset in their belief and same holds true for the other side of that coin. its kinda like the noisy exhust debate, my 83yr old mother sez she likes noisy pipes because if she cant see them she can hear them and she knows to watch for them... i guess loud pipes CAN possibly save lives
points well taken. luckily my head didnt bounce, it hit and slide. Had I not been wearing a helmet I would have fractured my skull and had road rash from the top of my head to my chin. I tried to roll, been there done that before, but I was wearing abackpack full of work reference material and the extra weight slammed me to the asphalt and kept me from rolling away. The helemt was destroyed. The top was ground down to the core and the face shield and chin bar were smashed.
I like loud pipe too, they are necessary where I grew up (N Florida) too many people with windows up and a/c and stereo cranked and are unaware of the world outside their cage.
I could careless what anyone else does or how they ride until it effects me or mine.
Ride on! Gear or not, it's your choice!
"stupid's in the water these days, they're gonna drink it anyways, until they don't know right from wrong..."
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