Grouch Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 The hot weather today got me thinking. I needed to nip out and thought shall I bother with my jacket and gloves as its only up the road. Then I thought about the states in the U.S.A. who allow riders to take the choice whether or not to wear a helmet. I think wearing one is the sensible thing to do and I must admit I do feel an extra sense of security wearing one,
Sacha Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Here in Idaho kids under 18 are required to wear a helmet, but adults have the choice. Although I never wore a helmet when I was under 18 so that may have changed after I turned 18. I do see plenty of adults and kids wearing shorts and tank tops and have to think that the first time I burned my leg on an exhaust was the last time I wore shorts on a motorbike. I was a kid then, but nowadays I don't ride without a full face helmet and my jacket and gloves (regardless of the weather). I did not allow my nephew to ride pillion in his tank top this weekend though. I just wouldn't want him to have to pick gravel out of his skin if anything were to happen. I just figure shit happens and I'd rather have it and not need it. I'm not going to chastise others for their choices though. They can do whatever pleases them (to each his own).
Frampton is Alive Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Three years ago my soon to be wife and I had a ten point buck jump into traffic, and brain surgery and 14 days of drug induced acoma, I haven't a scratch. My wife now, on the otherhand is permanently disabled, thrown forty feet and neither of us had helmets on, PA doesn't require it. I get my new bike, an old bike this coming week, and will never drive without one again. Good Lord has more work for me to do, but safety would have saved surgery and the other isdsues you endure after a head trama....be safe my friends!
CorradosandYahas Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 I always wore a helmet on the dirt roads of montana where there were no other vehicles on the road. Now that I have a bike in the city and no helmet it terrifies me, i perceive every car as a threat. I have never taken a fall on a motorcycle that warranted a helmet, but still know it could happen in an instant. I have however cracked two helmets clean in half skiing and walked away with nothing more than a minor concussion and a prescription for oversized ibuprofen. The reasons to wear a helmet greatly outweigh the reasons not to wear one.
Noise Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Hey Jordan, why not go out and get a nice open face helmet? but then again you will look odd on a Motor cross bike with an open face lol
nayruf Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Hi Looking at it from another view, it is a given that if you hit your head without a helmet on it will hurt and cause more injury than with a helmet. But from an insurance payout point of view the ‘Dick Turpin’ insurance world will probably take the opinion that some of the damage to a person without a helmet or safety gear is self inflicted and this will affect any payouts. I use a helmet for the winter and a helmet for the summer, Full or Open face with draggin jeans, padded bike jacket and light gloves for the short summer rides, better and warmer gear for the other rides.
DkD Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Not worth the risk unfortunately... most accidents on bikes are generally not from the fault of the rider... That said it all depends on roads, conditions, surroundings, speed & experience I guess.
jimmy Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Hey Jordan, why not go out and get a nice open face helmet? but then again you will look odd on a Motor cross bike with an open face lol Not at all. Just get a wee scoop and a pair of goggles and tell them your "real" bike is a pre 65 trials bike. Summit like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1955-ARIEL-350-NH-PRE-65-TRIALS-GREEN-LANE-HT-NG-NG-HT3-3500-OFFERS-PX-WHY-/200779874624?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item2ebf69c140 Anyway I would always wear a helmet. Thankfully I have never had a serious crash, had a couple of overnight stays in hospital back in the 80s, but nowt too bad.
Moderator Cynic Posted June 20, 2012 Moderator Posted June 20, 2012 Speaking as someone who was parted from his motorcycle going over the bars at around 30 miles an hour, on a country road no less and landed face first removing my visor and leaving numerous deep scars in the front of the helmet, my jacket and my gloves ruined, odly ripping the toes of my boots too. My bike was smashed after flipping end over end which funnily enough didn't do it a great deal of good. I was completely unscathed, and to this day i will never ride without jacket gloves and helmet no mater what the rules. Fate let me have one for free, lesson learned.
realrayzor Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 I had an off nearly 20 years ago now. like cynic i was only doing about 30mph. i was wearing a helmet and good gloves, jeans and hoodie. i broke my hand and got some serious road rash on legs and back. this was enough to put me off bikes for the next 15 years. thankfully i came back a couple of years ago. i would never ever go out again without all the gear on.
Noise Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 You know what happens if you don't ware a helmet............? THIS!!!!!!!
Ttaskmaster Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 ALL the gear, ALL the time. Full face, leather jacket & leather trousers with the point-impact armour, armoured gloves, reinforced boots... and the all-important headover/Buff/tube-thingy (must be important, as I have loads of 'em). Weather be fucked - I'd rather survive to complain about it.
AndyBuk Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Weather be fucked - I'd rather survive to complain about it. Soo true, rather be sweaty and smelly when I get home than not make it there at all!!!
Matthew Duncan Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 personally, if in the uk a helmet was not a legal requirment, i think most people would still wear one - we in scotland, especially, need something to keep the rain out our eyes ! i have an open face helmet that i use on my older bikes, like the BSA B40, and on my xj if im just nipping down to the shops or that, but i would never wear it for going any distance more than a few miles. same with gloves. i would love to experience what its like elsewhere, where helmets are not required, but i wud limit myself to a scooter, or a cruiser - deffo not a sports bike.
Grouch Posted June 20, 2012 Author Posted June 20, 2012 Hey Jordan, why not go out and get a nice open face helmet? but then again you will look odd on a Motor cross bike with an open face lol I'm not stating that I dislike a helmet, I just wanted people's opinions. I would still wear one even if I wasn't legally obliged too. The other day a little pebble just smashed right in the middle of my visor and put a little crack in it. That made me think if I had have had my visor up like I do sometimes, that pebble could have had my eye out.
Sacha Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 ...That made me think if I had have had my visor up like I do sometimes, that pebble could have had my eye out. Had the same kind of thing happen with a bumble bee... at least I think it was a bumble bee... coulda been a june bug or something. Whatever it was it was huge, and the smack it made on my helmet was shocking! I think some of the bugs here could put out an eye.
Mallory1 Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 I'm not stating that I dislike a helmet, I just wanted people's opinions. I would still wear one even if I wasn't legally obliged too. The other day a little pebble just smashed right in the middle of my visor and put a little crack in it. That made me think if I had have had my visor up like I do sometimes, that pebble could have had my eye out. I agree . Living in quite a rural spot I travel long some country roads before hitting the motorway for work and during the summer the blinkin airbourne bugs are akin to a squadron of kamikazee pilots. I love keepin the visor up on the lid but I've now decided to keep it down when travelling over 30. I also came off at a low speed in January - headbutted the road + torn rotator cuff. Don't want to think about having no helmet would have produced .......
slice Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Ok Children this is how it is, if you don't wear a helmet your to dumb to survive and the rule of survival of the fittest comes into effect, so if your really dumb and get the chance to NOT wear you lid then anything that happens to you is your own fault, in the 60s YES that's 1960s we did not have to wear helmets in fact there was a campaign to stop the law that would force m/cyclists to wear one in the UK, if you can belive it. So ALWAYS wear your lid it might not save you from a trip to the hospital and it might not even save your life but you stand more chance with it than without, I never ride without a full lid armoured jacket and proper boots plus decent gloves plus of course when you my age if you fall off it REALLY hurts and things stop working for a lot longer. Moan over!!
AndyDtr08 Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 A week or so back on the seafront by me a young lad of 18 was blown off his scooter by the 82mph winds we had. He was wearing a helmet and died from head injuries. Extremely unlucky but I'm sure the helmet would have had some effect. Riding a motorcycle you'll never be 100% safe. A helmet merely reduces the risk as does the rest of the gear. Anthing that reduces your risk of death has to be worth it. I would always wear one.
Mallory1 Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Ok Children this is how it is, if you don't wear a helmet your to dumb to survive and the rule of survival of the fittest comes into effect, so if your really dumb and get the chance to NOT wear you lid then anything that happens to you is your own fault, in the 60s YES that's 1960s we did not have to wear helmets in fact there was a campaign to stop the law that would force m/cyclists to wear one in the UK, if you can belive it. So ALWAYS wear your lid it might not save you from a trip to the hospital and it might not even save your life but you stand more chance with it than without, I never ride without a full lid armoured jacket and proper boots plus decent gloves plus of course when you my age if you fall off it REALLY hurts and things stop working for a lot longer. Moan over!! Did they have bikes back then ???????
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