Wear your helmet dudes!

[Triplegreen500]

I used to do a lot of track days - and not MotoX, either.

I was never a ranked rider with sponsors or anything like that, but I have definitely pushed the laws of physics more than once. Such as turn 9, Road America, about 85mph with my (now ex-) wife on the back of my then-13-year-old motorcycle during a factory "parade lap"...drop into the turn...start the carousel...and there's a rider just parked on the apex, going about 30mph. Stood it up for a second, darted it outside, dropped back down, forced her leg out of my way so I could get a knee down for stability, and passed on the outside.

I cut a deer in half in '18. 70 mph. Over the bars, somersaulted in the air, landed on my back feet first. Full gear (always). Shredded my boot soles. Burned through my hip padding. Burned through my shoulder padding. I arched my back trying to keep only my heels and helmet on the ground, until I stopped sliding 110 yards later. BIG flat spot on the helmet - better than my skull!

I had a brake failure (so they tell me) in '08. Through a T intersection into a cattle fence. Dead on scene. Flatlined in the air. Flatlined on the table. Multiple internal injuries (the fence was made of old telephone poles - my 200# plus the 400# motorcycle didn't stand a chance). But...I'm alive, and not a vegetable. Because my HEAD, was in a helmet.

MD has a helmet law.
PA - a mile from my house - does not.

Physics, however....well...there's a reason physics is a law, and not a suggestion.

I gear up, head to toe. Every. Single. Ride.

If you don't want to....well...

I asked a Harley guy once (riding in shorts, flip flops - no idea how the hell he was shifting - and a tank top) if he ever fell down concrete steps dressed like that. He said yes. I asked "what do you think will happen if you lay over that 800 lb machine, at even 15 mph?" The light bulb came on.

Riders can do what they want...but families need to accept it when they die on scene. It's not the motorcycle accident that kills, 90% of the time - it's the lack of proper gear.

ATGATT is a motto for me and most of my riding buddies - All The Gear, All The Time. I'll take sweat over blood, any day.

Sorry for those who never come home from their rides - it happened to me in '08, I didn't come home for five months - but...you made the choice.

If I want sun on me, or don't want to gear up...I get in the Wrangler, with no doors and no roof. If I want the adrenaline of a 390 lb motorcycle with 160 rwhp; if I want the rush....I gear up. Every time.

 

[Hey-O]

Helmet, gloves, and proper attire. Only if you have any common sense.

Otherwise, they're called organ donors.

 

[68BabyBlue]

....but LOTS of health insurance should be mandatory.
I wouldn't like paying for someone's 20 year vegetative state.

PA repealed the helmet law years ago. As an aspiring trial lawyer, and when I was a trucking company in house counsel, I learned that catastrophic injuries are horrendously expensive, death is relatively cheap. Lack of a helmet tends to produce a quick kill. I think the PA legislature figured the lack of a helmet requirement would ultimately reduce costs for the Commonwealth.

Once, during a new driver orientation, I had a guy argue with me over the validity of seat belt usage. He complied only because of the legal requirements. On his own time, a year later, he was riding a snow mobile on a dry field, no helmet. His terminal manager told me the hospital was thrilled that every one of the organs harvested had a donor waiting.

 

[chargervert]

Here in Rhode Island they will ticket you for not wearing a seat belt in your car, but people on motorcycles don't have to wear a helmet. Fortunately I have my helmet!

 

[torredcuda]

I lived in Massachusetts when I was younger and they have a helmet law but New Hampshire doesn`t so back when I was young and dumb I would occasionally ride without one. I went down twice riding street bikes and the second time had a nice gouge on my helmet from the pavement which would have been my skull and learned a lesson - minimum is helmet, leather jacket and jeans. I quit street riding 30+ years ago due to traffic and idiots in this area but now even riding my kids four wheeler around the backyard I wear a helmet, I guess I got smarter as I aged. I now live in New Hampshire and head injuries and deaths due to not wearing a helmet is a common occurance as all the bikers head this way from Mass so they don`t have to wear one.

 

[gkent]

Helmet ??? LOUD PIPES save lives don't they ?!?!?

 

[junior340]

I ride allot and would feel naked not wearing a helmet. It is your choice here in Idaho though.

 

[torredcuda]

Helmet ??? LOUD PIPES save lives don't they ?!?!?

No, they just make me want to run the biker over with my truck! Just kidding of course!

 

[JackR]

Even when its 100+ helmet is on. But don't ride much at that temp. Plus my neighbor owns the Harleys so I can only ride when he asks.

 

[Cranky]

Rode lots of years with and without a brain bucket......but that's been a lot of years ago. Nowadays with the way traffic is, there's no way I'd ride a bike anymore!

 

[zyzzyx]

I always wear a helmet and gloves! When you get knocked over your head gets "whipped" and hits the ground pretty
fast with alot of force. No getting out of that one! Gloves help you slide when you get knocked off and start sliding.
Your first knee jerk reaction is to put your hands out to protect your face. I don't want to be an organ donor!!!!

 

[HEMIB]

In Australia we call them TA's Temporary Australians i gave up riding on public road due to crazy drivers running me off the road

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

I don't ride, but my brother does and he's had some close calls with cars over the years cutting him off.

I go mountain biking with a helmet and an occasional city street ride with a helmet. Once, on a large group ride with friends and strangers alike, empty streets with no cars in sight, I saw a woman 10 feet in front of me just riding nice and easy 10mph on her beach cruiser bike and all of a sudden her front tire went sideways, her body went the other way and I saw her bare non-helmeted head bounce off the pavement. Holy crap. I pulled over and asked if she was ok. Her head was bleeding and she was conscious. I dared not move her, but stayed until her uncle showed up who was about a half mile back. I asked her what happened and she said it was a small pebble or something that she ran over with her tire. Helmet always. 6-ft up on a bicycle seat can even hurt your head.

There also seems to be a lack of responsibility as well as law enforcement around electric bikes. There's a ton of some very fast electric bikes within a few miles of my house and in the last few years I often see young and old alike zipping up and down the middle of busy streets, no helmet, traveling between 20-40 mph. For some reason, I think people think that electric propelled transport devices such as bicycles, skateboards, stand up 2 wheel scooters, and sit down 2 wheel scooters are not required to wear helmets (and they don't think they need it). These guys are traveling as fast as most motorcycles through the city streets. Sooner or later natural selection will get 'em.

 

[Dako]

Helmet ??? LOUD PIPES save lives don't they ?!?!?

Loud pipes just annoy everybody once the rider has ridden past...because that's when everyone gets to keep hearing them.

 

[Detective D]

Helmets are proven to save lives.
The rider should choose. The government has no business protecting you from yourself. I feel the same about seatbelt laws, but that's another topic.
People get mad at stupid drivers, bikers can get killed by them pretty easy.
The world is also full to overflowing with idiot bikers that don't feel they need to follow traffic laws or even use common sense or even courtesy to others on the road. The internet is full of their selfie style videos mocking police and running away from them at high speeds in the middle of the city. They think they are "cool". Then I should feel bad when they make themselves into road pizza? Sorry no.

 

[Triplegreen500]

Loud pipes don't do **** besides piss off the neighbors. I've ridden nearly 250k miles on stock pipes over the years and NEVER had a traffic issue.

PAY ATTENTION.

Head on a swivel. Car at stop sign, look at the wheels. Ignore the driver. Wheels turning? They're going to try and kill you. Wheels not turning? They'll still probably try and kill you...but you should be ok for now. Cover your front brake always. Be ready to change course RIGHTNOW, just in case.

Mufflers have nothing to do with ANY of that. Stop pissing off the neighbors and just pay attention to your surroundings.

 

[Hey-O]

When you work with thousands of people, you see and hear thousands of stories . While I've ridden a lot, I cant touch 250 thousand. Traffic isn't the only killer, have you ever seen what happens when a deer jumps across a bike and straddles the gas tank, front legs on one side and the back on the other and you're doing about 50. It pull your hands off the bars instantly and the rest is in God's hands. Country roads can be the worst. On any given sunny day, there would be at least 30 to 50 bikes at work. Hard core riders with bikes you wouldn't believe. Scars and enough broken bone stories to fill a page.

 

[1969VAGTX]

This was my helmet from a high speed crash where a moving truck clipped me on the interstate. This definitely saved my life.

 

[j-c-c-62]

If riders want to ride without a helmet, I don't want to tell them they have to. But I will always ride with a helmet. Saved my life once.

I agree, but if injured or worse when not wearing a helmet, no insurance should legally apply.
Why should I be asked to help subsize their risky behavior?
First question I ask in a motorcycle accident/fatality is, were they wearing a helmet, which usually sparks hostile comments.
I fully support the freedom to take risky personal choices, but do not feel the need to have much sympathy for those doing so who pay the price.
FWIW, I bought a new Suzuki 120 when 14, put 17,000 miles on it, all with a helmet, day I turned 16. I parked it and have never ridden since, as much as I enjoyed it.

 

[torredcuda]

I agree, but if injured or worse when not wearing a helmet, no insurance should legally apply.
Why should I be asked to help subsize their risky behavior?

So where do you draw the line in regards to risk? If you were not wearing full leathers and get road rash, if you were not wearing your seat belt in a vehicle and get injured, if you were going 5-10 mph over the speed limit in your vehicle, if you are walking in the woods and get attacked by a wild animal, crossing a busy street etc. Everything we do has some amount of risk and yet we all do those things - you can never completely remove risk so that`s why we HAVE insurance.