Here in PA, they repealed the helmet law, and anyone with either a training course, or two years with a motorcycle license, can go helmet free. From what I've seen, if you ride a Harley, the helmet must go, otherwise, the helmet stays in place. Personally, do you wear, not wear, or conditionally wear your helmet when riding, and why.
I would never get on a motorcycle without a full face helmet.There are instances were the helmet would hurt you but I don't feel sorry for anyone dumb enough not to wear one.If they were them in racing that should tell you something.
I suppose you would never get a 2nd chance to use a helmut; if you really needed one the first time. They can fix a lot of problems in the ER. They have difficulty fixing the brain. I have a friend who got all banged up while wearing a helmut. He is perfectly fine today. His helmut split in two pieces. He still rides sport bikes.
Always. I even put it on to load the bike into the trailer (motocross rider). Heck I even wear a helmet when riding MTB ... saved my butt a few times (remember falling in a big ditch at 30mph+ after a big downhill... only got knocked out ). Agreed, Darwin in action. Don't wear a helmet? You lack brain cells and can get out of the gene pool ... harsh? yeah. Glad to see everyone here has brains and wants to keep it that way.
Agreed, natural selection at work. Even those beanie skull cap helmets would make me nervous. I've had bikes for twenty years, and I've had a helmet on every single time I have ridden a motorcycle. It has saved me from serious injury at least 4 times.
Illinois does not have a helmet law (once it may have, but no more). What bothers me is when I see a helmetless child riding along with whomever.
Nice to know that Fchatters understand the speed+no hlemet=death wish equation. I see these guys all the time without one. I'm guessing that part of it is the novelty. We've had helmet laws here since I can remember, and I've had my motorcycle license since 1975. I think the recent repeal has just brought out the "hey gotta try it" mentality. Plus, Harleys and natural selection makes a lot of sense. Between the Pagan and Warlock motorcycle "clubs" we have lots of candidates for that around here.
I had a guy tell me once that he felt he had better hearing and peripheral vision that would help him avoid an accident if he didn't wear one. Come on I have ridden without a helmet once before, the wind noise was deafening and the air coming around my sunglasses made my eyes tear so badly it was absurd. Ohio has no helmet law so you don't have to if you don't want to but don't make up B.S. reasons. I think it should be optional if you can prove you have health insurance. You won't catch me without one any more once was enough.
I totalled my '67 Triumph, and my shoulder along with it, one night in Montecito while not wearing a helmet and perhaps didn't even hit my head (the shoulder taking it all). But since California passed a helmet law, I have of course worn them. A few summers ago it was hot and I thought about getting an open face helmet or one of those new ones where the lower front piece can be flipped up over the top. Then I lowsided the Ducati on a Santa Cruz area mountain road and ended up sliding on my face off the road and under the guard rail and part of the way down the hillside (how I missed the guard rail supports and the redwood trees i'll never know). Boy was I happy I was wearing a full face helmet and armored riding jacket, pants, boots, and gloves. If any of you find helmets uncomfortable, try different brands. I had always thought I had a Shoei shaped head because they felt pretty decent and I had several over the years. Then I tried on an Arai. Guess what? I really had an Arai shaped head! Perfect fit and much happier biking.
Gives me the willies just seeing somebody ride w/o helmet. I happened to be in Pa. today to attend a wedding, and couldn't fail to notice the number of people out on bikes, with passengers, both sans helmets. Want to give yourself a scare, look on Rotten for pics of folks that met the pavement face first. You'll wear a helmet to the bathroom...
It's amazing, isn't it? You'd think we were a bunch of dumb hicks here. Uh oh, we are a bunch of dumb hicks, at least according to James Carville who described Pennsylvania as, "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with rural Alabama in between." Even so, you'd think they would get their passengers a helmet.
I really like the Main Line, West Chester, out into the country areas near Phila. (we were in Bertramville?, quite charming). I grew up in Pgh. You don't have to tell me about rednecks, steelworkers (although they are all gone by now), bikers or borderline Appalachian "deliverance" types. Culture was wearing clean pants. And a cocktail was a shot and a beer. Haute cuisine was southern Italian of the veal parm. variety. And televised sports was (and probably still is) king.
I would never ride my sreet bikes or dirt bike with out a helmet.Infact one of my daughters flew over the handle bars on her 4 wheeler recently and landed face first at over 40 mph.She was a bit banged up but still has a pretty face.Here in PA most of us with sport bikes where helmets as well as some of the smarter Harley boys. We all have are thing!
that wear a helmet and shorts with a t-shirt and sandals. Personally, I would just assume be killed as I would suffer through bone-sanding road rash after wiping out in shorts.
PA must be in need of organs, huh, Dave...? The ONE TIME i rode my motorcycle, i wore a helmet... i can't imagine NOT wearing them; i don't particularly like wind blowing in my face...
Ralph, I'm working on it. The "cheap" part is what I'm hammering out right now. If it works out, you'll be very pleased with the results. VERY pleased.
Ryan: Thanks for the effort one way or another. Please let me know; if you would like some items that I sell. I just watched M - Reloaded again last night. The scene with the 998, ohh - ahh. Ralph
Jeans and a nylon jacket actually do very little to protect your skin, you need thick leather or kevlar. Many years ago a magazine (don't remember which) did a test where they dragged different fabrics with weights dropped from the back of a truck. Imagine a sandbag with roadrace leather, denim, thin fashion leather, kevlar, etc as the fabric for the bag. The denim, thin leather, waxed cotton, and so on only lasted a matter of a few feet before being worn to nothing. Kevlar and the thick top-grain cowhide lasted for several dozen feet.
Back in the mid-seventies my lid saved my life when I got rear ended on the FDR drive in NYC. I've had bikes since that time. Some are at my house in AZ, some here in PA. Both states are now helmet free. I WOULD'T THINK to get on any of my bikes WITHOUT a lid. To each their own, but I think you've got to be an idiot to ride without one. IMHO
Illinois is one of the few states that has no helmet law. We have to lobby our legislators all the time to keep our freedoms, and we've been very successful in this regard. I choose to wear my full face helmet when the temperature goes below 70 degrees; otherwise; I don't wear one. There's nothing like that open-aired feeling of the breeze passing through your hair. If one goes riding with the mentality that there's even the slightest chance of splitting open up their skull, then they might as well stay within the "safe" confines of a car and leave this type of adventurous riding to the experts like myself. As far as Darwin goes, stupid people will always find a way to successfully remove themselves from the gene pool, helmet or not...
