another rider killed

[wizard]

I think most of you know how I feel about helmets and protective gear. I always wear it. I don't have a problem with the government telling us we have to wear a helmet. The government tells us we can't drive drunk, too.

 

It is not just the cost to the rider, but also his family, friends, and amount we spend on his health care if he or she is not killed. Please think about it. Motorcycles leave us awfully exposed, so why not use all of the protection you can get.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

If the government keeps regulating to protect us, here is your next bike. The next step will be to outlaw bikes! No thank you!

http://thekneeslider.com/images/motorcyclerollcage.jpg

[MAINEAC]

Bad ass in the 60s and 70s didn't necessarily mean Harley. Those of us who've been around long enough know that many of the bad ass bikers of the 60s, 70s, and even the early 80s rode chopped Triumphs, BSAs, and when the Honda 750 came out, chopped Honda 750s. Yes there were some HD loyalists back then, but bad ass bikers rode what they could get cheap or steal,....HD didn't really become the "thing" until Regan put the tariffs on the Jap bikes and the HD Marketing group cranked up the volume. Don't believe me, start pulling out some of those old chopper rags from the 60 and 70s and see how many bad ass bikers wearing colors are astride something other than an HD.

 

Curt

 

"Some HD loyaliststs"??? Hey I had a 650 BSA until I bought a new Harley in 77 and knew plenty of guys who rode British & Jap bikes and those were the same guys that couldn't afford a Harley... But they all wanted them.. All the 1% Patch Holders (HAs were the Dominant Club here then) were "American Iron Only" in New England... I'm assuming that's who you're refering to as "Bad Ass Bikers" .. Support and AMA clubs could ride anything but they weren't the Hardcore Bikers.. As far as the old chopper rags... The only Chopper rag that counted was Easyriders (I think I still gotta couple of milk crates full of them somewhere) and that was All American... They came out with Iron Horse for the Metric Riders of the time.. Maybe it was different here in New England... maybe our idea of what a Bad Ass Biker is is different...

[Snarley Bill]

sure did'nt mean to open a can of worms with this thread. the helmet controversy is just about like the oil controversy or politics and religon. no win situation. in my first thread i basically was saying if your going to wear a helmet wear a good one. seat belts save lives , helmets save lives there just ain't no arguing about it. if you anti government people want to defy the laws, go shoot your neighbor if you don't like him. how can the government possibly pass that bum legislation against that. as imperfect as our goverment may be, it's still protecting me in the very best country in the world to live in. if i get to where i don't like it, i'll move to china and enjoy some of the real freedoms they have to offer. nuff said. snarley bill

[flb_78]

If the government keeps regulating to protect us, here is your next bike. The next step will be to outlaw bikes! No thank you!

http://thekneeslider.com/images/motorcyclerollcage.jpg

 

 

Ah yes, the BABE CAGE. Good Golly is that thing horrible.

 

I rode with no helmet for 8 years. After watching a buddy of mine bounce off the pavement, I decided that I should probably start wearing a helmet.

 

BTW, there's an article by one of the bike rags that shows cheaper helmets actually offer more protection then more expensive helmets. The cheap ones used Styrofoam which absorbed more impact then the more expensive ones that use the new polymer compound, but the more expensive ones were lighter, quieter and more comfortable to wear.

 

Edit to add : These tests were done of D.O.T. approved Full Face helmets, not Skid Lids or Novelty helmets.

[spyderhead]

A helmet saved me in 1969 - literally - saved my life. However, something to consider: even the best helmet is not going to save you in a catastrophic encounter with a car, a deer, or even another bike. Not all fatalities are "head injuries." Sometimes it seems like some would make believe that wearing a massive fully enclosed helmet and body armor, etc, etc, etc. will save you. It MIGHT. Then again, if the physics are against you (mass, speed, etc) you cannot be saved. Motorcycle riding is dangerous. I choose to ride knowing that. I choose to wear a helmet but pass on leather, body armor, etc. because it's just not worth it to me.

[FROG MAN]

Prayers for the family. I heard today we had two accidents close to here over the weekend.

[MAINEAC]

sure did'nt mean to open a can of worms with this thread. the helmet controversy is just about like the oil controversy or politics and religon. no win situation. in my first thread i basically was saying if your going to wear a helmet wear a good one. seat belts save lives , helmets save lives there just ain't no arguing about it. if you anti government people want to defy the laws, go shoot your neighbor if you don't like him. how can the government possibly pass that bum legislation against that. as imperfect as our goverment may be, it's still protecting me in the very best country in the world to live in. if i get to where i don't like it, i'll move to china and enjoy some of the real freedoms they have to offer. nuff said. snarley bill

 

Good one Bill... LOL... Comparing wearing a skid lid with 1st Degree Murder.. Are you suggesting that not agreeing with our Government and all it's laws is Anti Government or Anti-American??? Well my favorite forefather disagrees....

 

The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first. - Thomas Jefferson

[RSTD-MN]

a harley rider swerved to miss a deer and went down and hit his head on the pavement, and was pronounced dead on the spot. he was 33 years old. what really bothers me is a very large margin of the harley riders around here and i would guess at least 80 percent wear those crappy non dot approved skid lids.

 

I am not one to speak up, I usually sit back and just read. But if you are going to make assumptions then state it. I looked and found that story and nothing was stated that the motorcyclist even had a helmet on.

 

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/laworder/story/C9DA707B1C48923D8625747F00135D2B?OpenDocument

 

The topic is been hashed out over and over. It is your right to wear your helmet if you choose to, but don't assume we all should because it is safer. If it was all about being safe. I would not be riding, not even my car would I drive.

 

I ride my Bike because it is worth the risk, to have the air rushing by and feeling the suns rays on my body. For me it is not to be a " Bad Ass" it is simply just a feeling, A feeling of Freedom and that is the way I plan on keeping it.

 

If you feel the same way I suggest you become a Member of the AMA, we need more people like you to protect our rights to be free and not so restricted. Not pitching here just giving an avenue to look at.

 

David

[flb_78]

Missouri is a helmet law state. Most Helmets I've seen while riding through were non-DOT novelty helmets.

[Freebird]

Another biker died. Let's take a moment to say a little prayer for his friends and family and end the political talk already.

[MAINEAC]

Well said David... I had that link in my 1st post until I saw it happened 2 weeks ago and I edited it out.... MO has a helmet law and if the rider wasn't wearing one I'm sure it would have been reported..

[Tartan Terror]

As I see it what is the point of wearing a Novelty helmet. Does nothing for you. Actually in this area the fine is larger for a novelty helmet than not wearing one at all. I do feel people should have the right to choose to wear a helmet or not but to wear a novelty just to appear to follow the law is just like thumbing you nose at the Law.

[Snarley Bill]

Another biker died. Let's take a moment to say a little prayer for his friends and family and end the political talk already.

amen

[cmiles3]

Boy, this topic generates a lot of heat- can we use it to produce electricity?

 

FYI, DOT adopts the standards, and the manufacturers hire independent testing labs to certify their products. Liability keeps them from certifying their own products; this way they spread the risk of huge damages in court.

 

SNELL has a more rigorous test; some question the applicability of their methods to protecting your brains. The helmets hold up better, but do they reduce G's by enough? There's been some others test this, but nothing has come of it.

 

Not likely to settle the helmet/ freedom to ride issues here. It's good that we tolerate each other well enough to listen, even as we poke each other's hot buttons. Let's ride- but wear a helmet. I'm another repeat survivor providing proof they work.

[MAINEAC]

The six safest states in which to ride, based on the numbers of fatalities per 10,000 registrations, are Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Wyoming. None of these states has an adult helmet law.

Looking at fatality rates (number of rider fatalities per 100 accidents), the six safest states are Colorado, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Iowa, Wyoming, and Minnesota. Again, these states do not require adult helmet use.

[Kidh2]

Helmet laws or mandatory seat belt laws both designed to protect

 

I have a good friend who was involved in an accident with a bike rider who wasn't wearing a helmet. It was a low speed collision, the biker was at fault and hit his head hard enough to cause a brain hemorrhage and he passed away. My friend has never gotten over this and has since lived with "guilt" constantly thinking there was something he may have been able to do different, leaving the house one minute earlier or later etc.

I went through a windshield at 18 not wearing a seat belt and it was no fun. (wear it all the time now) I also had to lay down a bike in the rain when someone ran a stop sign and the helmet definetly saved me from serious injury.

It should be a personal choice but just wanted to share how it can affect others as well.

[MAINEAC]

If it was over 13 mph studies have shown it probably didn't matter helmet or not at least in that type of injury.. it helps with Road Rash but so does a leather aviator cap... In some cases the extra weight of a helmet on your head causes you head to hit the ground harder than it would have bare headed and increases your chances of spinal cord injury...

 

Don asked us to cool it on this topic... This is my final post to this thread... But if anyone's interested in the reasons not to wear a helmet go here:

http://usff.com/hldl/frames/50state.html

 

Some interesting reading..