Tell The Truth- Do You Always Wear A Helmet?

[Jake]

Recently passed helmet law bill in Michigan allow's the option so I wear my sometime's now.

 

Jake.

[Yama Mama]

It is good to have the right to make the decision if you want to wear a helmet or have to wear it.

I usually wear one, I cannot remember the last time that I did not wear one.

I guess I just feel better with it on, even though my hair may not like the results.

Yama Mama:smile5:

[CalhounWV]

I always wear a helmet,( 3/4 or 1/2) over the ankle foot wear, long pants, riding gloves, and long sleeve shirt.... I also heavily support a riders right to choose what he/she wears or does not wear.

[djh3]

I guess its habit for me, so all the time. When I started riding Fla was a helmet state. Then moved to Oklahoma and it was optional, but I was in the military and you had to wear it on base and in our saftey classes we were told that even off base if you had an accident and didnt have one on the military could not pay medical bills. So I allways wore one there. Now I'm in Fla again, helemt laws repealed. I still wear one all the time. I like my Scropion EX0 100 (like yamaMama has pics of) and a Bell Mag8 3/4 I think it is. Solo I use the 1/2, but long trips I usually lean towards the 3/4 even solo. I guess wind noise and a bit more protection in rain are my reasons. Plus I guess I still have in the back of my mind that the government could decide not to pay my medical bills (I'm retired military now). Once a GI allways a GI I guess. Besides luv bugs taste like #*^@ phooy.

[Gojira]

Atgatt!

[Wrench]

Every time I pull out of the driveway.

[Dmnordin]

ATGATT w full face or modular helmet. Period. I simply do not understand any excuse not to. furthermore, I believe everyone should be actively practicing the things you learn in advanced rider courses (& taking the courses regularly). I just finished going through Hough's 2 proficient motorcycling books again.

 

in 1990, I was the pedestrian in an auto-pedestrian accident - broke both legs in multiple places. from that, I've had extremely intense pain until I got my new knee 6 years ago (16 years worth of pain). In my view, if you're not doing what I mentioned above, you're asking real loud to go through something similar to what I've gone through from my accident. NO ONE is immortal or superman, but we CAN have a say in how bad it can be if we work at it. rebellious, shmellious...it's just another stupid excuse that yells that you obviously haven't ever had anything bad happen to you, or you're just plain stupid.

 

That's my opinion & I'm sticking with it. I'm sure some people with not like me for saying it. too bad for you, sticks and stones...

 

Doug

[Smitty161]

Nope...

[BigLenny]

Okay, because I care, I'm not gonna sugar coat this........WEAR A FREAKIN HELMET!!!!

I believe very strongly in the freedom our country gives us to choose how to live our lives based on what we view is best for our own self preservation and happiness, but stating that freedom as a reason to not wear a device that has been proven time and time again to save lives and prevent people from a devastating situation, is not only lame, but does not make reasonable sense at all.

 

I see people on here give excuses like they don't wear a helmet unless they are on the freeway, well, I'm sitting here today with a left knee that will bother me the rest of my life because I was only riding 30mph on a city street and a german Shepherd ran out from behind a hedge row that i was passing and hit me so hard in the front wheel that the bike slammed to the ground before i could really react. The side of my head and face slapped the pavement so hard it cracked the chin bar on the helmet i was wearing, and shattered the face shield. The accident tore my left kneecap off and I wound up spending a whole summer on my back recovering from reconstructive surgery. The helmet saved me.

 

I have a dear friend of the family that was in a similar speed accident about five years ago that involved going down in a curve on a city street at about 25-30 mph due to gravel that had washed from a driveway. As he went down he came off the bike in a very routine way, however, the back of his head contacted the pavement and he WAS NOT wearing a helmet. He was in a coma for 3 weeks and died twice during that span. I visited him numerous times while he was in the hospital and cried while he laid there in a coma with spit and drool coming from his mouth. Here was a 30 year old weight lifting former athlete who was healthy as a horse, laying here in this situation because he thought it was uncool, or obtrusive to wear a helmet. His dew rag that he thought was so cool looking was no match for the impact. He fiinally awakened from the coma and got out of the hospital, but today he sits at his parents house in a wheel chair day in and day out in a blank stare. He has to be fed and basically taken complete care of by his family. He still has the drool and spit coming from his mouth.

 

If you don't wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle, you're not really considered to be a part of the smarter segment of society. There's no valid excuse for you to not wear one. Go ahead, take your time and send me a list of reasons. Make the list as long as you want, and fill each reason with justifications in brackets just to make sure you make your point good and clear. In the mean time, I will run to the hospital and get a very large list of names of people who's lives have been permanently altered because they weren't wearing a helmet. And on the way home, I'll also stop by a few funeral homes and get an even larger list of names of people who are no longer on this earth because they simply thought wearing a helmet wasn't for them.

 

There are way too many cool looking helmets made today to not wear one. If you don't like a full face, or 3/4, then at the very least wear a half or skull cap. I have a customer that I call on who last year went down on the interstate after hitting a concrete block that slid off of a truck that he was passing. His injuries included a broken wrist, a broken collar bone, a shattered tibia, a punctured lung, road rash all over him, BUT, he had a half helmet on and it saved him. I visited him in the hospital, his half helmet was there in the room. It had scuffs and scrapes all over it from front to back. One of the visor snaps had even been ground down flat from sliding on the pavement. It was only a half helmet, but it saved him.

 

Finally, you are personally responsible for the lives of the passengers you are riding on your bike. They are putting their complete trust in you that you would never do something that would harm them or get them killed. If you are not requiring them to wear a helmet, you are not being anywhere close to the responsible loved one or friend they deserve.

 

Once again, it's because I care, that I am not sugar coating it....WEAR A FREAKIN HELMET AND QUITE GIVING LAME WHINY EXCUSES FOR WHY YOUR PUTTING YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF YOUR PASSENGERS IN DANGER!

[Flyinfool]

I almost always wear a helmet, the only time I don't is to move the bike from the front yard to the back to put it in the shed, and I feel naked doing it.

 

After seeing what my father is going thru from a fall in the house and the brain injury that basically left him with the reasoning power of a 2 year old. AND what that fall is doing to the rest of the family for the rest of his life, I went out and bought a top of the line full face helmet to better my chances of NOT ending up like Dad.

 

It is not just your own freedom that you are risking by not wearing a helmet, it is the rest of your life that your loved ones may have to spend taking care of you, changing your diaper, wiping your butt while you drool all over the place because you were cool for a day. Your family will never be able to go on a trip or vacation because they will have to be home to take care of you.

Think about those who love you as part of the decision whether or not to wear a helmet. They are the ones that will suffer the most from your decision. Even if you are LUCKY enough to die and not be a vegetable, your loved ones are still going have to live with your decision forever.

[BigLenny]

I almost always wear a helmet, the only time I don't is to move the bike from the front yard to the back to put it in the shed, and I feel naked doing it.

 

After seeing what my father is going thru from a fall in the house and the brain injury that basically left him with the reasoning power of a 2 year old. AND what that fall is doing to the rest of the family for the rest of his life, I went out and bought a top of the line full face helmet to better my chances of NOT ending up like Dad.

 

It is not just your own freedom that you are risking by not wearing a helmet, it is the rest of your life that your loved ones may have to spend taking care of you, changing your diaper, wiping your butt while you drool all over the place because you were cool for a day. Your family will never be able to go on a trip or vacation because they will have to be home to take care of you.

Think about those who love you as part of the decision whether or not to wear a helmet. They are the ones that will suffer the most from your decision. Even if you are LUCKY enough to die and not be a vegetable, your loved ones are still going have to live with your decision forever.

 

Well said, Jeff.

[Ballplayer60410]

Sorry, I dont currently own one.

[dfwthompson]

NOPE... but I wear seat belts now! Bad habits are truly hard to break.

[Venturous Randy]

100%. I have a 3/4 I wear and have tried a full face, but feel I can not see very well with a full face being blind in my right eye. The 3/4 helmets also have intercom that we use. I have some 1/2 helmets and may occasionally wear one if just making a local run around the block.

The one area I am bad at is wearing shorts and sneakers. When it is hot, I just can't make myself wear long pants. In fact I think I only had on long pants once all summer for some event. I put on sweats the other day and it felt weird on my legs.

The problem I see with not wearing a helmet is a minor event can become a major event very quickly.

RandyA

[IronMike]

It does not take much to make the brain swell, and thats the real danger about head injury. My worst accident I was 12, took a downhill on a dare no helmet, light spill, concussion, then right into a coma. Wore a helmet a lot after that. But not always, but always aware that if something happens, I'll wish I had a full face on! I normally wear a Carbon Fiber/ kevlar half helmet. Knowing my face will look like a horror movie if I crash.

 

I should look into a full face Carbon Fiber. In the summer a FF is just so hot.

 

Anyways. Like the choice, but if you crash, you will wish you had one on, and like some mention the most fatal crashes happen on surface streets close to home. STILL like the choice.

 

My 67 year old friend had a scooter spill no helmet, same as me went into coma, and he is still recovering yet riding. Lots of meds, on a trike. None of which would have happened had he had a helmet on. OLDER guys don't fare as well in a crash.

[DLRevier]

I recently started riding again after a 30 year hiatus. I used to never wear a helmet and one day did a perfect 360 over the back end of a Mustang. I had a lot of time during this flip to contemplate the pros and cons of having a helemt on. Ok not really, but the last 30 years have given me a different perspective on life. Going from sitting on the bike to sitting in the street over a 2 second time span can start that. Now I always wear a helmet.

[crazygaucho]

I almost always wear a helmet, the only time I don't is to move the bike from the front yard to the back to put it in the shed, and I feel naked doing it.

 

After seeing what my father is going thru from a fall in the house and the brain injury that basically left him with the reasoning power of a 2 year old. AND what that fall is doing to the rest of the family for the rest of his life, I went out and bought a top of the line full face helmet to better my chances of NOT ending up like Dad.

 

It is not just your own freedom that you are risking by not wearing a helmet, it is the rest of your life that your loved ones may have to spend taking care of you, changing your diaper, wiping your butt while you drool all over the place because you were cool for a day. Your family will never be able to go on a trip or vacation because they will have to be home to take care of you.

Think about those who love you as part of the decision whether or not to wear a helmet. They are the ones that will suffer the most from your decision. Even if you are LUCKY enough to die and not be a vegetable, your loved ones are still going have to live with your decision forever.

 

very well said ........... I Did NOT wear a Helmet all the time, after reading your words and because I have an 8 y/o son I will . your words really touch me

what can I say

only thank you Man

Dan

[videoarizona]

Always....

 

and jacket, gloves and boots too.

 

david

[Barrycuda]

For the members in the states that do not require bike riders to wear helmets, how many always wear a helmet. I usually always wear mine; however Ron only wears his on a trip on the interstate.

I was just curious.

Mama:322:

 

 

100% always wear mine. My head is worth it. Also always wear a jacket boots, gloves and pants. Many times overpants and the jacket usually has some sort of"protection".

 

PS: well said FF....sorry for your families pain.

[Homebrewr]

I never leave home without it, just feels safer with it

[anzactm]

In the great state of Ga. we have yet to repeal the mandatory helmet law, but in states were we still have a choice I opt to let the wind style the three hairs still clinging to the top of my head.

[stanG]

Always wear mine. Reminds me of a question about helmets when I was in high school...

 

Question: How much should you spend on a helmet?

 

Answer: Depends on how much you value your head.

 

That one has stuck with me.

[AGrengs]

I only wear mine if it's raining or cold. The Boss, when I can get her on back for a ride, prefers to wear her full face, mostly for sun protection and comfort from the wind. I also ride in a t-shirt with tennis shoes. Tried to ride in shorts but the wind tickled too much, so it's long trousers now.

 

I support everyones choice to wear a helmet, but if you try to cram one on my head when I don't want to wear it I'll fight back. I also don't feel any need to justify my choice.

[DarkHorse9825]

I don't wear one in the driveway, when moving the bike around

 

Have to up here in Canada.

[revinger]

Hit a dog when I was in my late twenties. Had my helmet on and probably wouldn't be here if I didn't. Was going between 35 and 40. I screwed up trying to avoid it and went down and over the bars. Martial arts and helmet. Los of fall practice I tucked and rolled but still remember feeling the distinct helmet strikes to the pavement.

 

I'll putt up my driveway 1/4 mile to listen to the bike unrestricted when I am chasing a noise but being that the helmet goes on. I'm not so consistent about wearing a good jacket though. Skin heals a lot easier than brain injuries.