Helmet? What's a helmet?

[xs650mike]

Re: The best insurance

Originally posted by fredintoon
I must have owned 'most a hundred bikes in the 50+ years I've been riding and have dropped almost every one of them.
Always wore a helmet, always landed on my arse.
Must be my pear-shaped aerodynamics plus the drag effect from the helmet that lets my backside hit the backtop first. If so, helmet wearing has been really good insurance for me.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

I think what applies to you and me Fred is that we, with our (ahem) vast experience, have learned how to unload gracefully (if one can call landing on one's arse graceful). After my first couple of spills I have nearly always landed that way and deliberately so. The only exception I can think of right now is when I hit the deer I hit shoulder first, tucked my head in and rolled. Scuffed my jacket but no injury. Of course these were all low-side get-offs. I've never high-sided on pavement TTL.

[rglanvil]

I've been riding motorcycles for 35 years. I always have worn helmets.

I lost control of my first bike (a Honda 50) in 1968 going down an unfamiliar mountain road at night where on coming car headlights blinded me and I ran off the road stopping just shy of a precipice. Scraped the back of the helmet.

My second accident in 1970 occurred on a Honda CT90 involved a run in with a Cadillac who decided she needed to run a red light and didn’t care I was in her way. Funny, after the accident, she said that I should have seen she wasn’t going to stop and that I should have stopped. Oh well. That was a good accident. She shattered my lower left leg and gouged out a big hunk of meat from my left thigh. After the impact, I flew through the air about 30 feet and landed on top of a car that had stopped for the light. I landed on the hood. I remember shielding my head with my arms just before I hit and blacked out. I was wearing a helmet. It probably kept me alive because witnesses said I bounced off the hood and rolled onto the concrete road surface where I probably got my skull fracture. That was a pretty bad accident. After complaining to the doctor that admitted me to the hospital and nurses for 3 days that I was having trouble breathing, I went into a coma for about 2 weeks. My doctors only gave me about a 15% chance of living. The fat from my leg bone marrow got into my blood stream and settled in my lungs drowning me. This is a common scenario that the stupid doctor who admitted me to the hospital should never have allowed to occur. Fortunately, my parents fired him and put a competent doctor in charge of my recovery. I got out of the hospital after about a month. It took about 8 months to get back to riding my motorcycles again while wearing my leg cast. I eventually had to have a metal rod inserted into my tibia along with a bone graft from my left fibula. My left fibula still hasn’t mended to this day.

My third accident on my dad’s Honda SL100 while playing in the dirt, broke my right hand and shattered my helmet.

My fourth accident occurred while motocross riding my 1971 Honda SL350 in the deserts of west Texas. The bike swapped ends on a gravel road dumping me on my face. I remember seeing the gravel steak by my eyes as I skidded and rolled down the road breaking my right shoulder. I was in the US Air Force at the time so the local Army post sent out a Minevac helicopter to “rescue” me. The chopper medics weren’t delicate. Seems like they did everything they could to make me uncomfortable. The Army hospital doctor said my helmet was pretty well ground up.

My fifth accident occurred on my 1974 Honda 550K1 when a girl decided to change lanes real quickly into mine forcing me off the road. I came to a sudden stop wrapping myself around a telephone pole. Bike was slightly damaged. I scuffed my leather jacket and scrapped my helmet.

My sixth accident in 1979 occurred on slippery interstate roads in northern Arizona after some heavy snow storms. The national weather service said the roads were passable but they obviously weren’t referring to by motorcycles. There were only two narrow groves made by 4 wheelers for me to travel in. Unfortunately, it started snowing again, the groves started filling up and traffic started slowing down. An Arizona State road works truck decided to stop quickly in front of me causing me to lay my 1978 XS1100 down. Since it was so cold, I was wearing several pants shirts and coats. Kind of looked like a turtle spinning down the road on my back. The back of my helmet was slightly scratched. I had to get the bike off the road real quick since I saw and heard an 18 wheeler slowing down behind me. I was able to drag the bike off the road through the snow just in time to prevent both of us from being run over.

While driving my XS1100 here in Houston since 1980, I’ve been fortunate to not have had any more accidents but there have been many, many close calls.

I personally won’t be caught dead without a helmet but I don’t insist that others be required to wear one.

[xs650mike]

Whoooeee!

Wow, those were all memorable accidents. I only remember a few of the more wild ones of mine. If I'd gotten hurt that badly that many times I'd have quit riding. You must be one tough customer.

[trbig]

* Raising hand... member of the "Over the Handlebars Club". 20-25 mph over the bars, face-first into the concrete...no helmet. Just a quick run to the neighborhood store. Thankfully, I was spared the bad part. I only remember going over the bars, and cussing as I watched my kneee break my brand new windshield... and then waking up about 10 minutes later (So I am told). I remember being able to hear stuff for a bit, but I couldn't see or move, kind of like in a dream. My loving bike decided to lay right down next to me to keep me company.... with the pipes right against the back of my arm. Do I smell barbecue?? I road-rashed up pretty good, but nothing was broke, and was able to get up and ride the crooked handled hussy home. You will RARELY ever see me without a helmet... but as I said before... in the heat of summer... wind in my hair... sometimes just too hard to resist!
It has taken me over 10 years to try to change SWMBO's opinion of me having another bike. I never could, but finally decided that it had been long enough. When you get to a point where you hang your head out the car window like a dog to get the wind blowing through your hair for a flashback... it was time for another one. I had no idea what I was buying really, just a good deal (I thought). I am glad to see the following these bikes have in here and that I happened to find something that I can find things out about through here. I had never turned a wrench on anything except 2 stroke Yamahas in the past, but I have now gone completely through the top end, carbs, and brakes thanks to you guys in here... a special shout out to TC for all his help.

Tod

[prometheus578]

(Note To Self...)

I need to 'member not to go riding with some of these guys!
Don't want to be anywhere around them. Magnets, they are.

[xs650mike]

I lied...

Gotta admit there was a period back in the late '60s early '70s when I rode around town sometimes without a helmet (Calif. had no helmet law then). Then I noticed that the SFPD motor cops were unusually hard on me about minor infractions. After my 3rd ticket I started wearing my helmet always and collected no more tickets. Wonder why they didn't like me helmetless?

[bgrubb7]

I also live in Illinois, and have always loved having a choice. I see both sides, and agree with both on many points. Now I won't argue for a minute against the fact that Helmets save lives, and protect the noggin from the pavement. That's common sense. I DO however agree with almost everything that DP has said. I too feel numbed to my surroundings when wearing a full face helmet. When helmetless on a bike, I am aware of that car 4 blocks up that looks like he may be thinking of turning into my road. I hear the truck that is merging into my lane behind me, before I see him in the rearview. I don't have this same feeling of awareness with a Full Face Helmet, just like I don't when driving a car. I feel like I am riding with horse blinders & ear plugs. Maybe I need to get a better helmet. Maybe it's all in my head - but it is real. Yes, I know pavement is also real.

I agree that I'd have a better chance of avoiding injury/death if wearing one, but I also feel less likely to get in a crash without one. I have always worn a helmet on long trips, and interstates. While I love the feel of the wind in my hair [whats left of it], I don't enjoy 70+ mph wind, rocks, and bugs in my face. And I've never been able to get past the look of a windshield, so I have chosen to wear a helmet quite often. But when I'm just cruising around town, or especially riding in traffic, I definately prefer the no bucket option.

However there have been a couple instances that have changed my perspective on this matter...

1. Now we all do stupid things in our lives, and some of us [me] must learn the hard way. I was at a party, and a friend of mine had a spankin new V-Rod (right when they first came out). Now I had had a few beers, and had no business getting on any bike, but at the time, the allure of taking a new V-Rod for a spin was more powerful than common sense or reason. So he handed me the keys and off I went, tearing up the town. Upon return, while attempting to turn back onto his road less than 200 feet from his drive. I layed it down going only about 30mph. The intersection was covered with pea gravel, and thanks to fermented barley and hops I was going a little too fast for the turn, and somehow managed to lock up the brakes in the rocks and swiftly layed it down. Thankfully my face broke the fall and I avoided serious cranial injury! But I did chip a few teeth and got to sport a "full facial scab" for several weeks. It was the first, only, and last time that I have or ever will ride a bike after drinking in any amount.

2. About a year later a guy that I grew up with was forced onto the edge of the road into a curb. He lost control, hit a parked car, flew 20 feet head first into another parked car. Picture that melon dropping off the 3rd story window. Dead on contact.

Basically what these events have taught me is that while many of us feel like we are in total control, with our heightened sense of helmetless awareness, sheet happens. Whether it's another car, or our own stupidity. We're bound to wipe out eventually.

While I have always chosen to leave the bucket at home in the past, I have pretty much decided that once the XS awakens from her nap, I will be be donning the helmet on a regular basis. While I may not hear as well, and I may lose some peripheral vision, at least I'll know that if something would happen, I stand a much lesser chance of leaving my kids without a father. I'll probably still take the occasional "free" ride, but I keep thinking about my face hitting the pavement, and I don't ever want to go through that again.

I still think people should be able to make their own desicions, and if I want to ride without a helmet, then I should be able to.

I prefer riding without, but am willing to give that up for a little piece of mind.

It's kind of like having sex with a condom. It's not as good as without one, but it's still sex and it's still pretty good.

[trbig]

OK... one more video to show the lack of time to react. Law or no law... wear your helmets so you can come on here and argue with me at a later date.

Deer VS Bike


Always remember... in an accident, it doesn't matter who was right..... it matters who was LEFT!


Tod

[pggg]

Re: I lied...

Originally posted by xs650mike
Gotta admit there was a period back in the late '60s early '70s when I rode around town sometimes without a helmet (Calif. had no helmet law then). Then I noticed that the SFPD motor cops were unusually hard on me about minor infractions. After my 3rd ticket I started wearing my helmet always and collected no more tickets. Wonder why they didn't like me helmetless?

Aha!! So it WAS Mike in the Village People

[mro]

Check out his "XSive Expression"

Got that sorta OH SH@T look

Wonder who's behind him



mro

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Love the Bulb horn. Haven't had one of those since my Schwinn. (No offense Mike, I bet it was there as a joke...)

[Targetman]

Have to admit I had a large chrome one on my xs all last summer, kids loved it.
It succumed to the elements though.

[xs650mike]

Re: Check out his "XSive Expression"

Originally posted by mro
Got that sorta OH SH@T look

Wonder who's behind him



mro

Runnin' from the law or tryin' to catch bugs, can't remember which.

The old '59 Matchless G12CSR 40 inch twin (650cc to you metric types)

The bicycle horn was a concession to legality and also necessary for those famous San Francisco jaywalkers. Also had the mandatory highbeam indicator. What's that about? If you can't tell your high beam's on without an idiot light, you're blind and shouldn't drive. No other instruments. No baffles in the cocktail shaker "muffler", stock siamesed headers. Cops used to go over the bike all the time looking for non-compliance. Never checked the muffler for baffles though. LOL Bike was completely legal except for the muffler. It idled quiet and everytime they stopped me they asked me to shut it off so they never heard it revved up. I used to always short shift in town, nice to have torque.

Aha!! So it WAS Mike in the Village People

Many of us were kind of...uh...ornate back then.

[Trikerneil]

How about one of these as an alternative to a helmet.
Based on the latest technology



Would look good with a bar & shield ROFLMAO

[Artic_rider]

DP...you give er hard bud!!! As a son who's lost his old man to a bike crash, as well as a being paramedic who has delt with crash vics not wearing their buckets cause they wanted to be "closer to the elements" all I can say is giver er hard bud. I would love for you to be there with me this summer when we are our busiest with bike wrecks, rashes, and idiots not wearing helmets...what ever you want...I guarentee seeing one accident vic would make your eyes open up. And if you have come across an accident involving a rider not wearing a helmet, and still choose not to wear one...well I would suggest you read up on Darwin's theory bud...lol, cause your a prime candidate for it...Have fun and ride safe!