Tell The Truth- Do You Always Wear A Helmet?

[Yama Mama]

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:

[cliffno350]

dont usually wear mine

[93 venture]

I do wear it more now that i used to,Im a rebel venture rider :moon:

[Animal]

In Va. and on US Military installations all the time.:cop:

Bikeweek in Daytona only on the interstate or when we need the intercom or CB.:Cartoon_397:

[James Ardrey]

Yama Mama I wear a half helmet almost 100% of the time these days. Until about 2 yrs ago I never wore a helmet unless riding in heavy rain or extremely cold weather. I alway figured that if I was going to wear a helmet I might as well sell my bike and get a convertible. I still feel that way about full helmets. They have too many blind sides and I can't hear affectively. That being said , I started wearing my half helmet about 2 yrs ago. I figured with all the yrs. of riding that my number was going to come up eventually for a crash. I also have friends, acquaintances and people that I have heard of that were saved by wearing a helmet. That being said I almost got my wife and I killed wearing my 3/4 helmet a couple of yrs. ago in S Carolina. We were pulling out of a scenic waterfall pull out in the middle of a short s curve and a car came around the blind curve traveling @ a high rate of speed and grazed my cruising pegs knocking the left peg out of position. I didn't hear them coming due to the helmet or see them until they were right beside me. I really think that w/out a helmet I would have at least heard them coming or seen them before they were right on me. I can hear very well w\ my half helmet and no blind spots and no false sense of security that comes with 3/4 or full helmets. I guess I've struck middle ground for me between no helmet and wearing one. If you ask me what time it is Ill tell you how to build a watch!:7_2_104[1]:

[GigaWhiskey]

about 98% of the time. Since I have my new headsets, I am enjoying the music with them. I like the dark shield too.

[Gray Ghost]

I responded even though Georgia requires helmets, I spend a lot of time on the road including states that do not require helmets. I always wear one, prefer a 3/4 helmet.

[gibvel]

I always do. I contemplate riding to the gas station (1 mile away) without it at times, but I end up putting it on anyway.

[Aimhigh]

Not required in Texas...always worn. If I have an accident...I would like like to be among the survivors if ever in an accident.

[WHOOMP]

100%:smile11:

[pegscraper]

About 99% of the time I wear it. A full face too. Once in a while I think I want the wind in my hair and such, but I get out on the road and I miss it. I like the tinted shield and the wind protection.

[wild hair 39]

bike sounds funny with out a brain buckett on
100%

[PB&J]

Count me in the 100 percenters. After switching to full face helmets years ago I tried riding with an open face helmet once. I spent so much time trying to dodge the tiny stones and bugs flyin toward my face that I was a wreck by time I got home. ( Bike I was on didn't have a windshield). Besides, I'm riding a 1st gen. now . You need a full face helmet on a sport bike!:big-grin-emoticon:

[cecdoo]

Mostly no, if I have to I pop one on. Craig

[Tartan Terror]

Id be interested to see the Poll reflect if that helmet is a Novelty helmet or actual DOT leagal helmet too.

[Billet]

Didn't wear a helmet much when I was younger (and dumber). Guess my head is softer now. I'm too paranoid to run to the hardware store up the street with a naked head. :322:

[Squidley]

After 2 accidents where if I didn't have one on I'd be dead or a vegetable, I always wear it. I went without once when we were in Colorado for a run to the cycle shop and it was too weird without it.

[yamahamer]

Alabama only law is a safty helment not DOT but I choose to use DOT 100% of the time. Too many years on dirt bikes made a beliver out of me!:322:

[hig4s]

Not only do I always wear a helmet, I always wear a full face helmet. Even when just going a mile down to the store and back.. And while on that mile and back I might not wear my armored gloves and armored jacket, I usually wear them too, no matter how hot it is.

[Brake Pad]

We always wear ours. Nuff Said

[V7Goose]

100% of the time. I will not ride without a full helmet. In addition, I will not ride without full safety gear, meaning at least leather shoes/boots, leather chaps or other riding pants, leather gloves and riding jacket (leather or mesh with armor). Nor will I allow someone on my bike without the same level of gear. If I could schedule the next accident, I might consider riding without the gear, but I am neither that psychic nor that stupid. But still, this is a personal choice, and no one should be forced into wearing any protective gear EXCEPT passengers and minors (minors are too ignorant of the consequences of their decisions, and it is too easy to coerce a passenger into doing something they otherwise would not).
Goose

[Bummer]

Indiana does not require helmet use. I strongly support the rider's right to choose.

Before September 18, 2005 I would have had to say that I wore my helmet when I felt like it. Very often I did not feel like it. It was more of a shared communications tool than protective gear.

Then Armando ran me down like a dog in the street in Mexico City. The helmet was in the trunk. In the emergency room a voice said:

Were you wearing a helmet?

Did I hit my head?

Were you wearing a helmet?

Did I hit my head?

No. Were you wearing a helmet?

No, it was safely stored in the trunk.

Though I didn't tell her at the time (I pretty much passed out about then.) I did take the point. I've worn my helmet while riding ever since. I'm planning on buying a modular soon to replace the 3/4. I also wear kevlar lined jeans and a kevlar shirt, steel toe lace up boots, safety glasses without side shields, and leather gloves. Every time. I don't wear that ugly yellow shirt as a fashion statement.

ATGATT. You'll never know when you need it.

[TEW47]

I wear a helmet it has saved my life several times. I have also seen the results of not wearing a helmet, was not very nice to see, don't think I will ever forget.

tew47

[Newfie Bill]

I always wear 1/2 helmut around town and full face on highway trips.

We always vacation in St. Pete's area, and this year we rented a Harley.
I did ride a bit on Gulf Blvd. without for a while, loved it actually.
However, it was just a half hour treat.

PS,

Did not like the Harley at all, it was HOT, LOUD and drove like a TANK.
Sorry Harley owners (just an opinion).


Cheers,

Newfie Bill
Paradise, NL
99 RSV

[OB-1]

100%:smile11:

Ditto.

[rosebud]

Id be interested to see the Poll reflect if that helmet is a Novelty helmet or actual DOT leagal helmet too.

Helmet worn 100% of the time.
DOT helmet always.

[Scooter]

I know of two times when a helmet has saved my life. I never ride without one.

[Iowawegian]

:sign busted:Don't wanna tell the truth (feeling guilty about it)but I will, the only time we wear helmuts, is on the interstate. I know...I know...

[MasterGuns]

For the few that replied that they don't wear helmets for whatever reason (and a persons right to choose is in my mind lame), let me ask you a question that I use to ask students that were attending a mandatory MC Safety Foundation Course they had to attend, and pass when I was an instructor in the Corps.....If a little angel, bird, ghost of a gone loved one, or whatever, appeared before you just before taking off on your sled and told you that this was the day that you was going to be involved in a serious motorcycle and they was giving you this warning for you to prepare for this impeding accident, would you:

1) Defy even the after world warning you and still not wear a helmet?, or

2) Not wear your helmet because you had a choice not too? or

3) Wear a half helmet? or

4) Were a full face helmet with face guard? or

5) Where your knee high 300.00 leather m/c boots, long jeans, leather jacket, shoulder pads, leather gauntlet gloves, hip pads, knee pads, rib protectors, mouth piece, elbow pads, call your insurance company to lower your deductible and increase the other coverages and ask the little angle or whatever exactly where on the map your accident was going to take place so you could have an ambulance pre-staged? or

6) 3 though 6

[REDRIDER52]

After a accedent several years back I saw what a road could do to a person my helment (full face shild )was scrached from front to rear would have toren up face and head

[GunnyButch]

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I do wonder though when I see someone all armoured up taking a cigarette break, kind of an oxymoron IMHO.

[Gold Rush]

You only have to let a helmet save your noodle one time to make a believer out of you.

I went down in gravel September 1978. My helmet split like an egg shell but the padding held together and I'm sure saved me from serious injury. My face looked like I had been in a knife fight without a knife and I broke the pinky finger on my right hand but I'm here to talk about it today.

Since that accident I've ridden maybe 200,000 miles and every one of them with a helmet protecting my bald head. To this day that old helmet and the accident report have a prominent place on the motorcycle safety bulletin board at the Air Force base I was station at. If it saves just one life (besides mine) then that pain and suffering was worth it!!!

[MiCarl]

Full face DOT helmet 100% of the time, even when test riding a motorcycle in the parking lot at speeds up to 10 mph. I also have on boots and gloves.

When I leave the parking lot I also have the armored jacket (mesh when hot, leather when cool) and leather chaps. 100% of the time.

I know way too many people who went down hard at high speed and walked away to do anything else.

[Holly]

About 50/50 and when I do it is a Snell approved, cost a little extra but much better than a DOT. Snell are tested and must meet specs, DOT follow guidelines enforced by manufacturer.

:12101:

[PB&J]

About 50/50 and when I do it is a Snell approved, cost a little extra but much better than a DOT. Snell are tested and must meet specs, DOT follow guidelines enforced by manufacturer.

:12101:
A little over a year ago Motorcyclist magazine published a very informative article about Snell and DOT testing procedures. They found that the harder snell standards actually made an injury in a snell helmet more probable because the harder shell didn't absorb the impact energy soon enough by breaking . The studies conclusion was that helmets with a balanced amount of give distributes impact energy better and that in the future motorcyle helmet might actully be softer than present helmets. Weird but interesting,

[heatonmt]

I wear may helmet or pay for it if Teri finds out I did not. I gauss she loves me.

:bighug:

[Jethroish]

I wear a helmet 99% of the time. Either my full face or 1/2. The 1% is riding around the neighborhood just down the street 1 mile to the convenience store.

[wkoepke]

i wear a helmet all the time,and anyone who rides with me. bounced my head off the dirt to many times in my youth to go without it. also wear steel toe boots!

[hig4s]

A little over a year ago Motorcyclist magazine published a very informative article about Snell and DOT testing procedures. They found that the harder snell standards actually made an injury in a snell helmet more probable because the harder shell didn't absorb the impact energy soon enough by breaking . The studies conclusion was that helmets with a balanced amount of give distributes impact energy better and that in the future motorcyle helmet might actully be softer than present helmets. Weird but interesting,

Wasn't quite that cut and dry,, Snell helmets actually were more protection against blows from square edged objects and penetration. Some DOT were better against flat objects. And some DOT helmets were just crap.

[Schlepporello]

Back in the late 70's (I believe 1977), Texas passed the no helmet law the first time. Six days later, I decided I'd make a little run down to Pier 1 Imports on my Yamaha 175 Enduro. I walked out without a helmet, mom came chasing after me with helmet in hand and informed me I was going no where without a helmet. I put the helmet on and took off. I went around the corner where she couldn't see me, took the helmet off and secured it to my luggage rack and took off again. The last thing I remember was driving down Van Buren Street by the Jr. College. But the accident I had happened on Wolflin Street, which I don't even remember getting on. I woke up in ICU with a fractured skull and road rash on my back.

Fast forward to now.
Thanks to that pesky Jimmy Olsen who kept sneaking green Krytonite into my lunchbox for laughs, I'm no longer bulletproof. Even though Texas has once again passed the no helmet law, I believe I'll wear one now. But whereas I used to wear a full-face, I now wear a 3/4. I've thought abought a half helmet, but really like the 3/4 better. Especially since I found one that fits good. The missus wears one too when she rides with me.

[spear]

Here in Australia it's compulsory to wear a helmet. (Damn - don't the OMCGs hate that!)
Stats have revealed a decrease in bike crash related deaths and head injuries.
Just like mandatory seat belt wearing introduced in the 1970's. Done wonders.

No helmet - no brains!

(Think about it!)

[EddyG]

No helmet law in Kansas where I live.
I wear a helmet 100% of the time, My last accident ( got broadsided by a Deer ) My wife had a full face helmet and no damage to her pretty face, I had a open face with a shield on , I have a nice scar across my chin that took "More stiches then I could count" quote from the plastic surgion in the emergency room. ( he had to layer stich from the inside out.)
I will always were a full face now.
Thing is you never know when an animal or a car will do something stupid.

[RedRider]

100% of the time I wear one, now.

My wife passed me in her cage once when I was not wearing one (at the time I wore it about 1/2 of the time). When I got home, the SHTF (last word is Fan).

She advised me if she ever saw me riding without a helmet again, she would take all her riding clothes, throw them away, and never ride with me again. She was widowed once (non-motorcycle related) and didn't want to go thru that again.

Besides, I like her in the leather chaps :hihi:.

I will be upgrading to an Aria full face next year. Spent all my fun funds for this year. Were a modular HJC now. ATGATT is the word.

RR

[GlennTuc]

100% of the time. DOT Certified and full helmet.

Glenn

[IH Truck Guy]

:sign busted:Don't wanna tell the truth (feeling guilty about it)but I will, the only time we wear helmuts, is on the interstate. I know...I know...

Please don't feel guilty...It's a matter of choice...Your choice and nobody elses.......
We only wear helmets when they are required or rain and cold weather...

[BoomerCPO]

100% helmet use.....And I dress for the crash not the ride.

[padavidj]

I always wear mine. Working in healthcare you always manage to see someone who doesn't wear a helmet and tries head bunting a tree or a car at about 60mph and loses the hard way.

Dave:rotfl::rotfl:

[wizard]

Wow, I used to know some that did that, a tree up in the mountains, had a helmit on, but only doing 50 or so, died instantly. Another, drunk, no helmit, head first into a semi at about 70, died instantly. My brother used to be head of special procedures at the AV hospital, he won't ride a motorcycle, and thinks that anyone who does is a fool. He calls me a fool everytime I see him. It gets kinda old.

[Stanman]

I wear mine 99.5% of the time. The .5% I don't is going across town to my current employment, less than a minute at 15 mph. The helmet is in the trunk in case I decide to go for a ride after work. I don't do this very often as I usually walk it.

[Lobo Hurfiano]

Always-DOT-1\2 in summer,full in winter. I value the few brain cells I've managed to hang on two.

[RMT56]

always were a helmet even when I was in Fl.
If it gets to hot just open the shield a bit
Dont care for the taste of bug

[Black Owl]

Always. Even when I'm sitting in the garage making those vroom vroom noises in the dead of winter...

[Tatonka]

You know, I cussed a lot when DC passed the helmet law way back when. I had an Afro at the time, so spent a lot of time in front of mirrors trying to get it to stand up straight again. Corn rowing solved the problem.

After about 14 major accidents on and off track and a myriad of minor ones, bike and helmet go together like boots and gloves. I actually say prayers for those people without helmets as well as for those in shorts and sandals. It only takes a few minutes to buy a new motorcycle, helmet, gloves and leathers after an accident. Scars and the ache of broken bones last for a lifetime.

You can be the best defensive driver in the world, but one of those times, that cage, animal, oil/gravel on the road is going to get you no matter how good you are. You pay insurance for your bike, a little insurance in the form of protective gear for yourself is a good option too.

Ride hard, but ride with God.

[george0fthejungle]

for two main reasons:

#1. I have little kids and I have to set a good example. Cant expect them to wear theirs if Dad doesn't lead the way.

#2. On my first bike when I was just a 16 yr. old pup, I laid it down while wearing a helmet. At that time I wore it haphazardly, maybe 50% of the time. Anyway, I hit some gravel left by a paving crew and was down before I knew it. I was not even aware my head had touched the ground, but when I took off the helmet the entire left side was scraped, all the way through the paint in places. It made quite an impression on me that thats how my face would have looked without the helmet. Ive worn one 100% of the time since

Paul:Venture:

[Snarley Bill]

i won't even pull out of my driveway without a helmet. thats why i still have the brains to wear one. snarley bill :sign29:

[george_park]

I took a header into a curb once and woke up under a car. While I broke 5 ribs and dislocated my shoulder, ruined my leather and my bike was about 50 feet away the only impact to my head was a concussion.

The helmet was wrecked and had a big "L" shaped dent and a ton of road wear.

My own personal experience, on that occasion I was just out for a Sunday ride when I hit a patch of oil.

I ride with people who only wear a baseball cap - and I always hope they don't touch the ground with their head.

I have a full face (which I call my EZ bake oven) and (2) 3/4 - all DOT and no skull caps.

[MAINEAC]

I hardly ever wear a helmet... Only in bad weather and states with helmet laws do I ever wear a helmet and then it's usually a beanie but I own a 1/2 and a Modular... But I support anyone's right to wear what they want... I think the values of a helmet are overrated and can actually cause your head to hit the pavement harder than it normally would if at all because it increases the weight of your head... It also increases your chance of a neck injury because of the added weight and the way a helmet bounces off the pavement... I also believe it increases my chances of having an accident due to limiting vision and hearing and I feel like a bobble head doll...

Since a few brought it up... I also don't ride with God, Angels, Dead Relatives, or any other imaginary friends.. This has served me well for just about 40 years of riding motorcycles.

[Schlepporello]

But what about the voices?
Don't you listen to them?
I do!
Well....................except on Friday evenings. That's when they like to sing their favorite Donny and Maurie tunes.

[MAINEAC]

Did Donnie & Marie have any tunes??? I thought they just sang other peoples songs... I don't remmember but I never was a big fan... I got over 4000 songs and no D&M tunes...

As far as the voices I narrowed it down years ago... It's my voices... I figured it out after a few Homer Simpson momments when I heard the voice and then said "Did I say that, or just think it?"

Hey Shlep good luck with that... But if I was you I'd try to steer my focus towards Marie... The Donnie thing sounds a little Gay.... Not that there's anything wrong with that... Did I type that or just think it?

[Schlepporello]

I think the voices told you to type that.;)

[Eugene]

OK - in Ontario, its law, no choice. I spend winters in Texas and on occasion, I don't wear one.

My question here is - some of the folks will wear one whilst riding the interstates and not around town - isn't it more important around town? If you get hit on the interstate - will a helmet make any difference? Just curious.

[Schlepporello]

In my opinion, it's all a crapshoot. But also in my opinion, you've stacked the odds in your favor by wearing a helmet. And again in my opinion, those odds pretty much go out the window at speeds over 35 MPH. But as I've said before, I'll wear a helmet because I feel it's safer for me. And it makes the voices made because I've lined the inside of my helmet with tin foil and they can't read my thoughts.

[MAINEAC]

Hey Schlep I think I know your problem... That tin foil is acting like an extraterestial antannae and the voices are aliens from planets in other gallaxies... That also explains the Donnie & Marie tunes too... The planets are so many light years away they were listening to bad 70s TV shows... It might help scientists if you can remember what songs they were singing... They could narrow down the light years and distance of the planet that's communicating with you... Good Luck Buddy

[Schlepporello]

Hey Schlep I think I know your problem... That tin foil is acting like an extraterestial antannae and the voices are aliens from planets in other gallaxies... That also explains the Donnie & Marie tunes too... The planets are so many light years away they were listening to bad 70s TV shows... It might help scientists if you can remember what songs they were singing... They could narrow down the light years and distance of the planet that's communicating with you... Good Luck Buddy
That's what the voices would like you to think, but I'm on to them. I know their game. ;)

[BIG TOM]

YOU CAN ADD ME TO THE 100% ERS..WEAR A HALF HELMIT AROUND TOWN AND WHEN I RIDE ALONE, AND THREE QUARTERS WHEN TATERS AND I ARE RIDING TOGETHER SO WE CAN USE THE INTERCOM..AS MUCH A I WOULD LIKE TO WEAR FULL FACE, I JUST CANT GET USED TO THE CONFINEMENT ...:Venture:

[spanky]

Oregon is a helmet state and I wear one all the time. Except maybe moving from the front of my house around to my garage once in a while. When I was younger I watched the pavement slide by my face through the faceshield after I hit an oil slick and went down and that little 1/8" or so saved my skin. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it...

[Jinksy4]

Got to admit that I did not wear a helmet often because my 98 RS had a full windshield, but just got a 2000 RSV and it came with a shorty windshield - which I don't appreciate - and it got me to start wearing my 3/4 with faceshield just for the comfort. Have to say that not wearing one is not a wise choice - which seems to fit my personality.

[Strakat]

I live in Missouri where you have to wear it. But I am just a few miles from Kansas and you don't have to wear it there but I almost always wear mine regardless. It's a novelty helmet unless I need my Mic or on the interstate then it's my DOT helmet.

[6pak]

17 stitches and a severe cuncussion without one 5 years ago:255::bawling:Learned my lesson the hard way.:2cents:

[Shot]

I'm 62 and want to make it to 63 and beyond. It won't always save your life but it won't kill you if you are wearing a DOT helmet. I say don't roll the dice which is my opinion and may not be shared by other members.

[tinystar]

Hi everyone, I wear my helmet at night mainly for the bug factor here in Iowa, and also on real windy days. Other wise I spend more time pushing it up every time I hit a bump in the road and I figure that is more of a safety hazard at that point. Take care. JoDee :doh:

[uechi kid]

Even before it was the law here in Cali, I always wore a helmet.

[wizard]

I always wore a helmet when I rode my dirt bikes because I expected to crash, but never wore one on the streets. When the law was passed in California, I couldn't believe it. It took several warnings, and 1 ticket, which I tried to fight...and lost, before I "adjusted" to it.

[BuckShot]

Never wore it much when I was younger, then with marriage and the kids, started wearing it more. Figured it might help someday, and with all the crazy drivers nowdays I guess its probably a good idea. Once in a while I will go for a ride in the evening and not wear it. I still prefer not to wear one, but the wife complains to much.

[Bob Myers]

Tina and I both wear our full face helmet 100%, never leave home without it. When i rode to Salt lake City last summer I carried an extra, just in case I lost my helmet.

[86er]

I crashed in Co. (helmet free state) at 110mph in 1982. I was wearing a helmet for the first time that week. I got a concussion and 100 stitches in my face. Might have been dead without it.

I live in Georgia (helmet sate) and I wear mine all of the time here. If I'm in Fl. (helmet free) and run to the store...it's a ball cap. On a ride in the twisties, or on the highway....it's a helmet.

But,......A helmet does not block your hearing or your vision enough to cause an accident. I have a 3/4 with speakers in it. I can hear what is going on around me even with the radio on. I know that I need to turn my head to see before I pull out into traffic, change lanes or make any move. If I'm driving my truck; FedEx or my 1950 GMC, I have to work within the limitations of that vehicle. It's the same with a bike and a helmet.

I believe you should make the decision to wear or not wear a helmet based on your own preferences (and/or state laws). Not on whether you can see, or hear, or any other crutch. You can see and hear with any helmet if you look and listen. You have to ride within whatever limitations that you set for yourself.

[seuadr]

atgatt myself. i've got true full face snell and dot rated lid. i even wear it when just moving the bike. i wear a CE rated jacket with armour plates, boots, pants, gloves, and helmet even if i am just running a few miles.

accidents don't only happen on long distance or high speed runs. i have a friend who's father in law cracked his skull and broke his arm falling over from a dead standstill in his own driveway.

just my :2cents:, though.

[50btripn]

100% usage, and always DOT approved. 1/2 in hot weather, full in cold weather.:thumbsup:

[Cabinetman]

Always Half when riding alone, Full when riding 2up.


Cabinetman

[Bob Myers]

Always Half when riding alone, Full when riding 2up.


Cabinetman
Interesting choice. Why wear a full when 2up? For the intercom?

[Schlepporello]

Interesting choice. Why wear a full when 2up? For the intercom?
Back seat drivers.
Yep, I've been married a long time. ;)

[DavidD]

I always wear my half alone and full two up as well. Occationally I will run up and down the my street after a washing without my helmet but thats it.

[Yama Mama]

I always wear my helmet except for last week, when our daughter wanted to ride on her husbands VStar and she did not have her own helmet. So I gave her mine to wear. It did feel strange not having it on.

YamaMama

[Schlepporello]

As I had posted earlier in this thread, I normally wear a 3/4 helmet. Due to the 100+ degree temps we've had lately though, I've decided to switch to a white half-helmet. Yeah, I know, that's what a lot of the motorcycle cops around these parts wear also. And it may be true that I look as silly as I feel with a half-helmet on. But the fact of the matter is that I'm not riding without one and the white half-helmet is a lot cooler to wear in hot weather than my lack 3/4 helmet.

[Snarley Bill]

i wear a 3/4 in the summer and a full helmet in the winter. i only got one brain and as little of it there is i take real good care of it. :2133:

[Wanderer]

I wear my helmet all the time - except those few times I don't.

:nanner:

[danrow55]

I always wear a helmet, cuz I feel like a moron if I don't.

I look at it this way:

If some guy tried to walk across a busy street - with his eyes closes - you would call him a moron.

This is because by doing something as simple as opening his eyes, he might actually be able to cross without getting hit by a car. Doing something simple could save his life.

Putting on a helmet, is as simple a opening your eyes while crossing the street.

I have seen the results of head injury - and none of you would want to be a basket case like those I know who are - if only they had worn a helmet...

[kd4uvc]

I am not wearing a helmet when I drive my truck or Jeep. I do not wear my helmet all the time. PPPPPPHHHHHTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!

[bmxndad]

95.7% of the time I wear my helmet.

[The Black Pearl]

Michigan is a helmet state but through other states over the years I have had the chance but can honestly say once in 12 years of riding I took it off on a back country road in Wisconsin for about 15 minutes didnt feel right to me other than that always wearing my shorty.....
:322:

[wrench]

Every time the bike goes out of the driveway. I had an experience riding dirt bikes close to 40 years ago that had I not been wearing a helmet would have been a LOT worse than it was. I still have that old Fulmer halfie and when I see it from time to time it reminds me why I own 4 helmets. I'm usually wearing my half, but I have an open-face with the headset in it for when the wife is riding with me.

[biker_pilot]

I bounced down the sidewalk on my head once wearing a full-face helmet.:yikes:
It saved my face, and maybe my life, so yes, I always wear a helmet!

[Yama Mama]

I wear my helmet all the time - except those few times I don't.

:nanner:
You know what is really strange about that statement?
I understood it. Hehehehehe
Yama Mama

[dynodon]

I wear a helmet about 99% of the time. Just this week though, I was tired, stopped to find something at K-mart instead of Wal Mart, trying to spread the business around, and it wasn't there (and of course everything a guy wants is at the extreme corner of any store), and I just hopped on the bike and rode the 1 mile home.

I believe in helmets though, and won't do any distance without one.

[Evan]

This question reminded me of how I hated wearing a helmet for the first few years after they passed a helmet law back in the late 60's here in Ontario. Amazing how you can get used to something once you have to.

[ScottXD45]

I picked Sometimes but the truth is I rarely wear it. I wore it when I had my permit and was required to but now that I have my license I don't.

[coldinnd]

Yes I should, but I don't alwayas wear it.:337:

[ArticusMedicus]

You left one option out of the poll.

That being, " Yes always, because I am forced to by a gestapo like State, who is considering a new helmet law that says you can ride without your helmet IF you pay for a $200 permit" ... Talk about a stupid law.:bang head:

[distancerider]

I responded even though Georgia requires helmets, I spend a lot of time on the road including states that do not require helmets. I always wear one, prefer a 3/4 helmet.


What he said!!

I've worked to many fatalities not to and my son wants a street bike when he turns 16 and I feel I need to set the example.

:cop:

[Kirby]

!00% of the time. If it's cold or raining I wear a modular. Rest of the time I wear a 1/2. It's kinda like the seatbelt laws. I didn't like it to start with, but now if I don't buckle up, within the first mile, something doesn't feel right and I tell everyone "I feel like I'm falling out". Ask a racecar driver if he would drive in any race without the a restraint system or a helmet. Same with a helmet. Once I start backing out of the carport, something doesn't feel right, then I remember there was something else I needed to do. The Good Lord kept my head from popping like a watermellon once when I was riding in a dunebuggy without seatbelt. My head was pushed literally down into the ground. That's a hard lesson to forget. I don't like Big Brother dictating what I should or should not do either, but statistics show saftey gear works more often than not.

[straycatt]

You left one option out of the poll.

That being, " Yes always, because I am forced to by a gestapo like State, who is considering a new helmet law that says you can ride without your helmet IF you pay for a $200 permit" ... Talk about a stupid law.:bang head:


It's illegal only if you get caught........:bobby:

And sometimes even then it's still OK.
I've passed leo's going in the other direction several times wearing only a bandana on my head. Never even gave me a second look, except for one time. His brake lights came on as soon as he was past me, and then he must have got side tracked and kept going.

The thumb is a good place to ride lidless. Lots of road and few leo's.









Legal disclaimer.

The above post is for entertainment purposes only and is in no way an admission of guilt or illegal activity, either in practice or intent, on the authors part.

Further, said author always follows the laws and statutes of any and all cities, counties, townships, or other legally established authority having jurisdiction over whatever state of the country that he happens to be in.

Still further yet, the author endorses all basic principles of safe motorcycle operation as set forth by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

[Yamaman]

I voted always, but I have one minimal exception. Sometimes I'll jump on and take a quick spin around the neighborhood without it just to feel the wind in my hair. I know I shouldn't, but it's just one occasional indulgence. But if I'm going anywhere at all, even a mile or so to a close store or gas station I always gear up with my full face modular flip-up and my leather or armored mesh jacket. Yes, even in typical Houston summer weather. I'd rather be hot, sweaty, and a little uncomfortable then have a smashed face, or MUCH worse!

[OldBear]

YES, ATGATT. I believe Murphy was an optimist....if you're gonna crash it's when you're LEAST prepared, and I'm too old for asphalt rash or bouncin' my punkin off the pavement!:innocent-emoticon:

[Zfrebird4]

I've watched the pavement go by in my first down just off my driveway. I was a newby then. IN taking CO state training course WITH my license, my instructor said she only rode without one when it was just to hot to be safe. I have to agree with that; such is my only exception. Full face, always.

Riding in WY with shield 1/3 rd up on my full face, I hit a bug with my face, brusshed him off, then decided I'd better pull over and double check to see if he was not inside somewhere. He was not. When I got off the bike he was on the bike seat, upside down, right where my croch had been, wearing regular pants. He was the biggest, maddest hornet I've ever seen when he then woke up. In bug weather, full face down!

And there's nothing like a full face when you are caught out and have to ride in immense rain and a hail storm, which happened to me once coming back from Estes Park, N St. Varaine, on Hwy 34.

I also ride with full gear until it is above 88, but even then with a jacket and a Tshirt, wet all over. Some times I use the wet all over even in full gear; it does work. Just unzip slowly for the safe cooling affect as AC. I also pour water on my head, cool (not cold) water.

I ride with a hearing aid set for telephone, and my my 86 VR set with the external speaker on for outside sounds, set at 1/3 mid point. WOrks for me. And I am 70 with two artificial knees. I have been riding nwo for 170,000 FULL FACE, and won't think of ding anything else. Otherwise, my two sons who no longer ride would sue me for breach of contract! LOL.

Thanks for the posting. Good one.

JackZ

[maindog]

I have seen too many good guys taken too soon by not wearing one. so for me its
1000% , also Not the Cheep dot helmets either, I say if your heads only worth 10.00 wear a 10.00 helmet. I don't have that many more brain cells to waste. plus I got hit in the mouth about 10 years ago by a queen bee, on the e-way doing about 80 and it cracked my front tooth, so now I ride full face .:missingtooth:

[oldgoat]

i have to say about half the time i wear one. last year someone thought it would be cute to cut the strap by the d rings and take mine. and kick it around wal mart parking lot. could have been worse they could have pushed the bike over.

[David Bianchi]

:12101:I wear my full helmet in cool weather and my 1/2 helmet in hot weather, but always wear one 100 % of the time.

[midnite]

Crashed a GT750 Suzuki when I was 15. If it hadn't have been for my helmet I wouldn't be here. My dad brought the helmet to the hospital, Said "do you know how close you came to not having a head?", then stuck his finger through the paper thin inner liner.So YES I always wear a helmet regardless of weather, distance, etc... a 3/4 helmet.:sign **** happens::thumbsup2:

[retc403]

I spent 40 years as a deputy sheriff (4 on a motor) and lived through 1 knock down and 1 lay down & came out O.K. thanks to a helmet. I worked lots of traffic accidents & I heard all kinds of excuses for not wearing helmets AND restraints. "They are just too uncomfortable, too confining or I can't see" plus countless other "lousy-lame" excuses. I sure got some reactions when I'd respond, How uncomfortable is a lifetime in bed or a wheelchair as a quad or vegie, how confining is a casket or how well could you see with 6' of dirt over your face??????? YES ! THE WIFE I ALWAYS WEAR A GOOD HELMET. And there won't be anyone else on my bike without one. We have a good friend that's a great guy who didn't believe in helmets and just a year ago he went off a curve and now he's still a great guy but 90 percent blitzed. SAD
O.K. I'll get off the box.

Keep the powder dry

[72ranger]

My brother was rear ended on his RSTD, w/out a helmet.... He was very blessed to be alive.
Now I can say I wear mine 100% of the time.

On a good note he is 100% again and just purchased a new 08 RSTD!!! Oh and he wears one 100% of the time too!!!

[cb1313]

So far... 3 motorcycles accidents 1966 honda Scrambler, 1 goldwing 1982 Interstate, 2006 BMW Rt1150, 3 car accidents, hit in the head with a baseball bat (Chicago 1968), Have had building scaffoling hit me in the head, had my jaw hinges broken on the operating table while in the Air Force, which made me a disabled VET after 11 years in the service. Can't wear a gas mask !

Sometimes I just want to stay in bed....but I'm afraid of the ceiling fan

Cb I wear one everytime I ride even through Arkansas dose not require it.

[TomMar]

Always! 100% of the time. 6 years ago I crashed ans landed face first on the pavement. Thank God I was wearing my full face helmet. I don't always wear a full face, it's either full face or 3/4.

However, it should still be a CHOICE. not a LAW.

[raceman62race]

I always wear a helmet because it is the law where I live. I think I would wear a helmet even if I were in a state that allowed us to go without one. For once, I would like to go a couple of miles without one just to see what it's like but I would be putting it back on pretty quickly

[Yama Mama]

I am happy to report that Santa Claus, who by the way does not wear a helmet, brought my son in law one for Christmas. Now all we need to do is get him to wear it.
He is concerned of how he looks. Ah to be young and foolish again.

Yama Mama:buttkick:

[a1bummer]

I usually only wear my full face helmet in cooler or rainy weather. I don't usually wear a seat belt either! It's nobody else's business but my own as to why! If I get busted for not wearing one I'll just pay the extortion fee and do the same next time. If a cop wants to give me a ticket, fine. I don't want to hear any of their lectures either! It's not their job to pass judgment or fill me full of their opinions and/or points view, just to enforce the laws if they feel as though one has been broken.

Not that I'm down on LEO's. I really wouldn't want to be in their shoes with all the big babies and whiners who have never been taught how to take responsibility for their own actions that there are these days. They really don't get the pay and respect they truly diverse! I'm just sick and tired of people thinking everybody else should conform to their ideals.

[vic venture]

I bought my first full helmet and went down after hitting a deer at 80 first time I wore it. It looked like a 3/4 helmet after the asphalt got it. i still have a face though. No wise cracks, it's the only one I got no matter how it looks. I still wear a full except when it is really hot and then I feel naked. Maybe I WAS naked???!!! Naaaa :banana:

[WHOOMP]

always!!:thumbsup2:

[talonsx2]

I work on a military base so I am required to wear one while on base. It depends on how far im going and if its cold out...:255:

[Cougar]

Mine saved my life when I was about 30 years old. Emergency Doctor said
lucky you were waring it. 9 out of 10 don't make it.

When I left Calif ( helmet law there) and moved to Iowa. I could not believe
I could ride with-out one. So I tried if for about a week. I felt very uncomfortable
not wearing my helmet. kind of like when I get in the car and I always put it on.
otherwise it feels funny without it. I think it is smart to have it on myself.
There are days When it gets hot and I would love to just take it off. but
that will be the day It might have needed it on. maybe I am getting old ? :D
Jeff

[ddoggma]

All the time, full face helmet. ATGATT in fact. It just feels right, I highsided back in the day. The gear did its job well then. So I'm convinced its a plus. The FF helmet is the bomb IMHO. I feel like a jet pilot...lol:thumbsup2:

[Karl C.]

I havent hit the road yet on a long trip as I just acquired my 2 motorcycles. But sometimes I have a "feeling" where I just want to feel the wind... But I live in a state where we dont have helmet laws to wear one. Once I get my venture in ready to go shape I will most likely wear one on the open road for many reasons, mainly the states around me require one and sometimes I just feel I should.

[curtis]

Even though I live in TN which requires a helmet I came from KS which don't. When I lived in KS I never wore one until I got an ultra classic HD which had helmet stereo and intercom, then moved to TN and now required. Which is probably a good thing since in 2006 I got ran over by a car and would not be alive if I didn't have one on. However even though it saved my life if I didn't have to ware one now and since I don't have an intercom I probably not ware one now. I just like the freedom of not having one.

[Cruser]

Oregon is a helmet state and I wear one all the time. Except maybe moving from the front of my house around to my garage once in a while. When I was younger I watched the pavement slide by my face through the faceshield after I hit an oil slick and went down and that little 1/8" or so saved my skin. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it...

Hey spanky, just wanted you to know that GP was my home for many years and considered to be my home town.

as far as the helmet thing goes, I guess i should buy one for the times when I need one.

[Trader]

ALWAYS!
Here in Ontario we have government paid medical insurance.
So I can understand why we have a law mandating helmets.

I doubt there is a large income from no helmet fines...but the medical costs of caring for all the vegetables, quads or faceless people caused from no helmets would be huge!

I also think smokers should have to pay a health insurance premium...why should the rest of us have to cover their medical costs for their stupidity! (IMHO)...sorry if I offend any smokers....but I'm in the process of watching my Mum die of lung cancer...and its not pretty!0
But that should probably be a different thread

I used to wear full face on the sport bike...now its a 3/4 on my 83 VR

[camos]

Helmets are mandated here so I choose to wear a flip-up helmet when riding anything on 2 wheels, mostly because of the convenience and the sun visor. At work I ride a Jazz scooter, my flip-up and chaps. Get a few snide remarks about it from the peanut gallery but since its my skin and my brain bucket I get to make my choice. When tooling around in traffic it doesn't take much to take you down even at relatively slow speed.

Approximately half of the cost of cigarettes is tax. If the guvmint used the tax revenue over and above GST, PST or HST for healthcare it would more than cover the extra cost of smoking to the system. People with lung cancer rarely last more than a year so the actual cost to the system is not nearly as bad as with many other unrelated afflictions. The sad thing is the guvmint has the power to rate tobacco products as dangerous goods and significantly control access but they do not seem to want to disrupt their cash cow. Non smokers are getting quite a tax benefit from the taxes charged to smokers so they should really be quite happy about the current situation. Excepting, of course if a loved one is succumbing to their addiction aided and abetted by the crass greed of guvmints.


This could be another thread but what's the point... really... it is what it is and will never change.

[Condor]

YUP!! :2cents:

[ladyfyrefiter]

No, Luckily Wisconsin is a freedom of choice state...Thanks to Abate
Karen:7_2_104[1]:

[Yama Mama]

Yes Karen, I understand. Ohio is the same way.
Here is the link to the motorcycle laws across the country.
http://home.ama-cycle.org/amaccess/laws/result.asp?state=mn

Yama Mama

[agapemusic65]

My wife works in an hospital ER and has seen several serious motorcycle head injuries that could have been avoid with a helmet. That's good enough for me.

[Yama Mama]

One of my best friends from nursing school, told me that at the hospital she works at, they call motorcyclist's who do not wear helmets are called "DONORS"!
I thought that that says it all.http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=48116&stc=1&d=1279541746

Yama Mama:223:

[olddogjoe]

always...A half for summer and a 3/4 for winter or extended highway trips....don't like full face and wouldn't wear one that wasn't DOT approved....:hurts:

[felix]

You should have a 4th category

Do you wear a helmet most of the time. Just my 2 cents:grandpa:

[zooer]

You should have a 4th category

Do you wear a helmet most of the time. Just my 2 cents:grandpa:
Well I do. OK, almost always I do. OK OK, most of the time I do. I'm not going to wear one today though, that's because I'm up to my donkey in SNOW and its getting deeper.:crying:

[ProwlerVR]

I reconstruct fatal collisions for a living, and always wear a helmet. Many families I would not have had to notify if their loved ones had been wearing a helmet, and I'm not just talking about high speed collisions.

[camos]

On occasion I have ridden my bike around the driveway without a helmet but I always wear one on the street.

It's probably just as well since last week I was on my scoot, (Honda Jazz) came around a parked car heading into a gated compound, saw the gate 3/4 open but thought it was closing and grabbed for the only brake available. I'm in this 90 degree turn doing about 20 kph, and panicked, I guess. Unfortunately my right hand was holding the swipe card folder so the only brake available was the front one. Pretty much came to a stop before the front wheel locked up and popped out from under us. That would be me and the scoot. Didn't slide but whacked my helmet on the concrete pretty good so it has some nice scars. Hate to think what would have happened if my head had been naked.

This morning I'm off to work and there is a skiff of snow on the ground from last night but the roads were clear so I rode the Virago as usual. Half way into town and within about half a kilometer the conditions changed from our usual ho-hum winter weather to full blown back east style weather. There was about 5 inches of snow on the side of road and packed snow and ice on the road. Anyway, long story short, I dumped the bike at about 40 kph. Kinda like that video of the Vision on here recently except I didn't touch the front brake and I was properly dressed. No damage to me or the helmet this time but the potential was there. I was very stupid to have continued and very lucky I did not get run over by the following traffic.

I suspect most of you won't be doing really dumb things such as I have just related but to me, a helmet is just as important as good tires, perhaps more so.

[Lil Venturous]

Reminds me of when I was in Ct and three Hardleys rolled in to the gas station I was about to leave. They had full leathers chaps, boots and jackets on themselves and their wives but none had helmets. I started laughing as I fired up the FZ1, One hollered "What you laughing at boy?" I said "yall look like a bunch of condoms with the ends cutoff." One fired his bike back up as I started to roll. That ole FZ was doing 60 by the time I hit the end of the parking lot.

[Reddog170]

I wear mine most of the time. I only go without when I am making a quick run less than a few blocks. Anything more than that gets a helmet. Hit a deer a few years back, totaled a brand new helmet and wondered what my head would have looked like if I had not been wearing it. Shaun

[Beau-Kat]

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:


YES, I DO, ALWAYS, ABSOLUTELY, 100%, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT REQUIRED IF YOU ARE OVER 21 IN SC.

I ALWAYS WEAR MY HELMET, GLASSES, JACKET, BOOTS, GLOVES, AND EAR PLUGS.

I LOVE MY WIFE AND KIDS MORE THAN I LOVE MYSELF. SO, I DO IT FOR THEM.

ANOTHER REASON I WEAR A HELMET IS THAT I CAN'T STAND WIND IN MY EARS.

WHEN I WAS MUCH YOUNGER, I RODE AROUND MYRTLE BEACH WITHOUT A HELMET. BUT THAT WAS FOOLISH OF ME.

Rusty

[zooer]

Now here is a true story. As I stated once before, most of the time I always wear a helmet period. But---one summer a few years ago I went to a rally and rode with a bunch of guys that never put their's on for a week. We were in a no helmet law state also. Well sir, I went stupid I guess you'd call it and it was a long hot nasty week so I went helmet-less for a few days and followed the flock as they say. Now came the day to depart for home and it was another one of those nasty humid killer days. I knew that in a very short time I'd cross the line into another state that required a helmet so I went back to my normal habit and put the helmet on when I headed out. Man I thought I was gonna die inside that hot nasty helmet! After not ridding with one for a few days in deadly heat it dang near killed me trying to wear it all day. Probably went thought three dew-rags the first day and thought I'd scream a couple of times. In fact I think I did scream a few vile words into the wind before the day was out. Have not done the no helmet since, but I still remember what it was like on that summer week. That's my story and your stickin to it, right? :)

[dunsonaventure]

100% of the time. Wife bought me a bike a few years ago, and that was part of the deal.
But I am so used to it now, I believe I would wear it even if she didnt care. Lost a couple of friends in accidents from head trama. Might still be hear if they were wearing one. Better odds you know?

[Seaking]

*I* always wear my helmet.. ugh would hate to think I ended up a veggie for the lack of head protection.. My buddy though, he'll take his off when we ride into various US states that don't require helmets by law..

But I make him recite a DNR state on video before we ride on.. I was hoping it would scare him into wearing one.. but nope..

[tcoop]

The only time I don't wear a helmet is if I pick up one of my kids on the way home and don't have the spare. The get the helmet (low states the anyone under 18 IIRC has to have one) not to mention that i want them safe.

[Daveand Barbie]

ATGATT - all the gear, all the time. That #4 grit sanding belt below my tires is not inviting, thank you very much.

Then again, I am used to full nomex underwear, driving suit, FC helmet, balaclava, gloves, and boots in the car, so this is only a minor inconvenience.

[jdross440]

Always. I've seen what happens to the head and brain in an accident. Not pretty.

[twigg]

ATGATT

Tell my kids that "Dad preferred his Freedoms" .... I think not!

[Phoneman1981]

Hello: If our state did not require helmets I would still wear one anyway. I survived a crash many years ago thanks to a helmet. We witnessed a single bike crash in front of us in Colorado last season, they do not have helmet law, but I was glad the rider was wearing one. He walked away with only minor scrapes. Just my two cents.:322:

[lshafer]

99% of the time. Only when I go a couple of blocks in my town of 800 with the speed limit less than 30mph do I not wear it. That doesn't happen much though. I'll walk a block before I'll get the bike out to drive there.

[Eddie]

I wear mine all the time because I have to. When I go to a place that doesn't require them I find myself without it.

[Hobscotch]

:cool10: I wear a helmet every time I ride. So does my passenger(s), or they stay home.

Shattered two MC helmets, and broke a flight helmet in a crash when I was flying helos in the service. The brain still functions...sometimes. The rest is just chalked off to old age.

:12101::322::12101:

[Man of Steel]

I had two stents put in a year ago. I always had a head scarf on when riding. Then I was introduced to Plavix for my heart. With that drug a tiny cut bleeds a gallon of blood. I started wearing a helmet to alliviate the serious repercussions if I cut my head in an accident. Head wounds are the most serious loss of blood in the body.
I have worn this helmet for a year. I feel like I left my pants at home if I do not have it on. I think, no....I know helmets save lives. I was a cop for 14 years and have seen some bad things happen with both cars and bikes. I still wore the rag on my head when on the bike. Now I do not leave the drive without a helmet.
Just my 2 cents.
:322:

[Man of Steel]

Justy as a footnote and to tell how great a Bell helmet is I have a true story. I was riding my Husqvarna 400 in a heat and was presented with hitting the mud or climbing a small hill through the brush. I chose the brush. Then I found out that someone had left a cement block in the brush.
I remember hitting the block and it got quiet.
I remember looking over at my bike and watching it slowly turning over in the air.
I remember the hard crash that rang my bell when my head hit that block on desent.
I remember getting up and dusting myself off and running to the bike to shut it off.
I remember looking at my Bell helmet with the horrible gash in the side and thanking the Almighty for breathing another day.

I also am a fan of HJC helmets.:322:

[Yama Mama]

Thanks for all the great stories about how a helmet has saved you from serious bodily damage. I wear my helmet all the time now, however there are times when my head is so irritated by it that I have to take it off for relief, this is usually in the high temps. I have been wanting to get me a new one, but it has not happened as yet. There are still times that Moped decides he is not going to wear his helmet, usually on short shopping trips. He always wears it when we are on the Interstate however!
Keep the stories and opinions coming.
Yama Mama:223:

[twigg]

Thanks for all the great stories about how a helmet has saved you from serious bodily damage. I wear my helmet all the time now, however there are times when my head is so irritated by it that I have to take it off for relief, this is usually in the high temps. I have been wanting to get me a new one, but it has not happened as yet. There are still times that Moped decides he is not going to wear his helmet, usually on short shopping trips. He always wears it when we are on the Interstate however!
Keep the stories and opinions coming.
Yama Mama:223:


Here is a little info for your other half :)

Most accidents happen within three miles of home. A blow on the head at as little as 10 mph can kill.

Might help persuade him.

[Jus Monkeyin Around]

Tried not wearing one once didnt like it....So YES I always wear a helmet and any passenger of mine will to...

[revinger]

YES. hit a dog about 20 years ago running 40mph. went over handlebars and airborne for some distance. taekwondo and judo fallbmode kicked in. I tucked and rolled purely instinctively and tumbled down the road a fair distance.

last thoughts were, this is going to hurt. I remember bouncing down the pavement and counting my head flopping back hitting pavement 3 distinct times. the nicks in the helmet from the asphalt said it all.

I was sore, got an ambulance ride out of it, every muscle in my body was sore for a week and was on crutches from both ankles being seriously sprained. but my brain was intact and still in it's container.

bob
Marshall

[turbota2]

I never used to wear one. A few years back I decided to start wearing a helmet. Now it is 100%.
I lost a close friend that got hit by someone crossing lanes to get off the hiway. He was wearing one of the "German war helmets" with the snap clip to hold it on. When he was hit the snap came loose and the helmet took off. Except for the head damage Dick only had brusises. Had he had a good helmet on he would be alive today.
Wear a good helmet.
Wayne

[thughes]

Required in NY but I would wear all the time anyway, got a 12 y/o daughter and would like to be there to give her away at her wedding someday.

[RBLR Dave]

I have to wear a skid lid - its the law in the UK and mainland europe

[Man of Steel]

Always. Even when I'm sitting in the garage making those vroom vroom noises in the dead of winter...

I know the feeling. Sitting on the bike in the garage.
Bouncing up and down on the seat.
Two big fans blowing on you to simulate the wind.
Steppenwolf 'Born to be Wild" playing on the CD player.
Your girlfriend using a slingshot to shoot bugs at your facesheild.

AHHH, garage riding in the Ohio winter.

:322:

BTW, I do wear a helmet 99% of the time.

MoS

[Swifty]

interesting twist of irony...and fate:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j5QJwnHv-tPuOjeymCAL6yDtFRQw?docId=c8cd24dbcab84836a8a396bb b6bca410

[Yama Mama]

Thanks Swifty that was a sad but ironic article to say the least.
We were at a motorcycle rally for the last four days and I would have to say more than 80% of the riders I saw there did not wear helmets.
Of course, Ohio and Kentucky are not mandatory helmet law states.
Thanks for the post!
Yama Mama

[AKRefugee]

I have lived in states that have the helmet laws and I have lived in states that do not have helmet laws. I have lived in states that did not have them and then got them and I have have lived in states that had them and then got rid of them. No matter where I lived I have ALWAYS ridden with a helmet. A short ride or a long ride doesn't matter. Close to home or far away, it doesn't matter. In town or on the interstate, it doesn't matter. If you go down your helmet will reduce your injuries PERIOD.

When I was 11 I got a hold of a Honda 50 mini trail. My folks didn't really like that I had bought it but they knew I would ride it with or without their permission so they relented. My dad only had 1 hard rule, no matter what I had to have my helmet on before i even started it. One day I went to move the minibike from the front yard to the back yard and I started towards it without my helmet. My dad seen me and made me go get my helmet (grumble gripe complain stupid parents it's only a few feet etc). As I was coming around the back corner of the yard the dog ran out in front of me and i swerved to the left right into a chuck hole. I went over the side and my head struck a rock about the size of a cantaloup. I was going so slow that I could have almost walked faster than I was riding. Anyway my head struck that rock and my helmet split, no not dented or cracked, it split from front to back. Lesson learned right there. A six foot fall onto your head can take you out for good. It is not the speed that does it it is the "sudden stop". A helmet will absorb a lot of that 'sudden stop" and save your noggin.

[CJ8]

Used to wear one part time. After sliding head 1st into a curb the 1st wreck and hitting the pavement with my head on the 2nd wreck I always wear one. Thank God I was wearing my helmet both times. I had a car pull out in front of me both times.

[twigg]

The thing that always gets to me when I hear folk attempt to justify not wearing a helmet is this simple idea:

Are you prepared to put your life in the hands of every other motorist you encounter on the road?

If we didn't have accidents caused by others then you would be in control of your own destiny, and I would get it. That's not how it is and I. for one, don't trust 'em!

[captainjoe]

My view on motorcycle riding is: "Hope for the best but plan for the worst"

I wear a full face every time... and yes I have crashed a few times and am a true believer in their power to save you...

[friesman1]

Glad I was wearing mine today, got cut off by an old guy that couldnt see over the wheel, and had to brake hard. Woulda been fine but there was a slippery manhole cover in my path and at about 10 or 15 mph i went down. My helmet has some nasty scatches and gouges, but i am sure happy I had it on.
The only time i have not worn a helmet was in Cody this summer, and that was only because i had sunburnt my head and couldnt wear one.....

Brian

[Yama Mama]

We recently purchased new helmets for us. We bought the Scorpion 1/2 helmet like in this photo.
http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=62205&stc=1&d=1321060691They are very comfortable.
Yama Mama

[Ruffy]

I havent worn my helmet since April 2011 and I refuse to. At least not while the bike is up on the stand.....:smile5:

[MikeM]

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:

I wear a full face helmet when it's raining or cold(keeps my face & ears warm).
Sometimes I'll wear a 1/2 helmet but most of the time I don't wear a helmet.
When I was run over by a 18 wheeler back in 82 I didn't have a helmet on and never even lost my ball cap. Almost lost a leg and my life though.
A couple of years ago when my Goldwing was murdered by a little ol lady that turned left in front of me at the last second I didn't have a helmet on. My face was flattened and nasal cavities crushed either by the bikes windshield when I flew through it or when I slammed down on the pavement. I think a full face helmet would have helped and maybe prevented the reconstructive surgeries but a 3/4 or 1/2 helmet would have been no help.
Until they can get a crystal ball to work, We take chances every day and just enjoy life. Who knows,I may be the next victim that gets hit in the head by falling space junk while I'm walking down the street. A helmet might help then too but I choose to walk without one.
:fingers-crossed-emo

[dacheedah]

always on the interstate, almost always in town, we have been on some ride events where we did not wear them while on an escorted ride