Do you wear a helmet?

[cedarbrook63]

I wouldn't leave home with out it. A friend of mine who rides sport bikes once said "he doesn't wear helmet to save him in an accident he wears one so he can have an open casket" kinda morbid but I got a chuckle out of it.

MORBID?????
Just a tad . Unfortunately, there is an element of truth in there. I've been toying with the idea of getting a halfer for the summer instead of my full lid, even though I worked for a few years in ER and Maxillofacial and saw the mess that can happen and what it takes to put the pieces back.
Then I just put my full lid on again and get out and ride . It just doesn't get as hot here as in the continental US.

I may just buy one of those flip-fronts tho' - a good compromise......

 

[horizonchaser]

I found a post that asked this question, but it was from 2006 so I figured we were due. :naughty So...do you wear a helmet, if so what type of helmet do you prefer? I know some states have laws, Colorado does not.

I wear a helmet when I am in uniform (because I have to), when I'm riding on base (which I hate to do), and when it is very cold outside. Other than that I really don't. It's mostly because of the heat. Same in Iraq, I rarely wear my issued helmet. I've been active duty for going on 11 years now and our helmets are the best right now they have ever been. That helmet, plus gear, plus 120 degree heat...I hate it. Anyway..... the distraction from the heat of the helmet is why I don't wear one. I know full well the reasons I should, I just choose not to. Maybe if I found a good one, that didn't cost as much as my bike, or a half helmet that didn't make my head look like a bubble, I would wear one all the time. So how about you?

I live in Massachusetts and frequntly venture on over to Connecticut & Rhode Island. Both of those States don't require wearing a helmet. I often think of removing my helmet when I get in those States. Maybe it's because I sort of envy all those people riding around without their helmets. But after reading all of the threads to this post, it is good to see that the majority of riders do wear their helmets. I think I'll continue wearing mine when I ride in those states.

 

[shaker]

I don't own one, but have been thinking about getting something. Same with a leather coat. I don't like walking all over the roof of my house anymore either, and I really used to enjoy that.

 

[dawg16]

I do wear a full face. It's my helmet I drove race cars with. My problem....I wear contact lenses. The air really dries my eyes out. Don't hear much from other lense wears, but my full face keeps my eyes moist and visible to the road.

 

[dawg16]

i wear lenses as i find that my glasses do not fit comfortably under my lid be it my full face, open face, or my flip top lid

I'm lucky my sun glasses fit. I guess if they didn't, I could put tinted "tear-offs" on my race helmet. LOL.

 

[Jim B.]

I had problems with my prescription glasses fitting when I wore a full face Arai helmet. It was hard to fit them through the opening and onto my ears. I switched to full-face modulars (Schuberth and HJC) which solved the problem. Much easier to get the glasses on when you can flip up the entire front of the helmet.

 

[cedarbrook63]

i wear lenses as i find that my glasses do not fit comfortably under my lid be it my full face, open face, or my flip top lid

I stick those little bits of Cling film in my eyes too!
Would love to get the laser treatment but it's v. unpredictible unless you're short sighted which I'm not.
I have a HJC Carbon fibre lid and my sunnies fit ok. It's got one of those flip down sun visors as well which take a bit of getting used to because the lower border runs right across my forward vision area. A good lid and fairly light. The flip fronts are a lot heavier. Anyone tried riding with the face up?? I've heard it's a bad idea as the turbulence is a shocker.

 

[oseita]

Yes I wear a 3/4. It is required here in Ga. I ride alot in South Carolina where there is no helmet law and many other riders used to tease me by pointing at their heads as I saluted them. I met one group at a restaurant and one guy was about to rag me until he saw my Ga tag. However, I am beginning to see more of the S. Carolina riders using lids now. I believe it should be a person's choice but.......

 

[cedarbrook63]

I had problems with my prescription glasses fitting when I wore a full face Arai helmet. It was hard to fit them through the opening and onto my ears. I switched to full-face modulars (Schuberth and HJC) which solved the problem. Much easier to get the glasses on when you can flip up the entire front of the helmet.

Is there much of a weight difference or feel between the flip front and the full face lid IYO?

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

I met a really good guy recently on a flight - a South African fella living in England. Two years ago he had a great holiday riding from Vegas into Southern Cal, across Arizona and getting up into Utah. He and a few mates hired some Fat Boys and hit the highways. I asked him did he wear a helmet and he said, only when they went into towns. I was a bit surprised at this coz over here, we all have to wear 'em and we just accept it like putting gas in the tank. He explained how the roads out there are big, straight and fairly empty and that highlights a really good point which probably explains some of the differences in view between, say Richard and me, and some of the other contributors to this discussion: most accidents involving motorbikes involve collisions - hitting something or, more likely, being hit...

...Me, I've seen too much of the consequences of not wearing and I'm with Richard in that I owe it to my wife and kids to put up with my helmet. Mine's a carbon fibre HJC, it's really light and got some nice features like a built in sun visor. I love my bike much more than hating wearing a helmet. :newsmile090:

I was looking over this post, and agree with most of your post CB. The one item many motorcyclists do not realize is most accidents occur on a motocycle SOLO with rider hitting a stationary object...running off the road and other common things, it is just that many of them are not reported unless police report or witnessed that serious injury or fatality occurs. I read this in the Hurt Report that was done in the 80's I believe.

And the rider choice of wearing or not wearing one or experience will not make much difference once a naked head hits a solid object, our heads are like eggshells, maybe a little harder on the outside, but certainly more mass and sensitive liquid parts inside. I think of that celebrity skiing accident...lady falling down on a beginner slope, dies not because of the impact, but the latent damage and minor hemmorage that turned major.

The other thing with collisions is many times there were no indications that the rider did much of anything, i.e. no huge skid marks or other evidence of countermeasures; quite honestly it is the very definition of an accident which is basically an unplanned event. Helmets make sense, as one of those "prevent countermeasures" BEFORE something happens, without any input from the rider other than wearing it. :small3d019:

Ride safe -- wear that helmet, any helmet that you will wear always when riding. HDT wants to hear from you -- "Reading after Riding...!"