I hate helmets

[Gregory]

Back in 1981, when I was in my 20's and stationed at Ft. Bragg NC, I routinely rode my GS1000 to Myrtle Beach SC for weekend getaways.

I dont know about today, but in those days North Carolina had a helmet law, and South Carolina did not. Since I had grown up in a state without helmet laws I always detested the fact that we were "required" to wear a helmet.

After enjoying a weekend of riding around the beach community without a helmet, I headed back to the base. This time I decided to take a back road route instead of taking the highway. In addition to being able to enjoy the backroads, I assumed I could get away with not wearing a helmet through the back roads of North Carolina.

To my surprise, on the backroads when I entered North Carolina, there was a small sign indicating that helmets were required. I smuggly kept riding and thinking to myself how cool it was that I probably wouldnt see a cop, and if I did, I would just tell him I did not see a sign and did not know I was in North Carolina yet.

At that moment, BAM! I was shaken to my core when a hawk, I beleive a sparrow hawk, swooped in front of me and colllided squarely with my rearview mirror. Because of sheer luck I did not wreck, but my heart was beating so fast I did stop to regain my composure.

As I rode away with my helmet on, I did have a lot of time on the ride back to imagine what that bird would have felt like plasterd to my face. I live in Texas now, and frankly dont wear a helmet around town. If I am ever killed because of not wearing a helmet, it isnt because I wasnt warned.

 

[spaytons]

I hear ya. I never wore one if I didn't have to.
My thinking changed because of a couple of reasons. One being my wife's uncle just died when he struck a deer and ground his face off. They un-plugged him after 13 hours.
And now that I got a family to support I need to think of them.

 

[spyug]

I don't understand the point of your post.

You realize that they can be a lifesaver but you still don't want to wear one. Odd attitude, its like you want to have an accident.

Keep on riding lidless and you just might but I hope for your family's sake that you don't. I have a wonderful life long friend (45+ years) right now lying in an intensive care ward in a semi vegitative state from a bleed in the brain. Admittedly not an m/c injury, but the effect on the family and we his friends is devastating. A wonderful husband, father, friend and mentor taken from us and maybe not to ever return.

Please rethink your stand on this.

spyug.

 

[bonanzadave]

Back in 1981, when I was in my 20's and stationed at Ft. Bragg NC, I routinely rode my GS1000 to Myrtle Beach SC for weekend getaways.

In 83-84 I was at Cherry Pt MCAS. Me and friend, who had a blue 83 1100E, would ride to Fayetteville for concerts. Always wore helmets.

 

[Gregory]

I understood that my rebellious position doesnt make any intellectual or even emotional sense, especially in the context of the story. In this section it asked for GS stories, and I had one that could be helpful, at least in the sense of "dont do what I do".

True and good advise on all counts. Still a little rebel in me (defintion of rebel = stupid sometimes)

I havent got the new basketcase GS going and only ride a little street and trail bike to the store and back and around town with 30 mph roads.

When I get the GS fixed up and going, I may have to re-think my long held rebellion against helmets.

 

[Guest]

I've always wondered about the those guys that ride around without helmets but have them strapped to their bikes.
Fact of the matter is, I don't think I could ride as long or as fast without a helmet, they keep the bugs off your face (and june bugs hurt), along with rocks semi's throw up, rain and sand. Now, if I'm gonna slow poke around the subdivision at 15-20mph, well OK I guess.

 

[wacky941]

Before I went into the NAVY in January of '83, I hated wearing helmets! I was even involved in a couple accidents, one of them even totaled the bike after broadsiding a car, no helmet! I walked away with a scratch and a sprained wrist and still refused to wear a helmet!
Then a friend of mine bought a motorcycle and was new to them to boot. She refused to wear a helmet, I told her she needed to wear one but she argued saying that I was a hypocrite telling her to wear one when I refused to wear one myself, she was right! The deal was made that we would both wear a helmet. Two weeks later, she rear-ended a car at a pretty good clip and ended up in the hospital with multiple broken bones and a totally destroyed helmet, the doctor said the only reason she was alive to talk about it was because she wore a helmet. Not long after that, I went into the NAVY, the NAVY requires the wearing of all the gear in order to ride on base now, pretty much thirty years later, I wear my helmet almost all the time. Once in a blue moon I'll take the bike around the block without a helmet if I have been working on it and am just checking it out. For the most part, I feel naked without a helmet now. That deal I made thirty years ago saved her life and made me realize how fragile life is and how important a piece of fiberglass can be to my survival!

 

[tkent02]

Not much point in wearing one if there's nothing to protect inside.

 

[loud et]

I've always wondered about the those guys that ride around without helmets but have them strapped to their bikes.
Fact of the matter is, I don't think I could ride as long or as fast without a helmet, they keep the bugs off your face (and june bugs hurt), along with rocks semi's throw up, rain and sand. Now, if I'm gonna slow poke around the subdivision at 15-20mph, well OK I guess.

Agree with all you have said here and in addition I enjoy wearing a helmet for the relief I get from wind noise/fatigue. I dont know if its just me, but I get pain deep inside my ears from riding in chilly/cold conditions and the helmet saves me from that along with terrible ringing that I get from wind noise. My ears ring for hours after a half hour ride or longer with no lid(full face). Even when I thought I was a bad azz cruzer on my Shadow I would use ear plugs under my .5mm thick bandana helmet
I feel good for graduating to being safety minded. I like my helmet now.

 

[koolaid_kid]

I would not know what it is like to ride without a helmet. And I have been riding for over 4 decades. Nuff said.

 

[loud et]

I would not know what it is like to ride without a helmet. And I have been riding for over 4 decades. Nuff said.

I had a great joke going in my head something about how "you've been riding since before Koolaid was invented....but it did not quite pan out.
Wikipeia-
History

The building in Hastings, Nebraska, where Kool-Aid was invented


Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska. All of his experiments took place in his mother's kitchen.[1] Its predecessor was a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack. To reduce shipping costs, in 1927, Perkins discovered a way to remove the liquid from Fruit Smack, leaving only a powder. This powder was named Kool-Aid. Perkins moved his production to Chicago in 1931 and Kool-Aid was sold to General Foods in 1953.[2] Hastings still celebrates a yearly summer festival called Kool-Aid Days on the second weekend in August, in honor of their city's claim to fame. Kool-Aid is known as Nebraska's official soft drink.[3][4]

I do find my myself liking the term Fruit Smack....lol

 

[Guest]

What very few years I didn't wear a helmet I now have a nice scar on my forehead from a June bug at 70mph and damaged tear ducts around my eyes. Besides from the wind/sun burn and fatigue....well I always wear a helmet now though it was my choice. I spent alot of time with ABATE chapters around the nation fighting the mandatory helmet laws the Feds were blackmailing the states to pass in order to receive their hiway funds. So it is your choice, weight the pros and cons. I did, I wear.

 

[kdo58]

left is helmet at home

 

[oldgsfan]

When i was young handsome and vain, I often rode without a helmet so everyone could see my gorgeous hair flowing in the wind. Now I'd wear a helmet even if it wasn't required so no one could see what an ugly old man was riding that cool bike. Still vanity I guess. Oh. I also smacked a truck once so hard I blacked out. The paramedic told me I'd have been a vegetable if I wasn't wearing my helmet that day.

 

[Bevo]

I grew up racing MX and hit my head on the ground many many times before i got on the street. The longest I rode without a helmet can be counted in feet, felt completely naked.

I came of a road race bike on the track and slid a good 300 feet across a curb and into the grass all on my back, the helmet was worn down to the inner padding but did its job.

My buds all have Harleys and wear the half brain bucket that I think is a poor excuse for a real helmet!
Before one ride with them in the summer I had taken a hockey puck off my jaw and was pretty bruised up, they were all commenting that I should wear a full helmet on the ice LOL!! (I wear a shield but the puck came underneath)

 

[Eli69]

i rode many years helmetless and with fake half helmets. i was lucky and didn't get hurt bad. i simply didn't like being told i had to wear a helmet by the gubment. then i got a really fast snowmobile and realized i would freeze my brains out without a warm helmet with a heated visor. i got used to wearing the full faced helmet and have ever since.

so i guess it wasn't like i a gave it alot of thought or anything. just kind of blindly fell into helmet wearing.

moral of the story is, i think, i was the typical rebellious punk that lived long enough to grow up and change my ways. when i see someone my age riding with a junk helmet i think they are being childish. i mean if i figured it out anyone can right?

 

[gustovh]

When I was 10 and learning to ride, my brother would not let me get on the thing untill I was helmeted and wearing at least gloves. That was 51 years ago and I still put one on to test a bike around my drive. I ware everything to ride the 2 1/2 miles to the store and back.

Been down 4 times, once high sided off after comeing to a stop and the other 3 times at less than a walk. It still tore up some gear but I was unhurt.

I chose life and health over the alternative. Ride to arrive alive.
V

 

[Guest]

I always wear a helmet but don't believe the government should be telling me I have to. One thing that seems odd to me is that some don't wear helmets around town because they feel there is less risk because of low speeds but consider that when seated on a bike your head is approximately 5 feet off the pavement and if you fell striking your head from that height it can easily kill you........ it has happened.

 

[tkent02]

Here's an interesting tidbit... In India men are require to wear helmets, women are not. Discuss.

 

[argonsagas]

Sometimes lessons in life come a fairly steep price.


I have a vivid recollection of looking at a couple of doctors in a hospital. Later, I thought they looked funny, both of them staring at me with their mouths wide open, and unable to speak a word.

Perhaps it had something to do with them thinking I should not have been able to speak either, mostly because they had just finished examining me , and that was about two hours after several other people had examined me and decided I was dead.


i was not wearing a helmet because it happened while I was changing a tire on my car, and someone drove into my parked car, which drove the car into my head, and my head then hit the guardrail that was behind me.

The result of the two head impacts was that I was killed on the spot....at least that was the case according to those who checked me out over the next two hours and found no life signs.



One of the lessons learned was that you really do not have to be moving very fast for the impact to do some nasty stuff to your head.