Why I wear a helmet

[zig06]

I've told this story to a number of riders, some believed me, but sadly many have not. The even sadder part is that it's true.

When I was 19, newly married, in the Army and stationed in Fort Hood Texas, I had an apartment on the far side of Killeen. Every morning I rode my "new" '85 GS 450 into the post (you do the math). At the time I had very good vision ~ 20/12. I know that because of the numerious tests that I had to take in the service up to that point. So I could spot things that many people need binoculars to see.

Now, because the GS was my only real transportation (besides a smokey old '74 Pontiac Catalina), I used it every day, even when it got very cold. Matter of fact, there was a bank with a flashing time/temp sign that I could spot on the way in. And on more than one occasion I saw single digits... Which was almost my down fall. As a result of the cold temps, I got into a bad habit of drafting anything that happen to be in front of me.

One late spring day on the way in, around the time when it got very light early in the morning. I was just starting to draft up on an old gravel truck. I was just starting to pull into the dead zone ~ about 6 car lengths back, when I spotted a rock drop out the back of the box. I saw it hit the road and disappear. So without even touching the brakes or swerving (I was doing about 60mph), I felt that the coast was clear.

Just as that thought registered, the rock hit me right in the facesheild, just to the right of my right eye. Not only did it rattle me, but the noise from the impact almost caused a crash all by itself.

Then as soon as I came to my senses, I passed the truck, and a few minutes later I was on post and getting on with my "job". But before I got busy, I had a moment to glance at my helmet. Basically, the shield was ruined, but it had done it's job, which was to save me. Which it did in many ways.

You see, at the time that the rock hit, I was also passing over the main north south road. So if for some reason I had decided to not wear a helmet that day (it was legal in Texas at the time to not wear one), it's likely that not only would I have caught a rock in the eye, but skidded off the freeway onto 5 lanes of traffic 2 stories below.

Talk about a Wylie Coyote moment!

To this day I think about that everytime I see someone riding with just sun glasses. There's no way that they would have survived.

And that's why I always wear my helmet.


How about you??

 

[KRISTI'SGS550]

I don't follow rock trucks.......................but I also always wear my helmet and feel bad for those guys that wear the helmets that look like a small fruit bowl on the top of their head.

Cory

 

[marvinsc]

Summer 1982 I was rounding a curve here in town near the University when I met a car crowding the middle of the road. I instinctively jerked the bars to the Right causing Me to hit the curb, fly over the handlebars and land on My face sliding down the street beside the T500 I was riding. Road Rash to My Right calf, Right Forearm, Right Butt Cheek and back. A nice flat spot on My helmet but no facial damage. Yeah, I wear a Helmet even when it's hot.

 

[KiwiGS]

Late last year I crashed my CBR1000.
When I got back to home base I checked my gear out. My full face helmet had a couple of deep gouges running from the chin up the visor to the top of the helmet. If I wasnt wearing it I may not have kept my boyish good looks:wink:.
My leathers also took a pounding. It would appear I spent quite a while sliding down the road face down (which is odd because I remember seeing the bike in the air above me.)
Anyway the way I see it helmets can be hot and uncomfortable but they sure beat having no nose or lips. Oh and there is that whole being dead thing.

 

[Guest]

Without a good helmet, I would have been killed in 1997 on TX-146. I hurt everyplace except my head, but instead I limped out of the ER about 3 hours later fully intact.

 

[dpep]

Summer of 1971, passing a row of cars when the one in front pulled into my lane. Plowed into the back of the car, sailed over the top of the car, landed 20 feet in front of the car on my head and my left shoulder. There was a helmet on my head. There was not a helmet on my shoulder. The shoulder was permanently separated. The head....was not.

 

[seuadr]

I don't follow rock trucks.......................but I also always wear my helmet and feel bad for those guys that wear the helmets that look like a small fruit bowl on the top of their head.

Cory

we call'em brain buckets around here.. cause that's what they'll probably use to scoop it up after it's leaked out the bottom side of your head!:shock:

 

[spyug]

Thanks for sharing that is a good story and a great illustration for the wearing of good head gear.

I can't share anything as dramatic (thank heaven) but I did go down a couple of times in my first year.

The first time it shook me up as I wasn't expecting it. I had just turned into a gravel and sand parking lot and was only moving at a walking pace. As soon as my back wheel touched over she went to the left side. I was holding on to the bars so my my head hit the ground first. The impact stunned, but I wasn't hurt. Taking off the full face helmet, there was a big gouge from the chin to the eye level. I'm so glad I put on the full face as I was actually thinking of wearing the open face lid that day. If I had I likely would have busted my jaw and ripped off some skin for sure.

On Sunday last I was out for my scoot with my brand new Icon helmet and no more than 10 minutes into it I get hit square in the center of the visor with a big juicy bug. If the visor had been up it would have got me right between the eyes.

When I first started riding I thought I wouldn't be able to stand a full face helmet ( to restrictive, hard to see out off and hard to hear things) but now you'll never catch me without one.

Ride safe guys. ATGATT.

Cheers,
Spyug

 

[tkent02]

I've ruined about five helmets now, with nothing worse than a headache that lasted a few days...

Once riding in the mountains in Washington with a buddy, looked over for a moment at a bulldozer working in the woods a hundred feet or so away from the road. As I watched a small stone shot out of the tread on a beeline for my head, on an absolutely flat trajectory. POW!
Pretty sure I would have come off the bike without the bucket on, as I almost did anyway.
That same day I got hit with a garbage can lid that flew up from under a car ahead, and some dog parts tossed in the air from an oncoming car.

I just get hit with way too much stuff to ride naked.

And I tend to fall off once every couple hundred thousand miles or so.

 

[UncleMike]

That's why...

 

[mdole]

Good story to illustrate the value of wearing helmets.

I've always worn one because of my dirt biking days.

I spent a lot of time hitting the dirt after doing something stupid. I think the worst I can remember is crashing through a bush and dropping into an arroyo on the other side only to collide with Super Rat. The next rider used my helmet for a ramp to hot out of line with the tangle of bikes.

I always though that it would be a lot worse on the road. Anytime I get to thinking that I don't really need to wear one I'll end up having to bail out when trying a rock that's too big or a log that's too slick on one of the trials bikes or dump the VSTROM in deep pumice dust.

 

[Jimmy Hoffa]

Anybody ride in East Texas and get stuck behind the "gut truck"? Anyone who's spent time in E. Texas will know what I'm talking about.

 

[uudfourty]

I've been crapped on before passing a cattle truck in 15 mph traffic. Projectile excrement, right to the side of the noggin.

It sucked pretty bad as it was, but without the helmet... would've really ruined my day to have an ear full of grass and water.

 

[earlfor]

I met a buzzard that was flying south as I was going north at about 60 mph and took a head on shot squarely into the face shield. It was bad enough with the full face helmet. It would have been much worse without a helmet.

Earl

 

[Guest]

we call'em brain buckets around here.. cause that's what they'll probably use to scoop it up after it's leaked out the bottom side of your head!:shock:

Pretty cavalier attitude in a thread with testimony from people whose health and lives were saved by helmets.

 

[seuadr]

oops. double post

 

[seuadr]

Pretty cavalier attitude in a thread with testimony from people whose health and lives were saved by helmets.

it was in refernce to those little half helmets that alot of people prefer to an actual helmet.

you know, one of these jobbies:

that helmet, will basically protect your brain. your nect, face, chin and the rest are going to be exposed. hence the term, brain bucket.

was in reference to kristi's comment on the fruit bowls.

 

[uudfourty]

I knew what you were saying, dude.

 

[J_C]

I've been crapped on before passing a cattle truck in 15 mph traffic. Projectile excrement, right to the side of the noggin.

It sucked pretty bad as it was, but without the helmet... would've really ruined my day to have an ear full of grass and water.

This post was hilarious. And disgusting :-D

 

[uudfourty]

Yeah, it only took me about 2 seconds to get past anger and on to laughter. I mean... come on... I never got that kind of treatment when we were working cattle. My how the tables had turned.