Thoughts on helmets
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,922
Likes: 1,537
From: N.E.Alabama
thanks to arthritis from a C 4-5-6 neck fusion a 13 lb full face would limit me to cruising my driveway at best.
I wear a very lightweight DOT Kaiserhelm and don't worry about things that may or may not happen.
0.0something % of the US population dies from falling in their bathtub.......wow, should I quit bathing?.......they die from broken necks usually, so should I wear a neck brace while I bathe?
KRAP...now i'm all confused......if I go outside will I be struck by lightning or stung to death by killer bees??.........ground rod or bee suit.....HELP !!
I wear a very lightweight DOT Kaiserhelm and don't worry about things that may or may not happen.
0.0something % of the US population dies from falling in their bathtub.......wow, should I quit bathing?.......they die from broken necks usually, so should I wear a neck brace while I bathe?
KRAP...now i'm all confused......if I go outside will I be struck by lightning or stung to death by killer bees??.........ground rod or bee suit.....HELP !!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,272
Likes: 279
From: .
People always say this about helmets. Why is no one ever up in arms about wearing seatbelts?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,616
Likes: 4,440
From: anacoco, la
i'd read that before so i decided to mitigate it by moving.
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 1,129
Likes: 505
From: Illinois
I don't know if it is because I ride with a helmet every time, but I actually forget that I am riding with a helmet a few minutes after I start riding. Just like wearing a seat belt. some people hate them but most of us forget about them soon after they start driving. With this in mind, I am not sure why so many people are against helmets. Maybe they haven't found the right helmet for them?
BTW, I just bought the new HJC i90 FF helmet and I love this thing. SNELL certified, fits like a glove and so lightweight that I forget that I am wearing it. I have a Nolan FF, a few HJC half and 3/4 helmets but this new one just rocks.
BTW, I just bought the new HJC i90 FF helmet and I love this thing. SNELL certified, fits like a glove and so lightweight that I forget that I am wearing it. I have a Nolan FF, a few HJC half and 3/4 helmets but this new one just rocks.
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 913
Likes: 322
From: St. Louis
I don't know if it is because I ride with a helmet every time, but I actually forget that I am riding with a helmet a few minutes after I start riding. Just like wearing a seat belt. some people hate them but most of us forget about them soon after they start driving. With this in mind, I am not sure why so many people are against helmets. Maybe they haven't found the right helmet for them?
BTW, I just bought the new HJC i90 FF helmet and I love this thing. SNELL certified, fits like a glove and so lightweight that I forget that I am wearing it. I have a Nolan FF, a few HJC half and 3/4 helmets but this new one just rocks.
BTW, I just bought the new HJC i90 FF helmet and I love this thing. SNELL certified, fits like a glove and so lightweight that I forget that I am wearing it. I have a Nolan FF, a few HJC half and 3/4 helmets but this new one just rocks.
I've only been riding for 7 years, and there were about three of those years in the middle I did not wear a helmet.
Like the OP, I like to do a lot of research on gear, and so when I started I got myself a fancy modular helmet with vents, etc. About a year into it, I started riding with some guys who didn't wear lids, and I abandoned mine and just could not get accustomed to wearing it again.
Then years later I had a minor accident and fortunately did not bang my head. Once my bike was repaired several weeks later, I once again rode without a helmet, but could not feel comfortable. At one bike night I tried on some guy's helmet and I really liked it. Happened to be a Biltwell Gringo full-face, but it was so light, much more so than my modular with the vents that had a lot more molding on it making it heavier.
Long story short, here's my key point to those who don't wear a lid and cant get comfortable with it:
THE MOST EFFECTIVE HELMET IS THE ONE YOU WILL WANT TO WEAR.
I still think it should be a choice to wear or not wear. But I encourage those who don't to keep trying different ones on until you find one you like! Wearing a lid after my accident was one of the things that helped me feel confident again and able to enjoy riding once more.
Like the OP, I like to do a lot of research on gear, and so when I started I got myself a fancy modular helmet with vents, etc. About a year into it, I started riding with some guys who didn't wear lids, and I abandoned mine and just could not get accustomed to wearing it again.
Then years later I had a minor accident and fortunately did not bang my head. Once my bike was repaired several weeks later, I once again rode without a helmet, but could not feel comfortable. At one bike night I tried on some guy's helmet and I really liked it. Happened to be a Biltwell Gringo full-face, but it was so light, much more so than my modular with the vents that had a lot more molding on it making it heavier.
Long story short, here's my key point to those who don't wear a lid and cant get comfortable with it:
THE MOST EFFECTIVE HELMET IS THE ONE YOU WILL WANT TO WEAR.
I still think it should be a choice to wear or not wear. But I encourage those who don't to keep trying different ones on until you find one you like! Wearing a lid after my accident was one of the things that helped me feel confident again and able to enjoy riding once more.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,785
Likes: 189
From: Louisiana
I had a bicycle accident in the 1960s - going around a corner when an empty cement bag blew across the road and under my front tire - did a low side crash. Probably going all of 10 to 15 mph. Hit my head on the road (no helmet) and sustained a TBI. That was over 50 years ago. I still suffer cognitive issues from that head injury.
For me, I won't even ride to my office (less than 1/2 mile on a two lane rural town road) without full gear, including a FF helmet. To each his own.
For me, I won't even ride to my office (less than 1/2 mile on a two lane rural town road) without full gear, including a FF helmet. To each his own.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 5,351
Likes: 648
From: Vegas, baby!
My thought, and I'm someone that has experienced/benefited from the most important value of a helmet, is this:
Don't even consider fatalities/deaths as worthy of inclusion in this debate. A dead rider won't even know it happened. And if the rider's dependents suffer, the rider won't know that either.
A head injury which affects rider's 'lives' is far more important, IMO. And considering the odds, possibilities, a survivable head injury is a far more likely result of a crash then is death.
IMO the comparison between a few minutes/hours of discomfort, physically or mentally, and the possibility of 'living' with a head injury for every remaining second of 'life'
is more important.
Don't even consider fatalities/deaths as worthy of inclusion in this debate. A dead rider won't even know it happened. And if the rider's dependents suffer, the rider won't know that either.
A head injury which affects rider's 'lives' is far more important, IMO. And considering the odds, possibilities, a survivable head injury is a far more likely result of a crash then is death.
IMO the comparison between a few minutes/hours of discomfort, physically or mentally, and the possibility of 'living' with a head injury for every remaining second of 'life'
is more important.