Why not wear a helmet?

I exercise my choice as I see fit.

Sometimes I do wear a helmet.

Rain, cold weather, Holiday weekend traffic. Travelling out of state (mandatory).

I have a variety of helmets available. The different features will help to choose between them, but don't much affect the other choice.

When I choose not to be in a cage, I often choose not to put my head in a box. Same feeling.

Edit: The statements about withholding coverage for not wearing a helmet are typical of the "I say what's best for you" crowd. You cannot say you are against mandatory laws and then support sneaky backdoor laws. Not by anybody's ethics.

On a further (and to you guys) more important note: read your current health insurance policy. YOU may not have coverage simply because you ride. Helmet or not!

Live Free Or Die.

Not the helmet discussion again, please.

Sometimes I (we) just don't feel like wearing one.

My state (CT) has no helmet law. Bordering states (NY, MA, RI) do, so if I'm riding there I must wear a helmet.

It has nothing to do with lighter, quieter, visibility or wind resistance. I own both a full face and a half helmet as does my wife. Both are carbon/kevlar weight is not an issue. I am more likely to wear my full face in the cold weather for warmth. On the highway too. My half helmet is for warmer days or short rides with little or no highway.

And then, again, sometimes I (we) just don't feel like wearing one.

You will never get all motorcyclists to agree on this topic.

End of discussion.

EDIT: Those of you who have suggested insurance companies not cover you in the event you're not wearing a helmet, I assume you'd apply the same logic for seat belts in cars????? What about people who disable their airbags?

1) I wear a full face helmet EVERY time I ride. Not wearing a helmet never enters my mind.

2) Same as above.

3) I have no problem wearing a helmet for long periods of time. I wish helmets were quieter. I ride an 1800 Honda Goldwing. Bike is whisper quiet. Wind and road noise forces me to use ear plugs on rides over 20 to 30 minutes in duration. Lighter helmet would always be nice, but not at the risk of reduced protection. There is no reduced visibility when wearing a helmet. One of the biggest myths in the motorcycling world. Also the image of the wind in your hair experiencing the freedom of the road is way over rated. Riding a motorcycle is fatiguing enough without having a 70 to 80 mile an hour winding pounding on you for hours on end. No thanks.

Last point I would like to make.

I agree with sarge927's last point 100%

Quote

P.S.: My attitude about mandatory helmet laws is simple -- if there's no mandatory helmet law, then there should be a law stating any motorcycle rider who does not wear a helmet assumes all risks. The law should also allow insurance companies to refuse to cover motorcycle riders who suffer head injuries if they were not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. You want to ignore an obvious safety measure? OK, but if you get hurt because of your own ignorance then the consequences are entirely on you.

End Quote

Good Luck to All

It all depends on the local laws where you live. I live in Wisconsin on the Wisconsin / Michigan state line. In Wisconsin you don't need a helmet if you are over 18 but in Michigan you always need a helmet.

Even if it isn't required in your location you should ALWAYS wear one.

To those who don't wear a helmet, try this

Find a large immovable object like a large oak tree or a brick wall.

Stand about 30 paces away from this large immovable object

Run as fast as you can towards this large immovable object

As you get close to this large immovable object place your hands to your side, put your arms to your side, and put your face up, continue running as fast as you can.

Notice how it feels when you hit this large immovable object while you were running as fast as you could.

Most people can run about 15 MPH (24 km/h)

You are still in first gear with most motorcycles. With many motorcycles you can't get them out of first gear at this speed.

Think about how this impact would feel if you were going 4 or 5 times faster. By the way, did you notice that I suggested you hit this item face first? This is why you want a full face helmet.

Don't really try this test. I just use it to get my point across.

You never plan when you will have an accident

It is better to be wearing a helmet and not need it than to need a helmet and not be wearing one.

If you still insist on not wearing a helmet, good for you. You will help thin the herd and improve the gene pool.

I always wear a helmet. I had a chance to try out the effectiveness when I high sided in 1974 on a one week old Yamaha 360 Enduro. Yea not a very big bike but it was very capable and because of my youthful stupidity in riding over my head on the wrong tires for street use I high sided. I landed full on one arm thrown up for protection and my head then left shoulder. It knocked a big chuck out of the outer layer of my helmet - but not my head. I also broke a collar bone and recieved quite a bit of roadrash. Yea, I'll be wearing a helmet. It happens fast, you barely have time to "enjoy" it. I like the saying "if you don't feel you need a helmet...maybe you don't". Think about that one.

This argument will never end, because some people, have to tell others what to do, all the time.

So, I don't ware a helmet. Why, because I like riding without one, more than I do with one on. BTW I snowmobile and I always wear a helmet then. Why, because it's cold.

I do wear a helmet on the bike, in the rain. I take a helmet with me, on all my long trips. You never no, when it will rain.

As a member of ABATE of Wisconsin. I've seen the data, on motorcycle crashes. I have reams, of motorcycle crash data. It fills one whole large, filing cabinet drawer. Broken down crash by crash. Helmets do, do some good. In about 7% of crashes. The DOT claims it's 37% of the time. But their math, is geared toward proving the benefits of helmet laws, not safety. While math itself is pure, mathematical formulas are not. Statistical math, is the worst. Case in point, stats are not kept on, how many deaths are caused, by helmets. There has to be some. Thousands of deaths and not one cause by the helmet. Yeah right.

In 36 years of riding, I've had nine, close calls. I pay very close attention, to everything around me. I don't ride like an idiot and I take good care of my bike. With out a helmet on. I know, I have a better chance of not. Getting into a crash, with another vehicle. Than, I do with one on. The facts are, that a helmet. Makes you less aware, of your surroundings. Only three, out of nine close calls. Was my awareness of my surroundings, not a factor. If I had a helmet on, I my have have been hit by someone.

The benefits of wearing a helmet, are only apparent, if you get into a crash. They are also, very small indeed. The safety benefits of not wearing a helmet, are also small. Kind of a trade off, you see. But I'd rather not get into a crash, in the first place. They hurt you know.

There is no increase in safety, if you don't get into a crash.

1) Don't like them. I enjoy the feeling of the wind in my face. I like the ability to hear my passenger or riding buddies when they talk. Helmets are too restrictive and feel awkward. They only have to meet a 13 MPH crash test. Who rides at that speed? Doesn't make much sense to me to wear one. Most injuries and deaths in a motorcycle accident are from internal injuries, which a helmet does nothing to prevent. I wouldn't enjoy riding as much if I had to wear a helmet, any helmet. Lucky for me I live in a no helmet law state.

2) As I've already said, I never wear a helmet.

3) No, I don't intend to ever wear one.

Hey, Max Cruise and Sarge927, maybe if a rider isn't wearing boots or gloves or a leather jacket, their insurance shouldn't have to cover any injury if they're in an accident. Why should motorcyclists have any insurance, after all the whole riding experience is a risk.

I live in a state that if your over 18 you don't have to wear a helmet. I chose to not wear one if I don't have to (unless its wicked cold out). I don't think the idea of having the wind trying to tear the helmet off your head is any fun at all. They are a pain in the neck. They itch, they hurt your head, there hot , you cant hear, and I chose unless the law requires it not to wear one.

I also chose to drive a large SUV, I believe if in an accident with a smaller auto I (or my family) win, the little car will lose. Should those who chose to drive a small less safe car be penalized? Everybody makes there own choices.

They don't restrict your vision. They pass what ever test is needed to certify them to be safe. They don't impair hearing because at highway speeds the wind is so loud you can't hear anything or anyone.

They are very heavy and uncomfortable. They are hot, even with the shield up. They smell bad if you don't keep your hair and beard clean. The wind whips your head around like a bobble head doll.

In a 55mph crash I landed on the left front of my head on the pavement. I was wearing a $49.95 half helmet. The impact drove the snaps that hold the visor into the surface of the helmet. I proceeded to roll slowly onto my back sliding headfirst down the road. The helmet was ground away from the left front all the way to a spot just behind the left ear, very deep. The foam in it was distorted to the point it now sits at an angle if I put it on. I kept it to show people what a helmet is used for. Had I not been wearing one I would have hit the road on my forehead and turned slowly, grinding off my cheek and ear on the left side. I don't think it would have mattered though because the force of hitting the road would have probably killed me.

By the way..........heavy jeans would last about 15 feet in a skid down a smooth blacktop road. I had on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt with an Air Force jump suit. Pretty heavy and durable enough to withstand a hard landing. It was shredded and melted in some spots. Always wear leather or some other gear with extra padding in the shoulders and elbows. Pants or chaps with padding in the knee at the very least. TIGHT fitting leather boots, and LEATHER gloves. I suffered ground off knuckles on my right thumb with a blood blister under the nail. Ground off knuckles on my left hand on every finger and thumb with a blood blister under the thumbnail. Pulled muscles in both hands from the bars being ripped from them. No skin in my right palm. A severe burn with road rash on my left shoulder, a broken elbow on the left, and stitches along with severe rash to the left elbow. Moderate to severe rash and burns to my left knee, and a broken ankle from the impact. I had strained muscles in my back, arm and leg. I picked my bike up and rolled it out of the road. I spent six hours in the emergency room treatment with scans and xrays. I walked into my house later that day with crutches. The best thing is? I didn't have a scratch on my head and never passed out. I never even had a headache.

Helmets do save lives and at speeds faster than 15mph!

Let's break it down:

1. Those who started riding without a helmet usually never wear a helmet. Others start off wearing helmets because they're forced to but don't like them because they find them uncomfortable or restrictive of head movement and vision, so later on they stop wearing them. You also have the small percentage of riders who don't wear helmets simply because they're behaving like petulant children (READ: They don't want to be told what to do).

2. I always wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle, regardless of whether I'm on-road or off-road.

3. Sure I'd like a helmet that is lighter, quieter, allows better visibility, or has less wind resistance, but for now I'll just keep my Shoei because I'm used to it and it works fine for me.

P.S.: My attitude about mandatory helmet laws is simple -- if there's no mandatory helmet law, then there should be a law stating any motorcycle rider who does not wear a helmet assumes all risks. The law should also allow insurance companies to refuse to cover motorcycle riders who suffer head injuries if they were not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. You want to ignore an obvious safety measure? OK, but if you get hurt because of your own ignorance then the consequences are entirely on you.