Helmets?

    • 202 posts
    February 7, 2011 8:01 AM PST
    Just wondering:  Do you prefer riding with a helmet or not?  Is your state a helmet required state?  

    I prefer no helmet; mostly because i don't believe it will make a heck of a lot of difference.   My state, Massachusetts does require a helmet for both rider and passenger.   Luckily, my two adjoining states (Connecticut and New Hampshire) have no helmet laws, so i ride there more often than not!   Sucks after you've been riding the day with no helmet to stop at the line and put one on...  uk!

    • Moderator
    • 1364 posts
    February 7, 2011 8:53 AM PST
    Hey Pauline, You might want to look at this post from a while back. Lots of answers....

    http://www.cyclefish.com/forum/Bikers039-Topics/Biker-Chat/Do-You-Wear-A-Helmet-if-not-required-18-1.html />
    • 44 posts
    February 7, 2011 11:12 AM PST
    Tn Requires helment Ok here my opinon on this In states that don't require a hement IE Ky I still wear mine for the simple fact the when not if I go down The last thing I want on my mind is Dang I wish I had my hement on Dont get me wrong I have rode with and with out but mostly with.I feel its you choice and I do not down the ones that choose not to wear To each his or her own Just remember you loved ones and ARE YOU A ORGAN DONOR.
  • February 7, 2011 11:17 AM PST
    I believe in freedom of choice. When I can, I choose to not wear a bucket.
  • February 7, 2011 12:36 PM PST
    Sorry, I believe in them. After my accident, the cage's drivers door had a dent the size of a dinner plate in it, about 3 inches deep, from my head! If I had not been wearing a helmet....well, I just believe in them. Don't get me wrong...I believe it's a choice, I just happen to choose to wear one.
    • 58 posts
    February 7, 2011 9:29 PM PST
    I don't have to but I do wear a helmet 90%. Just glad I can take it off for those days I just have to have the wind in my hair.
    • 567 posts
    February 8, 2011 12:52 AM PST
    In Florida, you don't have to wear a helmet as long as you have extra medical coverage on your insurance. But I don't think that law is enforced by spot checks. They just write you a ticket AFTER the accident ... that is, if'n you're still alive.
    Personally, I wear a helmet. I've had my one accident and was glad I was wearing a helmet at the time. But I've gotta admit that in Florida during the summer, its stifling at times to be wearing a helmet.
  • February 8, 2011 1:01 AM PST
    I wear a non-dot at home, minus the fraud sticker. I don't advise doing that. Its just a personal little crusade. In states with no law I usually don't wear one unless its too cold on my bald head...

    For me riding lid-less is an expression of freedom. It also keeps me from being crazy...
    • 846 posts
    February 8, 2011 1:07 AM PST
    I to live in the state of Massachusetts, I believe in having the choice on whether to wear a helmet or not. I also live on the New Hampshire border and work in the state. This state (NH) doesn’t have a helmet law. I have multiple helmets all half helmets, some DOT approve some not. The one I wear the most is not DOT approved, but I do wear it out of state as well as in the state of Mass. Then again I too enjoy an afternoon of helmet less riding (N.H.) on an occasion.
    It’s a touchy topic. So it comes down to a personal choice and being responsible for the consequences.
  • February 8, 2011 1:57 AM PST
    We plan our road trips doing our best at avoiding states that do not let us choose. Training and education to avoid an accident is where the focus should be.

    On a side note a funny statistic, requiring helmets in cages would save more lives than requiring them on a MC.
  • February 8, 2011 2:47 AM PST
    Well spoken Favorite Jewel. BUT the word is Choice i think. but as you know I've worn one ever since we've been riding together as my choice. for three reasons i guess #1 it keeps my head cooler from the sun and warmer from the cold. #2 I don't like the wind blowing over my ears. #3 God forbid i ever go down at any speed i want to tear that helmet up real bad, and not even get a scratch on my melon head:0)
    • 1 posts
    February 8, 2011 7:26 AM PST
    I only ride on the sidewalk without a helmet for photo ops.....
  • February 8, 2011 11:53 AM PST
    We both wear DOT helmets 95% of the time but I think it should be up to the individual period.
  • February 8, 2011 12:19 PM PST
    In wv you must wear a helmet! Not that I always do, but it is required, have been lucky, only caught 3 times without it. I feel that it should be a choice. When I do wear a helmet it is DOT! .. I would not let my son ride without one on! If we are someplace and he decides to ride home with me he wears my helmet.
    • Moderator
    • 19067 posts
    February 8, 2011 11:10 PM PST
    Cathy wrote...
    I only ride on the sidewalk without a helmet for photo ops.....

    Cathy that is funny, especially from a NY girl....

    • 86 posts
    February 8, 2011 11:45 PM PST
    helmets are great for saving dental records?
    • 202 posts
    February 9, 2011 1:02 PM PST
    they are fun to put stickers on!
    • 580 posts
    February 11, 2011 1:49 AM PST
    It's the law here to wear one and I'd hate to have an accident without wearing it - seen the damage that can be caused. I've always worn a full faced helmet. Somehow I feel naked without it!!!!!!!!!!! (o:
    • 844 posts
    February 11, 2011 3:28 AM PST
    I would ride without a helmet, but then I would have to put all my stickers on my head!!!
  • February 11, 2011 4:32 AM PST
    speedyre wrote...
    Tn Requires helment Ok here my opinon on this In states that don't require a hement IE Ky I still wear mine for the simple fact the when not if I go down The last thing I want on my mind is Dang I wish I had my hement on Dont get me wrong I have rode with and with out but mostly with.I feel its you choice and I do not down the ones that choose not to wear To each his or her own Just remember you loved ones and ARE YOU A ORGAN DONOR.

          First you say you don't down the ones that choose not to THEN you give use the B.S. about organ donor's...... I don't wear a helmet but had to in NJ for 20 years............ DO YOU dirt bike??? well Dirt bike riders always wear a helmet BUT they also ALWAYs wear a neck protector .... DO you know WHY smart guy I'll tell you IT'S because when you are wearing a helmet and your face hits the ground your head will snap back and YOUR helmet  will break you neck ( remember christopher reeve"s) and you become a Quad like him....... I'd rather be dead....  Do you also wear a neck protector while riding wiht your helmet on?????????? Remember when the pittsburgh steelers QB got hit by the car???? and his face ran into the windshield?? Well his doctor stated if he was wearing a helmet he would have broken his neck and more then likely died, w/o a helmet he just needed some surgery.... if your helmet is so good why does the manufactoror tell you to replace it when dropped from knee height??? Also i have better side vision and better hearing then someone with a helmet on.
    • 202 posts
    February 15, 2011 3:02 AM PST
    I went down without a helmet on, so did my ol' man. I got a pretty good bang on the head, that's about it. With a helmet on, probably would have snapped my neck. But who knows, tha's all a guess.

    My ol' man died. From his injuries, i don't think a helmet would have helped much. If it did, he would probably be a vegetable. But who knows, that's all a guess.

    I still ride without a helmet (when possible) and sometimes, even when it is not possible! lol.

    Helmets scare the hell out of me. Not motorcycles, not four-wheelers, not going down... more than anything else, helmets scare the hell out of me. And i hate like hell when someone (biker or not) tells me how stupid i am for not wearing a helmet.

    Walk a mile in my shoes! lol.