Riding without helmets?

**Crasherfromwayback** · 13th May 2008, 23:40

Originally Posted by Motu

Only hit my head on the ground once....felt a bit woozy,but no grazing and no concussion.

Guess us old guys were just made of stronger stuff than the young pretenders.

Originally Posted by Big Dave

maybe he's just a skillful rider.

Originally Posted by Big Dave

Yeah - occasionally.

I'm going with the fact that you're taking the piss.

**Big Dave** · 13th May 2008, 23:49

OK - I wouldn't/don't recommend it to anyone - and particularly not noobs. Which was PTing.

But then, yeah, there are low speed conditions where I wouldn't wear one, the vast majority of time I would.

They are compulsory so it's all moot anyway.

Off road and round Mabel's farm is where I would absolutely wear one.

**muzz** · 14th May 2008, 00:06

Gee Motu you showing your age a bit there, but hey I now where your coming from and yes riding with out a lid is a good feeling just crusing around the back roads. Helps clear the head and let you know that your still alive.

**Big Dave** · 14th May 2008, 00:18

Would TE Lawrence have penned his prose from behind a pinlock visor I asks ya?

Would Che have written the motorcycle diaries if they had their conversations via nudges or an intercom.

I guess they weren't dealing with chip seal, B-doubles and bikes that do 200mph. Or the Punjabi, Fijian and Korean road codes all being applied simultaneously.

When Motu was blatting around without a lid 100mph was a target. Now it's first gear.

Riding up that street with all the Oak trees in Hastings, at dusk, on a sunny summer afternoon.....oh well. Gimme Hi tech over romance any day.

Buckle up and Roll that power on.

**swbarnett** · 14th May 2008, 00:47

Originally Posted by yod

....your taxes.....

And well worth the price for a free society.

I'm not condoning their actions but I will defend their right to be a prick if they want to. Hell, there a lot of people that thinks we're pricks for riding in the first place, no matter how much protective gear we wear.

**Subike** · 14th May 2008, 06:46

Originally Posted by Motu

Having started riding bikes before helmets were compulsory (they were required above 30mph,but everyone just rode without) I've ridden plenty without a helmet,at speeds over 100mph (160kph) and crashed plenty of times too.Only hit my head on the ground once....felt a bit woozy,but no grazing and no concussion.

Guess us old guys were just made of stronger stuff than the young pretenders.

Yeah what he said.
Learning to ride back in the days of oil leaks, cross ply tyers, 40c a gallon (4liters) 100 octane fuel, and smoking two strokes,( i mean smoke, lots!)
mini skirts and Traffic Patrol cars , with out helmets....yeah, that was good,
No wind noise, just noise, no dirty visor, just a pair of Sharkies. If it rained? well you got wet hair....but could see the road clear as .
But there was only %40 of the traffic volume of today,
You could ride from CHCH to Nelson and pass only 100 cars the entire trip, not 100 cars on the "motorway" heading out of town. And another 1000 idiots cutting corners, hugging center lines, traveling at 90k....Progress??
Your bike could do 100mph, and that was about it, unless you rode a Triumph!
Yeap riding without a helmet on todays roads......suicide.
Riding without a helmet 40 years ago......bliss!

**awayatc** · 14th May 2008, 07:09

Maybe people should be able to get exemptions ftom having to wear a helmet...?

Like when it has been established that there is nothing inside a persons head worth protecting....?

Sue Breadbox comes to mind....

.....

**SixPackBack** · 14th May 2008, 07:10

Originally Posted by carver

but you always agree with me!
its great eh, thats why i always have a open face at my place with no visor, its the closest you can get, almost perfect peripheral vision, and the wind in your face.
a feeling of PURE FREEDOM

Dude I can't agree with myself some times

The helmet thing; Probably the best place to experience the freedom these days would be Fiji or one of the islands!

**Grub** · 14th May 2008, 07:16

Originally Posted by carver

it made me think of how much fun it is riding around town without a helmet,

Mate, given that a teen was killed doing just that on the weekend and given some of your other recent posts, I'd say go for it.

Do it, do it soon and do it fast.

**Zuki Bandit** · 14th May 2008, 07:38

Originally Posted by carver

i just did a bit of this around my area while adjusting my headlight, even did a few wheelies!
it made me think of how much fun it is riding around town without a helmet, thats why a MX or open face is so much fun to ride with, it makes it feel more fast, more pure

any of you do this, i met a dude on a b king who was going to do it down some back roads, at first we thought he was mad, but i guess he wasn't going to go hard

Ahhhhhhh NO!

**madbikeboy** · 14th May 2008, 08:26

Shit, can't help myself...

risk mitigation falls into two categories -
Category one is the stuff I can control to reduce my chances of dying.
Category two is the stuff I can't control.

Wearing a lid falls firmly into category one. The more stuff in category one = the more chance you have of not becoming road kill. Have you ever had a brain injury? I had a series of concussions from mountain biking, I was wearing proper protective gear, but your brain suffers deceleration trauma when it's stopped suddenly. You have precisely zero control over that.

I had 2 years of bad memory (forgetting peoples names, whom I'd known for years), reduced problem solving ability, more insomnia, low patience levels. I wasn't allowed to ride or drive for two months. You think whoever you're bonking right now would stay around and hang with you if you were like that?

Keep in mind that my impacts were low speed, onto soft sand and dirt.

You're young and stupid, it takes life's lessons to become old and wise. Some people never graduate to being old and wise, I suspect that you will be one of those that Darwin and Grim will be taking care of.