The Helmet Vote

Wearing a helmet is just part of motorcycling, I have always worn a helmet and always would no matter what the law states.

I would like to be given the choice, there would be times when I would like to not wear a helmet but those times will never happen so its open face for me on the nice days and full on the colder ones !!!

Jim.

I think there is only one option law or no law.

So that would be no helmet then !!! lol

Lowey wrote:

Wearing a helmet is just part of motorcycling, I have always worn a helmet and always would no matter what the law states.

 
Hi Jim, This is my Sat 12 post on this subject, this should clear up the confusion you seem to have on my Sun 13 post.

Defo wear a hemlet, in Germany we can get away with the little SS helmets, but i wont even wear that (although it looks cool as hell). Feel weird riding with out my gloves on aswell..

I won't wear an SS type of helmet out of principle and would walk rather than put one of those on if no other helmet was available

I'm with you on that principal.

I've seen the German helmet type, even in chrome lol, The protection they offer would be minimal if any and I'm not sure of the legality.

Not legal over here, seen a few guys every now and then with them on but they are lucky that a clued up copper ain't seen them wearing it or their wallet could end up feeling lighter than the helmet and their licence could end up heavier because of the extra ink as well if the magistrate decided

German helmets do give a certain old school look witch is pretty cool if your in to that look and yes i do agree riding without gloves does feel strange .
would still only wear full face law or not after nearly every crash I've had I look at my lid and there is always some sort of damage to the front which would be my face if I wore open face lid . plus if I started going out with out a lid on I would take it nice and slow but I know me that wouldn't last long so full face it has to be

Good points not on them looking cool tho  

No confusion Jeff just posting a bit of a light hearted reply......i.e a joke ??? but hey there you go.

Sorry for confusing you over when to have a joke and when not to ???

 

Jim.

  

I take it you liked that one Dave??

Can't beat a bit of light hearted humour 

I so glad I am not on my own with that one Sim !!!! lol

Jim.

I like a laugh, too much misery in this world. Might even by some of those silly ears for my helmet.  

Oh a joke.

:fpost: 
Good one Jeff !!! lol

Jim.

This is the Helmet I wear when on the Big Roads. I also have a 1/2 helmet I wear a lot on local runs.
  I learned something this summer on some long super hot days. I found that wearing the helmet was actually cooler than my half helmet. It blocks the hot sun from my head. The vents circulate air thru out the inside.
 It has a built in Sun visor. I run with it down and this visor up which circulate more air.

Also this one

Nice helmets, I really don't like full face helmets unless it is very cold and or travelling at very high speeds over very long distances. With this type of helmet I feel safer as I have a more at one feeling with the bike when riding and vision is excellent which not only feels safer but in a lot of ways it is.

Don't agree that forum members must wear a lid. However, all credit to Mr I's mum for taking her stand. For myself, very many years ago I was amongst other things a train spotter. When diesels and electric train meant the demise of steam, I was the only one amongst my train spotting friends who had the moral fibre (as I saw it) to refuse to collect engine numbers other than steam. It's a sad world for today's train spotters, watching as DMU's slide into the station. None of the glory, passion or smell of steam.

  Yes the head scarf was fine for her, a helmet would have ruined her hair style.  
I have always thought that personal choice is a must and have always argued for this in all matters but now have a disagreement with myself. Should make for an interesting discussion/argument.

I wear a full face helmet always. Prior to the age of 15 I didn't wear one at all. I value my skin too much now and I dont heal as well any more. I also have enough scars on my head and face, none of which are from riding.

Has anyone else met with a bumble bee or a stone at 60mph?

Oh yes, Another good reason for fitting a screen. Even a full face helmet with the visor slightly open is a way for your face to feel a nasty sting from even just a small kamikaze bug or small stone making high speed contact with the skin or worse still the eyes.  
When I had my screen fitted, I never had anything make contact with my skin, let alone my helmet. That was the case even though My head was higher than my screen, I presume because of the screens ability to change the direct direction of at speed wind and obstacles from directly in front.

I have sometimes worn an open face low profile helmet on my adventure bike as the screen makes a huge difference and keeps the water, wind, and crap off my face. But for the last 6 months and the foreseeable future it's full face every time.

Cant say I have ever really used open face helmets so much but I would like one for just pottering around the country lanes on a summers day, that would be nice as long as the bloody bugs we can get lots of went in a different direction or took a holiday for the sunny days, the look does suit cruisers though  

good point Crash thinking of it I've never had an open faced lid hahahahha I think I started with full face have always had full face and like em so will probably stick to em

I use full faced mostly these days due to the intercom, The last time I went out though, I thought, I fancy a breeze on my face, So I lifted the visor, No sooner had I lifted it, A muscle bound fly wearing full body armour, Doc Martins and knuckle dusters smacked me full on just below the eye! Fuck! that hurt 

We are now going out of bug season but it is starting to get to flippin cold to ride with the visor open or have an open face helmet on

Never to cold for an open face lid, that's what Biking glasses & masks are for.  

If you wear an open face helmet (I do mostly) , make sure you land on top of your head if you fall off cos it don't give a lot of protection to your chin, nose, teeth etc .        Course if you don't wear one at all...... .

Or you can not worry too much what you wear or how you ride and just enjoy bikes for what they are..... bloody dangerous but the best thing ever!

Or What we can do John is not come off, that would be preferable.

I'll vote for that!  Rubber side down and stay safe folks! It's a jungle out there!

Mr Intruder wrote:

Or What we can do John is not come off, that would be preferable.

At least we can look cool   whilst we're trying!

I think people should have the choice as to whether or not they want to ware a helmet, we are all adults and have the right to decide for ourselves, I personally have ridden for short distances without a helmet but predominantly I chose to ware one.
I always find the debate about the smaller skull cap type helmets and the generally smaller design type of helmets always interesting especially when it comes to the issue of weather its legal to ware one in this country so much so a couple of years back I asked one of the companies supplying these smaller type helmets at a rally their view on the legality of them and this was the reply I received from them
:-
 
We are often asked if these helmets are road legal, so we have bought a copy of  "Janes Police Review"  "THE TRAFFIC OFFICERS COMPANION" 15th edition  (the latest revision)  "Intelligence & insight you can trust" it says on the front cover!
On page 331 we come to the section on motorcycle crash helmets, as follows
PROTECTIVE  HEADGEAR
Every person driving or riding on a motor bicycle ( otherwise than a passenger in a side car ) on a road.
Must use protective headgear.
Must be securely fastened to the head of the wearer by means of straps or other fastening provided for that purpose.
Must bear a mark indication compliance with the British Standard  OR  be of a type which by virtue of its shape, material & construction could  reasonably be expected to afford protection similar to or greater than, a helmet which conforms to the British Standard, an accepted EEA Standard or of ECE regulations.
END OF QUOTE

I have successfully used this argument (  OR  be of a type which by virtue of its shape, material & construction could  reasonably be expected to afford protection similar to or greater than, a helmet which conforms to the British Standard, an accepted EEA Standard or of ECE regulations.) on two occasions when friends have been stopped by the police over concerns that they had with the friends helmets. I have seen people with helmets that are only a little more than beer mats with string on them and I wouldn't waste my breath arguing with a police officer over them,, I thing you can take the bounds only so far before it becomes stupid,, but I still say people should have the choice and I chose to ware one if only to keep my bald head warm.
 
Here is an example of other countries trials and tribulation over helmets, and it stops me complaining to much about my own bike helmet wows.
:-
 

Police in Nigeria have arrested scores of motorcycle taxi riders with dried
fruit shells, paint pots or pieces of rubber tyre tied to their heads with
string to avoid a new law requiring them to wear helmets. Skip related
content
Related photos / videos People ride on a motorcycle taxi in Nigeria's
commercial capital Lagos. The regulations have caused chaos
around Africa's most populous nation, with motorcyclists complaining helmets
are too expensive and some passengers refusing to wear them fearing they
will catch skin disease or be put under a black magic spell.

The law, which came into force on January 1, pits two factions equally
feared by the common motorist against one another: erratic motorcycle taxis
known as "Okadas," whose owners are notorious for road-rage, and the
bribe-hungry traffic police.

Some bikers have used calabashes -- dried shells of pumpkin-sized fruit
usually used as a bowl -- or pots and pans tied to their heads with string
to try to dodge the rules.

Construction workers have set up a lucrative trade renting out their safety
helmets for around 500 naira (2.42 pounds) a day.

"They use pots, plates, calabashes, rubber and plastic as makeshift
helmets," said Yusuf Garba, commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission
in the northern town of Kano.

"We will not tolerate this. We gave them enough time to purchase helmets.
Six months ago the price of helmets was below 800 naira so complaints about
non-availability and high prices are no excuse," he told Reuters.

Helmet prices have since risen sharply as sellers cash in on demand.

BIKES IMPOUNDED

He said 28 arrests had been made in Kano. Newspapers have reported more
arrests in other cities. Those detained are fined and their bikes impounded
until they buy helmets.

There are tens of thousands of Okadas buzzing around Lagos, a chaotic city
of 14 million people, many of them given to unemployed and illiterate youths
as part of poverty reduction programmes or on hire-purchase schemes run by
businessmen.

Most have never been taught traffic rules.

Newspapers quoted passengers as saying they feared the helmets could be
laced with magic spells so as to knock the wearer unconscious and make them
easier to rob, while others feared they would pick up an infection.

One columnist said transportation can already carry a health risk, and
recounted how he had picked up a bedbug while sitting on a bus.

"The story is that people who have scabies, craw-craw, ringworm, dandruff
and all other such diseases would easily infect others with them through the
helmets," Steve Nwosu wrote in the Daily Sun.

"They ironically forget that the same diseases are also deposited on, and
generously transferred from, car seats and their headrests."

(Writing by Nick Tattersall, editing by Peter Millership)

Very good read, A bit of fruit on the head would be better than nothing when a brick drops on your skull.