Neat bike. I remember it well . . .
I never had the opportunity to ride one.
Posted on 12/01/2003 7:38:02 AM PST by Holly_P
Somebody is the *keeper* of the list, and a request to them will get you added. In the case of this one, the *keeper* is martin_fierro, who I've *pinged* with a note of your request.
Some ping lists also use a *pingword* used as a keyword for FR keyword search for an archive of those posts to which the ping list members have been called. Martin doesn't seem to have been doing that for his FR biker pals, but *Hooligan* would seem to be a usable term should he choose to do so, though we may have to pick through a few reports of Brit soccer troublemakers. Oi!
No way are you going to convince me that a helmet has a lower coefficient of friction against asphalt than the typical hair and skin covered human head.
You are saying that fiberglass is slicker than flesh and blood? I’d rather have a bald spot than a broken neck – but I also never landed on my head either.
Nothing wrong with your pick, though a little heavier than what I care for. I like a face bubble shield [I wear eyeglasses] which seems to give me less distortion than a flat face shield, admittedly handy, and don't care for face bars a bit, even when bashing bush on an enduro bike. Drag racing and grand prix twistyturnies aren't my game, so I'll leave the gear for those games for them what plays 'em.
A long time ago, I found out that the best shopping I ever did for helmets was that done at liesure when I didn't have to, and that when I had to pick up a replacement for one that had been swiped or for a spur-of-the-moment rider without one usually resulted in my worst choices. And it's a great excuse to knock off a coke or two whill kicking the merits of such things around with the dealer.
-archy-/-
Keyword *HOOLIGAN* added to keyword search as Hooligan-list ping article. I may go back and do some of the past classic posts later.
-archy-/-
That was my impression from the start. I find it encouraging that you do advocate personal responsibility. I do too. My various insurance policies include a million dollar umbrella policy, which picks up where the others leave off.
I am an avid motorcyclist. I have enjoyed the two-wheeled transportation of various marques for the last thirty odd years. Contrary to popular belief, I am not "anti-helmet". I currently own three of them. In my lifetime I have "field-tested" three helmets to destruction.
The first (and the worst) was with a nondescript polycarbonate DOT-5 open face model with a five-snap wrap-around faceshield. By the time I was done sliding across the pavement, two of the five snaps were ground completely away and the shield had an abraded imprint of my face which bore an odd resemblance to the Shroud of Turin; my nose, cheeks and eye sockets were clearly visible from the abrasion pattern. My head was fine; my leg wasn't . . .
My second was with a high-dollar Snell-75 approved fiberglass open face model similar in layout to the one previously described. I cracked it completely in half when a rather large Birch tree jumped in front of my dirt bike. The helmet quite literally broke in two (the halves were still fastened together by the chin strap) during a very minor hit (at least it seemed that way). The part that shook me was I couldn't find any damage on the birch tree, not even a mark.
The third (and final to date) was a full-face Bell without the neck cutout that archy alludes to. The neck injuries I received during a slow speed pavement get-off kept me out of work for three months. The Bell had a rubber bead around the eye opening and the bottom circumference that alternately grabbed and released the pavement as I slid, twisting my neck in directions I didn't think were possible.
I still own a full-face helmet. I rarely wear it (only during extremely cold riding conditions). I'll wear one of the open-face models while touring, more to increase comfort and reduce fatigue than to afford protection. None of them have exposed materials that could gain "traction"; nice shiny slippery surfaces only! I do find that wearing a helmet gives me a false sense of security while riding; it makes it too easy to relax and let my guard down.
The more laws enacted to protect bikers the better off they are.
What goes around comes around. I, being a smoker, haven't received much support from those anti-smoking bikers now have I?
How does it go? They came for the Jews but I wasn't a Jew.........
Government intervention is what it is. You are either for it or against it, there is no middle of the road........
To be perfectly honest, I didn't think Gary Busey was wrapped all that tight to begin with. Still, he did seem to self-unwrap measurably after his accident.
I recall a late night talk-show interview (Leno, Carson?) with Busey right after the accident. During the interview the inevitable question came up; "What do you think about mandatory helmet use now?". His reply was (I'm paraphrasing) "No effing way!" Busey was very emphatic about holding this position, standing on the couch ranting to the audience about it at one point during the show.
At least ten years later, I saw Busey doing another interview on another talk-show. The same questions was asked. To my surprise, he had become a strong advocate for mandatory helmet laws. He cited himself as a case-in-point! I was struck by the irony of it all; what he was advocating, and why. "People need government protection from themselves. Why, look at me!" (again, paraphrasing)
Sadly, Gary Busey is the perfect poster boy for mandatory helmet use. Here's hoping the socialists avoid trotting him out more . . .
You are saying that fiberglass is slicker than flesh and blood? I’d rather have a bald spot than a broken neck – but I also never landed on my head either.
I'm saying something hard like a helmet will slide easier than your less hard head. As a test, go out to the street w/ your helmet on, put just your head on the ground and push/slide along. Next try it w/o the helmet. I guarantee the helmet will slide easier. And in accidents where there is enough force to make a flat spot on your skull, I believe the difference in sliding friction will be even more dramatic in favor of the hat.
Woohoo, I'm a hooligan! I'm going out for some smoky burnouts and wheelies now.
No chum, going 80 miles an hour will not hurt you one bit. What will hurt is the part when you suddenly go 0 miles an hour.
Perch? Bent? Not bent in the least, where'd you get that? Just BSing and giving my two cents on helmet usage.. (which I stand by) Maybe I should've sprinkled on some smileys?
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