Posted on 08/08/2005 11:35:42 AM PDT by Crackingham
My neck got screwed up in a car accident in '79 and a helmet really messes with my ability to look around.
I always wear good boots and leathers, and only once left my gloves behind ( the night I went down the hardest--and ground up the backs of my hands keeping my slide going right and my head off the pavement...but not too badly to pick the bike up and drive home.)
I, too have taken to riding bicycles around the neighborhood, partly to keep in shape, and partly because it is the easiest way to check on the grandkids rapidly in their two-block play zone (we have a neighborhood crawling with kids and they are back and forth quite a bit), quick, quiet, and I haven't lost my touch.
My 5 year old will ride on my shoulders in a heartbeat. Some nanny-state type would probably have a sh!tfit over that, but she has an excellent sense of balance (just like me).
Oddly enough, I can see helmets on bicycles if the design is right (and does not promote cervical spine hyperextension), just because the speeds are low enough that a helmet might actually help, and they are light enough and designed to let you hear, see, and look around.
BTW, you broke the bones most commonly broken in motorcycle accidents...at least before the SUV with the vertical grille. Head injuries (fractures) are about number 10 on the list.
I had the opportunity to look over the '06 models at the Milwaukee Rally not too long ago.
As far as I could tell, the change to the Tour Pak was only to the lid; they extended the sculpting in the center out to the rear edge. They still have the Tour Pak mounted too far forward, IMHO. The two-up seating on the Ultra is deceptively crowded.
I was pleasantly surprised they redesigned the radio so quickly. The integration with the optional CD changer is much better; no more additional controls festooned onto the handlebars. Plus, I'm told the changer now handles MP3s, so you can have over a thousand hours of music at your fingertips. The radio has a little more power (so I was told). The smaller buttons on the face seem a step backward, as does the fragile looking CD door; we end up wearing big ol' gauntlet gloves in the fall here in Wisconsin. At least the spacing between buttons is sufficient for sausage fingered guys like me . . .
The rumour mill was working overtime at the Rally. The dealers were hinting at another air-cooled motor; a fresh design, not a modification of the existing Twin Cam 88. Also, there were rumours of an FLH type bike with a V-Rod motor in the works. The dealers around here are already bolting FLT bags and fairings to V-Rods.
The overall trend on the Baggers & Dressers is the minimalist approach; less ornamentation on the fenders, lighter trim, etc. Flat paint schemes were the order of the day. Not my cup of tea. They look cool for about a minute; fingerprints stand out like a sore horn! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess . . .
I was talking to the owner of one of those CVO Baggers with the Screaming Beagle 103 in. TC motors; he was not happy! He had 1500 miles on the odo and was going through a quart of oil every 800 miles. After years of buying metrics, this was his first Harley! Figures . . .
The dealer was stalling him, trying to wait until he got 2500 miles on it before tearing it down and fixing it; he was pretty pissed about the whole deal (as I would have been). He wanted the issue resolved before going to Sturgis. I guess the Dealer bumped him up in the queue and got him in a week prior.
Gives round of applause
Here's the answer...whenever there is an accident involving an uninsured cyclist...who does not wear a helmet...those costs are then eaten by the hospitals, doctors, etc. In turn, those costs are then passed on to the general public in the form of higher medical costs.
Not quite. What about under insured automobile drivers? When an underinsured automobile driver causes a motorcycle accident, even if helmeted and insured, still causes the same issue you alledge.
The real issue is the existance of privatly driven vehicles. If you outlaw all privatly owned vehicles then the issue goes away.
(of note: the American Motorcycle Association reports that a texas lawyer is now urging all children in automobiles be required to wear helmets in addition to be in car safety seats.)
Frankly, if there is a study showing that children would benefit from wearing a helmet inside the car, I would have no problem mandating it.
There's a reason race car drivers wear one, by the way.
Have you ever dumped on a motorcycle? I have...and can tell you that the side of my head would have been eaten away without it.
Just shut up and wear the damn thing. It doesn't make the ride any less enjoyable.
choosing to wear one, does not mean there should be a law requiring it.
IOW shut up and stop legislating (to borrow your wording.)
The Suzuki SV650 is a DOHC 90° V-Twin, it has 70 HP and weighs 370 lbs. :)
I did have '79 500cc Yamaha DR500 Thumper and a pre-WWII 500cc Velocette Thumper with a spare engine that was partially restored that I gave to good buddy, he finished restoring it.
I always lusted after a BSA 500cc Goldstar Thumper; never seemed to have the extra money in those days ~ *sigh*
Have fun up Nort'!
I would wear a helmet even if it wasn't a law, unless for short slow run to the store, etc.
It isn't the worry about landing my head, it's the no bugs in the mouth, no wind in the eyes, etc, at speed that I like about helmets ~ I have a new all black HJC, Mod AC-11 that is the most comfortable with great vision helmet, I've ever owned.
Be Ever Vigilant!
And all this time I thought it was a single cylinder 650cc bike. My bad. I envisioned you having calf muscles like T-Rex from kick-starting the bike . . . ;0)
I got a pair of AC-3's for the Dresser; I prefer the open-face design. I have a pair of Bell Stars that are full-face, but I rarely wear them anymore. It has to be REAL COLD before I'll consider putting them on. The Bells are heavy, confining and hot as Hell in the summer.
I understand the benefits and downsides of wearing a helmet, both perceived and real. I'm thankful to live in a state that lets those who ride decide. I don't wear a helmet all the time, because frankly they suck.
I catch myself becoming more complacent and less vigilant when I wear a helmet. For me, helmets amplify wind buffeting and turbulance, increase fatigue, restrict my hearing and make my head itch. If I'm putting along on some parkway or along the lakefront I find the experience much more pleasurable without the bucket. Having fun is the reason I ride.
What's inside one's head affects one's safety more than what's on it. Those on the outside looking in fail to realize that a helmet does nothing to prevent accidents; to them a helmet is the miracle invention.
Unfortunately it does. Assuming you're a taxpayer or insurance payer, you end up paying for the hospital costs of many of those that survive...
It would be nice if there was a way to make sure they take full responsibility for their actions.
I don't agree that riding a motorcycle w/out a helmet is as dangerous as "playing softball with live handgrenades".
Nonethless, why would I want a nanny state to tell me what risks to take?
Maybe I could pay for that with the deduction I get for dropping all coverage for pregnancy benefits.
Sounds like your talking to welfare moms, deadbeat dads & aids infested queers.
But hey, what good is an ignorant argument if you can't reapply it as needed.
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