what does the nanny state cost us...

[lazs2]

so gixer... any activity that is likely to cost taxpayers money should be heavily regulated or banned?   I really don't know how much head injuries cost but I have full insurance on both the bike and me.    I know more people drown in public pools than ever die or are seriously injured with a head injury on a motorcyle.   If we made em all wear lifejackets in the pool then it would save a bundle eh?  

How bout banning rock climbing or only allowing hikeing with a guide so no one gets lost and the rescuers areent put in danger?  perhaps not allowing anyone on the ski slopes unless there is not chance of avalanche?

no.. it is wrong to make people wear helmets.  But that is not the point.

The point is how much of the riding experiance is removed by wearing helmets..   I think it is about 25-50%

bodhi... wear one if you like.   I sure notice that everyone who wears one.... smacks the heavy, oversize and clumsy bucket on the ground the next time they fall...  They allways attribute the scratches on it to ... "look, it saved my life"...  The only time it is going to save your life is if you run headfirst into something hard enough to crushj your mellon and even then... it probly won't be enough.

nielsen... ride a lot do you?   Or... are you just basing everything on the fact that your mom shulda put you in a helmet when you wer an infant before the unfortunate dropping on your head incident?

Perhaps you are thinking ( I use the word loosely here) that since you are a alcoholic  that a helmet is a good idea?  were you wearing a helmet when you crashed the boat?  was your bottle wearing one?

lazs

[beet1e]

storm in a teacup

[john9001]

i always wear my helmet in the shower in case i slip an fall because more people are injured in the home than on motorsicles.

[Torque]

so basically helmet laws aside, for all the flaws a  nanny state has to offer, you still prefer to live in one.

[bj229r]

IF MONEY is the biggest factor in mandatory lid laws, then noone should be allowed to eat at McDonalds or Burger King (sans a 300% fast-food-cholesterol tax), and gay men shouldnt be allowed to have sex, as aids is LIGHT years ahead of motorcycle head injuries on medical bills being paid by public

[Arlo]

Originally posted by lazs2
in enjoyment of the things we like to do...  no riding around in the back of pickups say.

My son gave me a BMW motorcycle and I fixed about everythintg I could so that all that was left was to ride the damn thing.   I quit riding before there was a helmet law here in the peoples republic of california...

How much does the helmet take away from the experiance?   Well.. the first one I borrowed was a full head one and it was about like killing 50% of the whole riding experiance... I bought a "novelty" helmet (looks legal but is just a light shell) and that wasn't/isn't too bad... only kills about 25% of the experiance of riding... even at that... it is a pain to drag around and... what if you want to give someone a ride?   Am I suppossed to cary another stupid helmet around?   silly crap.

lazs

I tell ya. Repeal the oppressive laws! People should have the right to use their heads! Head trauma only kills 100% of the riding experience.

No really. I'm with ya. If guvmint would keep their nose outa our freedom of choice then the Darwin factor could help our society weed out.

[lazs2]

arlo... that would be fine.   Let nature take it's course.   I dissagree that 100% of the riders that get a head injury die tho... seems a little high.

torque.. to be honest I will leave the state in a few years.  It has been good to me tho I must admit.   Housing market can make you a millionare here by simply staying in the same house or trading up for a relatively few years...  it is then easy to go to another state and buy two or three homes cash with the profit from the nanny state one....  

The wages are high and if you have a wage based retirement plan you will have a lot of money in the new place you move to.

Downside is... if you sell your shack and then want to continue to live in Ca.     you will have to pay the same of more for an equal shack and.... your retirement income doesn't buy much in Ca.

But... the thread wasn't about how dangerous it may or may not be to ride without a helmet...  it is about how much a helmet takes away from the experiance..

So far the people that are replying seem to be the ones who have never (or barely) ridden bikes and they are just mouthing cliches.  Arlo, beetle, nielsen... what do they know about it?

lazs

[Arlo]

Originally posted by lazs2
arlo... that would be fine.   Let nature take it's course.   I dissagree that 100% of the riders that get a head injury die tho... seems a little high.

So far the people that are replying seem to be the ones who have never (or barely) ridden bikes and they are just mouthing cliches.  Arlo, beetle, nielsen... what do they know about it?

lazs

Didn't say 100% die. I said it takes away from the experience 100%. There was a guy in my squadron that ended up in the hospital in a semi-veg state a year before I rotated. Some said it really didn't change him as much as the docs claimed. As far as I know he may still be there. If ya get a head injury on a bike I bet the chances of getting back up and on your bike with just a "head rush and a wahoo" are pretty slim, eh? Ain't seen it happen but I've seen worse.

What do I know about motorcycles? Been riding them for twenty-eight years. Still alive and got all my faculties. Of course, I've met a few who've ridden that long without a helmet who're still alive. Not sure they ever had all their faculties though.

[Nilsen]

First of all lasz3, you seem to have missed my special humor and secondly I have had my share of driving 2 wheelers.

The first one is my bad, but how you concluded with number 2 is beyond me.

[indy007]

Originally posted by lazs2
But... the thread wasn't about how dangerous it may or may not be to ride without a helmet...  it is about how much a helmet takes away from the experiance..

So far the people that are replying seem to be the ones who have never (or barely) ridden bikes and they are just mouthing cliches.  Arlo, beetle, nielsen... what do they know about it?

lazs

I know you're alot more likely to snap your neck with all that extra weight on top unless you wear the next brace with it like we do in kart racing.

We went through something similar in paintball. Alot of us used to just play in goggles only, no face shield, no ear protectors. Very comfortable, much cooler, easier to hear, doesn't muffle up your own voice, etc. Then the insurance companies stepped in. Now it's full face masks & ear protection. Now, taking a .68 caliber hard-shell gelitan cannonball in the lip at 280 fps usually left you spitting blood... it was worth it from the comfort factor.

[Arlo]

Yup ... spitting blood IS comfortable.

[Curval]

I just got back from New Mexico where they are currently enforcing tough new seat belt laws.  But you can ride a motorcycle without a helmet there still.

That makes sense....NOT.

I say let 'em ride without helmets...call it a "cull".

[indy007]

Originally posted by Arlo
Yup ... spitting blood IS comfortable.

I'd rather have a fat lip & spit blood for a few minutes once a year than spend hours at a time with my face pouring sweat, trapped in a plastic & rubber cage.

For awhile at least you could go without ear protectors (the pads in them give me major headaches), and you could cut down your lower mask, still protecting your mouth from most angles, but thankfully ditching all the excess coverage that turns your head into a dutch oven. Then they took that away from us too Now we sweat.

[Arlo]

Originally posted by indy007
I'd rather have a fat lip & spit blood for a few minutes once a year than spend hours at a time with my face pouring sweat, trapped in a plastic & rubber cage.

Hey, man. Like I said ... I'm all for freedom of choice! I bet them goggles fogging is a pain too.

[indy007]

Originally posted by Arlo
Hey, man. Like I said ... I'm all for freedom of choice! I bet them goggles fogging is a pain too.

Nah, it's really rare to see lenses that aren't double-paned thermals. They work great. On top of that, they make no-fog sprays that work okay. The best trick though is deoderant. Put alittle clearstick on your forehead & cheeks, and they won't even fog in the nastiest, most humid Houston night. My PVS-7 lenses fogged before my goggles did.