Helmet or No Helmet, Not a debate! A simple do you wear always or sometimes.

[Steve 0080]

I have no desire to kick any one personally who is a MSF instructor..... but I can only laugh that once you pass a course, ( in FL ) after never getting out of second gear qualifies you for a motorcycle license is insane. There are two things that grade your ability to ride a bike... slow speed in a parking lot type area and twisty's. I know a lot of people here in FL. who have over 35 years of experience and have absolutely no ideal how to ride a bike, other than straight down the road, period!. God forbid anything happens in front of them because they can not do anything about it. And having heard of counter steering or evasive maneuvers in a class has almost no value. I just read a story in a bike magazine where a guy came to FL. to ride, found out what a heat index of 115 and 100% humidity feels like and did not ride until the winter. ATGATT is better than MOTGMOTT... but some gear is better than none. I am a true believer that when it is you time , it is your time no matter what!!!

[Scotrod]

Pretty much the same scenario here in TX. MSF course required before getting your MC endorsement.

Geared towards first-timers,,,

We started the riding portion of the class by 'walking' our bikes back and forth across the parking lot a few time. (Sure was nice when we could finally START the engine! LOL!)

Then some 1st-2nd gear parking lot maneuvers. Some 'rapid' stops, cornering stops, 'the box', etc. Nothing very challenging for a few, somewhat challenging for 'new to MC' participants,,,

Not everyone 'passed' either,,, I recall one such participant that claimed she recently acquired a 1200cc sport bike. It was sitting at home while she learned to ride,,, On the course, she was hyper-timid and SLOW as frozen mud,,, Didn't make the cut,,,

[MSGT-R]

Ya' gotta start somewhere, and the Basic Rider Course is exactly that. Much better than a friend saying "here's the clutch, here's the brake now go down the cull-de-sac and back".. Or the dealership launching you out the driveway, directly into traffic for your first ride home.

The lessons get you familar with the sensation of riding a bike and gets the basic skills needed to build experience started from the ground level. If you forgot, your instructor said that these skills are just the beginning. Go out and ride for awhile; please build upon what we have presented here. Consider coming back for the Experienced Rider Course to further your education when you feel comfortable..

The military even has a Military Sportbike Rider Course (MSRC). Civilians are just now getting a version of that called Advanced Rider Course (ARC) and it takes your speeds up to 25 mph with deeper leans and more street oriented skills. There are other schools that can teach you even more advanced stuff on a track and is quite expensive.

One course is never gonna fill you head with everything you need, but it's a starting point.
Not everyone is suited for riding a bike. Better to find that out in an MSF class than on the street.

...now back to helmets.

[xzvs]

wear mine all the time -- get strange looks at the grocery and my fiancee' complains a bit but .....

[dickiedeals]

Wearing a Helmet should be a personal choice. I wear one mainly because I don't want skin Cancer on my Bald Head. Nothing like a nice Carbon Fiber Half Shell.
Dickie

[MichaelG]

Personally...I agree that helmet use should be a choice...but I am of the opinion that it should be a choice...for riders over the age of 30 years old.

Yeah, yeah, yeah we can all pick a different age for the choice to kick-in. I could have said...riders over 50, but I know that would both most of you...kids.

Now, to the fact....(just the facts, Ma'am)...once again, here are the pictures of my Arai helmet, that was directly hit by the lightning strike. This helmet protected me from receiving the direct hit on the top of my bare-naked head.

I can only imagine what would have happened if I had not been wearing a helmet in this instance.

My choice...my life.

Attachment 2387Attachment 2388Attachment 2389Attachment 2390Attachment 2391

Again, I want to THANK Arai helmets for stepping up and replacing this helmet with a new...CT-Z helmet...in exchange for this crispy fried helmet. I am sending this old helmet off to them today via UPS for their inspection and research.

[1951vbs]

I posted earlier on this subject and absolutely think it is personal choice. My choice is to wear it because no matter how careful and vigilant you are you never know. Here is a picture of my helmet after I hit a deer at 55mph flew through the air for a long ways and was unconscious for 10 minutes. Not much doubt in my mind that lid saved my life.
Attachment 2392

[MSGT-R]

Again, I want to THANK Arai helmets for stepping up and replacing this helmet with a new...CT-Z helmet...in exchange for this crispy fried helmet. I am sending this old helmet off to them today via UPS for their inspection and research.

Wow. Cycle Gear did that for me when my Seven-Zero-Seven Crusader helmet failed on impact during my accident. The chin bar flipped up and I had damage to my nose/lip/chin. The chin bar never touched anything, the mechanisim broke when the helmet flexed when hit on the side. I called Cycle Gear to see if they wanted it for evaluation. When I turned it in to my local store for shipment, HQ had told them to give me any replacement I wanted from the wall! That was not expected. That's good customer service.

[CaptRob]

Personally...I agree that helmet use should be a choice...but I am of the opinion that it should be a choice...for riders over the age of 30 years old.

Yeah, yeah, yeah we can all pick a different age for the choice to kick-in. I could have said...riders over 50, but I know that would both most of you...kids.

Now, to the fact....(just the facts, Ma'am)...once again, here are the pictures of my Arai helmet, that was directly hit by the lightning strike. This helmet protected me from receiving the direct hit on the top of my bare-naked head.

I can only imagine what would have happened if I had not been wearing a helmet in this instance.

My choice...my life.

Attachment 2387Attachment 2388Attachment 2389Attachment 2390Attachment 2391

Again, I want to THANK Arai helmets for stepping up and replacing this helmet with a new...CT-Z helmet...in exchange for this crispy fried helmet. I am sending this old helmet off to them today via UPS for their inspection and research.

I also believe street bikes should be for those over 30! No Government, no law, just advise ,men especially think they are indestructible until about 30