I can agree on this both ways. If i'm just heading to the local 7-11 store a mile or 2 down the road for some smokes I can see no helmet. Or to the local Ice Cream Parlor for that delesious twist with sprinkle Ok let the wind blow. But on that long trip Full face with the leather jacket. Pa has it the best idea i've heard yet. First of all you have to be seasoned rider of no less then 5 yrs or minimum of 25 yrs of age to ride without a helmet. You get caught without one. Heavy fine and loss of class M lience for I think 6 months. Basicly you lose a full season of riding. I can totally agree with that. Not just cuz I pass both those cuz when I got my Cycle licence at the ripe old age of 17 I did some STUPID SHIT. till I got older. But its a nusence to put a helmet on go 1 or 2 miles, take the helmet off, get your movies or eat or what ever, put the helmet on, ride another 1 or 2 miles home. So what do you think?

The furthest I've ever ridden without a helmet is about 100 yards. I always think about riding without it, but I never do. Better safe than sorry. Most accidents happen within 2 miles of the home.

Your life, your risk, your choice.

I got a funny story on this one...

So some friends and I go to a nearby lake (Rimrock lake for those in Washington) I rode and my friends drove a car. Once there we stopped chatted and decided to go to the other side of the lake. Maybe a 5 minute drive. So I decide to leave my helmet in their car and go helmetless. On a side note I don't meet nsigary's qualifications to ride helmetless. I have only been riding for 3 years, but I am over 25. The road around the lake is paved and not very curvy so line of sight is as far as the eye can see. So off we go, I throttle up letting the wind blow through my hair and that's the funny part because with the air comes all the very fine, almost dust like gravel right into my little peepers. At this point my eyes are full of dust and tears, I could see and I didn't freak and ride off the road. In fact it wasn't any kind of major tragedy, but needless to say I didn't enjoy the rest of my 3 minute trip around the lake! I guess I was just so used to my 3/4 helm with the snap on visor that I didn't think about the wind and dust beeing so hard on my eyes! Maybe it would be funnier if you were there LOL
This is a firey subject for riders. We call our country free then make laws that force people to wear seat belts, or helmets. I say it should be up to the rider. I also agree with nsigary's helmetless qualifications. I shudder to think about what limbs I might have lost if I started riding at 18! Another thing is that when a helmet is worn durring an accident your chances of avoiding major injury dramatically increase, but once again it should be up to the rider. MY uncle has been riding for over 30 years and he has not needed a helmet one time. In fact he has only been in one accident in all those years, in that incident it was raining hard and he slid 75 feet laying the bike down. He picked her up and rode home, other than a bruised ego he was fine. SO I suppose in his riding experience he could have had plenty of helmetless rides if he so wished and everything would have turned out ok. In the end none of us know when or if anything is going to happen to us, personally I would ride with a helmet 100% of the time. Just like I never drive without my seatbelt.

I think life is all about choices. We just have to be ready to accept whatever consequences come our way as a result of our choices. Me, I choose to wear a helmet whenever I go for a ride. Yes, I would love to be able just let the wind fly in my hair, but to me the risk isn't worth it. In the last two weeks I was involved in close calls three times, all because some yahoo in a car wasn't paying attention to what they were doing. And my Hawg has loud pipes!! But I also don't think it's my place to tell someone else what to do, so if they want to ride "topless", let em. Freedom to choose is what it's all about.

Cary.

I respect everybody's right to choose to not wear a helmet, but personally I think it's a really dumb choice. Most serious injuries on a motorcycle are head injuries that could be easily avoidable if you wear a helmet. Go into any emergency room in a hospital of a helmet-choice state and ask the people that work there.

I think it would be really sad to end up a vegetable slobbering in a hospital bed for the next 40 years because I wanted to save 2 minutes on my way to get some smokes. At that point it's not my freedom of choice, it's a long term liability to everybody else.

Sometime around '90, along an infrequently traveled road, I was working on my dad's Goldwing carbs, 200yds... set mixture, 500yds, check plugs, etc....

About three quaters of a mile away from the house, an officer decided to stop me for not wearing a helmet, and gave me a speech about my choice can have great ramifications, blah blah blah, "sign here please, it's not an admission of guilt, it just means you'll show up in court". $125 later, I decided I'd wear a helmet all of the time because I couldn't afford to pay the convienience fee of working on a bike 200yards at a time for that much money.
Fast forward to now> There is no longer a helmet law in Arkansas, and I can cruise all day long with my buds, no helmet-no fine to pay-no ramifications except my lifeless body. My friends gave up their protection as soon as they were allowed to by the helmet law repeal. I however just find it strange to ride without a skull bucket.

Let people choose. My friends chose freedom, I chose a brain bucket, not because it was the safe thing to do, but because it feels weird to ride around with no top on, half scared to death of the next mini-van, transmission lock-up, or broken/tangled chain.

I guess because I grew up in Maryland this issue has never really been a debate for me... I have had to wear a helmet all along and would have it no other way... I guess I woul feel differently if I had the right to choose and someone wanted to take it from me.

Well here's my two cents on the matter....I live near a circle track where a 14 year old was riding an old kx400 (the one with the pipe under the case and frame). Needless to say coming round turn two he lost it and dragged his helmeted head round the fence a good 1/16 of a mile. That took a few layers off the helmet which could of been his skull. And being ive had over 13 confirmed concussions i'll always wear a full face snell rated helmet. But i would NEVER force someone else to, That's their own call. It should be a right not a forced right as seatbelts.

I will wear one on long rides.

Short rides I dont.

Heres one for you?

I live in the UK and it is a must.

I was riding at around 70 mph when a car came from a side road, I tried to avoid it but bang TOO LATE and hey presto woke up in Hospitol.

Two days later I thought "where is my helmet" so I enquired and the nurse bought it to me in two pieces, Apparently I hit the car went air born and head first into a kirb.

I would not ride without one now if I was paid and the fact is I quite like my head being nice and warm (not that great the temperature in the UK)

I rode in Illinois (no helmet law) until I moved to Sunny Florida in 99. In 2000, ABATE abolished the helmet law here. I will wear a helmet when I go any length on the highways but you won't catch me with one on anywhere else. I don't even own one. A lot of people chastise me because of this but to be honest, I am scared to death to wear it. Between people trying to cut me off, drag race by me and the ever popular-pull into my lane next to me, I need to see and hear everything around me.I have been riding almost 20 years now and more than half without a helmet.Did I mention, I keep a windsheild on at all times though.

See this isn't such a BAD topic to talk about. I aplaud those that have the choice to wear or not to wear a helment. Those who don't have a choice. All i have to say is our goverment has reasons for us to have them on. In some state death tolls are greater then others. Its not about how safe you are, its about how safe others are. In a conjested city more deaths are cased by people who are commuting from a suburb and are in such a damn hurry to catch their wives cheating then it is in a rural enviroment. Those of us make these choices cuz we feel its a safe thing to do for our own experiances. like the guy from florida. He rides without to HEAR and see that 35% more then riders with helments. I ride sort distances with out a helment vs long distances with a helmet. This is about choices we chose for ourself not to FORCE anyone to do it. I never heard of a state passing out fines to people who chose to wear helmets.

For me the decision is easy, no helmet, no ride!

When I was a kid, I met Evel Knievel, shook his hand, got an autographed photo.

He told the crowd of awe struck kids that he never rode without a helmet and if any of us ever caught him riding without one, he'd give us $100. Back then $100 was a lot of money.

I always wear a full face helmet. When I was younger, dumber, and raced, I hit the road several times. My helmeted head has drug the pavement and dirt many times. I've ruined several hemets, but never had a head injury. (Knocking on wood now).

I have no feeling in either elbow (I raced before there was much in the way of protective gear) because I've slid on the road on each of them and ground the skin away.

I work in a health care facility and the nurses think I'm nuts for riding a motorcycle. I think my son and wife are nuts for riding horses!

The nurses tell me that lots of public money is spent each year caring for non-helmeted victims.

I believe some states give you the choice of if you don't wear a helmet, then you carry insurance so the public doesn't have to pay for your decision.

Ride safe!