Hayabusa = No Helmet?

[iwannadie]

i didnt say its useless wearing a helmet. im saying ive seen stats that show riders with helmets are no more likely to die than riders without, i will have to dig for these again but i hope i can find them.

im also saying that wearing a helmet will not ensure your life in every case. in some cases it may cause more harm than not wearing one to begin with. yes it offers a level of protection but adds risks as well.

90% of the time i have my helmet but i dont have 100% confidence it will save my life in an accident and worry that it will cause me more harm by having it on in some situations.

its comparable to seat belts. if you ever been in a slow speed car accident and have a broken shoulder because of it youll know. in a situation like that not having the belt on would ended with minor injuries where as the belt ended up causing the damage by breaking a shoulder. also airbags deploying with no reason causing a major accident is comparable to a helmet obscuting your view and causing an accident. or airbags going off in a slow speed accident causing burns when no airbag would leave you with no real injuries.

im just trying to point out that every level of 'protection' you take usually adds another level of risk at the same time, a helmet is perfect example of these risks and potential to cause their own harm rather than being a fail safe life saver.

a few inchs of foam on impact still doesnt save your brain from the hard impact which can cause brain damage just as easy with no helmet.


i was in a very serious near fatal accident with no helmet. i had immense trama to my intire body, except my head(jokes aside). i shattered my hip and had majour internal bleeding. a helmet would have done no thing for me at all.

but again its all opinions wear the level of safety you choose, but dont think that helmet is the end all life saver you have come to think it is.

Sure, trauma to the body can be fatal, too. That's not the point. If I understood you correctly, you've taken the position that wearing a helmet has little or no effect in preventing or mitigating head trauma, and in doing so you are ignoring all manner of scientific data, never mind common sense. Opinions don't really enter into this argument. Surely you realize your position is absolutely void of any valid support and will only meet opposition from me or any other reasonable individual.
You may have the right to choose to ride helmetless, but you will do so against the advice of those who have avoided potential fatalities by wearing a helmet, myself included.

[Itzamna]

The slim chance that it will make injury worse, seems nil to me compared to the great chance that it will keep you alive. You're right, that it won't always save your life, especially when the accident doesn't even involve the head. But, if it does involve it, it WILL strengthen your chances of survival. Even if the stats were half and half on fatal accidents having helmet or not, it doesn't help this arguement. You would have to look at which ones actually involved blows or any damage to the head. See how many fatalities occured due to head trauma when the person wore a helmet. I guarantee the stats would be on the helmet wearer's side.

I think everyone here is not stupid enough to say that you are guaranteed to survive with a helmet, but most of us realize that there are many situations in which it will save you.

[High_Side]

i didnt say its useless wearing a helmet. im saying ive seen stats that show riders with helmets are no more likely to die than riders without, i will have to dig for these again but i hope i can find them.

That must have been over at the ABATE sight. If you want stats to support ANY position, search the net and you will find support. Unfortunately, anyone with their own agenda can create their own stats and put them on the internet.

im also saying that wearing a helmet will not ensure your life in every case. in some cases it may cause more harm than not wearing one to begin with. yes it offers a level of protection but adds risks as well.

Of course wearing a helmet will not protect you if you get ran over by an 18 wheeler, or ride directly into a wall at 60 mph. This sounds like the "stretch" you are going for. Will a properly fitting helmet cause more damage that it prevents? NO. If you need real examples, look to Moto-GP racing. There is usually at least one rider a race who has a spectacular get-off in every race. Most of the time the rider walks away. Sometimes the riders get severly injured. Never in the over 20 years since I have been following this high-profile series has there been any accident investigation that concluded that the helmet caused the damage. They've blamed the bike, the track, the organizers etc., but never have they blamed a helmet for causing damage[/quote]

90% of the time i have my helmet but i dont have 100% confidence it will save my life in an accident and worry that it will cause me more harm by having it on in some situations.

You worry for no reason if you have a properly fitting quality helmet

a few inchs of foam on impact still doesnt save your brain from the hard impact which can cause brain damage just as easy with no helmet.

Wrong, no it can't....

i was in a very serious near fatal accident with no helmet. i had immense trama to my intire body, except my head(jokes aside). i shattered my hip and had majour internal bleeding. a helmet would have done no thing for me at all.

I've got-off at 170km/hr, with the first thing touching down being my helmet(insert YOUR joke there), and came out with only a severe concussion. The helmet was nearly destroyed, but it absorbed some tremendous impact. More than my head could have alone.

[iwannadie]

i didnt say its useless wearing a helmet. im saying ive seen stats that show riders with helmets are no more likely to die than riders without, i will have to dig for these again but i hope i can find them.

That must have been over at the ABATE sight. If you want stats to support ANY position, search the net and you will find support. Unfortunately, anyone with their own agenda can create their own stats and put them on the internet.

ya funny thing about stats is you can use them to prove anything.

im also saying that wearing a helmet will not ensure your life in every case. in some cases it may cause more harm than not wearing one to begin with. yes it offers a level of protection but adds risks as well.

Of course wearing a helmet will not protect you if you get ran over by an 18 wheeler, or ride directly into a wall at 60 mph. This sounds like the "stretch" you are going for. Will a properly fitting helmet cause more damage that it prevents? NO. If you need real examples, look to Moto-GP racing. There is usually at least one rider a race who has a spectacular get-off in every race. Most of the time the rider walks away. Sometimes the riders get severly injured. Never in the over 20 years since I have been following this high-profile series has there been any accident investigation that concluded that the helmet caused the damage. They've blamed the bike, the track, the organizers etc., but never have they blamed a helmet for causing damage

moto racers have the benefit of the best gear with a whole team of people to make sure it fits. a street rider goes into a shop and hopes they have a proper fit which from what ive seen they dont have the proper fit at all. gp race crashes usually involve low side then sliding along the ground untill he stops. which is Not the typical case for a street rider crashing. also a moto gp track doesnt have street hazards to contend with that will turn the helemt against you. while sliding in a street situation theres many things that will catch the helmet. also gp racers have instant on scene medical help not the case with a street rider who is pinned under something with the helmet strap slowly choking him with no help around. you cant compare gp race crashes to street crashes they are riding in full gear on a closed course going break neck speeds with only other bikes to contend with.

90% of the time i have my helmet but i dont have 100% confidence it will save my life in an accident and worry that it will cause me more harm by having it on in some situations.

You worry for no reason if you have a properly fitting quality helmet

a few inchs of foam on impact still doesnt save your brain from the hard impact which can cause brain damage just as easy with no helmet.

Wrong, no it can't....

yes it can, there in the process of doing new standards for certain types of helmets that use a foam that is to dense in favor of a thicker softer padding that will absorb more impact slower. also imagine you brain going along at 50 mph then suddenly stopping. there will be brain trama involved even with a level of padding. dropping an egg in foam the shell may not crack but the yolk certainly gets thrown around inside.

i was in a very serious near fatal accident with no helmet. i had immense trama to my intire body, except my head(jokes aside). i shattered my hip and had majour internal bleeding. a helmet would have done no thing for me at all.

I've got-off at 170km/hr, with the first thing touching down being my helmet(insert YOUR joke there), and came out with only a severe concussion. The helmet was nearly destroyed, but it absorbed some tremendous impact. More than my head could have alone.[/quote]

believe and trust in what you want. im not saying dont wear the helmet. again im saying dont have total trust in it and be ready to accept it is a risk to wear it.

and maybe you should edit a helmet into your homer picture.

[Mac]

Reading this post is kind of confusing, so here is for all the beginner riders, and fluff (rides motorcycles for status) riders that are frequenting these posts and looking for all the excuses they can to get to excuse in their own minds irresponsible behavior.

Fact: at low speeds (under 70) and at high speeds with full appropriate gear, a helmet has the potential to save lives (that is not to say that the helmet has not been the cause of a broken neck here and there), but like seat belts they save more lives then not.

Now at high speeds 100 and up, you most likely are going to die anyway, or at least be in a position where you will wish you were. Loss of limbs, an "O Ring" cheek, etc… (All the results are not good). The same applies for the person practicing tricks in an uncontrolled environment. You roll the dice, and the odds are not in your favor, eventually you will loose control (even the most experienced riders and racers do) and if you are not appropriately equipped you will get hurt, even appropriately equipped you are going to get hurt, just less hurt.

END FACT

From here it is the riders’ choice to protect himself or not, unless a state dictates otherwise.
And to pull the: if you are out there riding responsibly then you should be fine is BS. Over 80% of motorcycle accidents in the state of Alaska, and almost 70% across America (don’t know Canada numbers, sorry) are not caused by the motorcycle, but the other driver. That means your responsibility plays little part in your life expectancy. If you trust Homie G in the spinner rimmed Escalade with the bass shaking the road in front of you, 5 other kids in the car, talking on 6 cell phones, sippin’ a 40, and smoking the dubbage, with nothing between your head and his 3 ton bulldozer; then that is your choice!
But it is the people that make that choice that provide footage for Real TV and therefor entertain me for hours on end, so I say keep it up! (That was sarcasm!)

Before you frag me I am going to contradict myself here; I do not always ride with a helmet (90% do/ 10% don’t), but I can never say I was not warned, and I know the risks being taken.


Think about it like this- If you were a hockey goalie would you wear a face mask? The odds in hockey of you getting hit in the face with a 100 MPH McGinnis slap-shot are about the same, but you don’t want to be the guy that does not have the mask on. Or if you were a receiver, would you line up against the Packers D without pads and a helmet on? The average linebacker only hits with about 50 lbs per sq in, that is 4 times less then the road impact at 60 MPH. Not to mention the road rash.


Regardless of what others are saying on here we are only trying to keep you safe and therefore the community safe, and these forums stocked full of people. What happens to one motorcyclist reflects on all of us in the eyes of the public (non riders) and government. They do not see the faces of responsible people out to have a good time; they see the reckless ‘busa at 200 MPH down a city block at 3:00 PM in a school zone, or the Hell’s Angel with the chains etc... They don’t see the Doctors, Lawyers, Gas Station clerks, bankers, military, cops, moms, dads, grandparents, etc… As bikers it is easy to label us! Hell, I am in the community and I am guilty of it myself, if I see an old man get off a ZX 6R I do a double take!

What ever your choice just be careful, and keep the horse on it’s feet!

[oldnslo]

This argument seems to have an indefinite life. Millions of words have been written and spoken on it. Tossing the helmet seems to be a product of Harley owners mostly, but also includes owners of many other brands who like the feel of the wind in their faces, and think that a helmet sissifies their masculine good looks somehow. Right, wrong, or indifferent, some states in the US have bent under the force of ABATE's arguments and repealed helmet laws.
Fine with me. Of vehicle accidents of all kinds, motorcycles constitute a small portion, and I am beginning to think of repealed helmet laws as a legislated thinning of the herd and/or fine-tuning the gene pool amongst motorcyclists.
Riders wishing to doff their helmets have my unqualified blessing, and probably a lot of other people's, too. Feel free to explore the sensory world of wind blowing through your curly locks, with your similarly helmetless lady on pillion. There's even a chance you will never crash, just like all of us helmet users hope for. But if you do crash sans helmet.....odds are you both will die or your your cranial eggs will be scrambled into an omelette.

[High_Side]

you cant compare gp race crashes to street crashes they are riding in full gear on a closed course going break neck speeds with only other bikes to contend with.

Why it is not relevant, I'll never know

a few inchs of foam on impact still doesnt save your brain from the hard impact which can cause brain damage just as easy with no helmet.

You are right, pavement is sooo much better than a few inches of foam. What was I thinking???? You really kill me man....

.

and maybe you should edit a helmet into your homer picture.

Homer is a known idiot. 'nuff said....

[Mag7C]

Statistics aside, let's play a game. Pick the best answer for each scenario.

1. You are riding along one day, when suddenly something goes wrong. You fall off your bike. You:
A) Slide face down on the pavement wearing a full-face helmet.
B) Slide face down on the pavement wearing your favorite baseball cap.

If you chose A, you lose. You sustain terribly painful injuries.
If you chose B, you lose. You sustain terribly painful injuries, including grinding your face off. Smart move.

2. You are riding along one day, when suddenly something goes wrong. A rock flies up and hits you in:
A) Your thin human forehead.
B) The inch-thick plastic and foam barrier in front of your forehead.

If you chose A, you lose. Assuming you didn't fall off the bike, the rock still breaks your skull. Weakling human.
If you chose B, you lose. Assuming you didn't fall off the bike, you have a headache for a little while. The rock breaks your helmet.

3. You are riding along one day, when suddenly you gradually pull up to a stopsign. The cement mixer coming up behind you doesn't stop. You try to gun it and make an escape, but your trusty bike stalls out. Fortunately you:
A) Left your helmet at home.
B) Wore your helmet.

If you chose A, you lose. You get plowed by the mixer and die.
If you chose B, you lose. You get plowed by the mixer and die.

The moral of my sarcastic trivia? When you crash, you lose. A helmet does not guarantee life. However, anything taken by the helmet means it wasn't taken by your body, and sometimes that can make all the difference. Wear it.

[allawybiker]

He should finally understand it by playing the trivia... or not!
Good answer "me"

[Relsek]

Just to let you guys know, I ride a hayabusa and always wear a helmet. I have ridden with at least 7 other busas and we all wear helmets. It much just be the crowd you're around.

Kev