What do you think of the half helmets for cruising?

[Sev]

Eh, a good oxy welder won't throw a lot of sparks if he isn't cutting. Back in high school we used to do it with just leather gloves and and light welding goggles. Basically you're just carefully heating the metal and adding more. You aren't trying to make it go anywhere, so as long as you're careful you won't start throwing anything that's dangerous. I've done it in a t-shirt with no problems.

When you start torch cutting there's a lot of flying sparks and metal which means you'll need full leathers. The hot/liquid metal coupled with the high pressure air that's being blown through the cut will cause bits of liquid metal to go flying all over. That's how the guy in the above story lit himself on fire. This is what you see anytime someone uses a torch to cut something in the movies.

Then there's mig and arc welding, which is what you usually see on tv or in the movies. Throws sparks all over and looks really impressive. Of the two only Arc welding really makes slag, which is a rough brittle crunchy "shell" that forms over the weld. This is a result of the addatives in the welding rods as it helps to clean the metal and provide a good solid weld. After it's chipped off you have a nice clean line. If the welder is any good.

[jmillheiser]

This guy was cutting with a torch in a t-shirt and no goggles. With a cigarette in his other hand that he used to light the torch

[Sev]

Probably blind and on fire right about now...

[ZooTech]

I do believe those that don't are just a bit more hardcore and gritty than the rest.

And that is what it boils down to. How cool you think you look to other people that could not care less when your brain leaks out of your skull onto the bitumen.

So I suppose there is no element of cool involved in riding where you live? For a bunch of folks that are supposedly open-minded about individual rights and personal choices, you sure do get awfully uptight when someone doesn't gear up to your standards.

[Mustang]

...... For a bunch of folks that are supposedly open-minded about individual rights and personal choices, you sure do get awfully uptight when someone doesn't gear up to your standards.

We all know the helmet debate is one of the more emotional debates...I'm surprised the thread made it this far

[cb360]

I do believe those that don't are just a bit more hardcore and gritty than the rest.

And that is what it boils down to. How cool you think you look to other people that could not care less when your brain leaks out of your skull onto the bitumen.

So I suppose there is no element of cool involved in riding where you live? For a bunch of folks that are supposedly open-minded about individual rights and personal choices, you sure do get awfully uptight when someone doesn't gear up to your standards.

Nobody said anything about motorcycle riding not being cool. Quite to the contrary. I just don't think riding without a helmet makes one cooler that someone riding with one - even their ghastly full-face. I clean up pretty good and I try to get out of the house without having toilet paper on my shoes or a hole in my pants but I haven't really given a lot of thought to looking cool lately. Us 40 year old married guys in the construction industry can't get very far up the cool charts no matter what we do so why bother Even if I can manage to look cool for a second here or there my wife will bring me crashing down to earth a second later by having me do some laundry or pick up the dog's poop.

[sapaul]

I do believe those that don't are just a bit more hardcore and gritty than the rest.

And that is what it boils down to. How cool you think you look to other people that could not care less when your brain leaks out of your skull onto the bitumen.

So I suppose there is no element of cool involved in riding where you live? For a bunch of folks that are supposedly open-minded about individual rights and personal choices, you sure do get awfully uptight when someone doesn't gear up to your standards.

Nobody said anything about motorcycle riding not being cool. Quite to the contrary. I just don't think riding without a helmet makes one cooler that someone riding with one - even their ghastly full-face. I clean up pretty good and I try to get out of the house without having toilet paper on my shoes or a hole in my pants but I haven't really given a lot of thought to looking cool lately. Us 40 year old married guys in the construction industry can't get very far up the cool charts no matter what we do so why bother Even if I can manage to look cool for a second here or there my wife will bring me crashing down to earth a second later by having me do some laundry or pick up the dog's poop.

You see, there are some of us that have been there and some of us that just have not. My Goose thinks I am cool, my kids think I am cool and I think CB360 is cool. I think people who do not wear helmets are not cool, but each to their own and who am I to judge anyway

[cb360]

Cheers Sapaul!

[JustJames]

to wear or not to wear, it depends the risk they can take not the cool factor nor hardcore. I'm wearing helmet not becuz it cool otherwise I would op for something stylist nice detail 2K helmet instead of cheapo HJC but fit me perfectly well.

I wear helmet for at least protect as much as possible as much as I comfortable with. I don't have to show off that I'm a hardcore die-hard and not to worry about protection. BTW I'm also a hardcore in friends and family eyes since I'm the only one in da family that ride a bike.

I'm not against ppl who don't wear helmet. I might not sometime if I don't have to, but for sure I'm hardcore enough to have fun on a bike.

[ZooTech]

So I suppose there is no element of cool involved in riding where you live? For a bunch of folks that are supposedly open-minded about individual rights and personal choices, you sure do get awfully uptight when someone doesn't gear up to your standards.

Are you referring to Australians in general or did you just call me schizophrenic?

The first sentence was aimed at you, and the second targeted the group. I have nothing with which to base a stereotype on in reference to an Australian. Okay, maybe that you guys talk like British hillbillies, but other than that...