The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => General Announcements => Topic started by: chrisr65ls on March 02, 2010, 05:29:59 PM
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The law in Australia is that you must wear a helmet, no exceptions. I know that helmets are not compulsory in all US states, so I'm wondering what percentage of riders actually choose to wear them?
Personally, I couldn't imagine not wearing one. I would feel extremely vulnerable but then again the feeling of freedom without one must be great.
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My state does not have a helmet law.
I won't ride without one.
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ATGATT... NO exceptions. Monte
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I ride with a helmet, no exceptions !!!!!
I think Arizona has a mandatory helmet law for riders under 18 years of age .
A few of the Native American (Indian) reservations have helmet laws for their tribal members, but not applicable if you are not a tribal member while traveling through their 'nation' .
I would estimate 70% of the riders I see here in Arizona, wear helmets .
But other forms of protection are not present during the hot season .
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No helmet required law in my state, but I wouldn't be foolish enough to ride a motorcycle without one (and the other gear, too). Wearing a helmet once saved me from more serious injury when I had a simple low-side back when I was 17, almost 3 decades ago. Looking at the road rash abrasion on the side/back of the helmet was all the learning I needed to buy another helmet before I did any more riding.
On average, I think less than half the riders/passengers in my state use helmets, though BICYCLE helmets are mandatory for bicycling children under 16 years old. I also wear a bike helmet when I cycle/mtn bike, though I admit to being "old school" and not wearing any helmet when I downhill ski.
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I'm too wimpy to deal with the rain (normal weather) or bugs (good weather) off my face.
I NEED TO FIND ONE THAT DOESN'T LEAK INSIDE THE FACE SHIELD IN THE RAIN!!!!
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I NEED TO FIND ONE THAT DOESN'T LEAK INSIDE THE FACE SHIELD IN THE RAIN!!!!
You say you have a HJC Sy-Max II ?
(that is what I am considering)
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Helmets are mandatory here in the cold and white north where the ground has been covered with snow for the last 77 days and the roads have been impossible to ride motorcycles on (I'm beginning to feel like a nicotine addict without tobacco - restless, irritable, shortfused and longing).
As Monte so aptly states: ATGATT!
greetings from a sunny, white and cold north
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I always wear a helmet except riding on private land at classic bike shows and that's very low speeds on grass. It's quite refreshing and I'm always surprised how mechanically quiet the bike sounds.
Although I have a new Full face helmet I don't like it and very rarely use it. I do always insist that my passenger wears a full face. I prefer my 25 Year old Kevlar open face which has much less wind noise and no misting problems. It just feels right, more like real motorcycling. I know it isn't safe by modern standards but I ride conservatively and wonder if all the modern armour doesn't make some riders think they are invincible and they then ride accordingly. It can be argued by some that motorcycling isn't safe at all. When they legislate for compulsory airbags I suppose I'll have to pack it in.
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In Aussie land you can get a medical exemption, if you want to.
I rode without a helmet for 17 years before they became compulsory here.
After destroying a nice new Bell helmet at the track one weekend, I have ridden in one ever since.
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I have always worn a full face helmet, even before California required it. I am not that good or that lucky that I will never need it.
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I'm too wimpy to deal with the rain (normal weather) or bugs (good weather) off my face.
Rain and bugs even more so do hurt a bit and that's just our small dainty English bugs. I know many places have some pretty big ugly bugs to contend with. I don't think I'd like them. On the other hand Ted Simon rode around the world using an open face helmet.
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When I first started riding (not that long ago ;D) I wore a half-helm but now wear a full-face. Though the full-face I have hinges so the entire front of the helmet swings up. Guess it's like a 3/4 face with a hinged face piece. Love it!
I'm pretty good with other apparel as well... armored riding jacket, over-the-ankle boots, gloves with built in protection, etc. Only thing I lack is good armored riding pants. Typically just wear jeans but I'm not fooling myself that they add any sort of protection.
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As mentioned, Calif requires them, and I have an M2005 full-face. I've used one in Alfa club racing for years.
Only crash I ever had was in the dirt on a Yamaha 100 in 1974, but I'm sure glad I was wearing one. I wouldn't do otherwise except maybe up and down the driveway.
Andrew
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I NEED TO FIND ONE THAT DOESN'T LEAK INSIDE THE FACE SHIELD IN THE RAIN!!!!
You say you have a HJC Sy-Max II ?
(that is what I am considering)
Yeah. I love it except it leaks. Water inside the face shield doesn't blow off. I've been reading Webbikeworld reviews, but they rarely seem willing to have somebody hose them in the face for an hour with the helmet on.
Although, behind the Windjammer it's pretty much just water coming down, except when I stretch my head up a bit to get the external water to blow off.
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Here in New Jersey, helmets are required. But nearby states (Pennsylvania, and Connecticut) do not require helmets. Even so, I wear a full face helmet at all times. Better to be safe than sorry, and as some others have mentioned there is aways the bug issue (not to mention gravel blowing off construction vehicles).
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Rob, Theresa and I both wear the HJC Sy-Max II, but I don't seem to have the problem with water leakage that Ed does. We rode 7 hours in the rain going to the national rally, and this past October abour 4 hours in the hardest rain I've ever experienced with no leakage. Does that count for the garden hose test? Fogging though is a bit of a problem. My previous helmet was a Scorpion EX400 and it did not fog. Good hat.
As for the rest, yep, gotta wear the leather and such. Besides, it just feels right to ride a bike in leather. 8-) 8-)
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In the 60's I wore a half (2/3?) helmet, though I was in a minority...
But in MY 60's, I wear only a full-face.
Had a coworker bail from his scooter (not a figure of speech-- it was a Burgman) in Galveston, this weekend: Chin bar of his full-face helmet was shredded, so he's pretty glad he was wearing it when he hit the pavement at 45 mph.
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Chin bar of his full-face helmet was shredded,
I'm sorry to hear that. The thought of that happening to me in an open face makes me cringe. I'm beginning to worry now especially as nobody else seems to be wearing them. It doesn't seem that long ago that our police riders wore open face. Now they use the flip up type.
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Motor cops in this part of the world still wear open face helmets. Not only that but they continue to insist that riding side x side is the safest way to ride. Four of them in a tight little group about the size of a uti car passed me at high speed on a curve not too long ago. Had to shake my head in wonder at that one.
Barry, like you, I like an open face too, but I just don't ever wear it anymore out of fear of a face plant. Mrs. Phorqs tells me my face is about the only pretty part left! ;D
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In SC, riders over the age of 18 do not have to wear a helmet, so you see most of the H-D and clone riders helmet-less, with their "Doo-Rags" on or the little "Popeye" caps on their clueless noggins. I always wear a helmet, most of the time a full-face version, although I do have a shorty helmet I sport on occasion during the Hell-like inferno we call summer! ::)
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Rob, Theresa and I both wear the HJC Sy-Max II, but I don't seem to have the problem with water leakage that Ed does. We rode 7 hours in the rain going to the national rally, and this past October abour 4 hours in the hardest rain I've ever experienced with no leakage. Does that count for the garden hose test? Fogging though is a bit of a problem. My previous helmet was a Scorpion EX400 and it did not fog. Good hat.
As for the rest, yep, gotta wear the leather and such. Besides, it just feels right to ride a bike in leather. 8-) 8-)
Great, it looks like I'm just cursed. Is your head in the wind when you ride? If so, I'll blame the Windjammer. I use a Fogciti in my faceshield and it doesn't fog up, though the uncovered part of the face shield does.
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I prefer my 25 Year old Kevlar open face which has much less wind noise and no misting problems. It just feels right,
I didnt know Kevlar had been around that long !!!!!..all the gear all the time i just bought some Cordura pants for winter riding full armour and as warm as toast.
My hat is a Cadberg full face flip front and sun visor i keep toying with idea of the open face helmets but then again there only compulsory on Hardleys. :D
Lou
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I suspect my helmet is just fibreglass with a small amount of kevlar mixed in and to be honest 25 years old was a guess. I'm not exactly sure how old it is but kevlar was invented in the mid 60's and this manufacturer was around in the 70's and 80's . I Bought it 2nd hand which I know you are not supposed to do. It seemed hardly worn and I thought a bit of quality was better than a new plastic one. All my kit is period to the bike or there abouts. I've got Goldtop police issue leather boots (people have been known to laugh at them) and gloves that I bought new in 1982 and a Lewis leather Jacket 2nd hand off ebay. The boots and jacket have been repaired many times and will probably last me out but the gloves won't and I'm at a loss to know how I'm going to replace them.
Now Lou as a man who's into the wild west you must understand why I'm into a bit of nostalgia. Aren't we all or we wouldn't be riding these things ?
(http://)
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Interesting thread this.I started riding pre-compulsion and although wore either my open face Everoak or later a "pudding basin", I tended not to use them in town and of course coming back to work after taking a workmate home for lunch one day in '67 I was forced into a local park by an errant car driver. The copper who attended the hospital said I went through a hedge,beech fencing stakes and snapped a strand of steel wire! Just missed the kids' paddling pool.Needless to say that was the last time without a hat. I used a Bell full-face for 25yrs. including road -racing,then bought my first BMW System 3 which was a fine helmet but I'm now on my third System 4 which I prefer.A month ago I threw the R65 up the road on black ice and I went out the front door and smacked the road with the chin-bar.Trashed the fairing and various other bits but my face was untouched.My favourite helmet has been my old (ancient) pudding basin but was I pleased not to be wearing it that morning.
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I guess the question is who doesn't wear a helmet? I wouldn't think about taking to the road without one.
I have an HJC CL-SP which is a full face bucket. It is pretty comfortable and easily accomodates my glasses. My only complaints are that it is a little noisy at high speeds and has a huge outer shell that has a real Power Rangers look to it. I am considering shelling out for a low-end Shoei full-face, and making the HJC the designated pillion helmet, but I am not sure if the Shoei will work with my glasses. The new helmet will most likely have to take a place in line behind a pair of new Hagon shocks.
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Helmets are mandatory here in the cold and white north where the ground has been covered with snow for the last 77 days and the roads have been impossible to ride motorcycles on (I'm beginning to feel like a nicotine addict without tobacco - restless, irritable, shortfused and longing).
As Monte so aptly states: ATGATT!
greetings from a sunny, white and cold north
Trolle,
Put some knobbies on your R65 and then drive some very short sheet metal screws into the ends of the knobs. Then you can ride all winter on all the snow covered roads you want.
Always were my Shoei RF-1000. Its a PITA when it rains though.
Love the easy on and off shields for it. I have a clear for night vision and a dark smoke shield with a Polar Optics dark lense for day time and early morning sun on the horizon in front of the bike.
ATGATT! :)
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Ever since I broke my jaw in a dirt bike accident, wearing a Full Face Helmet, I suggest that ANY MC rider wear a full face helmet. I am a Paramedic and have seen many a cyclist that might have survived serious injury had they been wearing a full face helmet...and not to be redundant, those that don't are risking there own safety, possible family grief, and disfigurement. But on the lighter side...those HD riders in their doo rags are proof plus that that type of ignorance is natures way of weeding out the weak and stupid....
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ATGATT. A helmet saved my melon once before and although My state values personal freedom above having a helmet law I still wear nothing less than a full face at all times.
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I think that a person is smart to ride his bike with a helmet. IT's not just for safety's sake, but like as mentioned so many times in this thread already, its the bugs.
There's also the weather conditions that one has to deal with when thinking about riding the bike. There's rain.
There's also the dust that the cars or big trucks in front of you can spew up into your face when not wearing a helmet with a full face shield.
It just makes sense to wear one.
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i always wear a full face helmet. couldnt even think about riding without one. always have a jacket too, sometimes it almost unbearable here, like in july, august. it just takes needing it once to really appreciate it. helmet saved my head and the jacket(with extra back protector plate, which cracked in half) kept me walking, or so the EMT said.
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When I got my first bike (1956) helmets were only worn by race riders the rest of us could do what we wanted. Most of us got hold of ex world war 2 pilots leather caps and goggles but of course only put them on out of town as it was not considered cool to wear them. Now a days I would not ride without a helmet having seen many accidents and just how effective they are in preventing head injuries. The way to-days traffic behaves I will not get on my bike without full gear. Regards Aussie Ken. 8-) 8-) 8-)
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Very interesting thread.
Full face helmet, for sure!! I won't get on the bike without a helmet on even for that bit of a ride at a rally to move the bike.
When I first started riding as a passenger I used a borrowed half helmet. Then when I got my own I realized the importance of more protection and got myself a nice full-face Shoei. Last year I was at the local BMW shop at a gathering they had showing off the new riding gear. They had some nice Scorpion helmets on sale so I tried it out and it fit even better than the Shoei. Of course I had to get one. ::)
ATGATT, of course. It only takes one mistake! And I'm still learning (hopefully forever). ;)
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I live right on the border of two states. Georgia has a mandatory helmet law and Florida does not. I am constantly amazed watching people fly down the highway wearing a helmet, cross the border and pull onto the side of the highway to take their helmet off and tie it to the rear seat.
I went down when I was much younger at around 70mph. Leather saved my skin and my helmet was ground down to the inner foam. I still shudder to think that could have been my head. Full face Simpson helmet even if its just a quick trip.
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I started wearing a helmet back in the mid 60's when I worked at Honda of Boston. The crew at "HOB" all wore helmets and several of them were racing their bikes so of course the use of helmets was without question. I live in Maine which does not requier helmets to be worn, but I rarely ride without my full face helmet on, it just makes me feel safe and comfortable
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No helmet law in AK. I wear an Arai classic most of the time ... Shoei 1000 rest of the time. First time you get hit is face with gravel ya lose interest in the glory of riding around with bugs in your teeth. I was xray technician in the SF bay area in 1970s. Saw the continuing results of helmetless riding on a daily basis. You would think the gene pool would eventually take care of the issue ... but i think the human birth rate is just too high :)
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I'm alive today because of a helmet...so I always wear a full face helmet. I broke my face with an open face helmet, so I don't feel safe in those anymore.
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi129.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fp210%2Fcabcgec%2FDecorated%2520images%2Finjured_boo_boo_smiley_face_sticker.jpg&hash=66c56fc5d8fb537c06da3c7b567b0b2bcbfc3af4)
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Being in oz I have to wear a helmet. I wear a full face.
I wouldn't even consider a open face helmet despite the fact that they are - strangely - legal to wear here.
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Bought me a brand new [size=20]WHITE[/size][/color] HJC Sy-Max II today! Call me Mr. Happy! :D
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Hey Mr. Happy... what color was that new Sy-Max II? [smiley=beehive.gif]
Did you say [size=18]WHITE[/size]? :D
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I would say from his post, it is white !!!
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That's what I said.... WHITE ! ::)
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Hey Mr. Happy! I think [size=16]WHITE[/size] is the best of all colors for a helmet.................except for that dayglo orange one I saw once!!! ;D
Bob, hilight the blank spot that Aida left and it will all be clear! ;)
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Aïda's silly.... [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]
But you have to time it right so your post is on the correct background!
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Once fell off my bicycle, sans helmet, and landed headfirst. The lump on my napper was so big I couldn't get my motorcycle helmet on and couldn't ride my motorcycle for days after (compulsory helmets on uk roads). So I now wear a helmet for all 2 wheeled activities.
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I was testing my R65 back about 3 years ago, had the transmission overhauled, and it wouldn't shift after I got it re-installed, I was just riding around the block, trying to figure out what was wrong, didn't have the helmet on.
After getting the bike back in the garage, for troubleshooting, I realized that I didn't have my helmet on, first time I had done that, since I started riding in May,1979 .
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I didnt know Kevlar had been around that long !!!!!
First time I ran into Kevlar was as the fabric covering on flak jackets in Vietnam, so that's been > 25 years ago, for sure. :o (Gosh, it bites to be getting old. :( )
I wore a half-helm but now wear a full-face. Though the full-face I have hinges so the entire front of the helmet swings up. Guess it's like a 3/4 face with a hinged face piece. Love it!
That's what I use — a Shoei Multi-tec, silver metallic. Like Melena, I wanted visibility, but I figured that silver might be slightly more visible and cooler on a sunny day. At night, who knows? Also, if gray and or hazy conditions, all bets are off, far as I'm concerned. (I'm a fair-weather rider anyway, so I try to limit my activities when visibility is impaired.) I try to enhance visibility by sticking on patterns of 3M reflective triangles (red for rear and sides, white for front). Looks rather interesting, though I can't attest their effectiveness.
BTW, that helmet is called a "modular" design in my area. I paused before buying because, though approved for safety by our Dept. of Transportation, modular helmets have not yet been approved also by the Snell Foundation. Hope I never have to find out I was mistaken.
The flip-up feature is great for eyeglass wearers. I find I have to crack the face shield slightly upward in cool or wet conditions to prevent eyeglasses fogging. Hope I never have a bee or wasp fly in.
I'll *always* buy a full-face helmet! I had my accident at age 17 & used up all my luck. Helmets weren't required, so naturally I never wore one. Near as I can figure, when I T-boned the car, I went over wind screen and car, made first ground contact with back of right hand, and did an instinctive shoulder-roll, breaking only three bones in my hand. (Didn't even have a bump on my head.)
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I am using a full face Vemar in white just like Aida said!!! Before that and what saved my noggin in Sask. 2008 accident was a white full face Caberg Justissimo. The Vemar has better earphone cavities than the Caberg. The Vemar's bluetooth capablity with the Zumo 660 is nil really at 70 mph in the wind. So I really overspent about $225.00 as the bluetooth is pretty poor in volume sorta useless. Probably is the GPS's fault and the new software update on the zumo 660 may and only may have sorted out the volume problem.
Every bit of protective gear I wore the day of my accident showed abrasion but absolutely no cuts..just impact breakage!! The helmet cracked!! The faceshield, like Aida said about her face getting smucked, was a mess but my face was unharmed..glasses still fine!
Even the kevlar raised knuckles on my gloves got scrapped but not a mark on me.