Climbing Teton Pass from Victor, ID, over to Jackson, WY
I refuse to tiptoe thru life only to arrive safely at death.
I know I'm going to get lambasted but I don't care. I wear a helmet much of the time when I ride my motorcycle but sometimes I do not. I make no apologies.
This annual trip we're now on is one place you can bet I'll be riding lidless at times. If you never have done so you just don't comprehend how freeing, how gloriously wonderful it is to ride without that bucket on your head. I'm not proselytizing, I'm not trying to convince anyone else to ride without a helmet, I'm just saying that at times I do and when I do I love it. It's heaven.
Take our ride over Wolf Creek Pass in Utah the other day. Between the intermittent showers we encountered, it was an "Oh my god" sort of incredibly beautiful day. You've been outside on days like that, walking in the park, sitting in your backyard, whatever. Now imagine how it would have been had you been wearing a helmet. It would have put a bit of a damper on the glorious day, wouldn't it? Don't think for an instant that doesn't happen on the bike. Riding without the helmet is a different world.
Of course people remark about catching the occasional bugs or bits of grit in your face, and no, that's not pleasant. But it's really not that unpleasant. In fact, while I usually duck down behind my fairing when it starts to sprinkle, the other day I decided to just sit upright and take the stinging needles full on my face, just to see how bad it really was. You know what? Compared to a lot of other unpleasant things I've experienced this really was no big deal. And for me, the pain is worth the pleasure. I know it is for a lot of other people, too.
For some of us, safety and comfort are just not the end-all and be-all in the world. You don't take stupid risks, and you don't set out to kill or maim yourself, but you're willing to take some risk because if you didn't take any risk you might as well be a vegetable growing in a well-tended garden. And well-tended vegetables still end up getting eaten.
What's more, I've been riding motorcycles for more than 40 years, and a good part of that, especially in the early years, was without a helmet. In that time I've gone down once and was not wearing a helmet that time, but I did not suffer a head injury. Think of all the joy I would have missed out on in all that time. No, I make no apologies.
AGTATT doesn't mean much if you get run over by 60,000 pounds of truck and cargo.
Make no mistake, I wear my helmet a lot. But sometimes I choose not to. I'll take my risks and make my choices. It's called freedom.
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Comments
Can't say I agree, but I will also say this is the best argument I've heard yet. :)
You make a good case, Ken. I'll go along with you to some extent, but we have to part ways at the conclusion. As far as I can see there is no social threat to riding lidless, smoking cigarettes, drinking excessively, snorting heroin, or playing Russian Roulette. If you get a thrill out of it and it's worth the personal cost, go for it. Being irresponsible on a personal level only affects you, ultimately - and the people who love you just have to deal with the pain of waiting for the inevitable. But you are one-hundred percent correct. It is the choice of the individual to act as they wish and pursue the freedoms that matter to them.
I only wish more of us who accept those risks would publicly acknowledge that the odds are steep that all will not end well for them.
My your date with destiny be a long, long way down the road.
I wish you well.
I usually ride in full gear - leathers, helmet, boots, etc. A few times a year I leave the leathers and helmet at home, just to see what it feels like to be naked. As you wrote, it feels awesome.
Until I get hit by a juicy bumble bee in my forehead, skid both wheels on the asphalt snake donated by our highway workers for our enjoyment or some other silly event that could drastically change my life should I go down.
Yes, usually something slightly bad happens to remind me that I really shouldn't leave myself this exposed.
I also occasionally smoke to remind myself that I really don't like my tongue to taste like an ashtray next morning.
But for the most part I wear leathers and lid and I don't smoke. Yet I'll probably go lid-less and smoke again, just to remind myself that perhaps I shouldn't be doing either.
As of today it is still my choice, so I'll enjoy it while I can for I (we) may not have the same set of choices come tomorrow or the next day. Or the next...
Enj
great arguments for riding sans helmet? are you kidding me?
that getting pelted by rain is not the most unpleasant experience possible? that going for a walk in the backyard is equivalent to riding a bike at 55+ mph? that in 40+ years you managed to be lucky whenever you went asphalt surfing and didn't bust your melon?
I just spent a 1300 mile weeknd in the southern mountains of CO, including a particularly bothersome ride home that included 200+ miles of rain and slop. Sure was glad to have the full-face ARAI, as it helped to keep me that bit warmer (43F over Kenosha Pass) that helped to ensure a safe and uneventful ride.
You make your choices, and i'll make mine, but as a very public voice in the cycling community, i think it's irresponsible of you to support a clearly unsafe choice in the pursuit of an inherently dangerous activity. sorry, but it's ATGATT for me, and I will remain fully comfortable, AND as safe as living/loving a dangerous sport/activity/lifestyle will allow.
Contray to what jsn says I do not think it irresponsible for you to support helmet choice. I believe it is quite responsible, and American, to support personal freedom. I too support freedom. I do not try to force other riders to go lidless and do not believe other riders, or especially the government, should forct me to ride as they see fit. Namely ATGATT.
I also don't think jsn got the comparison to the back yard and riding at 55 mph. You obviously meant one cannot enjoy the outdoor experience as well when wearing a helmet as they can when they are free to hear and sense the sun, wind, rain, etc. I don't think you meant that you need a helmet for protection when walking in the yard.
Thank you for this article.
Ken, I'm glad that you can express so vividly what I feel on every ride. Thanks for putting it out there for all of us who love freedom.
Been a motorcyclist for 30 years, a truck driver for 27, I take offense to your example of being ran over by the 60,000lb truck.. If you knew how many times, a 100+ mph crotch rocket has nearly met death during a simple lane change, yet my old, yet quick reaction spared the life. A LID, saved my life. It was a cold winter night, a chance meeting with a big ole hound dog. The lid split, the skull fractured, because of the LID, I have enjoyed an extra 26 years of riding, a wife, two children and several dogs. When my brother died of cancer in 2007, I took a wild lidless ride, I made it home safe, and yes, I did indeed enjoy the smells, the sound, the feel and the freedom.. My son said. "What about us Dad?" When he realized I had arrived home with out the lid.. "What would we do with out you?" Enough said. Enjoy your Freedom, like the patriots say. "Freedom isn't free." The decision could come at a hefty price, and yes, I could die in a truck crash tomorrow.. Ride to live, live to ride..
I'm an old biker who got to be old by safe riding skills and a bit of luck. People are killed everyday while wearing a helmet. I can't believe that some riders really believe they are safe with a bucket on their head. A 60 mph encounter with a bumper, a curb, or a tree is likely to end in tragedy with or without a helmet. I almost always wear a helmet for the comfort and warmth in the wind and cold but I'm not so stupid as to think that it will protect me from half-blind car drivers or careless riding. Ride safe and be free. Some people think that if they don't smoke, they won't get cancer and if they wear a helmet they won't get hurt in an accident. Wake up!!! Freedom of choice is what our patriotic ancestors fought all those wars for. Some folks just think that their way is the only way. They, too, shall die. Freedom and justice go well together, huh?
Hey Blackluck9, no offense intended to trucks or truckers. That quote was simply a colorful way of saying that if the accident is bad enough it doesn't matter a whit what gear you're wearing. I definitely believe what you say about your quick reactions saving lives.
In NJ, a DOT stamped helmet is the law, although a lot of bikers give it the finger by wearing novelty helmets. I wouldn't leave home without mine and I have two, a full helmet for cold weather and a 3/4 with a flip shield(1/2 face) for warmer. Personally, I don't like the feeling of rain hitting me at 55mph-it stings. I've ridden briefly sans lid at only 25mph and yes, it felt nice, but it also felt scary. The fatality rate in NJ is low enough to make the news, given the amount of licensed riders here. Is that because of helmets? I couldn't say, but what I do notice as a motojournalist and PGR member is that more often than not, when there is a fatality, a bare head(or a novelty helmet) was part of the equation. I wonder if Bruce Rossmeyer would have survived had he worn one. That was is choice, though as it is for anyone who rides in any state that has no mandatory helmet law.
CHOICE is what its all about. not safety, choice. I lived in AZ for most of my adult life, rode bikes there since 2003, including over 200,000 miles as a test rider for HD, where we were REQUIRED to wear full gear at all times. I got very comfortable with the idea, but then I also wore when on my personal ride. I like to be able to see where I'm going, still air around my face. I've ridden lidless maybe 3 times in my life, felt naked each time. So I put the lid on, by choice, regardless of the law. And no I don't feel a full-face restricts my vision, even though I can see a small amount of liner. Choice
I don't see why wearing a helmet is that much of a distraction or that it takes away from the riding experience.If you have a or well made half helmet it still offers alot of protection and you don't feel so vulnerable.I have to admit when I see someone not wearing a helmet I think stupid ass.
I have to say this too.When I see riders,especially guys on cruisers with a full helmet,leather jacket full gloves and chaps in the summer to me it's like telling the world that your scared to be on the bike and expect to get in a crash.If you're that afraid why even be on the bike?
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