To Wear or Not to Wear... That is the Question.

[asleeplessknight]

So over the weekend the thread began again over whether it should be compulsory to wear helmets on motorcycles....

My humble opinion follows:

Compulsory or not, I value my contributions to my community, the love of my family and friends, and the obligations I have made to my peers more than any statement I can make by catching metal objects with my skull or seeing how quickly my flesh can be ground down to bone. If I want the wind running through my hair, I can get that effect from running, walking, or even riding around with the windows down and sunroof open. And the local butcher shop has plenty of ground up bones and meat to satiate the need for the visuals and sound effects fix.

Too many of us, choosing to opt out of wearing the most basic of safety equipment, has put ourselves in harms way, and some of us have even paid the ultimate price or have permanently injured ourselves as a result. For what? A dream? A fantasy? A right? Pride? Vanity?

We have our own experiences with ER docs and nurses... and recent posts have suggested if we're injured on a bike and get care in an ER... they might not treat us so well on account of the fact we were on a bike. Perhaps that is true... and why might that be? Resentment? How many scrambled body parts have they collected from motorcyclists they've scraped up from the pavement? To make matters more aggravating.. how many of those bikers... sustained injuries even the most basic of safety equipment would have mitigated or prevented from occurring?

Stupid is what stupid does. Not wearing ATGATT, is asking for Darwin to come by and hand us an award we so justly deserve but haven't received yet. By the way, there are no 2nd time Darwin Award winners.

To wear or not to wear... there is no question.

Asleepless:bmw:knight
Beemer Rookie
'03 LTE
'83 VF750F
'74 MT250
'72 SL125
'70 Sears.... Nah
Retired Navy

[azpilot06]

:feedtroll

No offense, and FWIW, I generally share your opinion. However, it seems that it doesn't go 2 days on any MC board without this topic being debated.

..."blah, blah, blah, ATGATT, blah, you're a reckless moron"...
..."well blah blah blah, the King of England can't barge in here and tell me to wear a helmet"...

While we're discussing it, with what kind of oil do you fill your tires?

[motorman587]

Yup this topic has been debated here a lot. I stay out of it. Add a little fuel to the fire is, should it be a law????

[MikeERideWNC]

What are we debating again?

Abortion?

That is what it seems like, at times.

[asleeplessknight]

What better way to start the week than with a little worn thin redundancy! Have a great week guys!

Seriously, no morons on this site that I've ever noticed--lots of pundits though...which is good.. keeps the discourse alive and vibrant.


Robert :bmw:

[alindsay]

"While we're discussing it, with what kind of oil do you fill your tires?"

If you really have to know, I use Amsair. :lol8:

[Florian]

Amsair....now thats funny. :rotf:


F

[rkimmel2]

This is a serious topic. If the price of oil is causing the price of tires to go up, it seems like we could turn in our used engine oil to metzler and get a break on new tires. Of course, if the tire were made with used ****** it would have to cost extra because of the independent research supporting its superiority.

[hopz]

Now... if we could just figure out a way to to use the used tires for head protection and oil generation we would be ahead of the game...

Helmets, to me, are part of the Darwinian model.

[hallzee]

"While we're discussing it, with what kind of oil do you fill your tires?"

If you really have to know, I use Amsair. :lol8:
I use Mobair1

[myk_edwards]

While we're discussing it, with what kind of oil do you fill your tires?

You're trying to start an Oil thread arn't you? ;) go stand in the corner of the room, you know those are not allowed round here :rotf:

[azpilot06]

I'm personally shocked that any of you would use anything other than BMW-branded tire oil. BMW tire oil is made exclusively from German dinosaurs, such as the Boxersaurus and the Flyingbrickoraptor.

[asleeplessknight]

is tire oil totally dehydrogenated or does it have various grades? Like VFT, WTFT, or WTFDIG?

Robert

[azpilot06]

All I know is that it's trans-fat free.

[paalao]

Wearing helmets is a MUST! (And recuired by law for motorcycles, where I come from)

Just like riding a bicycle, you always wear a helmet. Vanity is when you are not wearing one.
Same with seatbelts in cars wich is also a MUST. (also recuired by law)

Please wear helmets, if not for you then for those who love you :)


Here we get bashed by other riders when we are not wearing ATGATT, and some clubs even ban people who dont take safety serious.

The helmet is the most important safety item to have on your bike...that and brakes :D

[rkimmel2]

If I am driving my car and have an accident with a motorcycle where I am at fault, does my financial liability end when the injuries are shown to be because of a lack of helmet and proper clothing or am I responsible for injuries which would probably have not occurred had the rider used common sense? It seems to me that this is the real issue besides the cost to society. Conversely, should a liable driver be responsible for injuries that occur when a seatbelt is not used and it leads to excessive injuries?

[CharlieVT]

States can require or not require a helmet as they see fit.

I propose that states require helmets but offer a no-fee, conditional priviledge to ride without a helmet IF AND ONLY IF the rider has "Organ Donor" checked on their driver's license.

[azpilot06]

Can we please tie this discussion in with abortion, gun-control, and gay marriage?

[Bob1200rtc1]

I'm tired of all the whining in every other post about helmets and gear. I'll just do what I want and let you people debate if I'm evil, a social deviate, a burden on society, mentally deficient, or just someone that likes to do what makes him happy. My last post on this subject.

[asleeplessknight]

Does anyone know where I can find some Vegemite? I hear it's a great substitute for tire oil.

[XMagnaRider]

Can we please tie this discussion in with abortion, gun-control, and gay marriage?
Okay. I'll give it a try. There should be a law that says:

Both partners must wear helmets to a gay shotgun wedding, but the pregnant partner is prohibited from having an abortion until after they say, "I do".

Of course, it is a bit confusing about why they were forced into a shotgun wedding, because it is hard to figure out how the couple got pregnant in the first place. Clearly the baby couldn't be his ...er... hers. :crazy:

[rkimmel2]

Okay. I'll give it a try. There should be a law that says:

Both partners must wear helmets to a gay shotgun wedding, but the pregnant partner is prohibited from having an abortion until after they say, "I do".

Of course, it is a bit confusing about why they were forced into a shotgun wedding, because it is hard to figure out how the couple got pregnant in the first place. Clearly the baby couldn't be his ...er... hers. :crazy:

I would much rather debate why the other Bob is an evil, mentally deficient, social deviate who is a burden on society only interested in his own happiness. Just kidding.

[XMagnaRider]

I would much rather debate why the other Bob is an evil, mentally deficient, social deviate who is a burden on society only interested in his own happiness. Just kidding.
Bob tried to respond, but his "other Bob" alter-ego is the one that has the password to bmwlt.com, and won't share it. :p