If helmets were optional...

[sc0tt]

Would you ever ride without one?

Having blasted round the streets of Asia on a "stallion" sans helmet I think I would for short trips.

Would you?

[hedgefinder]

some people wont like my answer, but I would personally never wear one unless possibly doing a long motorway run.
I am no big fan of wearing seatbelts either though.... but I do in an attempt to set an example for my kids and insist my kids do..

[sc0tt]

hedgefinder said:

some people wont like my answer, but I would personally never wear one unless possibly doing a long motorway run.
I am no big fan of wearing seatbelts either though.... but insist my kids do..

I enjoy seat belts. I'm 90% sure I'd be dead without one.

Makes me sound very hypocritical though.

[JacquesMesrine]

I'd be definitely be dead if I hadn't worn one when I crashed in 2007, so will always wear one. Having said that I used to ride around on holiday without one, but that's a classic example of the invincibility we all feel when on holiday.

[moanthebairns]

hedgefinder said:

some people wont like my answer, but I would personally never wear one unless possibly doing a long motorway run.
I am no big fan of wearing seatbelts either though.... but I do in an attempt to set an example for my kids and insist my kids do..

How can you not be a fan of seatbelts it takes a second and you never notice it.

I mean I thought the original question was reaching new depths but this...

I can't think of a polite way to tell you that your An idiot.

[FourWheelDrift]

Some people say they won't wear helmets or seatbelts because they ride/drive carefully and won't crash, but in most crashes there's always another vehicle involved, you might not crash but someone can crash into you.

So no I wouldn't ride or drive without the protection.

[Palms]

Having come off my motorcycle a few times i wouldnt dare not wear one

[DanGPR]

Would always wear a lid, even if you don't fall off a wasp or a stone hitting your face at anything over 30mph is going to hurt.
When abroad it always boggles the mind the amount of people willing to ride a 600cc+ bike in shorts and a t shirt. Even riding without gloves is going to cause some serious regrets if you go down.

[AdamIndy]

Palms said:

Having come off my motorcycle a few times i wouldnt dare not wear one

^^^ this. I would without doubt be kicking up the daisies if hadn't worn one last time I came off.

[driverrob]

It was optional when I started driving but I soon bought one. That said, trips to the beach in the summer warranted only shorts, sandals and sunglasses.

[BobSaunders]

There is a video on youtube of a guy hitting a car at speed and getting thrown off with no helmet. The camera pans around a little later on showing him sat on the floor waiting for the ambulance with half his face hanging off - like a slab of meat. Every time he turns his head it swings backwards and forwards. Like the elephant man.

Even now it makes me gag thinking about it. I'll try and find the link - if it hasn't been removed.

F**k not wearing a helmet, or a seat belt.

[RemaL]

I would still wear one.

[creampuff]

I was living in Vietnam when the mandatory helmet law came in. I always used to wear a helmet even when it wasn't compulsory.

On the last evening of legal riding with no helmet though, I did go for a ride around Ho Chi Minh City in shorts, flip-flops and no helmet

[Mad Jock]

I would imagine that most of those who say they wouldn't wear one have never come off their bike, at least on the road. To escape a motorcycle crash or dismount without any head impact is rare, and I imagine should reinforce the view that a helmet is a good idea.

That being said, I used to occasionally ride my Enduro bike in the fields without a helmet, with the misguided impression that hitting a grass surface wouldn't hurt. I fell off plenty of times, but escaped hitting the ground with my head. Whether you could call it a guilty pleasure, or taking a calculated risk (deluded, I know), the old "wind in the hair" moment is kind of pleasant. However, I had no such delusions about head injuries while competing, or while riding on the roads.

As for the original question, you might as well have asked if we would ride naked. I'm sure that someone out there will, but it's probably not a good idea.

[theshrew]

Never crashed a motorbike but I've had a big crash on my mountain bike. I can safely say wearing a helmet on that occasions was worth its weight in gold.

I was knocked out but apart from that and a few nasty cuts on my legs walked away with nothing but a bruised ego and a helmet that was split in half.

[PurpleMoonlight]

Back in the early 1980's I saw a picture of a guy that face planted the tarmac with an open face helmet. It was unrecognisable mush.

[George111]

I would, always, I like my teeth inside my face not outside.

[srob]

PurpleMoonlight said:

Back in the early 1980's I saw a picture of a guy that face planted the tarmac with an open face helmet. It was unrecognisable mush.

Wow, took a while on this helmet thread!

I'd wear one on a solo still I think, not on the sidecar outfit though.

[MrOrange]

I value my head quite highly and don't skimp on any kind of protection.

However, I do recall blasting across the deserts of Arizona and Utah at 90mph with nothing more than Raybans and a beanie hat for protection. /Holiday mode IS risky

[Janluke]

I live a mile down a private road and now and again I pop to a neighbours on the bike and don't wear a helmet. There is a certain freedom to it but I also feel very vulnerable. I couldnt see me riding at proper speeds on public roads without a helmet no matter what the law says