I ride in full gear. Full face helmet. Leathers with armour. Icon spine protector. Leather gloves. Riding boots.
I do my pre-ride check.
I shoulder check.
I instructed on the Canada Safety Council motorcycle course for nine years and have taught literally hundreds of new riders.
When I die, I hope I am on my bike…because it will mean I have lived my life doing the thing I loved the most…and it was my time to go.
I agree with you Conrice. We all take that risk every time we ride.

 

AMERICA, LAND OF THE FREE!!!
Ya right. its land of the law makers... who should all jump on motorcycles with no helmets and show us what happens when your not careful...
my only wish is that: More people should be engaged with their leaders who they send up to washington and see what they are doing WAY before they find something offensive, because they only see us as the sheep and most people just sit around and allow it to happen unless theres just one thing that directly effects them and makes them finally use their voice..
people always need to be engaged or everyone will wake up one day and like conrice implied: none of us will have any of our god given rights anymore in this country..

 

This will be my first and last comment or reading of this thread.

I think that anyone who chooses to ride without a helmet should be required to sign a waiver that if they are injured while doing so that no insurance will cover their hospital bills that might otherwise raise the premiums of those of us who choose to ride more responsibly. I should not have to subsidize someone else's stupidity.

Thank you all and have a Merry Christmas.

 

We can leave the politics out of it. I think we all know that all politicians, all over the world, don't have a single thought or idea in their head that someone didn't put there.

Pushes for helmet laws, or any law really, start from some well meaning constituent. That was the point of my comment about when it's not a nameless, faceless statistic in a study. When I went to go see my buddy in the hospital, I put my helmet on the table right next to his scarred one.

His family, his mother and wife, FORCED him off riding ever again. The way they came at me for daring to ride to the hospital to see him (hey I didn't have a car at the time ) made me feel guilty for riding. And I ride pretty damn safe. It's the mothers and wives that are the source of the impetus.

On a personal level, I'm all for Darwinism. Let the squids end up on a All You Can Eat sushi buffet. My friends aren't dumb enough to ride without a lid. And if they were, they wouldn't be my friend. Yes, I would end a friendship over riding without a helmet.

 

OK, here comes a free lesson for anyone who still reading this thread..

politicians dont get helmet law idea's from well meaning misguided tax payers. they get these ideas from well funded insurance company lobbyist , which in fact are 60 percent retired politicians, you know the ones who actually were never voted back into office, but know their way around the building. the rest of the lobbyist are lawyers who were retained from their respected business and what they do is wine and dine all the politicians including the one who brought up the mandatory helmet law. the politicians will make promises for money into their campaigns and its just that simple.. i could actually right over ten pages and not even scratch the problems we have in our current system today..
but sorry its hard to leave out the politicians when they are clearly ruining everything we enjoy in this country today.. when i hear about stupid/frivolous laws being made it just makes my blood boil and the problem is most people have no ideaa whats even going on around them and when they complain about it, i'm told lets leave the politicians out of it. sorry thats not going to happen

another thing, someone mentioned Darwinism and other people agreed !! Come on people , its Christmas or at least Christmas week.. at forty years old i have the luxury of remembering of when i was a squid and doing stupid things like wearing a wife beater on my bike, as a matter of fact the last time i did that i paid for it with my pound of flesh left on the pavement while i was being taken to mass general (22 years ago) and guess what? from that experience i've always worn a decent jacket meant for the street. through all my experiences i try and tell my younger friends/acquaintances how painful it is the less prepared you are when riding and continue to beat it into them every time i see them.. as matter of fact i feel its my responsibility to educate,
because i love motorcycling and not just dismiss "them" wishing the worst on someone. every guy was a boy once who for some reason thought they were invincible, but time and experience changes that.. to be mean spirited and wish people would be Darwinian-ed and have to suck through a straw for the rest of their life is actually pretty sick especially to find it here on this forum.. you should be ashamed of yourselves for thinking like that.. but dont worry i'm ashamed for you..
guys who dont wear helmets or jackets or gloves do end up paying for it. some of them do die and some of them feel the pain for the rest of their lives (like myself) and for the ones who meet a quick ending its their families who feel that pain and suffer the most and carry that weight of that loss through the rest of their lives.. everyone who enjoys this activity knows the risk, people can be fully suited up and a freak accident can end it for anyone.. do you wish the worst for them?? seriously i'm so appalled at some of the earlier statements.
every guy or girl i come across on the site i respect as a brother or sister just because they know what its like to ride, how freaking awesome it is.. most people dont really get it and lots of riders dont really get how important it is to get as much protection on as you can, but the more we talk about and the more we educate the better it will be for all of us..and when im in this forum i only want to come across like minded folks. i hope everyone else has a happy holiday..

 

sorry double post for some reason not my fault