Illinois is a no helmet state and when I ride I see mostly H-Ds and a good percentage wear helmets. What I rarely see is the leathered up riders.

 

I'm wondering why you've fixated on this, I've made my stand known and I'm not inclined to chase this rabbit any further I know dead end when I see one.

 

Ding ding ding!

 

Indeed. I guess I posted this to try and reinforce my own decision to wear my full face helmet. Some things have changed since I started this thread. First, I traded my Road Glide for a Heritage Softail back in September, not that it really matters in terms of the helmet discussion. Second, my decision to always wear my full face hasn't worked out well at all. I just can't stand wearing that thing and it has little, if anything to do with my Harley rider image. Which is weird, considering I started riding back in 1976 in a helmet law state (Florida) and never wore anything but a full face helmet. You'd think I would be used to it after all of that but I must be getting claustrophobic in my old age. My preferred head gear (weather permitting) is still a Harley Davidson ball cap turned around backwards, although I do have a new half helmet with a pull down sun visor that I like real well. We'll see how that works out once the weather turns hot again. I still have my nice modular full face helmet. I even switched out the J&M headset for Sena SMH10 since I no longer have the Road Glide so I can listen to tunes from my phone. HATE IT! I no longer like listening to tunes while I ride and I don't want to answer the phone while I ride either so the Sena headset was just a waste of money.

All that to say, I know I should be wearing my full face. There is no doubt it's the safest option. But I don't like it and am willing to take my chances. After all, if my helmet makes me not enjoy the ride, what's the point? Might as well just sell my bike and drive the cage.

 

So... does anyone get a vertigo feeling in a FF?

 

I've ridden with a half helmet for so long I feel claustrophobic in a full face now. I feel disconnected from what'a going on around me too. I feel I lose a lot of my periphery. I know the field of view is good in a FF, but I feel like it robs me of my 6th sense. I usually carry a FF with me on long trips, though, just in case mother nature decides to flex and remind me that she can still be a bad ***.....

 

Seriously?

 

I actually solved that problem without having to resort to the FF. I have a neoprene face mask that, coupled with my half helmet and pull down visor, keeps my head and face nice and dry even riding in a downpour on the interstate. Had to use it just last week in fact.

 

Funny deal I guess. I happen to like helmets. I've gone both ways and simply don't like how I feel riding with a hat. I also wear gloves 100% of the time and without them my hands feel more or less naked. I've got my thoughts on what works and what doesn't when we wreck. A wreck is multifaceted complex event with an exponential number of possible outcomes tied to variabilities. The bottom line is nobody can accurately predict what, if any injuries will occur. Safety gear is simply a matter of a guy believing he can improve his odds of survival and lower his odds of injury. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. Seatbelts are the same way, and people do die in wrecks while wearing seat belts. Nothing is failsafe.


I personally can't fathom how a state can mandate seatbelts and not helmets. That's illogical to me. Personally I don't think either should be mandated and I believe we should be free to choose. However, I do have some problems reconciling who should pay the medical bills for any of us whose injuries would reasonably have been minimized or perhaps prevented by using a helmet or a seatbelt.


I've never thought my decision should be your decision. I looked at things through my own eyes and decided for myself. Whatever the outcome (should I wreck) I decided to do it according to my preferences. That's all any of us can do.

 

Pretty much sums up my feelings about the subject as well.