in 05 I spent a week in shock trama, many broken bones and a fractured skull just below the helmet line in back. Piece of crap novelty helmet but it did the job and it hit the road more than once. They do offer some protection, it's silly to say they offer none.

 

i've been wearing a novelty helmet in a helmet required state for years. MI does hand out tickets for novelty helmets but they have poor luck making them stick in court.

 

[quote=OceanTwo;6832908]Why is a helmet that is not marked as DOT approved considered a 'novelty' helmet? And, why is it considered - why would you consider it - 'unsafe'? Is said helmet less safe now that it was before the government decided it wasn't good enough for their stamp of approval?

Why is it that a Government rating on anything is considered better (in this case 'safe') than something without said rating? (This is the same government entity that would ban motorcycles completely because they are unsafe if it would get some votes).

If the government stamped motorcycles as dangerous and deadly, and banned motorcycles which were not stamped 'Government approved', would you stop riding a motorcycle?

Just a few questions you have to ask yourself; not that the government rating is necessarily a bad thing, but I believe a lot of people put far too much stock in what the government approves as a reasonable safety device.

Just like safety ratings on cars - a 5 star crash rating doesn't necessarily mean it's a safe car, just that under controlled crash conditions, certain forces (and so on) were measured on a dummy. Likewise with the helmet.

I dunno, but it just seems too many people are obsessed with some arbitrary rating.[/quote





DOT may not be "safe" but safer than a novelty.
You can ride with a kids fireman helmet if you want, but I would stick with the DOT. Said DOT is safer than a novelty. Drop a bowling ball on both and you tell me.
What are you thinking?
BTW, Illinois is a no helmet state. My choice is to wear one, MY CHOICE. You do what you want, doesnt bother me either way.

 

To answer the OPs question, yes, I wear a helmet ANYTIME I ride. I made that promise to my kids (one is a rider and a Marine) and to my grandchildren and wife. So, it's a no brainer for me. My son that rides also wants me to wear armor and a full face any time I'm on the bike, he does and wonders why most HD riders are bound and determined to not wear protection. I have never been able to explain it to him, cause I don't understand it either. But, to each his/her own.

 

The news here is reporting 2 riders dead as a result of wearing novelty helmets this week, although I believe one of the riders is still fighting for his life. I expect we will have a crack down on novelty helmets starting real soon here in Southern Nevada.

 

Don't wear one in PA... doorag keeps the sun off my bald head... when it real hot throw some cold water o it and cools ya down. Wear a Skidlid half helmet when reqired in some states DOT sticker fell off but never been stopped. Friend of mine was stopped wearing a novelty helmet in WV.. cop was runnin the other way on the slab and spotted him, no ticket but did give him a warning that they were looking for them non DOT type helmets.

 

No helmet law, I have the ACC non dot half. I wear it every time I get on the bike. It is by far the most comfortable helmet I've ever worn. I've seen plenty of novelty helmets, this is not one of those jokes made in Pakistan. My theory is that being half CF and half Kevlar it's better than nothing. I read the pdf, if I get hit in the head on the freeway by a steel ball with a spike on it I'm a goner.

I share the doubts on government ratings. Those guys could screw up a wet dream.

 

I live in Massachusetts (a helmet state) but I live only 2 miles from the Connecticut border (a non-helmet state).

Weather I'm wearing my novelty or my DOT helmet once I cross into CT I usually just keep it on. Most of the time I don't have a place to secure my helmet if I take it off.


Believe it or not just because there's not a helmet law in CT, plenty of riders wear lids.

From time to time throughout the years I have chosen to not wear my lid while riding in CT or New Hampshire.

My personal belief is that helmet laws suck. I like having the right to choose.

 

As another poster stated, why rag on anyone who wears what they wear? Your as bad as the LEO or City of Myrtle Beach City Counsel. Why can't a person make their own decision without being questioned?

I wear a novelty simply for the weight issue compared to a DOT stickered one. I live in NC where I don't agree with the helmet law.

When I ride in a state where helmet laws are not enforced or no helmet is required, I sometimes wear it and sometimes don't. Sometimes it's just a matter of being used to putting it on.

As far as the DOT goes, they are not in the business of making or certifying helmets. They set a standard and if a helmet manufacturer states their helmet meets that standard they get a sticker and registration number inside the helmet on a tag. Doesn't mean it will save your life, just another beuracratic piece of the pie.

Why not ask why the military wears helmets when it's proven they won't stop anything but shrapnel? Yet they still wear them, and bullets go right through. Choice and enforcement.

 

Weather I'm wearing my novelty or my DOT helmet once I cross into CT I usually just keep it on. Most of the time I don't have a place to secure my helmet if I take it off.

That's why I wear a skid lid when I go into your state, I can just strap it to my leg until I get there.

Believe it or not just because there's not a helmet law in CT, plenty of riders wear lids.

From time to time throughout the years I have chosen to not wear my lid while riding in CT or New Hampshire.

My personal belief is that helmet laws suck. I like having the right to choose. [/quote]

Well said Sir!