To wear or not to wear? That is my dilemma. For years, early teens to 30ish, I absolutely refused to wear a helmet, i think mostly out of feeling invincible. I can be quoted on this very forum that I would move to another state if TX mandated helmets. But I have to be honest now, since joining this forum a couple months back, I have been reading a lot, almost daily. Some threads open my eyes, others I brush off. The past couple weeks I've been pondering quite a bit on the repercussions of not wearing. In fact, I probably haven't put 10 miles on my bike in that time. I feel as though I don't want to ride until I work it out in my mind. I am terrified of something happening (death) to me or worse, to my wife and I while riding. How will my children get by? Where will the state place them? Etc, etc. On the other-hand, I love riding with no helmet, with the wind and all. I never gave it a second thought. I realize how incredibly important helmets are, but they defeat the purpose of why I ride. A strange perdicament indeed. I don't think I'm looking for advice as much as i just want to express in words whats bouncing around in my head. We'll see, maybe I should just get a dune buggy, lol!

 

Just a matter of getting used to it. You've already decided you should. Nothing wrong with that!

 

I am against helmets laws and do not like Government workers telling the owners of their State what to or what not to wear! Minors wearing helmets...Yes. But once you reach the age where the government starts taking money from you to fund their agenda...all bets are off.

Having said that, my wife and I always wear a helmet as does anyone else who gets on my bike. In my state I don't have a choice but even when I am in other states where I don't have to, we still wear helmets.

Hey, riding a bike has an element of danger that I cant control but there are some things that I can control. I always wear long pants, boots, and a helmet.

My sister in law was walking out of a restaurant and got dizzy and passed out. She just fell straight back. It almost killed her and gave her a horrible concussion that she is still recovering from. She only fell from standing. I know the helmet isn't going to stop a fender from killing me at 70mph but sometimes it doesn't have to. Kind of like wearing a seat belt on a plane....

JMHO... everyone has to decide for themselves.

 

I agree. I think wearing a helmet on a motorcycle is the smartest thing you can do other than getting to motorcycle . If it was me, you asking yourself what would happen to your kids if something happens to you while riding without a helmet would be the only reason I would need to start wearing a helmet.

 

Well, you could decide not ride at all if you have to wear a helmet, or you could continue to ride and wear a helmet. Which one do you prefer?

I've always lived in a mandatory helmet state so it just feels strange when I don't wear one. Two years ago I bought a full face just for cold weather. I now wear it almost exclusively. Besides feeling safer it also allows me to leave the windshield on the shelf in the garage. So, I wear the helmet and I don't wear the windshield.

I've seen too many trashed helmets owned by people who had no head injuries so I'll wear mine and keep riding. And... you've never seen what my hair looks like after riding without a helmet.

 

Personal decision. I work in health care and I see death with a helmet as well with no helmet. Same with being alive but brain dead for both.
Just read the threads and you will have rabid proponents for both.
For me sometimes a wear a full face, sometimes no helmet and I just bought an Akoury.
I believe the guy above already has it figured out for me. Don't take me wrong I do not take any more risk than I feel comfortable with,
But I could just as easily end up a quad or dead with either choice. YMMV
No one can answer your question but you

 

Once you get used to a helmet (and I mean, at least two full seasons of riding) it will be like your favorite sunglasses: Your brain will edit it out of your perception and it vanishes on you. You won't even notice it.

Lots of guys try a helmet for a week and then talk about how they don't like them, but no one likes a helmet in the first week. You have to adjust.

I went down, my helmet took a MAJOR HIT. HARD. I would have probably had a broken jaw and maybe even brain damage, the impact was all across the side, right where my jaw and temple are.

Food for thought, give yourself 1-2 full seasons with a lid and then decide if you want to keep it or not...but you owe it to yourself to give it a real shot IMVHO.

 

Once you get used to it you most likely wouldn't notice it. I would still use mine even if it wasn't the law in Virginia. A few weeks ago in South Carolina I stuffed mine in the bag for the ride up to the speedway. I didn't really enjoy the ride any more with out it. I still think helmet laws are BS. It should be up to the rider.

 

Funny the little things in your life that a kid or 2 changes and how fast isn't it ? . Rode for years without one , fought the laws big time when they forced them on me by wearing as little as I could get away with and not always legally . Now with at least 2 or 3 bike wrecks on the news daily around here and more ignorant cagers than you can cuss at I'm considering stepping into a 3/4 helmet . It isn't a thing when you decide it's for the right reasons .

 

I live in SC and have a choice. I choose to wear one now. I rode for years without one. Just this weekend another motorcycle/truck collision here. The motorcycle driver had on a helmet and survived a head on collision with the truck, with injuries. A young, female, teenage passenger on the bike wasn't so lucky, she died on the scene from head injuries. She was not wearing a helmet. I hear this repeated almost monthly during the warm months. Sometimes weekly. At this point in my life I prefer to not become just another statistic. Stay safe!
CJ