I live in WI where the helmet law I believe has come and gone a couple times. Currently a helmet is not required. Way back in 1970, WI did require helmets which is probably the only reason I was wearing one when I put my bike down. Were it not the law, at that age I still felt invincible and likely would not have been wearing my helmet. When I woke up in the hospital I had my share of road rash but actually I was in pretty good shape. When I saw the deep gouges in my ¾ helmet and my broken face shield I was convinced that I would not be here to tell you this story if I wasn’t wearing a helmet. I’m happy to say I don’t need a law to make me a believer. I don’t have a full face currently but will likely have one by the time my bike comes out of storage in the spring.

 

Me too. I used to enjoy riding with the visor open though, until I ended up with a black eye from a bumble bee at high speed, and a cut on the cheek from a rock kicked up off my buddy's back tire. Now I've come to realize I'm just too pretty to have my face ruined.

 

When you get hit, by one of these at 70 mph, post the welt on you face here !

 

I don't ever carry my helmet unless I'm parked for the night. It's a pain and the posers on sportbikes that do it look hilarious.

I have used helmet locks, but on this bike I carry a cable and lock and just wrap it around the chin guard(s) and to whatever part of the bike is handy. I don't give it second thought after that.

 

I had a light weight non riding jacket on. I was only wearing it because it was a cool evening. The jacket did tear, but maybe the main reason so little road rash was it was a short slide. Just the width of one lane before coming to a stop half my body on the street the other half on top of the curb into the grass. My jeans didn't even rip. A bystander estimated I was going 20-30 mph when I went down.

I would have been wearing more gear, but it isn't easy finding protective gear for a short fat guy. Still I will be getting a leather jacket before I get back on the bike.

 

From what I have seen most real Harley riders wear and do what ever they want.
And rarely care much about others opinion

 

Ok guys and gals, all these posts on how helmets have saved their face or stopped brain stains on the tarmac are getting boring. I want to hear about some first hand accounts from the rider themself how a 40-60 mph spill was like without a helmet. The helmet saved me posts are getting a little over board.

And to those who have been on a bike since 54 and never wore a helmet in their life, good on you. Tells everyone them kinda riders dont go much farther than half their bikes range so they can gas up at the same pump for the last 12 years and 10,000 miles. Lets hear from the riders who face planted at 55 without a helmet. Them are the first hand stories I need to hear.

Till then I will never be a real Harley rider, and damn proud of it.

 

There's some pretty horrendous photos on Google ... and I don't even have the stomach to look at whatever "bestgore.com" is. One of the most shocking I saw many years ago was a biker, fully conscious and sitting up having his photo taken, who had lost his entire bottom jaw in an accident. Completely gone. His tongue was just flopping down.

I kind of think they ought to include a slideshow of the likes during all driving or riding training.

Not so long ago I found this diagram (below) which made me think. It's from a study of head impacts to motorcyclists. Note the proportion to the jaw area. I've also been taken to the hospice where a friend of friend now lives with brain damage having had a spill at not much speed with one of those 'beany' helmets. The guy was gone and never coming back. Not a vegetable but really retarded needing constant care and medication and given to rages.

I've never had an accident wearing a open-face helmet although I do wear them sometimes and, over all, I've hurt myself more falling off a bicycle than a motorcycle ... again landing on my chin (which would not have saved by a helmet). That includes falling off around 80mph with a full face.

I remember during that being face down and opening my eyes and seeing the road go by like the surface of an angle grinder. And closed them again. It felt like falling down a cliff face. Having skinned more than a few knees in my time, I can imagine the mess it would have made.

At the time I bought into the concept that there was a pay off between the weight of a full face causing neck injury and head damages but I don't think that's so true these days.

I have to say this though, being young and physically fit helps when it comes to avoid much of pain of accidents. I'm glad I got my crazy days out of the way when I was still a kid, just coming out of sports and used to falling, rolling and being hurt ... because if I fell now, I'd sure would react so well and feel it more.

Although I have no imperial evidence to support this, human skeletons are all pretty much the same size and I'd much rather fall on my head weighing 140 lbs than 200 lbs ... I'm sure a lot of damage happens because folks are out of shape, older now, and land badly.

 

When it's below 40 degrees, it's all about riding and not freezing your face off. If you ride year round in colder climates you got to wear one sometimes.

 

There may be a good reason those riders don't post, possibly several reasons.

Maybe:
They all died from the impact.
They don't ride anymore and never read a motorcycle forum.
They don't wear helmets and don't read helmet threads.
They received a head injury and aren't able to respond to a forum.

It would be interesting to know why there are no first hand accounts of the incidents you mentioned. I'm sure there were/are many such incidents.