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Motorcycle Helmet Survey

Minor crash 2002

Right AFTER sunset...when my modulating headlight went steady....I had a kid on a rice rocket come RIGHT at me......on MY side of a double yellow, secondary road...I could tell it was a motorcycle early on, but NEVER thought he was on my side of the road...

As he got REAL close I realized what was happening, flicked a little (not enough) to the left...crossing the double yellow..onto his legal side of the road. I was able to get my speed down from about 50 to 15.......he clipped the right side of my beloved "Igor" at about 60-70......

The side glance popped the bike on its left side...I slid about 25 feet.....no real LOC...could see the bike sliding on road for about 100'.

Helmet: a 4 year old Shoei X-9....minor scrapes on left side.....his insurance (Progressive) paid for ALL damage to the RS AND bought me a new X-11 Shoei!!!

Thinking about this now.....I never felt that threatened because I could tell it was a motorcyle turning on to the road.......certainly he wouldn't proceed on my side of the road......NOT!!!! Alcohol & some smoke clouded his judgement....yes the Honda was totaled...he had serious injuries...my ATGATT had minor scapes...was at work 20' later, and in the air flying to a crash scene in 30'!!!

Moral: if the sight picture doesn't look right at first....it ain't gonna get better later:thumb
 
No on-road crashes so far.

I hit my head on a telephone pole when I was a kid doing timed laps (on a Honda 50) with my brother. No helmet. I got a lump on my head. My Dad came out and made me ride one more lap before I could go in the house. He also bought me a helmet after that.

A couple of mountain bike crashes on slickrock bicycle trail, but didn't hit my head. I was wearing a Bell helmet.

A year an a half ago I unintentionally went airborne after riding over a pretty big rock on my little 250 dualsport. I didn't stick the landing and flew off the bike. I landed on my left knee and then the left side of my head. I was wearing a Troy Lee Designs dirt helmet that is DOT and Snell approved. There were a couple of pits in the shell of the helmet. It was replaced.
 
Current helmet

I have two helmets a middle line Scorpion my first ,fits good wind noise average, visability v.g. tends to fog when rainey good price good product. I bought an Arai Profile on sale great fit on my cheeks, wind noise average,if you like a tight fit you can change the pads every year if you ride alot, for about $40 there are some v.g. helmets out there with both rating`s and very low priced check, how your head can move and for comfort!
 
I have been down more than once and only one of those instances did the helmet take any real damage. It was only some moderate scratches but I replaced it anyhow.

The one significant crash I had did not cause any damage at all other than small paint scratches from when I turned my head while laying on pavement. It was the department issued 3/4 shell helmet.

I have seen multiple motorcycle collisions in my career. As a result of that experience I wear a full face flip up style. There are two reasons for that. I want the chin and face protection. I also want a helmet that the EMS folks can remove without having to really tug on or move my head significantly so as to minimize any further injury.
 
For those who have been in a motorcycle accident, what helmet were you
wearing and how well did it perform. After the accident, did you buy another
of the same make and model or did you purchase a different model and why?

Don't know if you're still collecting stories, but I did an endo through the windshield of my Guzzi (after hitting a drainage swale) two summers ago. I landed on my head and left shoulder. I was wearing an HJC AC12. I broke three ribs and my shoulder was sore, but no concussion, no head damage (that I can tell!?). I would have replaced the AC12 in a heartbeat, but HJC didn't make them anymore. I bought an FS15 (which isn't nearly as comfortable).

Aaron
 
Two impacts since 1977:

1980 -- Fresh out of college, made a classic inexperienced rider mistake. 1980 Yamaha 850 triple, running at a brisk clip on a moderately twisty stretch, and violated a cardinal rule: entered a turn I was not familiar with too hot. I applied brake to scrub off speed, and I didn't have the experience to expect/counter the bike's *strong* tendency to stand up and run straight off into the ditch at probably ~35 mph.

Interesting memories still with me include tumbling backwards down the length of the ditch like a rolling wheel for 2-3 revolutions, and looking to the side and watching a full dress XS850G with Windjammer SS and bags tumbling end-over-end about 4 feet to my side in near-perfect synchronous motion, at least until a large rock face decided to arrest my forward momentum in a moderately dramatic fashion while the bike continued on its merry spinning/flipping way.

Gear: Even back then I was beginning to "get it" about ATGATT: good jacket, boots, gloves, only jeans, and an Arai full face. The Arai had numerous hits and abrasions, but by far the most interesting/instructive was the asphalt-induced array of deep gouges and scratches across the entire front of the helmet and windshield. I'm ugly enough in my natural state -- an open face would have been, um, not a pretty picture.

The rest of the gear performed perfectly. A walk-away with only a bit of soreness in the ribs (my tumbling halted when my back impacted flat against a flat surface -- a lucky hit that spread the impact force over a wide area). Lesson learned: Always buy/install spine protector in jacket -- got lucky once, won't count on just being lucky again.

Second impact in 2006: No challenge to helmet/protective gear. Tourist in DC made a sudden *leap* sideways from the #1 lane across four lanes of traffic to make a side street, causing mass panic/slamming of brakes. Of course, this happens at the instant I'm doing a head check in the other direction before making a lane change. Head comes back around just in time to slam on the LT's brakes as the front wheel is ~2 feet from an Explorer's bumper. Snapped both fork castings; bend the Telelever. Bike stopped upright, no involvement of Nolan or one-piece Roadcrafter.

(The ironic part in all this? After the stop -- after all the excitement is over -- I start to get ready to put the sidestand down, placing my left foot on the ground to support the bikes weight -- and *then* my left ACL decides its a good a time as any to let go! Did my own Arty Johnson at zero speed right there in the middle of Constitution Ave. In hindsight, it was probably a good thing the ACL snapped -- I was so pissed at the A#$@#! that did that *STUNNINGLY* stupid maneuver, I *know* that I would have been successful in chasing that scumbag down on foot :mad)

Current helmet: Schuberth Concept 3, after retiring a Concept 1. Hoping no testing events are scheduled for me.
 
Trying to remember the details since I just got back into riding(now with protective gear).
OK about 27 years ago was rounding one of my favorate curves when I noticed mud tracks on the road in front of me (some jeep must have been off roading were there was no road):banghead,got it down to 35 before bike left me on my own.People on a bench nearby said they saw me fly up with tucked rotation,bounce once and then slide to stop.I was wearing shorts,a tank top and 3/4 Aria helmet.Helmet had top nearly sanded down to padding,and slight scuffing on my palms.Got up ,got on bike, and fans helped me push start bike(kick starter torn off).No broken bones,and felt great.
Forward to that night at Colts game...stood up to cheer team on....OUCH!!!!
 
Just over two weeks ago (Aug. 8) I had a crash (see thread in Just Ridin' for details). I was wearing a Scorpion EXO 700 that had been purchased just three months earlier. The helmet did contact something, as it has an abraded paintless spot near the right temple, but I'm not sure what it touched as I fell to the left and all the tumbling was over in the blink of an eye. No head or spinal injuries, as confirmed by all the X-rays and CT's they did at the ER.
 
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A full face Shoei X-8 saved me from certain facial reconstruction. In 1997, I was turning right onto a side street in DC. A nice lady in a car decided to pass me on the right as I was in the turn. My '95 R1100GS was totaled with a broken swingarm and punched-in gas tank. I landed on my head and chest. I had a mild concussion but no broken bones. Helmet has an abrasion from the top of it to the bottom of the chinbar. I keep it as a reminder to always wear a helmet.

I also ride mountain bikes and have totaled several in the last five years. I would rather replace an $80 piece of foam and plastic than go through rehab. I feel the same way about motorcycle helmets. I wear a Shoei RF1000 now. Next year it will be time for a new one.
 
Mid 90s Newfoundland. I was trail riding my GS/PD. Came upon the top ledge of sand pit/garbage dump. As I manouvered to ride along the edge, I lost my balance and tumbled 10ft down, hitting my head on the edge of a 45gal drum. If I had not been wearing a helmet, I would be dead. :violin
It was a Shoei...I do not remember what model. I purchased my fifth Shoei last week.
 
I believe in luck and good reflexes- no other possible explanation for how I survived my first few thousand miles in the 60s without an accident and without getting hurt with no helmet, no real training and all those old ladies trying to kill me- or so I thought until "act you're invisible" sunk in.THat was way before helmet laws or even special mc licenses.

Got my first, a Bell 1/2 helmet in the early 60s. Went flying off dirt bikes racing friends many times- vivid memories of ground sliding by at eye level still but never more than a bruise.

Got really convinced that helmets were "cool" while watching a TT at a long defunct Edgewater MD track- saw a racer split an early Bell Star when he hit a tree-from the noise I expected a corpse and when he stood up I was so astonished I knew I would never ride without one.

Never a street accident on an mc though hit (gently because I saw her coming and was able to pop the clutch and get moving) once at a light in my car by a distracted gal with a Pinto who got by far the worst of it. Around 1976 IIRC.

I teach on tracks(cars) andhave seen full face helmet chinbars shattered in accident in which the driver sustained no head injury.

My choice for the bike- Shoei RF1000 or 1100. Also own Bell and other brands for car use (and a HANS device) - total of about 5 helmets in the working inventory at any moment. Even got an HJC 3/4 for autocross play.

My MC taught me defensive driving (and I was lucky as hell to get through the first few thou unscathed). My track time and acquired vision skills honed my talents re time/motion judgement. Street stuff, even 80-100 mph, looks slow motion to me because my brain is trained to work with visual info at much higher speeds. I hope there's enough reserve there that as age (I'm 64 now) diminishes my reflexes, that extra margin developed through lots of exposure continues to keep me out of accidents. I also don't push the limits on bikes like I can easily still do on cars having recognized that aging bones heal slowly and my years for motocross and knee draggin are over....
 
Mid 90s Newfoundland. I was trail riding my GS/PD. Came upon the top ledge of sand pit/garbage dump. As I manouvered to ride along the edge, I lost my balance and tumbled 10ft down, hitting my head on the edge of a 45gal drum. If I had not been wearing a helmet, I would be dead. :violin
It was a Shoei...I do not remember what model. I purchased my fifth Shoei last week.

Is that Montreals version of Dumpster Diving...Sorry could not help myself:banghead
Glad U came away unscaved.
 
1978- Cheap, JC Whitney 3/4 helmet.
An 80,000lb dump truck pulling flatbed trailer with a bulldozer on it made left turn from my right shoulder across my lane. I locked the brakes on my 1976 Honda CB550 and stayed upright. I struck the dump truck body behind the truck's driver's door, right side of my helmeted head smacked the truck body. Momentum of truck dragged me/sent me left across the oncoming lane, still abouard the bike, and through someone's white picket fence and into their yard. I was completely uninjured but couldn't stop shaking for it seemed a 1/2 hour. That was in my unenlightened younger days and I kept wearing that helmet with the huge scrape in the side as a kind of badge of honor. If that was today, I'd have chucked the helmet immediately.
 
Arai

1982 Arai full face. Crossed diagonal rail road tracks right after a light shower. Rear tire on the /5 went out from under me and before I knew it I was flat on my back and dazed.

Cracked the back of my head on the pavement, the Arai had a egg shell crack look where it hit. On reflection I had a concussion. Picked up the bike and rode the rest of the way in to work.

Didn't replace the helmet, didn't know any better at the time.
 
Open Face

Not my personal experience, but...

I was at Cecil Field, FL in the 70's and was using an open face helmet with snap-on visor. One of our sailors was returning to the barracks one night wearing an open face helmet when he dropped his front wheel into an open manhole in the street. Workers had failed to replace the cover when they finished their work. The poor kid's nose was ground nearly completely off! He needed lots of plastic surgery to get back to close to normal. On hearing of the accident, my Dear Sweet Wife went out and bought me a beautiful Porsche Design by Romer full face helmet. All black with a visor that retracts into the shell. I still have it, although it has aged out. Still have DSW, too (she hasn't aged out - just keeps getting better!), and we wear DOT and Snell-rated Bell full-face helmets. Over the years I have been down twice - once on an oil spot while cornering and once from being rear-ended and pushed into car ahead while stopped in traffic. Neither caused my head to hit anything.

George T'man
Old Navy Jet Jock
 
This past Spring, after dismounting the bike and removing my helmet to chat with the group, I sat on a curb to rest. Looking at the bottle of water on my bike thinking, "I need some liquid", I went to get up and lost my footing, stumbled backwards and landed on my back (in full gear except for my Arai), and bounced my head on the pavement. I was fine except for the concussion. Go figure!

:dunno
 
helmet

High-sided on pavement at 70mph and hit head first, then shoulder. I was wearing a Shoei RF800. I rolled, bounced, slid and did head-over-heels. No concussion, helmet interact (but discarded) and now am on my fourth Shoei,an RF1000. I don't know that Shoe is any better than other good helmets, just know it worked for me.
 
Years ago I was riding my R100RT south down two-lane Mission Road, south of Tucson, at about 50 MPH when a hot-tar roofer was driving north, pulling a trailer with his hot-tar machine on it. The left wheel came off his trailer and right into the left side of my R100RT. I had no time to react. If I was not riding a boxer BMW with a cylinder sticking out on the left side, my leg would have been mashed; the cylinder took the brunt of the damage. I was thrown off the bike and rolled down the roadway like a log. The bike was totaled. I was wearing full leathers, a Bell Star XL full-face helmet, and wound up with a broken right wrist. I was picked up by an ambulance and taken to St. Joseph's Hospital ER.

At the hospital an orthopedic surgeon came in to look me over. He was from Chicago and looked and sounded just like John Belushi. He hung my damaged arm from a contraption and proceeded to move my broken bones into some kind of alignment. He then put me in a cast up past my elbow. Jill and I then flew home to Wisconsin. When I got home, my orthopedic surgeon checked me over and said "Dr. Belushi" did so well nothing else was needed.

I was wearing the Bell Star XL because at that time there was no other helmet on the market that would fit my size 8-1/4 (XXXL) head. It saved my head as I had no concussion. I used that helmet for several years for show-and-tell sessions in my MSF classes.

Today I have found HJC and Shoei helmets that fit my fat head. That is good because Bell no longer makes XXXL helmets.


Also:

Ask 1.5 million-mile BMW rider Dave Swisher, of Bowling Green, Virginia. That's his helmet after he suffered a crash in West Virginia. Dave came out of it just fineÔÇöthanks to his full-face helmet. No facial reconstruction was needed. In fact, because Dave was wearing full gear, he was able to ride home!

swisherhelmet1.jpg


http://www.bmwdean.com/swisher.htm
 
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