The pleasure of riding without a helmet?

[frontiercat]

Here is a photo of a young lady a year after she came off a motorcycle. She was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, but imagine what she might look like if she had not been wearing a helmet.

rockthegear.com

She is very passionate with her 'cause'

 

[Delaware.Dave]

OK, I suspect few of you on this forum do so now, whatever the laws in your jurisdiction. But I bet quite a few of you did in the "old days." Do you in any way miss having your naked head out in the breeze?

Just read on ADV Rider the most recent MC fatality reports by state. (If anyone can transport that document to this site, their is definitely some "food for thought.")

One thing that struck me is that, in states where helmet use is optional, only 50% of riders wore helmuts. (Yeah, how did they obtain that statistic? But let's say it is reasonably accurate, and the compliance rate in states which DO require helmets is something like 86%.)

I just wonder what wonderful experience these helmetless riders get? When I started riding (after taking the MSF course and getting my MC endorsement) I rode for a couple months on a borrowed bike (an ancient single cylinder Honda that was street legal) with a borrowed open face helmet. I used the bike to commute to a playing gig about 15 miles away every day. It was fun until the day the rain fell. At 50 mph that rain in the face HURT.

I bought my first full-face helmet before I bought my first bike, a $1000 Honda CB750. (The rest of my gear consisted of a leather jacket from a thrift store, leather work gloves, jeans, and hiking boots.) Luckily, I never had a crash and they served me well until I decided motorcycling was for me and gradually upgradaded both bikes and garb.

Back to the original question: what is the pleasure of riding without a helmet?

I take it you have never ridden without a helmet? Five minutes of riding without your helmet would answer your question.

After a few years of riding, one sunny, beautiful afternoon, I decided to ride the country roads home without a helmet, just to see what all the fuss was about. The bike didn't have a windshield, but I did have sunglasses on.

I hated it. Within a few miles, the roar of the wind passed my ears was much louder than if I was wearing a helmet. Wind in the hair not withstanding, I put the helmet back on and with curiosity satisfied, I never bothered again.

Now, I have two motorcycles. My "non-BMW" has a full fairing and windshield, so I'm comfortable with a half helmet and protective eyewear. I've also worn a 3/4 and a full-face helmet on the same bike, but I find the full-face vents don't get enough airflow to be effective.

My R1100RT has a low, power windshield that I leave down most of the time. I wear a full face helmet when riding that bike. On very hot days (like this summer) there has been a day or two that I wear my half-helmet with the windshield all the way up. I'd like to strike a balance between protection and comfort.