Resisting Temptation

TDQ. I used to live in Nashua, NH. NH; where there is a no-helmet law. I used to cringe at the guys who'd pull over the second they got into NH from Mass and take their helmets off on the side of RT 3. I never understood that.

theDQG said:

But if you somehow survived, you are going to bankrupt yourself, your family, and more. Health insurance, being as awful as it is in this country, will fight you every inch of the way and eventually stop giving you coverage.

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Insurance was always my issue with the law. I always thought it was a shame that me and some other guy were both paying the same insurance rates, when I know we could both get in the same crash, I'd likely walk away in my boots, jeans, jacket, gloves and helmet costing the insurance a few thousand for a motorcycle, and he'd get sent to the hospital to deal with anything from rashed up skin to a brain injury, costing the insurance company $5k-$200k. Not that I'm worried about the insurance company, but clearly he's getting more of a return on his dollar. On top of that I'd probably STILL have to pay out of pocket to replace most of my riding gear. The insurance companies obviously can't keep track of who is wearing a helmet every time they ride, who's doing wheelies down the highway, and who is dragging footpegs around corners, so there's not a whole lot you can do to make sure people are paying based on the risks they're taking.

Mackels said:

TDQ. I used to live in Nashua, NH. NH; where there is a no-helmet law. I used to cringe at the guys who'd pull over the second they got into NH from Mass and take their helmets off on the side of RT 3. I never understood that.

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When doctors are searching for a hospital to find organ donors, I guess NH is at the top of the list.

I sit across from a lady at work who rides on the back of her husbands bike. They don't wear helmets, but do own some. They were taking a trip to the beach which involved riding through a few states, some with mandatory helmet laws. She was talking about packing the luggage and mentioned something about having to take helmets but not being sure where they could keep them....

I had to give her the look, and tell her I knew somewhere they'd be able to keep them...

upthemaiden said:

I had to give her the look, and tell her I knew somewhere they'd be able to keep them...

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I'm working on this "problem", how about a heads-up as to where them could secure those helmets?

upthemaiden said:

I think equating all lane splitting to someone who's trying to pass cars between lanes while going 50mph around a turn shortly after tailgating a car, all in a state where lane splitting isn't legal and cares are not used to it, is just a bad comparison. California has insane traffic on multilane highways, which as I understand it, used to cause problems with air cooled bikes overheating, and was the reason for letting bikes slowly filter their way through slow moving traffic.

I live in Pennsylvania, where it's also not legal, and I have never done it. Having said that, I've never understood why people are so bothered by it. I assume they've seen too many sportbikes going 100mph down the highway weaving between cars and assume it's the same thing. Same people who get mad at bicycles who don't wait in traffic downtown, people just irritated when they see someone moving faster than they are.

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upthemaiden said:

I think equating all lane splitting to someone who's trying to pass cars between lanes while going 50mph around a turn shortly after tailgating a car, all in a state where lane splitting isn't legal and cares are not used to it, is just a bad comparison. California has insane traffic on multilane highways, which as I understand it, used to cause problems with air cooled bikes overheating, and was the reason for letting bikes slowly filter their way through slow moving traffic.

I live in Pennsylvania, where it's also not legal, and I have never done it. Having said that, I've never understood why people are so bothered by it. I assume they've seen too many sportbikes going 100mph down the highway weaving between cars and assume it's the same thing. Same people who get mad at bicycles who don't wait in traffic downtown, people just irritated when they see someone moving faster than they are.

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...As to why it bothers people it's hard to say. It could be they just had a bad day at work, or they are just tired of so called "bikers" acting (and riding Like idiots). A lot of it I feel just comes from somewhere in between. I don't do any lane splitting. It's not legal here in IL, but if it was I wouldn't do it. Although there is a time and place for everything. My lady and I, while on a ride to a NASCAR race over heated in the fast lane and stalled out. Two hours later it cooled enough to start. Needless to say we didn't make it to the race. Now, if I lived in the Bay Area or the "Sac" I would probably reconsider, I don't know. IDE venter to say I would do as I do now...Backroads.

kshansen said:

I'm working on this "problem", how about a heads-up as to where them could secure those helmets?

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Actually, I have two suggestions where they could stow them:
- in the place where they are normally intended to go;
- in a place where they are not normally intended to go.

I had two chances today to pass traffic out of lane today, only after this thread would the idea have even entered my head. One time was at a school entrance where cars were lined up to enter the school drive, cars were driving on the shoulder to pass this line. This was after school when the police are always watching this area. I could have pulled in behind these cars and passed on the shoulder too, I didn't. I was leaving a high school football game, I could have passed the long line of exiting cars on either side, I didn't. Any other time I wouldn't have even thought of leaving the single lane to pass traffic.

Scott

It seems to me that a key factor in "modern" times motorcycle safety is the cell phone. In Ontario (I think across Canada) and in many US states, it is illegal to even use a cell phone while driving UNLESS it is a hands-free set-up. I will admit to doing this myself - and I think I am safe while doing it but I will also state that I am even more vigilant than normal while doing so and I always pull over to initiate a call.

Back when I was in my previous riding "career" between about 1974 and 1990, there were no cell phones and so people had nothing else to do in their cars except look out the windows, blab with the people who were in the car with them, maybe listen to some tunes and drive the f@cking thing. Nowadays, they can yak with their girl(or boy) friends, book a hotel room, mess with their music playlists, watch a video, arrange dinner plans, blather in a telecon meeting while rifling through their notes, or tweet about running out of toilet paper in the bathroom that morning.

Its no damned wonder that vehicle crashes per mile driven haven't gone down - despite better tires, brakes, steering, lighting, vehicle and road design.

So many people are simply NOT paying attention while driving these days and that is just one of the many reasons why riding practices such as lane splitting and NOT riding ATGATT are, in today's world, dumb (IMHO).

MaxPete said:

Actually, I have two suggestions where they could stow them:
- in the place where they are normally intended to go;
- in a place where they are not normally intended to go.

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Haha. Love it

Think way back to the 1970's I got my honda 50cc sport and a brand new gold metal flake helmet from K-Mart ..I checked and made sure it was approved by california CHP and it was.... I never got on that bike without it on.... even on the ranch it's part of the bike as far as I'm concerned
I have sense then ridden without a helmet.... I forgot it one time. DUH ! but the experience was a bad one.... the wind was so loud and harsh
that I didn't want to go any faster than 50mph.... but I went ahead and pressed it to my usual 70mph crusing speed anyway.....
having no sunglasses and going at that speed is stupid ! ...just plane dumb as dirt..... one tiny bug can put your eye out ! not to mention rocks and sand kicked up by the tires of the car ahead of you. I stopped turned around and went back the 10 to 12 miles to get my helmet...
i figured being late was better than being blind ! man was I glad to have my helmet back on it was quieter and the face shield on it meant I could see again.....
I will not ride even in the dirt without some sort of eye protection..... a Helmet is a part of a motorcycle it's not optional
but I HATE helmet laws ! there are too many laws out there as it is we don't need more ! if someone wants to ride without one it's up to him
I certainly won't.... but he can .... I Found a harley helmet as I call it one of those useless half helmets that are shaped like a german ww2 helmet
it's as good as no helmet no ear coverage and only good to keep the CHP's off your back you must have sunglasses with it as there are no provisions for any sort of face shield.
as far as lane splitting goes, I've done it a few times but only under duress... I do not make a habit of it and do not think it's safe to do
with the idiot drivers out there on today's highway your just as likely to get some jerk that pinches you off because your going faster than he is
and where does that leave you to go then ? defencive driving is for YOUR own good not someone else's.... and if you put yourself in a extremely vulnerable position by lane splitting well... good luck because your luck will run out.
.....
Bob.....

that Gold metalflake helmet was one of the First home made full face helmets on the road back then ..I made a Jaw out of 1/8" thick aluminum plate and bolted it to the helmet with 1/4" bolts ! trimmed the face shield to fit and wore it like that for decades....
I checked the expiration date on the helmet ( every helmet has one) and discovered it had expired almost 10 years ago so I decided to retire it
.... which I did.... I got a helmet that was full face and still have it and still use it as my regular helmet although it's probably expired now too
I had a newer helmet that had the full face feature but could swing up when I wanted to talk or eat something without having to take the thing off.... I loved that helmet...but it burnt up in the ranch fire a few years back.... but I want to get another just like it it worked real good
but it was near impossible to find lenses for it ( they don't call them face shields any more ! LOL
.....
Bob......

I remember Jay Leno was on The Today Show with a motorcycle. He rode onto the set with his open faced helmet unstrapped and no eye protection.

Scott

Yup - I saw that and was disappointed that he set such a poor example.

I guess it's easy to say "who cares? - he just a show biz guy", but a lot of weak-minded folks try emulate people like him and that was an unworthy move on his part, because I'm certain he knows better. He didn't look cool - he looked foolish and immature.

that goes for anyone trying to Look cool Pete... they always look foolish and immature ! LOL
......
Bob......

How much of that was a stations doing up...........Surely Leno didn't ride straight into the studio off the street like that............purely speculation here.........Maybe he was going to ride onto the set without a helmet and the stage manager, or director, made him sit the hat on his head as a prop and didn't wait or care for the strap to be done up before the presentation.........

Devils advocate maybe.......but.......things aren't always what they seem, but seem to be what we want them to be

650Skull said:

How much of that was a stations doing up...........Surely Leno didn't ride straight into the studio off the street like that............purely speculation here.........Maybe he was going to ride onto the set without a helmet and the stage manager, or director, made him sit the hat on his head as a prop and didn't wait or care for the strap to be done up before the presentation.........

Devils advocate maybe.......but.......things aren't always what they seem, but seem to be what we want them to be

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I agree Skull - but he's a big boy and savvy enough to know that people watch his every move.

He easily could have told the studio people that he was NOT going to filmed riding without a properly fastened helmet, boots and gloves - and there is no way they would have over-ruled him.

I said "set", but it was actually on the street. The cameras were on him riding up to the outside of their studio. Yeah, he was actually riding on the street with other traffic for a while with an unfastened helmet and no eye protection. Remember the show CHIPS? Those guys had Velcro or magnets on their helmet straps so they could "virtually" fasten and unfasten their helmets quickly with no fussing. No big deal, most of the scenes the bikes were strapped on trailers while they were being filmed sitting on the bikes.

Scott

Lane splitting is not legal in Maine, as far as I know. Not really an issue out here in the puckerbrush anyway.

I sure as hell wouldn't do it in moving traffic under any circumstances. I have snuck up the side to get to a right turn lane if traffic is really backed up at a light, but that's about the extent of my bravery.

MaxPete said:

It seems to me that a key factor in "modern" times motorcycle safety is the cell phone.

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I keep hearing distracted driving is more dangerous than drunk driving, but I've yet to hear of any driver suffering legal consequences of driving distracted.