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Helmets, Even On A Scooter

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If you should wear them on a bicycle, then why not a scooter?

Also, remember, that example in the video is not the designed purpose of a helmet or what is tested for in ratings. It's the impact of falling off the bike and hitting the street, which happens with the same force no matter your speed, even standing still. Anything extra that a helmet does for you is bonus and wasn't in the original design.
 
gixxerjasen said:
If you should wear them on a bicycle, then why not a scooter?
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I fell off my bicycle going 15mph a few years back and wasn't strong enough to keep my head from hitting the ground. Thankfully I had a helmet on then when my head hit the ground.

That drove home (no pun intended) that I need to have a helmet on every time I'm on two wheels at any speed.
 
Had a vest wearing cruiser rider giving me guff about wearing gear. He then went on to tell me he could protect his head in a crash. I just looked at him speachless and wondered if his butt ever gets jealous of the crap that comes out his mouth.
 
I fell over in my driveway with a full face Arai Defiant helmet on. Neglected to get my foot down and smacked my head. I was unconscious for 15 min or so. Pretty nasty concussion. Without helmet it could have killed me. Helmets good all the time. Happened in September 2015.
 
I'm a big believer in helmets, I've hit my head hard twice while wearing one.

I was riding my first bike, a Honda SL-100, through our walk gate when the bike slipped and I cracked my head on the gate post. The helmet wasn't even strapped on, the bike had been sitting in front of the house with the helmet sitting on the mirror. I had it on more as a convenient way to carry it than to provide any protection. Lesson leared.

The second time was more recent, I dumped my Gold Wing at walking speed in 2009. It was raining and I slipped on one of those big metal drainage grates that sometimes go across a bridge or road The bike went down and spun around on its side because I was still hanging on to the throttle grip. I don't know how many times I went around, but I was laying on my back hanging on. The back of the helmet was scraped in several different places.
 
Do people really think having an accident on a scooter at 40 mph is somehow less traumatic than an accident on a motorcycle at the same speed? Same safety concerns apply.
 
I went snowboarding with my brother in law and I insisted on us renting helmets. He complained but gave in. We were down the mountain and he hit a small patch of ice coming toward the lift line and went down backwards hitting his head. He stood up, shook his head, told me that hurt like **** and thanked me for making him get a helmet.
 
Sure, why not... a helmet thread. Here is my best story. Imagine Molas Pass, between Durango, CO and Silverton. It is February, lots of snow, very cold. I am riding our Ski-Doo TNT 775: a brute of a 2-stroke twin, extremely fast for time. Bouncing around off main trails at about 40 mph. Bang I am tumbling end over end. My head gets caught between sled bars and the snow. But... I was wearing my Bell Star full face helmet. Sled had caught a ski tip on a hidden fence post under the snow. Not a huge amount of damage, I was 17 and tough. But when I took off my helmet, it was kind of sticky, and I realized the chin piece and part of right side had been crushed. Helmet saved my life. So there you go.
 
Take a watermelon about the same size of your head, raise it up to about the same height as your head, then let it free fall onto the ground and see what happens. That's what would happen to your head, if just fall sideways with your bike standing absolutely still.

A person can die from brain injury caused by a 5-6ft fall. Now add forward speed on top of that.
 
My favorite helmet story wasn't from me. I remember in around 1978 when Johnny Rutherford flipped his car at Indy and slid a couple of hundred yards upside down. A few days later, he was a guest on the Tonight Show. When Carson asked him about the accident and if safety devices were effective, Rutherford reached behind him, picked his helmet, and proceeded to stick his index finger up through a hole that had been ground through the top of the helmet, and wiggle his finger around for all of America to see. Then he grinned and said "You think I'd drive without one of these and a harness????"
 
I've had my life saved twice by helmets. Unsurprisingly, the Shoei from the second crash did a much better job than the HJC from the first crash. I have another Shoei now. What's your melon worth?
 
Even if your brain survived the impact without any injury, there is the road rash issue to consider... :puke:

My full face Shoei kept my lower jaw and most of my face from being a longggg streak on a highway. Watching that rough chip seal pavement sliding past the end of my nose at 70 mph was eye opening to say the least!
 
Even wearing a full face helmet I still almost lost my chin
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Seeing the cruise ships in the background of the OP vid, that must be some scooter rental place at an island tourist trap. I am a bit surprised they offer what seems to be those 'Kraut' style buckets to renters. I don't think too many of those are even DOT rated. Usually marketed as novelty helmets.
It takes a very trusting (or drunk) friend to get on the back of a scooter with someone who has no apparent experience, skill, or knowledge to operate a scooter.
 
Tourmeister said:
Watching that rough chip seal pavement sliding past the end of my nose at 70 mph was eye opening to say the least!
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I did the same thing sliding down I-30 in Garland. I didn't even realize I'd crashed and was trying to figure out why the world went gray, then I refocused and watched the roadway slide past my face. Very strange sensation.
dukey33 said:
It takes a very trusting (or drunk) friend to get on the back of a scooter with someone who has no apparent experience, skill, or knowledge to operate a scooter.
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Mostly ignorance. Most people think it's easy till they ride a motorcycle or scooter.
 
There used to be a website that I referred people to that had a number of stats and facts about bicycle helmets. The one thing that stood out to me was a factoid about speed. Paraphrased, it said that it takes a blow of ~ 7 MPH to the head to kill you*. Falling from a dead stop exceeds that speed. Eons ago, I barely ever wore a bicycle helmet. One day, I happened to wear it. I was nearly at a stop when a series of events, not the least of which was my foot getting stuck in my clip, had me falling over from what basically was a stop. My head bounced twice. I will never forget that feeling, and the immediate thought of what would have happened if I wasn't wearing a helmet that day. I figured that was my warning shot. I have worn a helmet on the bicycle ever since, and I always wear it on the motorcycle, even if I'm moving it one parking space over.

* It's been a LONG time since I read the website (and it no longer exists), and I can't vouch for whether the speed value is correct. I do know it was under 10 MPH.
 
Regarding bicycle helmets, Arlington sidewalks will make a believer of you. It's not uncommon in south Arlington to encounter a sidewalk section that has dropped 3" or so. That means a 3" drop, immediately followed by a 3" climb. Also, a lot of homes along major streets have their easements through the sidewalk cut such that there is effectively a curb on each side of the drive; and those are often invisible until you're almost on top of them. A couple of years ago, I blundered into to one of those "dropped" sections. I couldn't stop fast enough, hit the rise on the other side, and flipped the bike. I landed half on my shoulder, half on my head. No injuries except some boo boos on my arm, but that Bell helmet may have saved me from a fairly catastrophic injury. I've also whacked my helmeted head on a low hanging limb.

Too dangerous on the sidewalk due to obstacles disclosed above (and numerous others not mentioned), too dangerous on the streets due to aggressive drivers (see last month's bicycle thread). I recently sold my Trek. Once we're relocated to Colorado, I may buy another one to ride in a more bicycle-friendly environment.
 
That video is the problem with places like Key West or any of the islands south of the Floriduh coast. Those places will rent a scooter to any drunken moron. I've sat my butt at a wine bar and watched the hilarity unfold a few times.
 
yea, FLORIDA!!! they're riding around the beach on scooters just wearing speedo's & flip flops>:rider::rider::rider:
 
Dao said:
yea, FLORIDA!!! they're riding around the beach on scooters just wearing speedo's & flip flops>:rider::rider::rider:
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Still playing on the beaches. So if the crash doesn't get them, the virus will. :shrug:
 
Last time a helmet saved me the bike was tossed up in the air by the air displaced by a speeding semi. The bike began to roll while airborne and went in to tank slapper mod. A faired bike acts like an airfoil and goes up. A fat guy acts like a rock and falls. A tank slapped mirror shaft is a fast moving club, shattered the visor, split the helmet from chin to forehead, left a nasty contusion requiring 7 sutures, and lights out for me. And that was before I hit the concrete head first at 65mph and the motorcycle landing upside down on top of me, none of which I remember because the LEO who witnessed the wreck believed I was already dead and walked right past to check on the people in the car that was blown off the road.

Maybe I should post a picture of the helmet?
 
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