Why you should wear a helmet when riding a m'bike.

[thaibeachlovers]

If I hadn't been wearing it, those scrapes would have been on my skin.

Sorry #2 is a bit dark- too much reflection to use flash.

[kannot]

A lot of helmets sold are pure tat a cardboard box would do the same job, also no good with the straps hanging down or loose, they are good for using as storage bags on the end of the handlebars though.

[robblok]

I never ever ride without my helmet.. not on my big bike not on my small bike.. When on the big bike i usually wear bike shoes (alpine star) and kevlar jeans and a jacket (with protection) Too bad it gets so damm hot but I just take an extra T shirt with me to swap.

[ATF]

Yes I've heard they are a very useful item for those wishing to avoid "Brain Omlette a la Tannon".

[robblok]

To be honest the helmets the OP is displaying are not that great.. I go for full face ones. I got a nice "real" (brandname) helmet for when i don't want to secure it to the bike during shopping (theft) and a shoei helmet (20k bt) that i take on longer rides and will have to secure to the bike in a special made helmet bag. These helmets he shows wont do much if you fall differently your chin will be damaged a lot.

[Expattaff1308]

They may not be the best but as the pics show, they will scrape and crack before your skull.

[cooked]

Speaking as someone who once drove into a swarm of savage insects at 80mph with the visor up, for me driving without a helmet is maybe, how shall I say it, STUPID.

I saw a guy last week driving with his hand up in front of his face to protect himself from the rain. Maybe the helmet on the handlebars had a hole in it...

Anyway, many moons ago I was involved in collecting motorbike accident statistics and we found that ANY head covering was going to reduce the severity of injuries. Even a head scarf.

[robblok]

Speaking as someone who once drove into a swarm of savage insects at 80mph with the visor up, for me driving without a helmet is maybe, how shall I say it, STUPID.

I saw a guy last week driving with his hand up in front of his face to protect himself from the rain. Maybe the helmet on the handlebars had a hole in it...

Anyway, many moons ago I was involved in collecting motorbike accident statistics and we found that ANY head covering was going to reduce the severity of injuries. Even a head scarf.

One of the reasons i feel a helmet is needed is also to protect the car drivers. Can you imagine killing someone because you hit him and he wears no helmet. You are up for it for sure and they dont even think about the fact that it could have been a lot less bad if had worn a helmet.

[Tim207]

To be honest the helmets the OP is displaying are not that great.. I go for full face ones. I got a nice "real" (brandname) helmet for when i don't want to secure it to the bike during shopping (theft) and a shoei helmet (20k bt) that i take on longer rides and will have to secure to the bike in a special made helmet bag. These helmets he shows wont do much if you fall differently your chin will be damaged a lot.

Maybe not great but very effective in this case and also worked wonderfully when I bounced my head off the pavement a few years ago.

[Jdiddy]

Out of interest whats it like wearing a suit of armor (proper boots and gloves, full helmet, armored jeans and jacket) in Thailand's climate while touring on a sports bike

[robblok]

To be honest the helmets the OP is displaying are not that great.. I go for full face ones. I got a nice "real" (brandname) helmet for when i don't want to secure it to the bike during shopping (theft) and a shoei helmet (20k bt) that i take on longer rides and will have to secure to the bike in a special made helmet bag. These helmets he shows wont do much if you fall differently your chin will be damaged a lot.

Maybe not great but very effective in this case and also worked wonderfully when I bounced my head off the pavement a few years ago.

Sure not saying it does nothing.. but your jaw and stuff is still vonerable. But come on any protection is better as no protection. And its better to buy something that you will wear even if its less effective as something else but you know you wont wear it.

I should wear leathers for the big bike.. but I know I would never use them. But the kevlar jeans and mesh (but protected) jacket I do wear.

It was not a put down of the OP.

[robblok]

Out of interest whats it like wearing a suit of armor (proper boots and gloves, full helmet, armored jeans and jacket) in Thailand's climate while touring on a sports bike

Hell if your in traffic.. seriously the jacket is the worst of it.. kevlar jeans and proper boots and gloves are not really the problem.As long as your at speed its all ok.

[Marcel1]

As long as you're driving its great to be geared up and be somewhat safer until you hit those looooong sunny redlight, my worst hate is a full face helmet, wear it always though.

[Jdiddy]

Cheers, i can see it would be tempting to hop on the bike with shorts and tshirt no helmet just to pop down to the local

[robblok]

Cheers, i can see it would be tempting to hop on the bike with shorts and tshirt no helmet just to pop down to the local

I dont always wear my gear when going to the local (always a helmet) but I am less geared up if I am my scooter as opposed to the big bike. Sure its not good.. but its reality.

[wayned]

If you were Thai and wearing the helmet it would most like;y look the same if you actually fastened the strap. But what about your 2 year old son that was sitting on the childs seat in front of you and your two daughters that were on the back all not required to wear them. The law is a joke!

[robblok]

If you were Thai and wearing the helmet it would most like;y look the same if you actually fastened the strap. But what about your 2 year old son that was sitting on the childs seat in front of you and your two daughters that were on the back all not required to wear them. The law is a joke!

I agree with you but often for the real poor its the only way to transport their kids I am pretty sure they would prefer to drive them around in a car. But not everyone can afford that.

[jvs]

Yes Rob i do agree somewhat but even poor people can and should buy helmets for their children.

[lust]

if you hadn't been wearing that ice cream pale you would have had a scar in the shape of cock and balls on your head.

[robblok]

Yes Rob i do agree somewhat but even poor people can and should buy helmets for their children.

Sure but there are not many helmets for children (there are some and I feel they should take that effort)

I just feel often you can't blame others because of lack of money. There are some real poor people out there that really cant affort these kind of things. I have a bigger problem with foreigners taking their kids on bikes like this, they should know better.

Same as the same foreigners thinking that drunk driving is ok here because there are no checks (sorry for going OT)

[thailiketoo]

I have two. One for a short trip to the 7/11 and one for any distance with vents and sun shade that goes up and down inside. Fits good. A bit heavy but that's OK.

[Nickymaster]

To be honest the helmets the OP is displaying are not that great.. I go for full face ones. I got a nice "real" (brandname) helmet for when i don't want to secure it to the bike during shopping (theft) and a shoei helmet (20k bt) that i take on longer rides and will have to secure to the bike in a special made helmet bag. These helmets he shows wont do much if you fall differently your chin will be damaged a lot.

Maybe not great but very effective in this case and also worked wonderfully when I bounced my head off the pavement a few years ago.

Good to hear the helmet did what it had to do since it is not the best and safest hemet in the world.

[wantan]

Its good to see an example that even such cheap helmet can help a lot. Some members here want to make us believe we all should wear top of the line helmets or we will regret it one day. But a helmet for 2,000 Baht can do the same for you. And a helmet for 6-800 Baht still can protect you as we see in the OP. There is no good reason to go without helmet. I always wear one, even for the 500m to 7/11 around the corner. No police but too many idiot scooter racers here in my street.

[revgreen]

I have seen too many students and friends seriosuly injured due to their refusal to wear a helmet. I simply don't get it? I see people put their helmet on to cruise through a police intersection, and then immediately take it off and hold it in their hand while driving. You'd seriously rather hold your helmet while driving as opposed to just putting it on your damn head?

I have an open face Space Crown that I use when I take the scooter around the corner to 7/11 (I've went down with one of these and came out A-okay, assuming you don't land face first of course), and I have a big Shoei full face that I use when I really go riding on the big bike. I also wear my armored jacket and gloves all the time, and will wear boots and armored pants when I go 'real riding'.

[Dutchbike]

[stoli]

To be honest the helmets the OP is displaying are not that great.. I go for full face ones. I got a nice "real" (brandname) helmet for when i don't want to secure it to the bike during shopping (theft) and a shoei helmet (20k bt) that i take on longer rides and will have to secure to the bike in a special made helmet bag. These helmets he shows wont do much if you fall differently your chin will be damaged a lot.

Maybe you feel safer with a full face helmet, but not me. I do not care for how they provide leverage for your head to be twisted into terrible angles upon impact. Also, just because you see race car drivers wearing them, that is different than riding a bike. If you look at over 90% of the motorcycle police in the world, they wear the type shown in the picture, and not full face. I can not imagine any agencies that would put helmets through more rigorous testing for rider safety as police agencies do. I follow the lead of the experts. Even NASA does not use full face helmets.

[revgreen]

To be honest the helmets the OP is displaying are not that great.. I go for full face ones. I got a nice "real" (brandname) helmet for when i don't want to secure it to the bike during shopping (theft) and a shoei helmet (20k bt) that i take on longer rides and will have to secure to the bike in a special made helmet bag. These helmets he shows wont do much if you fall differently your chin will be damaged a lot.

Maybe you feel safer with a full face helmet, but not me. I do not care for how they provide leverage for your head to be twisted into terrible angles upon impact. Also, just because you see race car drivers wearing them, that is different than riding a bike. If you look at over 90% of the motorcycle police in the world, they wear the type shown in the picture, and not full face. I can not imagine any agencies that would put helmets through more rigorous testing for rider safety as police agencies do. I follow the lead of the experts. Even NASA does not use full face helmets.

This is ridiculous. Holy shit. The ignorance here. I hope no one listens to you.

m.ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/03/08/ije.dyr040.full

"Compared with motorcyclists wearing full-face helmets, those wearing half-coverage helmets were more than twice as likely to have head injuries (OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.50–4.40) and brain injuries (OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.01–4.38)."

What good is a open face or half-helmet if you land straight on your jaw or you face? I personally like having my full face intact.

If motorcycle cops are your standard then I guess you're better off not wearing gloves, not wearing a long sleeve jacket (definitely not armored jacket), normal trousers, and some leather boots with no ankle/leg protection.

[inzman]

I got hit on my motorbike by a car, I flew over the car and hit the pavement on my back, cracked my 3/4 helmet right up the back, no other injuries to speak of. The cracked helmet would have been my head had I not been wearing it. Wear your damn helmet!

[Fookhaht]

Most of our university students don't wear helmets because either: 1) it messes up their hair, or 2) it looks stupid.

We lose, on the average, one university student per month due to motorcycle accidents without helmets.

[fasteddie]

To be honest the helmets the OP is displaying are not that great.. I go for full face ones. I got a nice "real" (brandname) helmet for when i don't want to secure it to the bike during shopping (theft) and a shoei helmet (20k bt) that i take on longer rides and will have to secure to the bike in a special made helmet bag. These helmets he shows wont do much if you fall differently your chin will be damaged a lot.

I do agree with you, but having said that, I still have the scar on my chin from dumping my Commando alongside Loch Lomond wearing my brand new first ever full face helmet.