Sorry Mike, but #2 is just flat out wrong. A rider on a bike makes a lot more difference than a driver in a cage, and everyone here knows that can make the difference in a race. Like I said, I can ride the shit out of a bike but I know some that can ride circles around me. And I do ride the shit out of my bikes, one of my choppers is now on the 4th outer primary for the belt drive, the other 3 have been worn down to nothing from dragging it on the road.
I imagine the KTM will blow it away, but then again so will my YZ426 LOL.
It's not about being a tough guy, not at all. It's about a feeling that I just can't put into words. I have worn helmets on occasion in states that I don't have to. Somedays it's just a voice in the back of your head telling you to wear one. Besides, I'm worth a HELL of a lot more dead than alive hehehe. What I really mean by that statement is that I have taken precautions to make sure that my death would not leave them without financial support. But your logic is flawed in my opinion. Does this also mean that I shouldn't skydive now that I have kids? Maybe I shouldn't ride a bike at all, certainly not my dirt bike I guess. I don't think having kids is an issue. What if your parents rely on you for financial or moral support? Somebody out there is counting on each and every one of us.
The key to the whole thing is not a helmet law, it is training. For both motorcycle riders and cage drivers. No one should be allowed to get a motorcyle license in any state without going through at least a basic safety course. It is way too easy to get a motorcycle license in this country. Hell, that's why we have the helmet law in the first place. Kids were buying crotch rockets and dropping like flies on Ortega. Parents then put the pressure on the state to pass the law. And yes, I said training for cage drivers. Let's look at the accident that started this whole debate. A woman turned left in front of Ben, giving him no chance to avoid the accident. She wasn't even charged! This happens all the time. I say if you pull out in front of a bike you lose your license, period! Everyone's excuse is always that they didn't see the bike. What the hell is that??? If you can't see a motorcycle, you shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car. People just aren't aware of motorcycles, and the age of the cell phone sure as hell hasn't helped. There is another law that would help a lot, no cell phones in cars without hands free setups. Even that isn't perfect though, there are truly a lot of people out there that simply cannot handle doing both things at once.
And check out these statistics:
In the year after a new law permitted Pennsylvania motorcyclists to ride helmetless, the number of deaths has decreased enough to maybe let some Big Ben critics breathe a sigh of relief.
The number of motorcyclists killed on Pennsylvania highways dropped to 157 last year from 171 in 2003, the state Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.
I can guarantee that the number of registered bikes increased that year, as it has every year in every state in recent history. Now, I'm not trying to say that riding without a helmet is safer. I won't insult anyone's intelligence by suggesting that. But I will say that it sure as hell isn't as dangerous as it can be made out to be, mostly by people that don't even ride.
...BTW that accident paid off my credit card bills....and student loans....
