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My last ride without a helmet was last summer. Coming home from work last September, a quick 10 min ride, My front tire instantly went flat as I was going 50-55 mph. Don't know how I did it but I managed to miss a driveway entry, a head on collision with oncoming traffic, and kept the bike up before coming to a stop in the ditch. I know I should never ride without the helmet but the familiar road and the length of the ride it just seemed at the time, pointless. Just wanted to say I was very lucky that day and we should always be safe. Riding season in my neck of the woods is just around the corner and after getting a new front tire, the other was just a year old, I'm ready to strap on the helmet every ride this year. I feel lucky I get to ride at all after that. BE SAFE AND HAVE A WONDERFUL RIDE!!!

atgatt...from a former flipflops/shorts rider

I gave up on shorts 34 years ago after my first and last muffler burn
The helmet took a while longer.

JD

Helmet is like my American Express, I never leave home without it! The only time I ride without it, is on Main Street (Bike Week), or on the beach itself. 5~15mph both places. I have had to many friends learn the hard way and I like riding, and I want to continue enjoying it..

I always ride geared up 80+ deg days and I still ride in gauntlet glove, leather jacket and boots + my trusty bell star helmet , my kz is my first cruzer bike and this will not change. My helmet has saved my life already.

In Calif, (before they passed the helmet law) I always rode without, except on the freeway or in foul weather. Here in New Hampshire, I am once again living in a state with no helmet law. But I am almost 60 now and I find that my ears and my eyeballs just don't handle the wind like they used to, so now I always wear the helmet.

I can count the number of times I've ridden without a helmet on my fingers. In '86 shortly after I got my first bike a car ran a stop sign and while I missed the car my rear tire hit sand and I ended up high siding. Luckily I wasn't going very fast and I was wearing a 3/4 helmet but no other gear other than jeans and boots. The first thing that hit the ground was my face as the face shield snapped and I've been a full face guy ever since. It was at that moment I decided that road rash sucks and I always wear full gauntlet gloves and body armor in the warm weather and a good textile jacket in the cooler temps I too know people that have either died or suffered traumatic brain injury due to no helmet and it is sad to see them be a shadow of what they once were.

You don't dress for the ride - You Dress for the Crash.
Better to Sweat than Bleed,

jtmcculloch wrote: You don't dress for the ride - You Dress for the Crash.
Better to Sweat than Bleed,

There are two types of riders: those who've crashed and those who will. Dress appropriately.

In the summertime around here it gets to be 100•F+ a lot.
People will say when they see me geared up, "Man!!! That looks awfully hot". And I answer, "Not as hot as road rash".