riding without a lid on?

i was watching top gun last night and saw tom cruise riding around on what ever bike that is with no helmet on,
i then remembered that in some states in the US you dont have to wear one... WTF !
i just wouldnt feel safe at all without a lid on,
thoughts?

I've ridden without a lid on for very brief periods (EG when a mate whose van my lid was in drove off!). Liberating, but stupid. A bit like an extreme version of riding in shorts and t-shirt. If it wasn't a legal requirement here, I must admit I'd do the odd 30mph all the way trip across town without one. I go faster than that on a push bike without thinking twice about it...

I've done it a few times over the years, and would all the time around town at slow speed if it wasn't a legal requirement. You have less protection it's true, but you have more peripheral vision so it's a trade off.

As with all protective equipment it isn't a guarantee. I tend to modify my riding to what gear I have on at the time. So when I'm just popping down the road I occasionally wear jeans and trainers, but I ride slower and more carefully when I do.

[STRAMASHER]

Zante - Olympia in Greece. Honda AX-1 250 single, 2 up, 200 miles (or so it seemed) Stopped by the cops,peruses passport and says "Please wear a helmet next time, enjoy Greece."

About 10yrs ago. Now we look back and can't quite believe we did summit like that. As said above, liberating but ****in stupid.




Not interested in riding a bike unless there is a helmet available.

Be interesting to hear how folk across the pond feel. 80% of the bikers I remember seeing in Florida(Keys) had no helmets. Don't remember seeing any corners either tho'!

There's alot of argument in the states that riding with a helmet impairs your vision too much and is unsafe. Do you think they have a warmer climate?

Have done in Thialand on at over 100kph on 125 moped's. Infact all I had on was boardshort, flipflops and sunglasses. This was before I had ridden a bike and now I have seen what happen I would never do it again. Its worth noting that there was no protective gear avaiable the locals just ride slowly.

[mr.anderson]

When we went down to Lydden for the track day, i rode my bike about 50 yards to the air pump at 1mph absolutely sh1tting myself - just don't feel at all comfortable without one on.

But as Bear says, the helmet is no guarantee of safety.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I won't ride my pushbike on the road without a cycle helmet on. Some of my mate refuse to waer a helmet on a bicycle saying that people drive more carefully if they see you have't got a helmet on. But it's the wnaker that doesn't see you that's the danger.

I fell off a bike on to gravel with no helmet on. Mangled knees, hands, elbows (shorts and t-shirt didn't do much) and glass sunglasses embedded in my eyebrow. The ol' noggin held up pretty well though

Being an old fart and riding bikes before the crash helmet law came into being I think now it was one of the better laws.The old ton-up boys often came to grief and many would have survived if they had lids on. Times change and at the time we thought nothing of it. Across the forecourt to pay for petrol is about as far as I venture these days without a lid.

When Jax was learning to ride she rode around Asda car park a few times without her helmet on. We had a bit of a discussion about this as she didn't what to ride with her lid on, but I insisted. The argument to this was that she was only doing a few mph and should be fine, and I said you need to get used to wearing a lid ready for the road else it will feel strange.
While riding round the car park she slipped a gear and knock the bike in to second and 'I think' dumped the clutch. This wheelied the bike and lost control, hit a fence, and as she went over the bike she hit a steel fence pole (it was good and thick), and egg shelled her lid (we found this out at a show later). So if it wasn't for the helmet she wouldn't be here now.

So even if all else is not protected I always wear my lid.