Coulda been worse....

[redfjniner]

I have always noticed my head hitting the ground before. In the past I have wasted three Nolan helmets do to accidents,

Damn Red... you are lucky you are still with us.  How many times have you actually crashed? When I had my deer strike in 2016, my helmet was the only piece of riding gear that didn't get damaged, not even a scratch.
Glad you are still actively riding.

Let me count the ways. 1957:  Went over the handlebars of scooter after doing a wheelie, broke a collar bone. No Helmet, must of caused brain damage as:
1998:  Wife fell over on me coming to a stop in Brookings OR and knocked me off my bike and I rolled down the hill.
2000:  Low side on my BMW F650 on Mt. St. Helens.  Minor damage to me and bike.
2002:  I stopped and wife ran into me in New York State.  I fell over.
2007:  I stopped in the middle of the road in Utah and my wife ran into me doing maybe 30mph.  I was okay, one year old FJR got a little damage.  Wife took it in the butt with a broken hand and cracked pelvic bone.
2012:  Hit some gravel coming into a 15 mph corner on Bald Peak, near McMinnville OR, FJR went down fast and I got a concussion and broke my collar bone.  Was only doing 31 mph according to gps.
2012:  Deer hit me in Lolo, MT at full run, I was doing 60+.  Went off asphalt onto shoulder but returned to asphalt unhurt.  Escaped going over embankment.  Very close.
2015:  Turned off pavement into a pull off area just outside Creed, CO that ended up muddy and went down on the FJ.  Broke my right ankle.
2016:  Left Red Lodge MT at 7:00am and 40 minutes later a deer hit me at a full run.  Went down doing 74 mph.  Slid 250 feet on MC then 50 ft in the air.
2016:  Came out of Ione WA and 20 min. down the road was hit by a deer running out of the trees.  Just a wiggle as the deer removed my saddlebag.
2017:  Took a corner wide in TN on a rented DL1000 and crashed. Broke my left ankle.  Still recovering from that one.
 
These accidents are relatively minor events compared to getting a Quintuple By Pass/open heart surgery or getting Esophageal Cancer both within the last 4 years.  In fact they really become quite humorous.  The reality of life is that it takes longer to heal a broken ankle than healing from open heart surgery.  I still suffer from the 1957 scooter crash with calcium accumulation in my left shoulder.  Rite of Passage.
 
 
 
 
 

[wordsmith]

To helmet or not to helmet, that is the question...
 
Are there any stats that compare serious head injuries to bikers who crash while NOT wearing a helmet (where permissible in some US states, I believe) to those who are helmetted?   And in non-helmet states, what's the percentage of riders who take advantage of this relaxation (those who are not dead, that is)?

[ib]

No idea how reliable the information source is but...
 
https://www.iii.org/issue-update/background-on-motorcycle-crashes
 
 
In 2015, 40 percent of motorcyclists killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes were not wearing a helmet.
 
Motorcycle helmets: NHTSA estimates that helmets saved the lives of 1,859 motorcyclists in 2016. If all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 802 lives could have been saved. Helmets are estimated to be 37 percent effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcycle riders and 41 percent for motorcycle passengers. In other words, for every 100 motorcycle riders killed in crashes while not wearing a helmet, 37 of them could have been saved had all 100 worn helmets.
 
 
Interesting two points (if the stats are reliable).

[koth442]

Let me count the ways. 1957:  Went over the handlebars of scooter after doing a wheelie, broke a collar bone. No Helmet, must of caused brain damage as:
1998:  Wife fell over on me coming to a stop in Brookings OR and knocked me off my bike and I rolled down the hill.
2000:  Low side on my BMW F650 on Mt. St. Helens.  Minor damage to me and bike.
2002:  I stopped and wife ran into me in New York State.  I fell over.
2007:  I stopped in the middle of the road in Utah and my wife ran into me doing maybe 30mph.  I was okay, one year old FJR got a little damage.  Wife took it in the butt with a broken hand and cracked pelvic bone.
2012:  Hit some gravel coming into a 15 mph corner on Bald Peak, near McMinnville OR, FJR went down fast and I got a concussion and broke my collar bone.  Was only doing 31 mph according to gps.
2012:  Deer hit me in Lolo, MT at full run, I was doing 60+.  Went off asphalt onto shoulder but returned to asphalt unhurt.  Escaped going over embankment.  Very close.
2015:  Turned off pavement into a pull off area just outside Creed, CO that ended up muddy and went down on the FJ.  Broke my right ankle.
2016:  Left Red Lodge MT at 7:00am and 40 minutes later a deer hit me at a full run.  Went down doing 74 mph.  Slid 250 feet on MC then 50 ft in the air.
2016:  Came out of Ione WA and 20 min. down the road was hit by a deer running out of the trees.  Just a wiggle as the deer removed my saddlebag.
2017:  Took a corner wide in TN on a rented DL1000 and crashed. Broke my left ankle.  Still recovering from that one.
 
These accidents are relatively minor events compared to getting a Quintuple By Pass/open heart surgery or getting Esophageal Cancer both within the last 4 years.  In fact they really become quite humorous.  The reality of life is that it takes longer to heal a broken ankle than healing from open heart surgery.  I still suffer from the 1957 scooter crash with calcium accumulation in my left shoulder.  Rite of Passage.

Holy crap man.

[fddriver2]

To helmet or not to helmet, that is the question... 

The tale of 2 FF/PM's. 
My BIL and I were Paramedics for 30+ years in South Florida. Home of some of the worst drivers anywhere. 
 
I grew up racing moto-x and a little bit of flat track. For the record I wasn't very good, always the middle of the pack. So wearing gear became second nature. That carried over to riding on the street long before I was a paramedic. 
 
My BIL only rode on the street and was into the HD/chopper scene so never wore any protective gear if he didn't have too. Sleeveless t-shirts and skullcap helmets were the dress of the day.
 
 
IMO After 30+ years on the street and a lifetime of urban riding. "Wear all the gear you can stand"  Please! Some of the injuries we have seen are horrific and many of them could have been avoided by simply wearing gear.
 
Me - Almost ATGATT. (Fingerless gloves and standard jeans keep me out of the club)
 
BIL - T-shirts and no helmet at all. Even after a very bad accident that left a dent in the side of his head as big as the palm of my hand and him in a coma for 5 weeks.
 
Same professional experiences 
 
Different personal experiences 
 
Me - I was forced to wear gear if I wanted to race. I was knocked off my bike a few times and wasn't hurt badly because of my gear. The things I saw at work only reinforced what I was already doing.
 
BIL - Rode for years and year never had an accident (lucky or good) The one he had was a doozie, but didn't change his mind.
 
Different personal opinions.
 
 
Chose wisely. And good luck
 
 

[texscottyd]

@redfjniner - What I think I’m hearing is that without deer and/or your wife intervening in your rides, you actually have a pretty safe riding history!
 
Good perspective on life. I’m a little over two years into my post-cancer living, and appreciate the little things - like a simple Sunday morning ride - more than ever

[BBB]

I always wear protective gear, no matter how short the journey or how hot. I often wish I could just wear shorts and a T shirt on hot days, but never find wearing a helmet an issue. If I’m stopped I flip up the front of the helmet and once moving the air flow is enought to keep cool.
 
I will be looking for a mesh/textile jacket for this summer though (cue the worst summer we’ve ever had.....)

[koth442]

I've spend a lot of days in a mesh / textile jacket. Definitely worth it. My friend has been down in one many times. It held up for him through a lot.

[martyl]

Get an X-ray. You got a headache, get yourself checked out. Helmets can be replaced. You only have one brain... JMHO....

[budviking]

That's a lot of deer strikes in that list. Would it be worth putting one of those ultra-sonic deer whistles somewhere on the bike? I have a buddy who rides a Goldwing and he got one after a near collision. He swears it later cleared a small herd of caribou off the road he saw off in the distance on a straight away. He says they all raised their heads and looked in his direction then scampered off into the bush.  
 
 

Damn Red... you are lucky you are still with us.  How many times have you actually crashed? When I had my deer strike in 2016, my helmet was the only piece of riding gear that didn't get damaged, not even a scratch.
Glad you are still actively riding.

Let me count the ways. 1957:  Went over the handlebars of scooter after doing a wheelie, broke a collar bone. No Helmet, must of caused brain damage as:
1998:  Wife fell over on me coming to a stop in Brookings OR and knocked me off my bike and I rolled down the hill.
2000:  Low side on my BMW F650 on Mt. St. Helens.  Minor damage to me and bike.
2002:  I stopped and wife ran into me in New York State.  I fell over.
2007:  I stopped in the middle of the road in Utah and my wife ran into me doing maybe 30mph.  I was okay, one year old FJR got a little damage.  Wife took it in the butt with a broken hand and cracked pelvic bone.
2012:  Hit some gravel coming into a 15 mph corner on Bald Peak, near McMinnville OR, FJR went down fast and I got a concussion and broke my collar bone.  Was only doing 31 mph according to gps.
2012:  Deer hit me in Lolo, MT at full run, I was doing 60+.  Went off asphalt onto shoulder but returned to asphalt unhurt.  Escaped going over embankment.  Very close.
2015:  Turned off pavement into a pull off area just outside Creed, CO that ended up muddy and went down on the FJ.  Broke my right ankle.
2016:  Left Red Lodge MT at 7:00am and 40 minutes later a deer hit me at a full run.  Went down doing 74 mph.  Slid 250 feet on MC then 50 ft in the air.
2016:  Came out of Ione WA and 20 min. down the road was hit by a deer running out of the trees.  Just a wiggle as the deer removed my saddlebag.
2017:  Took a corner wide in TN on a rented DL1000 and crashed. Broke my left ankle.  Still recovering from that one.
 
These accidents are relatively minor events compared to getting a Quintuple By Pass/open heart surgery or getting Esophageal Cancer both within the last 4 years.  In fact they really become quite humorous.  The reality of life is that it takes longer to heal a broken ankle than healing from open heart surgery.  I still suffer from the 1957 scooter crash with calcium accumulation in my left shoulder.  Rite of Passage.
 
 
 
 

 

[betoney]

That's a lot of deer strikes in that list. Would it be worth putting one of those ultra-sonic deer whistles somewhere on the bike? I have a buddy who rides a Goldwing and he got one after a near collision. He swears it later cleared a small herd of caribou off the road he saw off in the distance on a straight away. He says they all raised their heads and looked in his direction then scampered off into the bush.R got a little damage.  Wife took it in the butt with a broken hand and cracked pelvic bone.

I had a deer strike in the Fall of 2016, since then I have been looking for something like you suggested.  I have yet to read even one report that says the whistles do anything to deter deer. 
 
Most reports I have read, come to the same conclusions as This report
 
If there is something conclusive that actually works, I would like to hear about it.
 

[martyl]

www.helite.com
 
I have both the adventure jacket and when hot outside the hi-viz vest with a mesh riding jacket...