[JayFL726]

Just for the Record this is my Helmet when my 07 Kingpin was totaled thanks to a Logging Truck wanting both sides of the road .. But still back Freedom of Choice to Wear or Not to Wear if Legal to do so ..

 

[Keith Grey]

Just for the Record this is my Helmet when my 07 Kingpin was totaled thanks to a Logging Truck wanting both sides of the road .. But still back Freedom of Choice to Wear or Not to Wear if Legal to do so ..

Not sure why you banged your head against the logging truck for being a lane Hog, but I can't blame you, it makes me mad too.

Psych. glad you are OK and back on 2 wheels.

 

[robsvision]

I was on the 401 in Ontario years ago on a hot evening in stopped traffic.
I was riding an air cooled 1500 v twin.
Traffic would move a few feet every few minutes.
There was no way I could let the bike idle in the heat much longer so I would shut it off. After a dozen starts I could tell the battery was going dead so I made my way over to the shoulder of the road.
It was a good 5 ft wide so what the hell I left the bike in second and rode the shoulder at an idle. Maybe 10 mph.
I got just enough air on the motor to keep it from melting down.
Traffic was backed up for miles.
You wouldn't believe the amount of cars that tried to stop me from getting past them.
What is it with people? Most cage drivers are beyond stupid.
Must be nice to sit in your air conditioned car as I bake my asss off in the heat.

Yes I know it's illegal to ride the shoulder. But 10 mph past stopped cars is in NO WAY A SAFTY ISSUE....... Unless you are an absolute idiot...

 

[Half_Crazy]

You realize why a lot of people are against helmets? You know that the Harley and cruiser riders are the most adamant about freedom to choose and the ones coming up with lame justifications that a helmet is somehow less safe (it'll break your neck, it blocks your peripheral vision, yada yada)?

Bottom line? They don't think they look cool in a helmet. Can't look like a mushroom head or arrive with your hair flattened, ya know...

 

[torotim]

I won't opine on lane splitting being where I live in NW Minnesota I've never even had a situation where it could be practiced. I recently looked up MN motorcycle accident stats (was looking for deer collision stats being that's our biggest threat here) and I can't say I was shocked to see that of the 100+ fatalities of whatever year in was looking at, 91% of the riders killed were not wearing a helmet. I do ride with a brain bucket almost all the time. Too me the wind factor, comfort from the elements and the fact that I use Bluetooth communications make it part of the ride I would rather not do without. However, there are ocations where I choose not to. I really choose the moments carefully. I live in a town with a population of 155. If I want to run to the gas station or the post office, I ain't putting a helmet on. I'm nervous out on the rural roads without one though. I brake frequently for furry critters, but I still want the option and not have another reason to be pulled over and ticketed just because....

 

[Bujee1]

I won't opine on lane splitting being where I live in NW Minnesota I've never even had a situation where it could be practiced. I recently looked up MN motorcycle accident stats (was looking for deer collision stats being that's our biggest threat here) and I can't say I was shocked to see that of the 100+ fatalities of whatever year in was looking at, 91% of the riders killed were not wearing a helmet. I do ride with a brain bucket almost all the time. Too me the wind factor, comfort from the elements and the fact that I use Bluetooth communications make it part of the ride I would rather not do without. However, there are ocations where I choose not to. I really choose the moments carefully. I live in a town with a population of 155. If I want to run to the gas station or the post office, I ain't putting a helmet on. I'm nervous out on the rural roads without one though. I brake frequently for furry critters, but I still want the option and not have another reason to be pulled over and ticketed just because....

I can't imagine what it's like to live someplace where traffic is never an issue.
I have to admit, I'm jealous.
I don't split lanes because I want to, I split lanes because it is the safest course at the moment. If I lived where you do I would not miss it.
Regarding helmets, I think it is a shame that some think that a law will make a person do the right thing. If a person is determined to die they will find a way, helmet law or not. Before motorcycles I was a bicycle enthusiast. As a racer, I have seen people fall at speeds less than 30 miles an hour and fail miserably to keep their head from hitting the pavement. I wouldn't think of riding a bicycle without a helmet. Now a days I wouldn't ski without a helmet. Why on earth would I ride a motorcycle without one.
My opinion?
Helmet laws: no
Lane splitting laws: no
Create a culture where motorcyclists ride responsibly: Absolutely!

 

[Zig-Zag]

Never and Always

 

[Fastlane]

Its about choices and as long as your choice doesn't hurt anyone else, why dose it matter? If it dose you will get sued.

 

[theshank]

Here is study by uc Berkeley Is motorcycle lane-splitting safe New report says it can be Berkeley News

I'm in California, I lane split ( it leagle here ), and I like wearing a helmet. I however have no problem or care what other people do. It's there business not mine.

 

[Bujee1]

Here is study by uc Berkeley Is motorcycle lane-splitting safe New report says it can be Berkeley News

I'm in California, I lane split ( it leagle here ), and I like wearing a helmet. I however have no problem or care what other people do. It's there business not mine.

Nice post. Thanks for the link.

 

[Ghostrider25]

Living in the S.F. Bay Area I have to say that Lane sharing, when done correctly can be a very beneficial thing. I do lane share, but I do it only when I feel it's safe and I do it in a polite and correct manner. Motorists don't really mind sharing the lane with you when you are respectful of their space and your delta is small. It's the dumbasses on sportbikes that fly through a line of traffic at near triple digits that could ultimately ruin it for all of us. These are the ones that they end scraping off the highway.

Helmet laws? I have to say that I believe in choice. I wear one all the time no matter what, but that is my choice. The whole healthcare argument is a non-argument to me. I'm already paying for people I shouldn't be paying for anyway, so what is the difference? I'll just stop there. I believe in choice...

 

[Half_Crazy]

Indian Larry chose not to wear a helmet. Ask his widow what she thinks of that choice.

The helmet law has ZERO affect on me. I HATE riding without a helmet. It is far more comfortable to have my head in a helmet. If it wasn't for a Bell helmet I would have died in 1971.

In an accident, broken bones will heal... road rash will heal... but smack your noggin on a curb and you will never be 'you' again. Sure, I have been severely injured in a motorcycle crash and it was 6 months before I could even walk with a cane and go back to work, but I'm still "ME". I don't want to be used as a floor level... "Yup, drool out both sides of his mouth, it's level".

Protect your brain. It's where "YOU" are.

 

[Old-Gramps]

Protect your brain. It's where "YOU" are.

Dang HC that is rather "ZEN" like....

 

[Bujee1]

Indian Larry chose not to wear a helmet. Ask his widow what she thinks of that choice.

The helmet law has ZERO affect on me. I HATE riding without a helmet. It is far more comfortable to have my head in a helmet. If it wasn't for a Bell helmet I would have died in 1971.

In an accident, broken bones will heal... road rash will heal... but smack your noggin on a curb and you will never be 'you' again. Sure, I have been severely injured in a motorcycle crash and it was 6 months before I could even walk with a cane and go back to work, but I'm still "ME". I don't want to be used as a floor level... "Yup, drool out both sides of his mouth, it's level".

Protect your brain. It's where "YOU" are.

Wow, I may have been a floor level in college and didn't know it!

 

[zenwave]

Commuting from Long Island to NYC makes lane-splitting an unfortunate necessity for me. I have more miles between the lanes in a year than some folks have on the road ... not bragging, it just is what it is.

I have a rule I try to adhere to in order to minimize the risk - I only split when traffic slows to less than 30-25mph. Still dangerous, and I know I'm playing with fire, but I can't just sit there.

My 'personal best' (inversely proportional to how f'ing bad traffic is) was last spring when I was literally between the lanes for about 20 miles (highlighted in red), including the curving on and off ramps of the bridges ...

 

[1stVictory]

Indian Larry chose not to wear a helmet. Ask his widow what she thinks of that choice.

The helmet law has ZERO affect on me. I HATE riding without a helmet. It is far more comfortable to have my head in a helmet. If it wasn't for a Bell helmet I would have died in 1971.

In an accident, broken bones will heal... road rash will heal... but smack your noggin on a curb and you will never be 'you' again. Sure, I have been severely injured in a motorcycle crash and it was 6 months before I could even walk with a cane and go back to work, but I'm still "ME". I don't want to be used as a floor level... "Yup, drool out both sides of his mouth, it's level".

Protect your brain. It's where "YOU" are.

H_C, you should rename your nickname on the VOG to "Common_Sense".

 

[Bujee1]

Commuting from Long Island to NYC makes lane-splitting an unfortunate necessity for me. I have more miles between the lanes in a year than some folks have on the road ... not bragging, it just is what it is.

I have a rule I try to adhere to in order to minimize the risk - I only split when traffic slows to less than 30-25mph. Still dangerous, and I know I'm playing with fire, but I can't just sit there.

My 'personal best' (inversely proportional to how f'ing bad traffic is) was last spring when I was literally between the lanes for about 20 miles (highlighted in red), including the curving on and off ramps of the bridges ...

View attachment 8462

That must have been nerve racking!
It's not legal there. How do you get away with it?

 

[Ghostrider25]

That must have been nerve racking!
It's not legal there. How do you get away with it?

LOL!! I was thinking the same thing. Zen, you have me beat by a long ways, brother! I think the most I ever did was about 7 when traffic was halted due to a fatality accident and the CHP had the freeway shut down. Of course once I got to the scene all I could do was turn off the engine and wait it out like everyone else. Had I known it was a fatality wreck I would have pulled over short. That's just not something you want to see for a long period of time. I should have put two and two together when I saw all the Vulture copters hovering and circling...

 

[Bujee1]

LOL!! I was thinking the same thing. Zen, you have me beat by a long ways, brother! I think the most I ever did was about 7 when traffic was halted due to a fatality accident and the CHP had the freeway shut down. Of course once I got to the scene all I could do was turn off the engine and wait it out like everyone else. Had I known it was a fatality wreck I would have pulled over short. That's just not something you want to see for a long period of time. I should have put two and two together when I saw all the Vulture copters hovering and circling...

I know, right?
When I'm splitting lanes I am at my highest level of concentration. It's exhausting. Just reading his post made me have to take a nap.

 

[blackmagic]

The only reason i am against the helmet law is the same reason I am against "more gun control". Just because there are a couple idiots shouldn't mean that everyone else needs to be baby sat.

However, Just like everyone else here, I do not ride without a helmet on my head