I blew a chance to educate a young rider.

[Knifemaker]

Your argument is with the greatest respect frankly rubbish............ (snip)
Less tools spending my hard earned taxes on their stupidity the happier I am because the less tax I have to pay which directly affects my family and friends and that’s a fucking good reason to pull every flea bitten imbecile up and ask them why they are being so dumb and selfish as to ride unprotected?

Any argument that supports wearing what they like is shear bloody ignorance of the bigger picture in my humble opinion....

And I am very glad you my brother are an ATGATT kinda guy....And JB good work keep it up...

Cheers

Well, I really did not think of it as an argument , but I respect your opinion. It should however be known that I think those that don't wear helmets are idiots and those that choose not to wear any type of protective gear are fools....but my point was that it is simply impolite and rude to tell them so to their face.

I think those that ride really loud bikes are assholes, and when I see a squid wearing sandles while riding I wish to god that I could be there when he wrecks and ends up crawling around the tarmac looking for his toes...

But , as much as I may frown on the behavior of what folks do , I for the most part do not think it is my place to condem their choices to them. No one likes someone telling them what to do or should not do, and much like that other type of protection, the importance is getting the information out to them that various forms of protection are available....not putting a gun to their head to make them wear it. It is up to them at that point.

Not being an American you may not get the idea here. Our government spends billions of dollars each year on crap already, I don't care if my bike insurance goes up a whole dime next year...but I do care that gas will cost me $300 a year more....

The idea that those wearing T -shirts instead of mesh jackets is costing me butt loads of money each year is however ... rubbish. Given the amount of bikes on the road, the amount of accidents where road rash was a major issue , and factoring it with the amount of folks paying taxes here, I doubt seriously it would work out to more than a few cents each. (if that much..)

So saying that squids wearing shorts are costing me enough money that I would care is silly. I can afford a few cents a year if it makes some other folks happy, and contiunues to keep alive the "Survival of the Fittest" rule.

You go up to a group of hardcore Harley riders and tell them they are all idiots and morons for riding with sleeveless shirts , 1/2 helmets and half naked women....and see if that protective gear helps you as they pound your ass into the ground......lol

KM

 

[FJRay]

I always wear the gear but I also will defend the other guy who chooses not to. I would like it if those that choose not to wear the gear would have to post a bond or prove they have enough cash to cover the cost of repairing their dumb ass so the rest of us don't have to. I don't think people should be forced to protect themselves but I do think they sould be responsible for the result of their decision.

 

[FastJoyRide]

...I was out by Mt. Rushmore earlier this week. There must be a BMW get together somewhere close. Never seen so many Bimmers at once. Them, and lots of Harley riders. My GFs first comment (new, and this is her first roadtrip ever...) 'why are the Harley riders all in shorts, tanktops and flipflops, and all the bikers on bikes like yours (forgive her, she knows not) dressed in all that stuff?'It was over 90 degrees F, and the difference was striking...

Syl and I drove down through Gilette, Wyoming yesterday enroute to Pagosa Springs.

There are 7,000 of the faithful attending the BMWOA national rally in Gilette.

They are riding every road for many miles around, and we didn't see a one that wasn't ATGATT!

 

[evil_henchman]

Nothing wrong with minding your own business

 

[JRO]

The kid on the Ninja 636 wearing a pair of 'jams' isn't costing you tax money. Your Congressman has that honor. Everytime some stuffed shirt starts telling me about an 'issue', and what it's costing 'all of us', and how he's 'got a plan' to fix something that 'must be addressed', I start looking to my pocketbook. The kid on the Ninja doesn't worry me - he's just taking a risk I choose not to (anymore; 'cause I'm old, and don't fall as well as he does). He's just a rugged individualist, somewhat misguided. In my opinion.

The P.C. Nazis telling me that everybody else should conform, because they're victims of big-brother mass-media herd mentality... Now, they worry me. They're the people the stuffed-shirt parasites 'leading' our nation depend upon, to take our freedom, idenity, and our money away. They're not really worried about their neighbors; they just want to tell them what to do. Sheep, generally wear brown shirts, and like to bleat. Baa Baa Baa!

Let the kids ride naked. There's nothing wrong with being stupid, other than being stupid. There's nothing wrong with being poor, either. When I was young, I would have given my eye teeth for a set of leathers. I simply couldn't afford them. Many of those helmet&shorts kids are in the same situation. Some aren't. They're all silly, for not at least wearing jeans, but they're exercising their right to be stupid. There's nothing wrong with occasionally pointing this out, but don't expect reform.

When someone starts admonishing what it costs 'all of us' for others to act beyond their idea of what's acceptable, I get worried. Enough of that kind of thinking, and the sheep start wanting to 'make a difference'. That's when it starts costing me money.

Why is it 80% of our laws cover consensual crime, instead of crime? I live in the no-helmet State of Oklahoma. I wear a helmet, but I don't want anybody forcing me to do so. I don't want anybody forcing me to wear gear. I don't want to be told what I can do, where I can do it, or who I can do it with. If I'm truly outside the law, or the boudaries of acceptable society, then that's my worry. I can deal with the consequenses. I don't need to be regualted to wear my seatbelt, or my helmet, or smoke only in designated areas. I reject the idea of somebody telling me to take my vitamins, exercise regularly, and avoid too much red meat. I hate chicken. I'm not fat, but I depise the airlines for charging fat people extra, and the gubment for allowing it. Let the sonofabitch get as fat as he wants. Maybe he's got a thyroid problem. Not my buisness. If there's any extra cost to his healthcare, it'll be offset by his shortened life expectancy. If he beats the curve, good for him.

Governments should try providing for the common defense, and leaving the rest to the people... People should try considering the beam in their own eye, and less the mote of their brothers'.

You have to have something to post about... Somebody really should do something about them kids with no gear. And them fuckers on them cruisers. I hate cruisers. And them weekenders. Weekenders should be barred from owning bikes. And I hate Playtex. If the things can't stand on their own, I want to know about it, beforehand...

 

[Solo]

(How did any of us survive being young men?)

I did it by going to the race track and wearing full leather from head to toe. If I hadn't gone road racing I can't imagine I'd be around to post this message!

Tom

 

[Gramps]

...The question on what boils down to choice really , something us Americans seem to take kinda seriously. KM

I could not agree with you more. A lot of people think that a catastrophic event will never happen to them or that they can control the risk and not become a statistic.

I tried many times to convince my riding buddy to, at the very least, wear a helmet but was unsuccessful.

 

[oldryder]

A while back I came across a website "www.ride2die.com". It has some good stats, some scary video of riders getting whacked by stupid drivers, and a lot of really gruesome pics. Many show road rash on people that went down without protective clothing.

I mention it here because looking over that material was enough to get me to wear my leather jacket all the time. My daughter will start riding soon and I'm going to make her look thru it as well. I think it'd be quite valuable for any rider but particularly a young one.

We have a great sport but IMHO it does have risks that warrant protective clothing.

my 2 cents

 

[cougar8000]

No one is making anyone do anything. What Hans was implying, I think I am right, is that there is nothing wrong to tell a squid about benefit of the gear. There is nothing wrong trying to educate him that the first 20 dollars helmet that he bought was a piece of crap and that is why he refuses to wear one. Tell him about other helmets . I know it worked on a few.

There is nothing wrong with a conversation. Most will not listen, some will tell you to **** off, some will take notice and the you will find a few that will convers back and those are the ones that make it worth while trying to educate people.

You can't win them all. But with the proper approach and persistence you will be surprise how many will listen. Key is have a conversation. There is nothing wrong with starting a conversation with a stranger, is there?

 

[El Toro]

I saw a young man in his early 20s getting off his Japanese litre bike. He was wearing topsiders, shorts, and a golf shirt. And oh yeah, a helmet.
As I passed him in my gear, I grinned and commented, "Not planning to crash today, are you?"

For someone who likes to help young riders become better and safer, I blew that big time. Next time I'll strike up a conversation.

I don't think you blew it. You said all and enough. He already knows what you allude to. Of course your example said more than the one liner. Badgering someone into an ATGATT discussion is fruitless, as we all know.

 

[gregarious]

I dont have a problem with people not wearing helmets, etc. What i do have a problem with is the fact that they pay the same insurance rates as those of us who wear helmets, etc. do. I have life insurance (non smoker) and pay lower rates than smokers. Non Helmeted riders should pay higher rates, and the helmeted rider policy should have an exclusion if said rider is not wearing a helmet- the policy is null and void. This will keep non-helmeted riders from saying they wear helmets. If they are in an accident, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. Just my two cents.

:angry2:

 

[EODSarge]

I've always said that the government is spinning it's wheels when it tries to save people from themselves. Smoking, drug use, not wearing a seatbelt- all of them are choices people make that could shorten their lifespan; but despite decades of education, they will still make that choice. Teaching the National Safety Council's Defensive Driving Course over the years, I've seen a trend with seatbelts- when I first started teaching it, people didn't realize how seatbelts protected you, and why you still needed them with airbags. Now, more people understand the benefits of seatbelts- but many people still don't wear them. It's futile for the government to pass laws forcing them to wear them; there will always be a number that won't. And this is coming from a cop- I'll write a seatbelt ticket (Georgia is a mandatory seatbelt state, as well as a helmet state), but I won't go out of my way to do so. Child safety restraint is different- the child doesn't know why he should be wearing a setbelt. I will always wear a helmet, even if Georgia decides they shouldn't be mandatory- I feel I owe my life to one (anything that can put a three inch crack in a Snell/DOT helmet surely wouldn't have been good for my skull). I'll even preach ATGATT to the unwashed, once- but then it's up to them. If Georgia goes helmet-optional, I'll shrug and still wear mine; and I'll still be sarcastic to my friends who wear novelty helmets.

 

[Thug]

Not being an American you may not get the idea here. Our government spends billions of dollars each year on crap already

Don't have to be a yank to suffer from that indignity!!!

 

[jekirby]

Ah...I remember the days when I thought I was bullitproof.

I had a similar incident about 10 years ago. I, like a poster above, support the others right to choose, but what gets me riled is when a rider lets his SO ride in shorts, tank top and sandals (or similiar). I know it sounds like a double standard, but for some reason, it seems different to me. 10 years ago, I walked into a gas station behind a young man whose little lady had bikini top, short-shorts and some kind of light shoes. When he finished paying and turned to leave, I made eye contact with him and said "You must not love her that much." He reacted as you would think and I have not done that since. I understand Mr. B. We all learn.

 

[joeR6]

You guys have seen this before - some dude on a literbike or busa screaming down the interstate at +90mph with his helmet still attached to the back seat. Ironic? I guess it kind of looks cool????

 

[oldryder]

things have improved. I remember a nite coming out of a bar years a go and a couple bikers started giving me crap about my helmet. I responded that I had a brain to protect. They didn't think my comment was very funny but it did shut them up.

 

[Spook]

KM
Your argument is with the greatest respect frankly rubbish. A free country you say with free laws and rights etc....Yeah we hear it used every time when one believes their rights are being impinged upon. But at the end of the day this bloke does affect me (well not me personally here in god’s country Oz) but it has the same affect here and where you live paradoxically.

**** em let them wear what they like....and when the fall off think about the fuksquillians spent of tools exercising their right when riding and how that affects me and your back pocket time and time again!!!

Less tools spending my hard earned taxes on their stupidity the happier I am because the less tax I have to pay which directly affects my family and friends and that’s a fucking good reason to pull every flea bitten imbecile up and ask them why they are being so dumb and selfish as to ride unprotected?

Any argument that supports wearing what they like is shear bloody ignorance of the bigger picture in my humble opinion....

And I am very glad you my brother are an ATGATT kinda guy....And JB good work keep it up...

Cheers

Now I understand why you country is becoming more of a nanny state every year.

 

[Spook]

...I was out by Mt. Rushmore earlier this week. There must be a BMW get together somewhere close.

Is Mt Rushmore anywhere near Hougton, WI or Gillette, WY? WI had a rally last week and WY is having one this week.

Kidding right.

 

[Spook]

After reading all these posts I was rather put off by a lot of the sick comments of how one would like to be there to see when one of these squids goes down. Also a lot of the other snide comments are going to win a lot of friends and converts.

 

[Knifemaker]

After reading all these posts I was rather put off by a lot of the sick comments of how one would like to be there to see when one of these squids goes down. Also a lot of the other snide comments are going to win a lot of friends and converts.

My comment of wishing to be there to see the squid wearing sandels crawl around looking for his toes was meant more as humor , not that in real life I would ever wish anyone to crash their bike or , lose some toes.

I appologise for making that statement to anyone who really believed I actualy meant it.

But I still think those running straight pipes are assholes......

KM