[onthedot]

They will probably take the permit for a period of time. BUT, if I were you, I would demostrate that you've come to your senses and show up to court with your BRT certificate to let the judge know it was naive and you've taken the first step to be a safe rider.

[professorman]

Occasionally, when I am working on my bike in my apt complex, and I complete the repair, I ride it up a few parking spaces and back just to see it running a bit. Can I get a ticket for doing that as well?

[slayergsxf1]

Time for my opinion that everyone will not like.

Most people own a bike for the freedom, and freedom is the chioce to do what you want, most harley riders will agree that helmets shouldnt be required, now let me clearify: if your gonna shred up the road and curves and hit so deep angles and high speeds then yes you should wear gear, but if your gonna cruise the beaches like i do in myrtle beach and tampa area, you just want to relax and enjoy the air and the scene. So when I cruise around the helmet is off, but if im stunting or racing around then im geared up. But it the person doing it chioce, if there not worried about doing wearing then niether should anybody else, and no should say anything negitive about it.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Enjoy your bike the way you want, just be slightly smart about it ( we dont own bikes for saftey).

There is a time and place for everything.Individual choices must remain..The squids are there to make us LAUGH!!!So enjoy them,,,as well as the chopper crowd...

[PussyKat]

went to court yesterday, he called my name i pled guilty and he said " ok well if you need a helmet let me know after court. no fine just court costs" so i didnt have to pay any fines just court costs. but believe me im wearing a helmet from now on!

[SKNL2]

The helmet law debate will rage on forever.

Insurance companies have LOBBYISTS. They pay these lobbyists to convince politicians to look out for their best interests. They do this by both legal and illegal/unethical means. If a million dollar head injury that comes out of the insurance company's pockets could have been prevented by a helmet, you can bet the insurance company wants to see a mandatory helmet law. To suggest that helmet laws are there to generate revenue for the state is naive and, frankly, silly. Same holds true for seat belts and laws related to their use.

Braunstein, you say essentially, "My head, my choice."

I say to you, "Your head injury, your medical bills." Insurance policies have caps on them. Once you have run your tab up past this amount, typically, taxpayers begin to foot the bill. This removes your "I ain't hurtin' anybody but me" argument.

You want to just "cruise" the beach in Myrtle. You cannot ignore the fact that there were 7 killed in 10 days during Bike Week this year, many of which were probably "just cruising." Speculation, to be sure, but probably not far from reality.

I think it hurts too much hitting my head on pavement when going ZERO to want to do it going 55+. I'll wear my helmet, thanks. I don't need a law telling me to be smart with my head.

In NC, if you are caught operating a motorcycle without an endorsement or a Motorcycle Learner's Permit, you can be barred from getting one. I think that's fair.

PussyKat, glad to hear you got off light. Please wear your lid. "Short rides" are where the majority of accidents happen.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Lid or no lid...

Riding is a privilege, not a right. Just as driving a car is.

We can speak of freedom of choice to use gear at our discretion - but in the end, it really isn't our choice... (well, indirectly it is - through the use of lobby groups and such).

I support mandatory gear laws. I read a great quote once - "If you don't think your head is worth protecting.... it probably isn't..."

There have been countless arguments made for/against gear laws - but in the end, they aren't meant to protect just the rider - they protect insurance companies, medical establishments, other motorists, and (most importantly imho) the extended families of the riders.

Every person that chooses not to wear gear is making the choice to increase their chances of greater bodily harm - and this choice affects those around them. I'm sure parents, spouses, and children would prefer the rider make a choice that would provide their greatest safety.

The goal of society and laws is meant to help protect people from themselves - because, let's face it, there are quite a few people that have poor judgement and can't be trusted to make decisions that will affect themselves and others adversely. Drunk driving is a great example. There are SOOO many people that feel they can have 4 or 5 drinks and then hop behind the wheel... this is why we have LAWS to help them make the right choice. (this could be an entire post on its own!). We can't always expect people's judgement to be sound and in their best interest.

In my opinion - riding without gear is an incedibly selfish act... showing little care for one's impact on others and poor judgement (much like driving drunk). But, that's just my 2 cents.

I'd love to see helmets mandatory at a minimum. I live in NH - "Live free or die" (how ironic) - which has no helmet law... but I wear helmet, jacket, heavy pants, gloves, and boots whenever I ride - because I like to think I have enough common-sense to appreciate the full consequences of my choices....

Sorry for the rant.

[01blewkat]

Mojoe wrote:

The idea of the system telling me what I can and can't wear when riding really irks me. I have crossed over to using my gear pretty much 99.9% of the time, but if a hot day comes around when I just want to take the 2 mile ride to the beach in my sandals, shorts and t-shirt, I want to have the freedom to do so. I kinda think that at 41 yrs old and 25 or so years of riding under my belt, I should be responsible enough to make that decision on my own....and not be told what I have to do by some fatass in government who has probably never ridden a bike in his life. you gotta remember...riding is about freedom. if you take away any and all choices we can make on our own, there won't be much left except which roda you choose to ride on. everything else will be regulated. nope...before they do that because they think it is too dangerous, they need to go after the real threats.....and that is the idiots in the cages. talk on a cell phone while driving....yank your license. put on make-up in the mirror.....yank your license. drinking coffee...eating....same thing. well...maybe not yank your license, but a good stiff fine at least. take care of those problems, then it will be much safer for the guys who choose to ride in shorts and a t-shirt.[/quote]

+1,000

Dont ever hand over your freedom of choice to the man.

[Yellow2002Kat]

Yeah, I feel people should have the right to choose. I wear all my gear all the time, although many of you don't consider regular jeans actual gear . If you don't wear gear it's none of my business. I only kinda shake my head when I see a kid (< 18 ) riding as a passenger with shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops.

The real problem is that in the overwhelming majority of MC accidents, it's the cager who is at fault and not the biker. As a result, no ride is a leisurely one since we have to share the road with cars. That's why gear is important to me. Not because I'm afraid of crashing, but because I'm afraid of someone crashing into me.

PussyKat, I'm glad to hear that you got off lightly. If you're shopping for a helmet they come up for sale here at KR from time to time. I think there are a couple for sale now. Enjoy your bike and ride safe!

[Mojoe]

Re: Lid or no lid...

Riding is a privilege, not a right. Just as driving a car is.

We can speak of freedom of choice to use gear at our discretion - but in the end, it really isn't our choice... (well, indirectly it is - through the use of lobby groups and such).

I support mandatory gear laws. I read a great quote once - "If you don't think your head is worth protecting.... it probably isn't..."

There have been countless arguments made for/against gear laws - but in the end, they aren't meant to protect just the rider - they protect insurance companies, medical establishments, other motorists, and (most importantly imho) the extended families of the riders.

Every person that chooses not to wear gear is making the choice to increase their chances of greater bodily harm - and this choice affects those around them. I'm sure parents, spouses, and children would prefer the rider make a choice that would provide their greatest safety.

The goal of society and laws is meant to help protect people from themselves - because, let's face it, there are quite a few people that have poor judgement and can't be trusted to make decisions that will affect themselves and others adversely. Drunk driving is a great example. There are SOOO many people that feel they can have 4 or 5 drinks and then hop behind the wheel... this is why we have LAWS to help them make the right choice. (this could be an entire post on its own!). We can't always expect people's judgement to be sound and in their best interest.

In my opinion - riding without gear is an incedibly selfish act... showing little care for one's impact on others and poor judgement (much like driving drunk). But, that's just my 2 cents.

I'd love to see helmets mandatory at a minimum. I live in NH - "Live free or die" (how ironic) - which has no helmet law... but I wear helmet, jacket, heavy pants, gloves, and boots whenever I ride - because I like to think I have enough common-sense to appreciate the full consequences of my choices....

Sorry for the rant.

well in all that blah, blah, you do make some valid points. sure it cost everyone in the end through insurance premiums, but all they have to do is void paying if there is no helmet worn. so the way I see it, you should have the freedom to remove the lid if you wish, as long as you are aware you are not covered by insurance if you do. just as it is our right to remove the helmet, it should be the insurance companies right to include a clause in the policy that you are not covered for injury if you do remove it. this will protect the insurance company, and it will make those who do choose to remove the helmet think twice about it, and be much more careful if they do. this approach will protect other drivers from increased rates, and still leave riders with the freedom to choose.
but all in all.....it has been a while since I have hit the road without a helmet. a couple of years at least. I have no plans on doing it again cuz it is not something I feel I HAVE to do. There is a helmet law here, so I couldn't if I wanted to anyway.
So my final thought is that I am ok with helmet laws. I think they are a good thing. But if I am riding in an area where that law doesn't exist, I want to make my own choice on what I do, and not hear fellow bikers bitch at me for it.

So in a sense, it is not the law that bothers me. It is the other riders who preach to me how I should ride. If there is no helmet law in my area, and they try to instate one, yes, I will fight it for the sole purpose of fighting for my right to choose. If they pass it anyway, then so be it. I can live with that. What I have a hard time living with is a fellow rider who has been riding maybe a couple of years at most, preaching to me about how I should ride after I have 25+ years under my belt. with that many years of riding, and a good 300k miles under my belt, I just feel like bitch slapping a rookie who starts preaching.

we covered this quite extensively when KP was running, and it got to be a very hot topic. I wear full gear more now than I used to, but my ideals are still the same. and that ideal is that any rider who tries to force his idea of what is right and what is wrong when it comes to gear, on another rider.....well, he is really no better than the lobbyists.

[chilipepper]

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Re: Lid or no lid...

well in all that blah, blah, you do make some valid points. sure it cost everyone in the end through insurance premiums, but all they have to do is void paying if there is no helmet worn. so the way I see it, you should have the freedom to remove the lid if you wish, as long as you are aware you are not covered by insurance if you do. just as it is our right to remove the helmet, it should be the insurance companies right to include a clause in the policy that you are not covered for injury if you do remove it. this will protect the insurance company, and it will make those who do choose to remove the helmet think twice about it, and be much more careful if they do. this approach will protect other drivers from increased rates, and still leave riders with the freedom to choose.
but all in all.....it has been a while since I have hit the road without a helmet. a couple of years at least. I have no plans on doing it again cuz it is not something I feel I HAVE to do. There is a helmet law here, so I couldn't if I wanted to anyway.
So my final thought is that I am ok with helmet laws. I think they are a good thing. But if I am riding in an area where that law doesn't exist, I want to make my own choice on what I do, and not hear fellow bikers biatch at me for it.

So in a sense, it is not the law that bothers me. It is the other riders who preach to me how I should ride. If there is no helmet law in my area, and they try to instate one, yes, I will fight it for the sole purpose of fighting for my right to choose. If they pass it anyway, then so be it. I can live with that. What I have a hard time living with is a fellow rider who has been riding maybe a couple of years at most, preaching to me about how I should ride after I have 25+ years under my belt. with that many years of riding, and a good 300k miles under my belt, I just feel like biatch slapping a rookie who starts preaching.

we covered this quite extensively when KP was running, and it got to be a very hot topic. I wear full gear more now than I used to, but my ideals are still the same. and that ideal is that any rider who tries to force his idea of what is right and what is wrong when it comes to gear, on another rider.....well, he is really no better than the lobbyists.

First, I'm not a rookie rider... been riding bikes for 30 years. I've never put down a street bike... and have over 100k miles (not quite your 300k, that's quite impressive!!)

Second, my "Blah blah blah" didn't include derogatory remarks about other people's posts... but, I appreciate the constructive feedback :P

Third, you can talk all you want about freedom, and try to create unique situations of insurance coverage - but it's my opinion that it's wasted effort unless you intend to start some sort of grassroots campaign to achieve it.

I'm not sure I would compare someone posting on a forum as being the same as a lobbyist in government... I'm uncertain how you equate reading a post as "forcing" their opinions on others - we're just sharing in a discussion, aren't we? I have to believe there's room for dissenting opinions and ideas.

I certainly hope I haven't insulted you somehow in all this Mojoe.

[Flip]

This chick probably dies without a helmet:

http://www.thatvideosite.com/view/471.html

[PussyKat]

haha no shit dude that looked like it hurt

[SKNL2]

"Nah, it's cool, honey. You don't need any gear. It's JUST a wheelie."

What a tool. Poor girl.