Stay safe out there, and wear a decent helmet!

[Allie]

My cousin Danyelle would have been 50 today, and her sister posted a couple of pics on Facebook. It's been almost 30 years since Danyelle was killed on the back of a motorcycle, and those pics still hit me. They were cruising down a residential street, not speeding, and a car backed out right in front of them. No helmets, the guy lived but she hit the side of the car with her head and that was it. We'll never know what she would have done with those 28 years, for her they never came.

Taken the day of by a close friend of hers:

[earlfor]

I used to always wear a helmet, but that "always" had exceptions such as when I was just moving the bike out of the garage to wash it, or to run it down the driveway and into my shop to work on it. Then one day, I was geared up and going to go for a ride. I was sitting on the bike, backing it out of the garage, engine not even running yet, and my foot slipped out from under me when it rolled on an acorn. I fell off backwards, bike on top of me and hit my head hard enough on the concrete to take a chunk out of the side of my helmet. I don't sit on a moving bike without a helmet anymore, not even one I am backing up that isn't running.

[marvinsc]

I have gone down twice on the street, the first time in 1982 wearing a helmet and no other protective gear. I slid down the pavement on my face long enough to wear a flat spot on the helmet. Major road rash but I actually rode the bike away from it. The second time was in 2008, I high sided HARD in full gear. As I was tumbling across the pavement I clearly remember my head smacking the pavement and thinking "Damn, that would hurt without a helmet". Walked away with a broken Left wrist. Yes, gear works.



What I was wearing that day in 2008.

[dorkburger]

Allie, sorry to hear even if its 30 years on....

Earlfor, a funny story from my late father, an avid snowmobiler: Him and some friends were on their usual upstate NY trip and stopped for lunch. They parked the sleds and walked up to a resturant. My dad slipped on some ice on the sidewalk, went a$$ over teakettle and popped his head so hard on the ground so that it chipped the ice on the sidewalk. He hadn't taken his helmet off yet.......he was sure he would have ended up in the hospital or worse if he had taken off his helmet....total happenstance......

[trevor]

Hey Allie, I'm sorry about your loss. She sure was beautiful too. That pic on the day of the accident must be tough to see...so much promise at the start of her life. Sad...sorry.

[GSXR7ED]

Summer

Hey Allie, very sorry to read about your cousin. Summer is the best time to enjoy life and from you sharing this story, remembering a life cut short.

I'll always wear my helmet when the bike is fired up. It doesn't seem right without it.


Ed

[Skinner]

Back in the 80's when I was 17 and had my first bike I used to be one of the "wears an expensive helmet but nothing else" gang. The saying was "If you have a $10 head you wear a $10 helmet" so naturally my helmet was expensive. ;-)

However, my usual riding gear was a pair of deck shoes or running shoes, a tank top and shorts. I was lucky enough that I never had a spill but when I think back on it now I get the shivers. Fast forward 30 years and I don't leave the house on the bike without helmet, gloves, jacket and boots. The only exception is my riding pants which I don't generally wear to work or for a short ride to the store, but do for longer rides. But I still wear at least jeans.

Whenever I see one of the crotch rocket gang ride by dressed like I used to dress I just shake my head and hope that they are never unfortunate enough to meet the pavement. And that they will see the light before its too late.

Very sorry about the loss of your cousin.

K

[mrbill5491]

When the weather here turns into riding time for the soft riders, out come the tank tops, shorts, flipflops and the helmets....AND I"M throwing fits when I see that. STUPID STUPID, if you are going to the wear the helmet wear the other gear as well, that helmet isn't gonna save your skin from 150 degree pavement here! I just scream at them.

Here awhile back, the kid across the street just bought an 95 GSsomething 550 Suzie, he knew I rode and came over to me one day to ask a few questions. I went over with him and pointed some things out on the bike that needed attention (oh, he couldn't figure out what the center stand was for until I put the bike up on it). I had asked him, do you have your motorcycle endorsement, he said what was that? Said to myself oh lord here we go. Told him and also told him take an MSF course ASAP. I asked about his riding gear, again he said what's that...insert big groan. I go into that, oh he said I do have a helmet, let me see it. He did buy a helmet, told him put it on, he did and it was way too big, I could pull it off his head. Said dude, your helmet is way too big, His reply, well I like it that way, I replied, it will kill you. Went through the whole thing on the helmet.

Anyways, a year later, he still has the same helmet, no gear (besides the shorts, tank tops) and no endorsement. His girlfriend refuses to wear any gear cuz it makes her not look good (she is a fashion fruit cake). I told her, well I guess you would prefer road rash then. Have fun with it. Just walked away then shaking my head muttering stupid f**ks.

I just HATE when someone asks for some riding advice etc and then just totally IGNORES it.

[wkmpt]

Darwin award candidates are everywhere; it's a shame most of them live long enough to breed before they take themselves out...

When the weather here turns into riding time for the soft riders, out come the tank tops, shorts, flipflops and the helmets....AND I"M throwing fits when I see that. STUPID STUPID, if you are going to the wear the helmet wear the other gear as well, that helmet isn't gonna save your skin from 150 degree pavement here! I just scream at them.

Here awhile back, the kid across the street just bought an 95 GSsomething 550 Suzie, he knew I rode and came over to me one day to ask a few questions. I went over with him and pointed some things out on the bike that needed attention (oh, he couldn't figure out what the center stand was for until I put the bike up on it). I had asked him, do you have your motorcycle endorsement, he said what was that? Said to myself oh lord here we go. Told him and also told him take an MSF course ASAP. I asked about his riding gear, again he said what's that...insert big groan. I go into that, oh he said I do have a helmet, let me see it. He did buy a helmet, told him put it on, he did and it was way too big, I could pull it off his head. Said dude, your helmet is way too big, His reply, well I like it that way, I replied, it will kill you. Went through the whole thing on the helmet.

Anyways, a year later, he still has the same helmet, no gear (besides the shorts, tank tops) and no endorsement. His girlfriend refuses to wear any gear cuz it makes her not look good (she is a fashion fruit cake). I told her, well I guess you would prefer road rash then. Have fun with it. Just walked away then shaking my head muttering stupid f**ks.

I just HATE when someone asks for some riding advice etc and then just totally IGNORES it.

[Griffin]

It's tough on anniversaries of tragedies for the loved ones left behind, particularly when the person was young.

A few of my friends have been killed or crippled in motorcycle accidents over the years, most of them were in their teens or twenties back in the seventies and eighties. Oddly enough, the closest I've ever come to dying on a bike was only ten years ago. I was rear ended at a stoplight. I saw the person coming in my mirrors, and started to take evasive maneuvers around the car in front of me, but it was too late. The impact launched my GS1150 and me into the oncoming traffic.

Broken collarbone, broken ribs, and concussion. Could have been a lot worse though. This is the helmet I was wearing that night:



My chin hit an oncoming pickup, and my head was the first thing to hit the ground when I cartwheeled off of it onto the pavement.

[Grimly]

I've always worn decent safety gear but must admit i've been a bit skimpy on the trousers - it's the hassle of getting trousered just for a short ride out, so I think I'll invest in some good Kevlar jeans (rather, polycotton Kevlar jeans if I can find them) the reason I gave up on denims was their inability to resist battery acid splashes, whereas polycotton is unaffected. So, Kevlar+polycotton seems a winner to me. Obviously, nothing as good as leather but for local rides down the village, etc, they'd suit fine.
Any time I've fallen or been punted off, my legs have never taken the brunt of it, but my helmet has a couple of times, as my upper body, so the protection actually there did work well enough.