Just got home from a gig.

On the way home, on an offramp to the interstate, I saw a crotch rocket laying on the side of the road, headlight on, leaking fuel, and pointing toward the road. I accidentally ran over a shoe as I called 911 and slowed down to pull over and see if I could help.

When I got to the bike, I couldn't see anyone (it was about 3:00 a.m.).
I thought maybe the rider was ok enough to head out on foot for some assistance. It went down near a very populated area.

I walked further up the offramp and found the rider face down about 75 feet up the ramp from where the bike stopped sliding. He was dead on the scene. Couldn't have been 18 years old. Hope he wasn't a daddy.

Please wear helmets.

Oof.

I've been to enough bike wrecks in my time... When the shoe and wearer are separate, it's usually a bad sign. At that point it's anybody's guess whether the helmet may have made a difference or not. (For what it's worth, I am a STRONG proponent of helmets.)

I learned to ride several years ago, was getting to enjoy it and be pretty comfortable, and laid my bike down hard. I rode it home, cleaned up my scrapes and cuts, and put the bike up for sale the next week. I don't miss it.

Are *you* ok?

Yeah, I'm alright. Nothing one can do, really.
Thanks very, very much for asking.

Is there no helmet law in Ohio? That has got to suck finding somebody like that.

The trouble with a bike is that when push really comes to shove, even a helmet is not going to help. Two cases I can think of stick in my mind.

1) The two bikes that met absolutely plumb head on...as did their riders. The pillion from one was found deceased some time later behind a hedge after the cops finally had sense to ask the riding buddies if all were accounted for...

2) The guy a few years above me in high school who took on an 18 wheeler. A cop at the scene got a shock when he looked to see why the helmet he was recovering was so heavy.

I hope that you are OK, coming upon dead bodies in the middle of the night can be disconcerting.


Well there are a few thing to mention here.

Ohio law states:
"No person who is under the age of eighteen years, or who holds a motorcycle operator's endorsement or license bearing a "novice" designation that is currently in effect as provided in section 4507.13 of the Revised Code, shall operate a motorcycle on a highway, or be a passenger on a motorcycle, unless wearing a protective helmet on his head, and no other person shall be a passenger on a motorcycle operated by such a person unless similarly wearing a protective helmet. . . ."

So, if he was under 18 he was breaking the law, if he had his motorcycle endorsement for less than two years he was breaking the law. Also an 18 year old on a todays powerful crotch rockets is generally an organ donor in the making helmet or not.

I've been riding for nearly 35 years and find the new 120+HP superbikes to be quite a handful. Give that HP a bit too much throttle and the front end starts to come up right away, throw the nimble little thing into a corner and you best be in a good saddle position ready to drag a knee. If you get too casual with todays sport bikes they will bite you. I alway recommend new riders who ask to start on a 500cc or less sport bike or 650cc or less cruiser, that gives them enough power to move when traffic dictates, but not so much that it's uncontrollable for a noobie.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

I agree with these comments... I've been riding since I learned how to ride a bicycle, and it amazes me how guys that have never ridden before will go out and buy a 'crotch rocket,' or a 800lb+ Harley. These crotch rockets are really just street legal race bikes, and can really get novice riders in trouble. And the Harleys can also be a handful for newbies (it is actually a little funny seeing them tip over in parking lots...).

From my experience, many of these late night bike accidents are alcohol related. So, I would add, wear a helmet, and do not drink and ride! I ride an HD, and a lot of the guys just love to do the bar runs; I drink cokes when I ride, and will no longer ride in a pack that's been drinking.

I've also seen a few bikes get wiped out by drunks driving cars late at night (one guy didn't see the stoplight that a guy and his girlfriend were stopped on their HD; very ugly...). I really don't like to ride my bike after midnight for those reasons.

Beach Elvis, I hope you are ok after your experience; hang in there...

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NRA Life Member

I'll be 52 next month, and I've been riding since I was 14.

One of the disturbing trends nowadays is that people tend to jump on much larger and more powerful bikes as beginners than they did in my day.

Zero experience, never rode before, go out a buy a Hayabusa.

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Where do we go from here?

What a terrible way to start the weekend. For both yourself and the young man's family. God bless you for stopping to give some aid. Have to wonder how many cars had passed without even stopping.

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Misty

Most motorcycle fatalities are due to massive blunt force trauma and internal injuries.

Most automobile accident fatalities are due to head injury.

When are people in cars gonna start wearing helmets?

Indiana and Illinois have no helmet laws. I see those aluminum and plastic Jap scoots all the time. Young guy with a pretty girl behind, no brain buckets, both in shorts, her with flip flops. Him trying to impress her with his driving prowess at ridicules acceleration. The recklessness of youth will kill them both.

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SOS USA

Ohio once had a law that required all motorcycle riders and passengers to wear a helmet, as did most states after the feds used their typical extortion method of threatening to restrict federal highway funds. After congress removed the regulatory threat back in the late 70's(if I recall correctly), Ohio and several other states repealed or modified their helmet laws. While I do not think the state has the right to force self protection laws (helmets, seat belts, saturated fats, etc.) upon us, I have always worn a helmet. There have been rare occasions when I chose to take a casual ride through the countryside without one to enjoy the feel of the wind without my head poked in a stuffy brain bucket. Stupid?...Perhaps, but it was my choice...my risk, and I'm glad I have the freedom to make that choice without being chased down by one of our legendary Ohio Highway Patrol's overpaid meter maids.

I was behind a guy the other day on a brand new Harley with a paper dealer tag and I could tell he couldn't ride it very well so I went slow and stayed way back. He stopped to make a left turn into a car wash area and he kept stomping on the shifter lever and couldn't get it in the gear he wanted. A car was coming and he went to make his turn but he apparently had it in high gear and was barely moving, with this car coming right at him. He gave it full throttle and finally got out of the way, and went over the curb and through a row of bushes and into the side of the car wash. I don't think he was hurt but it sure could have been a lot worse. Much as I love cycles I stick to the dirt,....I'm too old to get hurt.

In 1976 I was nearly killed when I dropped my Honda on the freeway doing about 75. I ground holes completely through the helmet in three places, tore most of my right knee off, broken shoulder, ribs and some serious road rash over a good portion of my body. Had it not been for the helmet I surely would have died. No, I don't ride anymore though I did for a while after the accident. Here in Arizona helmets are optional and most don't wear them. This has two major effects: it thins out the shallow end of the gene pool and provides lots of donor organs. Most ER nurses just refer to bikes as "Donor Cycles".

Newbies on crotch rockets make up a lot of the statistics. Palomar Mountain in San Diego is a famous crotch rocket raceway with hundreds of fools racing up and down every weekend. A good friend was the Captain of the volunteer fire department that was tasked with responding every time one of these idiots went down. She made a habit of checking the odometers after getting them off to the hospital and found most had less than 3,000 miles. Here in our retirement community there are lots of guys in their 60's and 70's who go out and buy a Harley. I'm sure they are a lot of fun but when I see an old guy wearing his Doo rag and wobbling down the road I cringe and change lanes to get as far away as possible.

Worked in an Operating Room for well over 30 years... quite riding bikes 6 months into it.

Started riding in 1958.

Ordered a helmet in 1964. It came in a week later. Two hours later, a car pulled out in front of me, I went up, came down, landed head first. Helmet had paint from cars hood ground in at right temple area.

Kept riding until 1985. Sold the last bike when I was moving.

Still keep MC endorsement on my DL, but really don't want to ride anymore.

I worry more about the drivers who don't/won't see the cycles than I do about my riding skills.

Bekeart

I started riding when I was about 11 years old. I had a few minor tumbles, but nothing serious. When I was in my late 20s I was negotiating a curve when I hit a patch of sand that had blown onto the roadway. Next thing I know I'm sliding on the wrong side of the road, staring into the grill of an oncoming truck. The truck driver was able to (barely) swerve around me, but the b*stard didn't even stop.

I had two young kids at the time, and I figured that was God's way of telling me that it was time to find a new hobby. I miss it sometimes, and I've come very close to buying another bike on more than one occasion. Perhaps someday.

To the OP: glad you're OK. Coming across a corpse at 3AM can be a shock to the system.

I've been riding for over 40 years. Helmets are not required in my state and I prefer to not wear one.

At low speed the helmet helps most of the time. At high speed the benefits are diminished.

But there is also the possibility that the helmet can do more harm than good. Tests have shown that the weight of the helmet can increase the chance of sever neck injury (read that paralysis) due to whiplash.

Also, having worn a helmet at times, I know that my ability to drive defensively is reduced with one. My peripheral vision is limited, my hearing is severely curtailed, and I experience a sense of isolation from the environment lulling me into complacency when I should be alert. So while a helmet may help in a crash, I honestly feel that wearing one increases the chances of crashing.

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No life story has happy end.

I have a driving instructor friend in the Akron area .... this has been an issue for quite a while.
Quite the brazen crew of suicide jockeys tearing around front wheel high down the interstate and hard for law enforcement to stop since the bike accelerates faster, is faster, is more nimble, and fits through tighter spaces than squad cars.
It has great potential to end badly, and in this case, did.
to the OP ... if we didn't have days like this, we wouldn't know a good day for lack of comparison

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it just needs more voltage

I've been riding for over 40 years. Helmets are not required in my state and I wouldn't get caught dead riding without one.

I'd so like to see a source for this statement.

I'll concede this point. I equate this argument against helmet use to the argument against seat belt use because someone's friend's uncle's step-child knows someone that couldn't get out of a burning car because they were trapped by the seatbelt, therefore seatbelts are killers.

I've read a lot of motorcycle accident studies and I assure you there is zero evidence indicating that wearing a helmet increases the chances of crashing.

I'm not trying to take away anybody's right to decide on this issue, but one person's experiences and feelings do not a statistic make. I don't want any of the forum family who might be considering taking up the fantastic hobby of motorcycling to get the wrong idea about where helmets fit into the picture of protecting the old noggin'.

Brian~

Prayers to the rider and his family.

That said, to my mind, I can't understand anything other than ATGATT. Head to toe protection with armor.

Sweating in gear on a hot day won't hurt you like a crash without it will.

I think every rider should have the choice of wearing one or not. I also think every rider that chooses not to wear a helmet should be 100% financially responsible for their drooling, brain-dead, closed-head injury condition if they survive.

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Centennial Every Day

Sorry your weekend had to start like that. I had a similar experience one morning on my way to work. It was still dark around 5:30 am, I was cruising at about 70 in the fast lane of I4 through downtown Orlando when a crotch rocket shot between my van and a semi in the next lane like we were backing up. There was a little contact as he went between the two cars in front of me and quickly shot out of sight. A few seconds later I saw sparks way up ahead and knew he went down. I slowed down and started watching for him and suddenly found myself standing on the brakes as I saw a body carom off the retention wall and come to stop just in front of me. I stopped about ten feet short and was looking at a lifeless body in the road. My hazards didn't work so I flipped on a turn signal, threw the van in park, unhooked my seatbelt and just as I was popping the door open he jumped up, ran over to the retention wall and waved. Everyone drove on. I saw his bike on it's side about a hundred yards up the road. I wonder if he'll ever realize how lucky he was that day.

Having had my life saved by a helmet I am a tad opinionated on this topic so bear with me. I've heard every rationalization for not wearing one and none of them work for me. The same nonsense was spewed when seat belts were required and it made about as much sense then as now. Air bags were laughed at when first introduced but now are standard equipment on every vehicle and getting better every year and like seat belts and helmets are saving thousands of lives every year.

There are thousands of helmets out there to choose from, all shapes and sizes and anyone can find one that works for them and still imparts improved levels of safety and survivability. The beanie style so favored by the Harley crowd has zero affect on your peripheral vision. If I was still riding I would probably go with a full face with pop up shields. The point is helmets work and have dramatically improved in comfort and visibility.

As noted above the primary issue here is not infringing on someones personal freedom. It is about all of the injuries sustained and subsequent medical maintenance that comes from going down without a helmet. Until every single cycle rider has 100% medical coverage and not one dime of taxpayer dollars is permitted to be spent on caring for the helmetless riders the law should require a helmet. I feel the same way about folks who were not wearing a seatbelt and are injured. YMMV.

We lost an agent from Presidio station last week to a motorcycle accident. I don't know the details but I think he only had the bike a few days. I never met him but he was only a few academy classes ahead of me. Please be careful when riding.

And all handgun owners should have liability insurance on each handgun in case it gets stolen and used in a crime or in case a child finds it and shoots himself or another kid.

If a handgun is stolen, then the owner no longer has any input or control over how it is used, totally different story from choosing to not wear a helmet when riding. I have been riding since I was 16, am 50 now, been in a few minor accidents but never even a road rash since I always wear at least boots, HEAVY jeans, either a heavy denim or leather jacket, full face helmet and gloves. My very first run-in with a cager was when I was 16, had just started riding, was only two blocks from home and a lady pulled straight out in front of me at an intersection, she said she didn't see me, of course. I laid it down but not bad, neither the bike or I hurt other than some asphalt on the engine guards.

People who say that a helmet can "help" kill you remind me of those who say the same thing about seat belts. In very rare instances, that might be true, but just by playing the odds you are better off using what protection you have available. When the price of gas took off a couple years ago, great numbers of people ran out and bought bikes, many of whom had never ridden before. Many of them got killed. I see a kid on a crotch rocket in flip flops, shorts, tshirt and I just shake my head. Hopefully they will survive the lesson that is a comin...

M28- I think it only common sense to realize that if you fall down at 25 MPH the helmet is of more use than if you fall at 80 MPH. At 25 the head injury is the maybe the only chance of a fatal injury. At 80 you sustain crushing injuries to the torso and even severed limbs causing death by massive hemorrhaging.

I only speak for myself when I say that wearing a helmet makes me more likely to crash. I absolutely believe this regardless of whether you share this opinion or not*. I also believe that if it's true for me it may well be true for others, too.

Calculating all the factors, odds are you are probably better off wearing a helmet. But I still choose not to do so.

* I can cite one specific incident. I was the last one in line at a stoplight. Maybe 10 cars in front of me and the same in the other lane next to me. I heard the distinctive sound of tires squealing from the brakes being locked up and with better than normal reactions I popped the clutch and pulled forward between the rows of stopped cars just in time to avoid being crushed as a car slammed into the car I had just been sitting behind. Inattentive driver doing about 50 MPH didn't see the stopped traffic and slammed his brakes too late to avoid the crash. I know that with a helmet on I would not have heard the tires squealing and would have been pinned between the two cars.

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No life story has happy end.

I agree with Brian on this...it would seem that the benefits of wearing a helmet almost certainly outweigh the potential disadvantages. As said, though...I do believe that it should be up to the rider to decide whether they wish to wear a helmet or not.

Tim

If you want to wear a helmet , fine. I choose not too. I too have been riding since I was 16. Yes , a helmet saved my noggin the very first day I had my license when I was rear ended at a red light. I've also had 2 other incidents that left me severly injured and partially crippled for life and my lid didn't get a scratch.

There are no laws saying you can't wear a helmet , but why does everyone need to force their will to protect everyone from themselves. I know the risks and accept them. If I wanted total safety , I wouldn't ride a motorcycle. I'd have an 8 point rollcage installed in the cab of my truck along with a 5 point seat belt/harness.

We're becoming like that sissy-mary country England.

I rode motorcycles for forty eight years. I started with a two speed mo-ped when I had a paper route and ended with a Road King many years, jobs, and miles later. I once hit a steel cable barricade which the Department of Natural Resources had strung across a lake road. I didn't notice the cable before it was too late and I couldn't stop in time.

I hit the cable at a high front fork level and then went for a high flying trip. I went one way and the bike the other. I was wearing a helmet .The helmet was scratched and had two holes in it from gravel. My jacket was ripped to shreds, and I had a large red whip mark where the cable hit me after expending it's energy on the front forks and handlebar prior to smacking me on the chin.I was fortunate the cable wasn't higher or it would have broken my neck or decapitated me.

I was glad I was wearing the helmet, but I have ridden many miles without one too. Over the years I have had friends killed riding with helmets, and without.A lot of what happens to you depends on circumstances. At speed if you collide with a car or big truck you are most likely not going to walk away from that even with a helmet. Slower speeds and helmets even the odds for your survival somewhat. With or without a helmet you pay your money and take your chances. I've also always heard it's not if you'll have a wreck, but when. This seems to have played out as stated.
Bob

beach elvis.
I am sorry that you had to see what you saw. Obviously, having had spent over 20 years in the emergency fire/rescue business, I have seen many a fatality. I handled it, but never got used to it. I remember every one, and it is not an easy thing to deal with. I hope you are able to get past this. I know it is not an easy thing to do, so I just wish you all the best. You are a good person for stopping to see if you could help.


WG840

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Freedom above all else.

About a month ago I was running radar on the freeway.
I got two "crotch rockets" going South Bound at 153 mph!
They fled, but couldn't out-run the radio. Got both of them.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

These types of riders are as often as not self correcting problems. We've had two situations lately where sport bikes are tagged at high speed and with both situations when the blue lights came on they ran . . . and we found them both within 5 miles; crashed and DRT.

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- Change it back -

Wait, lemme guess. Loud pipes save lives, right?

That's the amazing thing....a bike can outrun a police car, but nobody can out run a Motorola

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Adopt a retired Greyhound :)

The physicians and nurses in our Emergency Room refer to them as "Donor Cycles".

Usually a head injury and other internal organs still viable for organ donation.

Please be sure your drivers license has "Organ Donor" checked on it. Others need what you no longer have use for.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I'm not sure at what speed the protection is diminished enough to make a difference in the choice. Of course, it should be an individual choice, not a choice made by do-gooder fascists trying to prove their moral "superiority" by forcing others to do things their way. As far as speed, I had a crash in 1966 at an unknown speed (I don't remember the accident or a few hours preceding it) which was probably 45-55 mph. From the damage to my leather jacket and my helmet, it is clear that both were major contributors to my well-being. I did break a collarbone, but suffered no other notable injuries. I'm sure that I would have been dead without the helmet.

While I have also heard of possible helmet-weight problems, I think that one should weigh the odds of one event over the other. Proving that one decision is right and the other is wrong, of course, is not always easy, which is just one more reason why the decision should be made by the rider, not by some do-gooder cager.

Concerning hearing, I suspect that SP and I have experienced much different helmets. The last helmet I wore very much (I no longer ride) did cover the ears, but that was about all besides the top and the back of my head. It actually IMPROVED my hearing, at least at speed, because it reduced wind noise. Of course, that is judging more by the bass engine sound, which isn't attenuated as much by obstructions, anyway; it may have been worse with treble, and certainly was not an improvement while sitting still.

Each to his own.

As a rider myself, I support and encourage wearing a helmet but I think it ought to be a rider's choice (over 21).

As for loud pipes, that's just silly nonsense. Loud pipes give all riders a bad rap.

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- Change it back -

technicaly true .. but 150+ can run your line of sight pretty quick.
if their kind weren't so pumped on the thrill of the chase and bent on playing games to prolong the rush ... LEO's might catch a lot fewer of them and ER's harvest less organs.
Instead they tend to play it indecisively and run the odds many times over what is necessary for a clean evasion

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it just needs more voltage

Everybody crank 'em up and go ride for Old Glory.

Wear a helmet if you want to.
Don't wear one if you don't want to.

That was easy to fix.

Happy 4th!

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett