Why Aren't You Wearing a Helmet, Idiot?

Of all the divisive subjects mankind knows, few match the bitter dichotomy found in the motorcycle helmet debate. Well, religion is up there, but when it comes to recreation and safety, riders have long argued over the need for mandatory helmet laws, which are popping up throughout the United States and are already in effect in many European nations. The two sides boil down to this- one believes that riders have a responsibility to wear helmets for the same reason car passengers must wear seat belts, and the other believes that the right to choose what is safe for yourself is more important. While to many, the issue is cut and dried, and helmets are (pardon the pun) a no-brainer, the subject of freedom is uniquely important in the motorcycling community.

For many, getting on a motorcycle and cruising the roads is the ultimate expression of freedom. You openly interact with your environment, and experience every aspect of it (temperature, weather, terrain, traffic) in a way that no enclosed vehicle can rival. Motorcycles are far, far more maneuverable than cars, and can both accelerate faster and brake more quickly as well. These factors suggest that riders are marked by their need for choice, responsibility, and independence on the road. The freedom the motorcycle imbues the rider with is both functional and philosophical, if you will.

For some, this freedom extends beyond the experience itself, and becomes an expression of their desire for an unshackled and rule-free environment. To wear a helmet is a choice, and if you choose not to, in their opinion, you are entirely justified. It is YOUR life, and you have chosen to take whatever precautions you felt necessary to protect yourself in event of an accident. Others may feel a helmet is essential, but you do not, and you bear that responsibility when you crash.

I respect this rather libertarian ethic. I believe in a person's right to make decisions for themselves, and worry about their own wellbeing without interference from the state, or other people. But motorcycle helmets laws are not only about the individual wearing them, in my mind. The laws are there to protect the government from having to support an injured rider who sues them over road conditions (or other factors the state may be responsible for) when a great deal of injury could have been prevented by head protection. But more importantly, the laws are there for the people who are involved in crashes with motorcyclists and have to continue living with the guilt of their role in the injury or death of another person. Helmet laws ensure that a person has a decent shot at living through a wide variety of accidents, just as seatbelts do. A person wearing a helmet will survive wrecks that unadorned riders will not. Wrongful death suits often follow fatal motorcycle accidents, which can be devastating for the responsible party. Even the smallest and most innocent of mistakes can cause a driver to hit a rider, or force the rider into dangerous circumstances. This is a common theme in motorcycle wrecks, and even though they are the responsible party, much secondary harm towards them (lawsuits, guilt and trauma) can be avoided in addition to the primary harm the rider is spared from if helmet use is mandated.

In summary, I believe in the freedom of the road and I feel that the liberty that motorcyclists enjoy is precious. However, public safety is a complex issue, and while helmet laws restrict people from certain choices, they are crucial to the mental and physical wellbeing of all parties involved in wrecks. The many arguments in opposition to helmet laws are valid, but ignore the fact that crashes have long-lasting mental and physical consequences not just for the injured or killed rider, but for their family, friends, and the responsible driver. The dramatic increase in safety alone makes it a foolish choice, in my mind, not to sport a brain bucket. But if one looks at the possibility of long-lasting effects and aftershocks from a wreck, the choice should be obvious.

Which one's right for me?

There is no typical bike, and no typical rider. This fact is gradually becoming public knowledge, which has significantly improved the status of motorcycling in the public eye. But it is also indicative of the myriad options open to new riders or riders looking for a new thrill. Dividing the motorcycling community into smaller subsets is tricky, but I'll attempt it to show the many forms of two-wheeled fun out there.

Sport-Bikes
For the speed freaks, wheelie-poppers, and people who like to turn mountain passes into road courses, these are for you. Over powered, low weight, and able to turn on a dime, these machines are usually able to do much more than the riders on them. The community is fun, enthusiastic, competitive, and ready to spend inordinate amounts of cash on the next cool gadget, mod, or accessory.

Cruisers and Customs
The hot-rods and low riders of the bike world. Speed, comfort, and practicality are less of an issue here than style, looks, and sound. Loud and rowdy describes both the machines and their riders. Bars (for better or worse) are the hub for most activity here. Yuppies on their brand new Harleys are not likely to be welcomed.

Touring
Distance, cargo, comfort. Those three words encompass the road warrior mentality of tourers. The bikes are big, heavy, and expensive, the riders thend to be graying above the ears. But if long journeys, often with a passenger and a week's worth of luggage, are what you're after, this is the place for you.

Dual Sport
Sometimes, you run out of asphalt. When this happens, most riders have to turn around. Not on one of these bikes- geared for road and dirt use, dual sports try to trike a compromise between the two. Every bike in this category has a different approach to the problem- big, powerful BMW's as well as nimble, converted dirt bikes fill this category. Some bikes are clearly more oriented toward the road, others are more suited to the dirt. Riders of these steeds tend to have a do-it-yourself mentality, and range more in age and experience than any other group.

Dirt, Motocross, Supermoto
Trail bikes, dirt racers, and an entirely new breed of motorcycle fill out this very broad class. For people who don't want to share the road with crazy people in multi-ton SUV's, a world of fun is available off road. These bikes are suited to competitive and non-competitive riding, with an emphasis on light weight, bulletproof design, and big power. Motocross-geared models take the performance seriously, and have a price-tag to prove it. Just-plain-fun dirt bikes use slightly older, heavier technology but tend to last longer with less maintenance. Supermoto has emerged from dirt racing as a crossover category. For this growing sport, dirt-type machines are souped-up and given new, asphalt friendly tires so they can crash through half-motocross, half-road courses and give riders entirely new and exciting ways to crash and fall.

Everything Else
There are far more options than what I've listed above- they are just the most common sub-communities and bike types one is likely to encounter when getting started. Manufacturers have realized the potential for combining two or more riding types in "crossover" bikes, such as the sport-touring and adventure-touring classes. Much like dual sport combined a neutral street bike with a powerful dirt bike, they offer a taste of both worlds, opening new possibilities to riders whose interests are not so narrow. And beyond that, a whole world of unique machines is available in the classifieds and local dealers that defy any description I have given.

Overpowered Machines

Motorcycles are loads of fun for many reasons, but chief among those is the sheer power they can produce relative to their low weight. Though some machines are more speed-oriented than others, it is rare to find a motorcycle today that can't get from 0 to 60 in under six seconds, a feat that less than 10 percent of cars are capable of. This is achieved by the use of high output, performance tuned engines in conjunction with low weight frames and components.

Motorcycle engines today are often capable of putting out more than 100 horse power, with some able to reach the 200 HP mark completely unmodified. This higher end engines tend to be found in the sport-bike class, whose weights vary from just 350 pounds to about 500 lbs. To put these numbers in perspective, small cards often have power outputs between 100 and 200 HP, but weigh more than 2000 lbs. The horsepower wars between sport-bike manufacturers have raged since the 1980's, more than tripling power in that time period. In addition, improvements in design, manufacturing, and materials are producing lighter and sturdier machines for these engines to power. Sport-bike weights have steadily dropped an average of nearly fifty pounds per vehicle in the past two decades.

These factors have yielded bikes that today, in stock form from the factory, could outrun the fastest racers from just ten years ago. Given that there is no requirement for motorcycling safety education when buying one of these wildly powerful machines, it is no wonder that motorcycle fatalities are rising. It is important for new riders to take into account the capabilities of their new ride before they twist the throttle and get themselves into a world of hurt.