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Old 7th April 2010, 21:10   #106
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Hi Guys !

Need your help & inputs please, Im planning on picking up a helmet, the current Vega i have is not too comfortable and is giving me pain in the back of the neck.

My budget is around 5 ~ 10 K for a good one, preferably a well known brand like KBC, Spark, AGV etc.

Please can you suggest me a good shop in Bangalore where i can get an original piece ? I have heard of Orion motors near Forum who deals in the above mentioned brands but im not sure how reliable it is, if anyone has an experience, please do share or if there is any other alternate shop ?
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Old 8th April 2010, 01:31   #107
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollin' Thunda View Post

With freedom comes responsibility. Don't wear a helmet because you have to, wear it because you want to --- for all of those who are riding with you even when you are going solo on your bike.
I liked that statement very much. And its pretty much what I'm trying to say...

Quote:
Originally Posted by RT13 View Post
@ Raccoon,

I'm a huge advocate of freedom of choice.

However, I think you're more than slightly mistaken here when you say its only your freedom thats affected. Bear with me a second and read on to see why.

If you were shooting yourself in the head, I have no issues at all. Its your right to kill yourself in my opinion (much as many religious fanatics might scream about the sin of suicide and suchlike). However, if there's somebody standing next to you and the bullet kills him too, then your freedom has certainly impinged upon someone else's, to disastrous effect.

If I were to apply this logic to your helmet theory it still holds good.

If you were to fall off a bike and injure yourself or die to no consequence to anyone else, thats fine. However, this is extremely unlikely to be the case and very very rare in fact. Here are the possible ways in which you will be affecting people other than yourself
  1. In case of an accident involving another vehicle(s) the seriousness of your injury will determine the extent of his prosecution. Regardless of whose fault it is, if you die from a head injury, there are certainly going to be far more serious repercussions to the others involved in an accident than if you were to live. This is much worse when it is the fault of the person who isn't wearing the helmet as the innocent person is targeted anyway.
  2. The extent of injures will certainly determine how much time and effort is spent trying to get you back into shape. That puts an additional burden on an already stretched healthcare system. A person who has been injured due to lack of a helmet could actually occupy an ambulance that would otherwise have gone to pick up somebody with a heart-attack or some other less-avoidable emergency (I say 'less avoidable' purely to avoid a silly debate on how all sorts of ailments could be avoided by exercise and so on). Additionally, the time a doc would spend on the person could be spent on somebody with a less avoidable injury.
  3. The pain caused by the loss of a life is borne by the people who are left behind - family, friends and so on. Please don't compare this to suicide because that is actually a considered action (however badly considered). I don't think anybody actually plans on dying due to a head injury caused in an accident.
  4. An incident such as this also places an additional burden on an already stretched police force and judicial system as they have to dedicate time and money (PUBLIC money) to someone who really needn't have landed up in that position. Time and money that could have gone towards the more pressing problems in this country - corruption, crime and so on.
I'll end here, but I hope you get the gist of what I'm saying. I completely defend your right to your freedom as long as it is merely you paying the price of your action. Unfortunately in this case it is very very very seldom that nobody other than the person not wearing a helmet is affected.

Cheers

Rahul
The essence of what you are trying to say is pretty much what others have mentioned earlier. So I'd really not like to do a rehash.

Just one issue - why stop only at helmets? I mentioned body armour ealier... and really, body armor in the form of riding jackets, pants, knee and elbow guards, gloves all reinforced with steel, Kevlar, etc, are now available. Why not make these also compulsory? Please note that we are not debating whether it good to wear such gear and helmets. We are only discussing if they should be made compulsory! And please guys, don't say head is more important than all other body parts. Trauma to other parts can be equally lethal, especially the spine. Don't you think its much better to have your skull cracked rather than live paralyzed for the rest of your life, live life in a coma, or live a life minus one of your limbs, etc? So where should all this end? Why not go the whole hog and make all this compulsory? Or better still, like someone suggested above, why not just ban 2 wheelers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit View Post
Hi Guys !

Need your help & inputs please, Im planning on picking up a helmet, the current Vega i have is not too comfortable and is giving me pain in the back of the neck.

My budget is around 5 ~ 10 K for a good one, preferably a well known brand like KBC, Spark, AGV etc.

Please can you suggest me a good shop in Bangalore where i can get an original piece ? I have heard of Orion motors near Forum who deals in the above mentioned brands but im not sure how reliable it is, if anyone has an experience, please do share or if there is any other alternate shop ?
There is a lot of discussion on helmets on xbhp. Perhaps you may find more detailed inputs there.

Last edited by Raccoon : 8th April 2010 at 01:33.
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Old 10th April 2010, 16:31   #108
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Why should one wear a helmet..

Lines copied from Motorcycle on-line--

If your brain is injured, swelling and inflammation often occur. Because there's no extra room inside your skull, your brain tries to squeeze down through the hole in the base of the skull. This creates pressure that injures the vital brain stem even further, often destroying the parts that control breathing and other basic body functions. If you're hit very violently on the jaw, as in a head-on impact, the force can be transmitted to the base of the skull, which can fracture and sever your spine. It's a common cause of death in helmeted motorcycle riders—and a very good reason to wear a full-face helmet and insist on thick EPS padding—not resilient foam—in the helmet's chin bar. When your brain collides with the inside of your skull, bony protrusions around your eyes, sinuses and other areas can cause severe damage to the brain. And if your head is twisted rapidly, the brain can lag behind, causing tearing and serious internal brain injury as it drags against the skull. A helmet is the best way to avoid such unpleasantries.

^^Even though many motorcycles were capable of running the quarter-mile in 11 seconds (or less) and topping 140 mph back in '81, not one of the 900-odd accidents investigated in the Hurt study involved a speed over 100 mph. The "one in a thousand" speed seen in the Hurt Report was 86 mph, meaning only one of the accidents seen in the 900-crash study occurred at or above that speed. And the COST 327 study, done recently in the land of the autobahn, contained very few crashes over 120 kph, or 75 mph. The big lesson here is this: It's a mistake to assume that going really fast causes a significant number of accidents just because a motorcycle can go really fast.

In the case of fatal accidents, there was one more important discovery in the Hurt Report: There were essentially no deaths to helmeted riders from head injuries alone.

Motorcycle Helmet Design, Helmet Standards and Head Protection - Gear Box - Motorcyclist Online

Last edited by Dippy : 14th April 2010 at 10:10. Reason: Adding link on request
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Old 4th May 2010, 15:23   #109
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Helmet saved my Face

I met with a medium speed accident today morning on the way to my office.

A motorbike in front of me turned left, then suddenly cut to the right.
The front of my bike banged into its rear and I lost control.

Tore my jeans and shoes.
Bike suffered some minor damage like bent foot pegs and crash guard.

This is what happened to my helmet.
Using a Helmet-img131.jpg

Using a Helmet-img132.jpg

I am an experienced rider. Been riding for almost 15 years. I use this road almost everyday. As usual I was riding at quite a safe speed of about 60 kmph following all the rules of the land.
But I still ended up on the road.

I can argue if the fault was mine or not. But if not for my helmet it would be my face on the road.

Every scratch on the helmet is a bounce and break my face must have taken.

If you still don't believe that Helmets are important take a good look at my helmet again. Now imagine all those lines on your face.

My helmet had cost me about 3,000.
It redeemed every paisa I spent on it.

Its now out of commission.
I may use it for short city runs but its service life is over.

Wear a HELMET. BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD. Do not think of saving money by buying a substandard product. It will someday come back to save you.

And for God's sake, strap your helmet.
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Old 4th May 2010, 15:32   #110
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+1 bblost - Used to always wear a helmet of good quality right from college days even though it was not a rule back then. It is a must!

Last edited by sarmarishi : 4th May 2010 at 15:36.
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Old 4th May 2010, 17:21   #111
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Great endorsement for helmets, bblost! Glad to know you did not suffer any injuries.
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Old 4th May 2010, 17:23   #112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bblost View Post
....Wear a HELMET. BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD. Do not think of saving money by buying a substandard product. It will someday come back to save you....
To add to that, don't buy a bike if you can't afford a good helmet. bblost is easily the safest rider i know. So if this can happen to him, this can happen just as easily to anyone.

bblost, close save... hope everything's in one piece.
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Old 4th May 2010, 18:46   #113
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bblost View Post
I met with a medium speed accident today morning on the way to my office.

A motorbike in front of me turned left, then suddenly cut to the right.
The front of my bike banged into its rear and I lost control.

Tore my jeans and shoes.
Bike suffered some minor damage like bent foot pegs and crash guard.
I'm sorry to hear about your accident and very happy that you came out okay. Also, happy to note that despite your long years of riding you have not become casual or complacent regarding safety...that is a lesson for all of us to learn.

Last edited by Rollin' Thunda : 4th May 2010 at 18:52.
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Old 4th May 2010, 20:07   #114
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bblost View Post
I met with a medium speed accident today morning on the way to my office.
Hope everything is fine.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bblost View Post
Wear a HELMET. BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD. Do not think of saving money by buying a substandard product. It will someday come back to save you.
For the pillion rider too.
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Old 4th May 2010, 20:55   #115
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@bblost - Sorry to hear about the accident; but happy that nothing major happened. Appreciate your post to educate fellow beings about the importance of wearing a helmet.

I had booked my two wheeler (Honda Dio) and is expecting it to arrive shortly. The scratches on your helmets makes me nervous, but assures me what all can a good helmet save you from. For sure, I will buy a good helmet, and wear it too!!

Are two-wheeler-riders so prone to accidents, even after being so careful?
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Old 5th May 2010, 11:49   #116
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Sunil.

Crap Happens!
People can survive a fall from a highrise but get seriously injured by falling of a chair.

What is important is to never let down your guard.
Always be prepared for the worst.

There are two ways of ensuring this.

Passive Methods:

Helmet: choose the best you can buy. Before buying a helmet do as much research as you can. Find one that is EcE certified. Do not buy an ordinary ISI helmet as IMHO they are very inadequate. Full face helmet is a must. If you look at my helmet you will notice that the face shield took a lot of scratches. This shield itself cost me about 500 bucks. I have pampered it and use only microfiber cloth to clean it. So despite it being 2+ years old its relatively good and clear. My helmet is never left in the sun tied to my bike. This preserves its integrity.

Gloves: I used the simple Rs 100-150 fake leather gloves. They covered my palm. So my palm escaped relatively unharmed. But my little finger lost some flesh. Full gloves with soem protection would have been good, but these gloves were fine.

Knee guards: It costs about 1.5k. Now I am seriously considering that I get them. They do not protect you from a fracture, but save you from road rash.

Riding Boots: Not really needed for city riding but please wear full shoes. Slippers are quite bad at offering any form of protection.

Active Methods
Never break the law.
Do not ride or drive on the wrong side of the road.
Do not use a mobile phone while driving. In fact put it on silent and lock it in your glove box.
Maintain your bike well. Check brake wear periodically.
Pay attention on the road.
Do not drive under intoxication or heavy stress.
Leave early and ride easy.


If all active methods fail, passive methods are your fallback. Since its your last line of defence, Get the best kits you can afford.

This is the road where I crashed.
The scrape marks are almost 10 feet long.
I walked away because of my Helmet.

Using a Helmet-img133.jpg

Using a Helmet-img134.jpg

Last edited by bblost : 5th May 2010 at 11:50.
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Old 5th May 2010, 13:31   #117
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bblost View Post
Gloves:
Knee guards:
Riding Boots:
These are part of the regular gear for a biker in many countries. In Germany, I have not seen a single biker without these.

On the contrary, in India, very few believes in these. Not surprising, since here people have used hartals and bandhs against helmet rule. And got away with it.
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Old 5th May 2010, 13:45   #118
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1. When you ride a bike, you WILL have accidents(98% chance) maybe major or minor.

2. I always wear a helmet and insist that my friends wear it too.

3. I am alive today because i bought the best helmet that i can afford.

4. Three of my friends are alive because they listened to my advise.
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Old 5th May 2010, 16:35   #119
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Hey BBlost,

Sorry to hear about the accident and glad you cared to share the experience on board it certainly helps. I ensured I copied your post in an email, along with the link & shared it with all folks in my circle who are riding some bike or the other but not members here and they also appreciated this information.

Hoping you recover soon from the small scratches & your bike is back to its best condition.

All we can say after seeing your incident is, $#iT HAPPENS!!!
Anyways there wasn't much you could do.
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Old 5th May 2010, 17:21   #120
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The reason I always wear Helmet is that I started driving bike big time in Hyderabad. And there if you don't keep a handkerchief on your face while driving then your lungs will get clogged with dust. So I started tying it on my face and putting one on my head (Yes two !!) and then putting my helmet over. Believe me guys, If you have hair problems then try putting handkerchief over you head before putting the helmet on. That sweat should not accumulate on the lining of your helmet. I still got my hair intact

Last edited by download2live : 5th May 2010 at 17:27. Reason: typo
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