helmets - do you use one? and if yes what do you use?

Quote from FunCycle

Been riding for 56 years I have only been hit in the head one time that I recall and bee sting twice.

Yeah I've had a couple of those..

The older I get, the more I like seeing riders with no helmet. Just hope the filled out their organ donor cards.

Quote from drfubar

My Wife and I wear helmets as we did on the MC. Tennessee is a helmet state and even if it wasn't we'd still wear helmets. I understand some when they say they're hotter than not wearing one. But it's a trade off because the helmet is quieter and my Wife and I can talk normally going down the road with our SENA headsets installed in the helmets. Helmets are carbon fiber so they are extremely light compared to other models. I don't mind the helmet and will continue to wear it.

What makes you say that? I read through the law and dont see it being required for autocycles. At the end of the safety section it says auto cycles excluded. I keep a copy of it in my glove box.

Quote from Cman

What makes you say that? I read through the law and dont see it being required for autocycles. At the end of the safety section it says auto cycles excluded. I keep a copy of it in my glove box.

Having just that will not help you much on the road without the other supporting info in 55-9-302, and 55-9-301, and 55-1-103. You need to show traceability (path) to prove the citation is for what you claim it is for.

You need to leave no doubt that you know hat your talking about to the officer. In an educational way of course. I’ll do some more studying myself as just the end of last year it may have changed. I need to go to an official TN gov site and read it.

I have 3 or 4 pages with me with all the sections there. Granted it is a little confusing because it starts off say autocycles are included unless they're closed in, but that last section is clear to me. There is another thread on this where a member took this to court with an attorney. After reading that thread I went to go read it myself.

Quote from MACAWS

NC and VA both classify us at Auto cycles but have different helmet regs!

Understanding governance is harder than understanding women

Well said. For the first time in 20,000 miles I was pulled over by a Tennessee State Trooper last weekend and told to put a helmet on. I would like to say he was a nice guy about it but Momma said: "If you ain't got nothing nice to say, don't say nothing at all." I'm pretty sure when he was a kid he wanted a Slingshot and his Momma wouldn't buy him one. I'm pretty sure by his age that was in 2015.

Quote from Cman

What makes you say that? I read through the law and dont see it being required for autocycles. At the end of the safety section it says auto cycles excluded. I keep a copy of it in my glove box.

The TN law is vague at best and I've talked to other officers and they say the same thing. You get one that believes the law says you will wear one you will get a ticket. If you get an officer that believes it's just too vague he might let you go. It really needs to be rewritten for those of you that don't want to protect your noggins so you can just wear a ball cap or whatever. Like I said, as for me it's not an issue... I wear my helmet.

Quote from 123hotdog

Well said. For the first time in 20,000 miles I was pulled over by a Tennessee State Trooper last weekend and told to put a helmet on. I would like to say he was a nice guy about it but Momma said: "If you ain't got nothing nice to say, don't say nothing at all." I'm pretty sure when he was a kid he wanted a Slingshot and his Momma wouldn't buy him one. I'm pretty sure by his age that was in 2015.

Well, at least you didn't get a ticket, that's a plus. Again, I don't blame the LEO's because it's written really vague. It refers to an enclosed vehicle and the slingshot is anything but enclosed. You can put a roof on it and a huge windshield and even the back window but it's still not "enclosed". Put doors on it and you might have an argument in court...maybe. I'm pretty sure the laws that govern cars don't govern autocycles is because the autocycles are not subject to the same restraints cars are. Air bags, etc. Anyway this discussion has gone on since the SS came out. If you want to ride helmetless.....do it. You may get a ticket and have to spend $150 or so. IF you fight it you will still have to take a day off from work unless you're retired like me but then you may still have to pay the ticket and court costs. If you get a lawyer to help you will have to pay him... win or lose.. It's all a crap shoot.

I wear a helmet just when its cold. I have a full face HJC with the sena connection for communication.

Quote from EricRedSL

hmmm, helmet state. Maine classifies the sling as an autocycle. So do I have to wear a helmet in any state?

Read your local and state regulations. The SlingShot is an auto-cycle in Oregon, which translates here to being a motorcycle, (helmet required), but do not need a motorcycle endorsement.

But really, it is all too simple on how to avoid getting a no-helmet ticket, is it not?

I honestly believe that most folks that fight wearing a helmet are of the mentality that they just like to raise hate and discontent. If these folks went into a state that required all motorcycle riders NOT to wear a helmet, they then would start wearing one.

Bill

Added note, With my working in an emergency medical environment I have yet to come across a single rider that has come in after being involved in a motorcycle accident that has regretted having been wearing a helmet! On the other hand, I have witnessed what happens to the family when a helmetless rider comes in with injuries. Family members blame themselves for not being more insistent about the rider wearing a helmet, and if they wind up brain damaged, the helmetless rider is beyond caring, true, but it is still the responsibility of the family to care for this vegetable for the rest of their lives.

bill

Hoping next weekend to pick up a half helmet for the misses to install our Sena headsets. I think she would enjoy the Slingshot experience more if we were able to easily communicate while riding.

Quote from MACAWS

...Understanding governance is harder than understanding women

I have a theory on women. When Einstein discovered he was a genius; he decided to try something monumental. He could either try to understand women or the secret to the universe, a few years later he came out with the theory of relativity...

Maine & NH have no helmet law.

We rode 30,000 miles on our first SS with no helmet until we got pulled over in Huntington and Laguna Beach. No ticket nice Leo’s. We then got skid plates that are DOT and actually are so light we don’t mind wearing them anymore. Even when we find ourselves in Nevada and Utah, which is often, we still keep them on. However in the summertime A ball cap is nice but for us the comfort of the skid plates has really made this become a non-issue.

what type of helmet is it?

I took the visors off off our old Bell motorcycle helmets and put them on these. A lot of the time we travel home going west and it can be brutal.

Quote from wjfyfe

Read your local and state regulations. The SlingShot is an auto-cycle in Oregon, which translates here to being a motorcycle, (helmet required), but do not need a motorcycle endorsement.

But really, it is all too simple on how to avoid getting a no-helmet ticket, is it not?

I honestly believe that most folks that fight wearing a helmet are of the mentality that they just like to raise hate and discontent. If these folks went into a state that required all motorcycle riders NOT to wear a helmet, they then would start wearing one.

Bill

Added note, With my working in an emergency medical environment I have yet to come across a single rider that has come in after being involved in a motorcycle accident that has regretted having been wearing a helmet! On the other hand, I have witnessed what happens to the family when a helmetless rider comes in with injuries. Family members blame themselves for not being more insistent about the rider wearing a helmet, and if they wind up brain damaged, the helmetless rider is beyond caring, true, but it is still the responsibility of the family to care for this vegetable for the rest of their lives.

bill

Display More

Actually, it is a safety issue. In no way is it like riding a motorcycle and have to wear one.

The difference is you are in a a car type seat, strapped in with a seatbelt. With arhat alone the commonality of motorcycles is gone. You won’t be thrown out and go head first into something.

There is another factor. Weight if the helmet causing injury to the spine during an accident. It could actually snap your neck. That is why race car drivers are now mandated to wear a HANNs device when strapped in.

So just saying wear a helmet and get over it may not be a good thing to say not knowing all the facts.

Do I wear one? Yes I do, but knowing what I do about the above I researched and got a helmet that was about 2lbs and DOT legal. It does have pull down screen and I can add my Sena headset. I will especially wear one on the interstate as risk of debris hitting my face is much higher then wrecking.

Quote from Edward Neal

twice in my Slingshot and at 70 plus MPH I have been struck in the head by flying objects, One time by a rock kicked up by a vehicle in front of me and the other time by a huge June bug - - either of these would have been very painful at the least or could have caused my to wreck had I not been wearing my 1/2 helmet

In the slingshot you may not be at risk of falling off like on a 2 wheeled motorcycle, but there is no doubt that your head is much more exposed and open to injury than you are in a car or truck, especially if like me you like lower windshields you can look over

In the past there have been several times when I have seen debris in the road get thrown up by the tire of a car or truck right into the windshield of the car behind it. I personally have been in cars where once a lug nut was thrown into our windshield and another time her a 1.5 foot long chunk of a 2x4 was thrown into the windshield in either of these situations had it hit me in an unprotected head it would have probably killed me - especially the damn lug nut

every time you see something laying in the road, a rock, a tool, some piece of junk - - that is something that a tire could kick up and fire like a bullet right at your head and in a slingshot the very freedom and exposure to the wind and air that we all love means that projectile won't have anything to slow it down with the possible exception of a helmet

Now - as to the seatbelt issue, I installed a lap belt in my slingshot and do not normally use the shoulder belt as such my head should not snap forward at the neck like it would if my shoulders were restrained - - also I don't think the forces that I might be subjected to in most normal accidents would ever come close to the forces that race car drivers running at the 200 mph plus speeds would experience in an accident

Anyway if you don't want a helmet that's your choice and I respect your right to make that choice - I just hope everyone that does make that choice does so knowing everything that a helmet might protect them from, and not just thinking helmets are only for fall protection

Display More

Well said.

Quote from Edward Neal

twice in my Slingshot and at 70 plus MPH I have been struck in the head by flying objects, One time by a rock kicked up by a vehicle in front of me and the other time by a huge June bug - - either of these would have been very painful at the least or could have caused my to wreck had I not been wearing my 1/2 helmet

In the slingshot you may not be at risk of falling off like on a 2 wheeled motorcycle, but there is no doubt that your head is much more exposed and open to injury than you are in a car or truck, especially if like me you like lower windshields you can look over

In the past there have been several times when I have seen debris in the road get thrown up by the tire of a car or truck right into the windshield of the car behind it. I personally have been in cars where once a lug nut was thrown into our windshield and another time her a 1.5 foot long chunk of a 2x4 was thrown into the windshield in either of these situations had it hit me in an unprotected head it would have probably killed me - especially the damn lug nut

every time you see something laying in the road, a rock, a tool, some piece of junk - - that is something that a tire could kick up and fire like a bullet right at your head and in a slingshot the very freedom and exposure to the wind and air that we all love means that projectile won't have anything to slow it down with the possible exception of a helmet

Now - as to the seatbelt issue, I installed a lap belt in my slingshot and do not normally use the shoulder belt as such my head should not snap forward at the neck like it would if my shoulders were restrained - - also I don't think the forces that I might be subjected to in most normal accidents would ever come close to the forces that race car drivers running at the 200 mph plus speeds would experience in an accident

Anyway if you don't want a helmet that's your choice and I respect your right to make that choice - I just hope everyone that does make that choice does so knowing everything that a helmet might protect them from, and not just thinking helmets are only for fall protection

Display More

I believe I had mentioned I had a rock hit me in the forehead last week with my helmet on. Non issue that would have been an issue. I agree its not about crashing its about road/wind noise and objects flying into your face.

Those are all good points on safety. To me this subject is like personal finance. There isn't one solution that is going to fit everyone's risk tolerance. I have a gullwing top and tall windscreen. I don't typically wear one but I'm fine with others who do.

If you REALLY want to get into safety don't drive an open air three wheeled vehicle whose power can break the rear wheel loose in a turn. Instead purchase a large SUV with the latest safety features.

To a certain degree all of us have accepted that first level of risk. Unless of course you bought it to look at in the garage