06-18-2014, 06:10 AM
I know that I am in a minority both on the road and at this forum, but I am a hiviz white hat biker. No, it does not look cool, but then I am an old fart whose days of looking cool have long past anyway.
Let me tell you hitting the side door of a ton of metal at 60mph is not cool either. I swear to this day (30 years on) that I heard my femur break on the handle bars of my RD400. "I just didn't see you chum, sorry". I wrote the bike off, the car off (bloody good job) and three months of my life off with my leg in traction. I did return cautiously to biking, but a few years later marriage, kids and a mortgage forced me to sell up.
Five years ago, after a long classic restoration project I returned to the saddle. A couple of days before my planned return my best mate had his knee smashed to pieces by a woman with a car full of kids who literally aimed her tin shed straight into the side of his GS1100. I asked him from his hospital bed exactly what had happened "I can't remember a thing but coming around on my back with this woman leaning over me in floods of tears repeating over and over I didn't see you, I just didn't see you". He is back on the road now with a hiviz top and a terribly uncool limp, that he is now told after numerous operations will need a replacement joint.
Since my hiviz return to biking, having covered some 5k miles many on the busy streets of London and other congested UK roads I can honestly say that I have not been threatened - no clever remarks please! In fact most motorists clearly go on their best behaviour when I pull up behind them, much to my amusement!
I have campaigned with others to make hiviz jackets a legal requirement, but I am selfishly now off the opinion that if every biker on the road was forced to wear one I would again become inconspicuous.
Sorry to bang on, but it is a pet subject of mine.
Given the above, I think my opinion on open face helmets is obvious.
Cheers
Dengie
PS
Saw these for sale at a recent bike show that mimick UK police bikers jackets
![[Image: 3301d0755e166f67d91fcafc43ee1ccf.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201406/3301d0755e166f67d91fcafc43ee1ccf.jpg)
No I didn't buy one. Even I am not that uncool!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
Dengie
Let me tell you hitting the side door of a ton of metal at 60mph is not cool either. I swear to this day (30 years on) that I heard my femur break on the handle bars of my RD400. "I just didn't see you chum, sorry". I wrote the bike off, the car off (bloody good job) and three months of my life off with my leg in traction. I did return cautiously to biking, but a few years later marriage, kids and a mortgage forced me to sell up.
Five years ago, after a long classic restoration project I returned to the saddle. A couple of days before my planned return my best mate had his knee smashed to pieces by a woman with a car full of kids who literally aimed her tin shed straight into the side of his GS1100. I asked him from his hospital bed exactly what had happened "I can't remember a thing but coming around on my back with this woman leaning over me in floods of tears repeating over and over I didn't see you, I just didn't see you". He is back on the road now with a hiviz top and a terribly uncool limp, that he is now told after numerous operations will need a replacement joint.
Since my hiviz return to biking, having covered some 5k miles many on the busy streets of London and other congested UK roads I can honestly say that I have not been threatened - no clever remarks please! In fact most motorists clearly go on their best behaviour when I pull up behind them, much to my amusement!
I have campaigned with others to make hiviz jackets a legal requirement, but I am selfishly now off the opinion that if every biker on the road was forced to wear one I would again become inconspicuous.
Sorry to bang on, but it is a pet subject of mine.
Given the above, I think my opinion on open face helmets is obvious.
Cheers
Dengie
PS
Saw these for sale at a recent bike show that mimick UK police bikers jackets
No I didn't buy one. Even I am not that uncool!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
Dengie