The tale of two helmets.

When I first starting riding I didn't have a helmet. I told you that because it may explain a few things. Umm OK where was I?  OH yes helmets a good idea. Cumbersome, restrictive, hot and you don't look as cool as you could have if you weren't wearing a helmet. BUT they work.

Mandatory helmet laws versus an adults right to decide for themselves is a vast topic. I'll not say my piece on that topic right now. Suffice it to say helmets work. 


I've worn many helmets over the years. I've worn the round head 1970's glitter and gold helmet. I've worn the cracked and crazy glued beanie style helmet. Oh lets not forget the cruiser half helmet, I actually liked the way this helmet sat on my melon. 

So now that I found myself once again looking for a bucket for my melon. I found two helmets. The full face fit well, maybe a little tight, and was light. I liked the idea of something to protect my face and this full face helmet did that. But it was confining.

So this is why I bought the next helmet. A cruiser helmet. Fresh breeze in the face. Clean lines. Certainly wasn't confining. But really now what was it actually protecting? I think this helmet best protects the riders wallet as it is legal.

Great I now have comfort and practicality. Can you see a problem here? Yep two separate helmets are performing that which I want done in one helmet. So when the going gets tough I go shopping and damn if I didn't find just what I wanted.

This view shows the helmet with the chin guard and the visor in the up, or open, position.

And this photo show us the helmet with the chin guard down AND the very super cool built in shades in the down position.










This photo shows the ever popular very cool built in shades in the down position with the chin guard in the up position.

Here is, I'm sure you have guessed it, the chin guard in the down position with the very cool built in shades in the down position finish by having the visor also in the down position. Yes I know that that is a lot of down but trust me going down is a lot of fun. And that's what we're here for isn't it?








All this helmet talk reminded me of a ride I took many years ago. I was coming down from Kingston ON to Toronto. Like I have to tell you what province that is in...centre of the freakin universe. OK so there I was cruising down the 401 when I spy a car ahead of me with a bunch of Air Force buddies in it. Laying on the throttle I caught up to them quickly. Right away someone in the car sees me. Points at me. Laughs at me and hands me a big ole bottle of beer. Well it was hot out. Middle of summer in Ontario kinda hot. So I inched over to the car and grabbed the beer doing 100 klicks or so. Now to drink it. Stupid helmet. Every time I tilted my head back the helmet caught the wind and the chin strap would promptly choke me. Every time!  Now I'm thirsty and pissed but I'm no quitter. I decide I will pour the beer out in front of me and the wind will direct into my mouth. Funny how you can be both right and wrong all at the same time. Some of the beer did go where it was supposed to. Most of it didn't. My buddies in the car thought this was hilarious. The elderly couple in the sedan in the other lane didn't see the humour in this at all. I'm actually just guessing at this but the look of dumbfounded bewilderment on both their faces is what lead me to think that.  

The following video shows how this new super helmet of mine has thought of the thirsty rider. Quite impressive if I say so myself.

So to summarize, today's header "the tale of two helmets" is a bit of a misnomer. We actually have three.  The bit about not being able to look cool while wearing a helmet has also been debunked now that I have purchased my new HJC super helmet.

Our never ending spring.

Surprise the sun graced a wee bit of earth around me today. So I took advantage of it and took the bike out for a short spin. Living here in Maple Ridge sees me in the heart of an outdoor paradise. Shit never thought I would use that much overworked work, PARADISE. But honestly the riding around here appears endless. Today I went up to Golden Ears Park. There is  nobody up there, due to the weather and all. So I cruise on the black stuff getting up to 130 km/h. Nice road. Slightly winding, uphill and through this big old forest...perfect. Once I hit the dirt roads I slow it down and really start to enjoy the scenery. Past, or around depending on how you want to word it, the first gate and it's only a short distance to the beginning of the horse trail that I will be riding today. Around another gate and I'm now just another dude on his umm KLR horse riding the horse trail. Yep that's me just a horse type guy. OK so it's a designated horse trail. I like the trail and I don't really rip it up all that much. I didn't see any horses up there so maybe the horse people have abandoned the trail and all that horse poop I saw was just placed there to fool people on motorcycles. HA it didn't work.

Well here's the first photo. As you can see the road heading up the hill is a bit rocky but I have to find out what this bike can do. Ha not. Though
having just purchased the bike only 3 weeks ago it was time to test it out off road.









It was here that I decided to text my bro and tell him that I was out riding solo and where I was. Finished it off with a time that I would call to tell him that all was OK. Now I don't do a lot of smart things so this was definitely an exception. Really we all know it doesn't take much to be down and out and if no one knows where you are at...well I for one do not want to be one of those guys on the evening news. You know the type. The one who's high school or Facebook picture is splashed all over the TV and an announcer is telling us how all the man's friends said he was a great guy. How no one saw this coming, "He was such an avid outdoors-man". Now while the announcer is saying all this we are sitting in our cozy living rooms saying things like "Well looks like Darwin and his Natural Selection theory might have some merit". Yep so I don't want to be one of those guys so I texted my bro and I will do it again.


Ok so I've now got this bike. I got this camera. I'm going to see what I can do with them both.

Yes that is me. I didn't know what ahead on this trail so I walked ahead and came upon a most beautiful river. Clear so very clear water. Tasty coming straight from the snow laden mountains that surrounded me. Anyhow I see that I can ride right up to the river and that's when I decide to try the video function on my camera. That combined with Window's movie maker and this is what I came up with. Now it's no James Cameron but it's not all that bad either.

I think it looks grainy. Need to look into that.

Anyhow here I am just digging the place when this little helicopter comes racing up the river valley. It slows over top of me and then continued out on it's way.  So I  decide to take a few pictures of my bike....

                                                    and the surrounding area

WHEN all of a sudden the helicopter comes back.

He, or she but I think it was probably a he because the helicopter seemed to be flown quite professionally, flew off into the mountains only to return again a few minutes later. And then he flew off for a final time.


So after the helicopter left I decided to take a few more pictures before getting back on the bikehorse.

After these photos I packed up and rode up the trail only a short distance more. The trail at first was a sweet ride then I came upon some more wash out. Nasty rolling rock for as far as I could see. Probably no more than 100m or so. But it was enough to see me turn around and head back down the hill. I had done enough for today.