Buckethead

So I may need a new helmet now.  I took a 5 gallon bucket to the face at 75MPH.  It almost took me off my bike.  I was/am unhurt.  It blew out of the back of a truck and nailed me.  It happened so fast, I didn’t see it coming.  If I had got a half helmet type – I’d be dead.  I’m sure of that.  As it is, I’m just fine, because God loves Ogres and I live right and the well wishes of my friends and family all worked.  So, no worries.

Well, the impact was pretty good and I’m concerned about the integrity of the helmet now.  I think I need a new one.

WEAR YOUR SAFETY GEAR.

20 thoughts on “Buckethead”

  1. Helmets are for squids!

    Glad you were geared and lucky.

    I keep an old Shoei for display that I has a huge divet right at the temple from a high side I performed at about 105 at the racetrack. There is nothing prettier than a $300 helmet that was destroyed without damage to my 5 cent head.

    When you wake up tomorrow with that really sore neck, just remember pain is a heckuva lot better than no feeling at all. So replace that brain bucket and hit the road.

  2. Glad you’re ok Ogre! Friend of mine almost got taken out by a butterbar that wasn’t looking where he was going, trashed his riding jacket, but he only had scratches. Don’t have a bike yet, but I’m taking the PPE lessons to heart.

  3. You must be living right son, thank God.

    I remember one time I was riding down a country road and saw a gravel hauler coming the other way. Not sure why, but something caught my eye. Piece of gravel about the size of a golf ball fell out, bounced once in the center stripe, and rebounded to about my eye level. I managed to lower my head and it did that old ricochet thing right off the top of my Bell Star. My ears were ringing, but I didn’t die. I was doing about 60, the truck was going at least that fast, prolly puts Mr. Gravel Missile at well over 100 mph.

    It is weird stuff in that vein that makes me not miss my bike. Stay safe out there kids.

  4. Glad you’re unhurt (and sure your family is too).

    I always try to watch out for stuff falling off cars. Things I have seen include: ladders (grumble grumble damn cheap construction monkeys), chairs (grumble grumble cheap apartment dwellers moving with their buddy’s truck and no tie-downs), trash of all sorts, and of course everyone’s all-time favorite: semi truck tire blowouts with lots and lots of high-speed, hot and heavy chunks of steel-reinforced tire. Just right for that super-duper knock you off the bike right the f— now feeling!

    Stay safe!

  5. As they say, it’s not “if”. It’s “when”. Glad you you came through in good shape. Road debris is a PITA. Reminds me of a group ride the wife and I did. Bike in front of me kicked up a truck tire tread that had to be at least 4 feet long. Wrapped around the front of the bike and stung the monkey out of my left foot. Almost dumped the bike due to lack of steering, but the tread finally let loose and I was able to stay upright. Scary couple of seconds though. Good luck brother. Stay safe.

  6. You can’t win. You get a cheap helmet and the interior padding wears out too quick. Or you can’t find a replacement face shield when it gets too scratched and blurry. You get an expensive helmet and sure as hell some dofus with an unsecured load puts a ding in it and it is compromised. Of course when you do the high side departure and hit hard enough to knock the lenses out of your eyeglasses, dislocate your thumb, crack your elbow and a bone in your wrist, you’ll kiss the helmet and bury it with full honors.

  7. As a longtime rider and a helmet choice activist I can tell you that the DOT reccomends replacing a helmet after a drop of 3 feet. So…. a hit with a bucket a hiway speed………..

    1. Yeah, that’s pretty much what I was thinking too.

      HUGE freaking headache today and my neck and shoulder are sore… But that could be from shooting prairie dogs with a .44 Carbine.

  8. Congratulations on getting through that okay. The helmet gets honorable retirement and the cost of the replacement is money WELL SPENT.

  9. Glad you’re safe, brother. We fellow bikers always gotta be on the lookout for the stuff that MIGHT happen just because of instances like this. I know anytime I ride by a truck or car with anything being openly packed or moved or whatever, my alertness goes through the roof and I try to give them a wide berth. Stay safe, and retire that helmet with a note that says why you’re retiring her. 🙂

  10. Put a cut or hole in it with a power tool.

    Make sure some moron doesn’t fish it out of the dump and sell it.

    1. I think I’m going keep it. As a reminder. I’ll retire it as soon as I can afford a replacement. My finances can’t do that at this point. I got a good helmet, and the replacement is going to be good too. Has to.
      I won’t go into a Parachute Store and ask for a cheap one.

  11. Glad to hear you’re safe. You’ve added another data point to the “get the best safety gear you can afford” lecture I give new would-be riders.

    I used to love open face helmets. But fortunately for me I was wearing a full-face helmet and full leathers when I had my only serious accident. I ended up sliding down the road on my face, watching the pavement slide by at 25+ MPH. Trashed my helmet, trashed my heavy gloves, trashed my jacket, scuffed up my chaps and boots.

    Cost to self? A sprained shoulder, and a small scar on my elbow where the jacket wore through. But the entire front of my helmet was heavily abraded, just like my face would have been in a half- or open-face helmet.

    1. I had thought about just getting one of those”Look at me, I’m cool” helmets like on Sons of Anarchy… I’d be flat out DEAD if I had done that. The bucket wouldn’t have killed me, but the inability recover would have.

  12. Dang it Ogre, I’m sitting here thinking of buying a motorcycle. Finally, after two years of sucking that Texas Workforce Commission hind tit, I have a job. It is about 16 miles away on a street less than half a mile from where I live. Stop light to stop light, through Garland, Dallas and Irving. Be a lot cheaper to operate than my truck. She Who Must Be Obeyed says flat out NO to my idea, but it is tempting.

    I think it is doable, and my neighbor has a cruiser bike for sale. I might do it. Been 20 years since I’ve been on a scoot, but it sounds pretty good.

    1. It was awhile for me too, other than a couple test rides. I forgot how much I truly enjoy it. I love it and I wont willingly give it up again save for brief episodes of “Winter”.

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