First Impressions of the Sena 20S bluetooth system

Susan told me she wanted to get me an early Christmas gift.  For the last couple of months I've been looking at buying a new helmet, and I was thinking that if I was going to get a new helmet...then I might as well get one that was Bluetooth ready.  That would be my early Christmas gift!

I've been riding for a bit over five years now, and I keep thinking that their is no reason for me not to ride to the other coast or other places.   I've been lost on the bike before and to quote my ex-wife.  "Every road goes somewhere, and once your somewhere you can always find your way home."   Still though, I've grown to depend on the technology and understand it better than most.  I don't care for the idea of being totally without it now.

Susan and I stopped over at Cycle Gear with the intent of buying a Bilt modular helmet with the Bluetooth built in.  As it so happened the sizes ran small.  Even the XXL large helmet was to small for my fat head.  They did have a few other helmets, most without Bluetooth, but nothing in the price range we were trying to stay within. 

That's when the debate started.  "Do we just buy the unit by itself?" 

One of the reasons that I've been wanting a Bluetooth is because of the GPS function.  That has been my primary concern, I just feel I would be more willing to travel to other places if I felt secure in getting there.  I don't really like the idea of using the phone or listening to music on the phone.  However having that voice in my ear telling me I was going the right way appeals to me. 

The option to buy a Bluetooth and install it in my current helmet was suggested.  I'm not very happy with the old helmet but the idea of being able to move it to another helmet later was just to good to pass up.  So just like that I became the proud owner of a Sena 20S motorcycle Bluetooth communication system.

So they installed it.  It cost a bit more than I would have liked, although I did get the two year extended warranty on the unit.  I now have access to the phone, music, FM radio, Pandora and can use either a one-to-one or group intercom (with up to eight people).  It will link up with other Bluetooth systems and there are even voice prompts.   Yes, even a smartphone application. 

Susan called me on the Bluetooth on the way home twice.  I was able to hear her clearly with the visor down and traveling about 50 MPH.  It was when I was on the highway and at a much higher speed that I had trouble making out what she was saying. In fact, that was one of the reasons I didn't do this before.  I've read reviews of the Sena headsets that have told me the same thing.

I kept losing GPS on the way home, mostly because my smartphone was in my pants pocket.  I think if I tucked into my jacket or a shirt pocket I would not have an issue with it.  Although now I wonder if a cell phone mount might be in my future (as shown in a picture taken from somewhere).  At least that way I would have GPS and be able to view the route as I approach it.  Although I would have to have a small hole drilled into the dash to have a charging cable added . 

About half way home I switched to the music function on my phone and tuned in the Billy Bragg station on Pandora.   Bragg is a singer/songwriter with a strong voice and generally just guitar to accompany him.  I figured he be a good test of the speakers.  Again, I was able to hear clearly as long as I stayed below certain speeds. 

Generally speaking I'm happy with the whole setup and will have to play around with the unit some to figure out how to get the most of it.  This may be the only Christmas gift I get this year but I'm happy with it.  I'm looking forward to those days when Sue will behind me and were chatting as we ride. 

I'm looking forward to getting out more.

AIME impressions

I have to be honest, one of the reasons that I wanted to attend the AIME expo (American International Motorcycle expo) was the opportunity to ride bikes that I would not normally get the opportunity to ride.  As it so happened I only was able to ride one bike.  The Can-Am RT.

As much as I hate to admit it, I've always took issue with the Can-Am.  It's not exactly a motorcycle and people have told me they steer like sleds or lawnmowers.  The price has always been a little daunting and the size made me question if I would be able to handle one.

I can honestly say that starting today, they are on the list to replace Kimmie.  The ride was smooth, and although I had a little issue with low speed turns, in that I kept wanting to counter steer or lean when I could not - that would be corrected with time, I was impressed.   The bike is semi-automatic meaning it has a thumb shift to climb gears but the computer handles downshifting.  It took me about five minutes to get used to shifting that way but once I did it was seamless.  The bike had solid, but not stellar, acceleration and handled very well.  A few rough patches on the roads around the Convention center were handled without issue by the bike I rode.

Susan was also able to get on and off without much issue and that was another plus in the bikes corner.

I could have rode Kymco scooters, a few off road vehicles, the Beamers, the Suzuki's and others.  However we were alternatives to ride the Can-Am and waited over an hour in the hot Florida sun to do that.  Each demo ride out lasted anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.  Some dealers required you to supply your full gear (helmet, jacket, boots at minimum) where others were OK with you in long pants and a helmet (Can-am supplied Nolan helmets in various sizes for examples).

Inside the convention hall was a variety of dealers.  Most of which frankly didn't interest me.  I don't go off road riding, I'm not really that interested in the mechanical side of things.  Yes, I want the best performance out of my bike for the longest time possible...but I've not desire to go to your booth unless you have some nice swag.  So that left me looking at bikes and oh what a selection there were!

I showed Susan the Honda NCX 700 that is on the short list of "new bikes" when its time to buy a replacement.  I ended up have to defend a Suzuki Burgman 650 from a few people that were putting it down, but the woman there kept looking at it wistfully and I think I convinced her it was a good touring bike.."A lounge chair on wheels" is how I described it.

Vespa and Piaggio was both represented well and truthfully I didn't spend much time looking at their products.  While I love scooters I'm probably moving away from them and going towards a semi-automatic or fully automatic motorcycle.

I did however want to look at helmets and fell in love with a new Shark helmet.  It will not be able till March of next year in the US and will probably sell for $700 dollars.   However it was amazing, a full sun shield at a touch of a button, good venting and most amazing to me...I put it on and the ambient noise around me was reduced to zero.  I mean, nothing.  I could still hear, still focus on what was around but it was a several decimals lower than before.

For a cheap bastard like me to want one right then and there, and probably would have paid full price, told me I was going to take a closer look at Shark in the future.  Somehow I missed the Bell Helmet display even though I wanted to stop in.

one of the more interesting bikes on display

Overall I enjoyed myself and would love to go a second day.  Just to ride some of the bikes I am considering in the future.  To compare the smaller Kymco's to my beloved Kimmie (Kymco is discontinuing anything bigger than a 400 in the US for 2017).  To ride the BMW's and others that were there.

To take in some of the lesser know companies and display's.  To just look.

I've posted additional photo's to the Scooter Revolution Facebook page. 

A post in several parts

1) - Hurricane Matthew - Oct 2016.

He skirted up the coast line on the Eastern side of Florida and caused no damage in the center and western parts of the state where I live.  It was however a bit scary to be that close to a "loaded gun."  We had a few overcast and rainy days, but the damage on our side was nominal.

The damage caused by him in North Carolina will run into the billions and it would not have taken much for him to have shifted just a bit  to the left and run rampant over Florida.  Well the hurricane season is not officially over (that's on November 1) it seems that is the last big storm of the season.  It's been an interesting year, and it's driven home the fact that it's only a matter of time before the "big one" hits us.

2)  Nickles and Dimes -

Lately I've seen to have been dying from 1001 small financial cuts.  It's nothing to be concerned about in the long run, as we have small family issues and friends coming into town.  Which means eating out, drinks, rides to the beach and everything else.

 A little need for something here, a little need for something here.  My bonus being about half of it normally is did not help matters either.

One such little need was the gas gauge on Kimmy.  I pulled in for gas the way I normally do, filling the tank to the brim and knowing that I would have at least 156 miles till my next fill up.  Generally I get gas around the 150 mark, no need to push the bike further than she needs to go.

I must have traveled a few miles before I realized the gauge was stuck at 1/8 of a tank.

This is not something that needs fixed right away and I'm pretty good at remembering to reset my tripometer. Kimmy is getting older and although she runs well, I was reminded that eventually she's going to start nickle and dime'ing me to death.  

I've discussed getting a newer model bike in the past and what I would like to buy.  However I'm not their financially yet and probably am about two years away from any new toys.

Things like a new helmet and jacket however can not be put off for to long.  I'm "expanding" in all the wrong places and will need a new jacket soon.  My mesh jacket recently lost it's shoulder pad, as it came apart in three places.  It's an easy fix, just order a new shoulder pad, but again I have two jackets.  Why not buy one very good three or four season jacket and be done with it?

The same thing applies to my helmet.  I would like to have one with access to a Bluetooth phone and GPS.  It's not necessary at this time, it's not needed at this time...but I want to plan for the future.  The helmet I buy today will last me for at least five years.  I am not the same rider I was five years ago, I doubt I'll be the same rider I am five years from now.  Why not prepare for it.

It is for these reasons that I am planning to go to the Aime Expo this coming weekend. 

Which brings me to part three.

3) Time may change me, but I can't trace time

For the past 10 years or so I've run my own so successful part time business.   It started because I needed a job and the only one I could find was delivering papers.  I hated it but it helped pay the bills, then I realized that I could also deliver a few magazines in addition to the papers that were on my route.  So I picked that up.

Then we started with a weekly paper.  It grew, slowly at first.  At one time it was bringing me in another $15000 a year on top of my "regular job."  It wasn't hard, I would say approximately 16 to 20 hours extra a week in a car spread over 3 days.

It was the mileage that was the killer but thanks to a very weird American tax code,  I was making money even though it appeared I was losing money.  Frankly that's how Trump can report a huge loss of income but still be making millions.  In addition I could put my "losses" in to Roth IRA's and other tax advantage plans and make additional income.  I can't support the man but I understand how he's successful while still reporting losses.

Like everything however the business environment changes.  I was at a point last year where I lost money.  This year looks to be less of a loss but it still hurts the bottom line of the company.

Sue and I have discussed different options in the past.  From rentals to restaurants and each time we seem to hit a roadblock not of our making.  We have been outbid, we've had a scary illness scare, we were unable to get the loan because the property was leased, etc.

I've been involved in the financial and insurance fields most of my life.  I've been involved in sales most of my life (what ever happened to the simple guy that wanted to teach biology?).  With the exception of  about seven years where I wanted to do anything BUT financial stuff - this was after the great crash and I wanted nothing to do with it - I've always been involved in Banking and Finances and Insurance.

It's been a long time for me to get to this point but I've decided to open my own office.  I'm starting small, part time and with "simple: stuff - I'm still not ready to leave my full time job, but it's time.  I'm licensed in all states, I've been bonded, licensed and insured.

It's the project that has taken up most of my time these last two or three weeks and kept me off of Kimmie. 

Shaken - rider down

I posted this on my Facebook page earlier tonight but thought I should say something about it here as well.

An interesting experience happened to me while running around with Susan today. We were waiting to turn at a light and there was some sort of commotion at the intersection. I see two people get off of motorcycles and run into the intersection.  There was a girl there, laying face first in the pavement.

A brief talk with Susan and I'm up and out of the car fearing the worst. It ended up the rider had suffered a rather painful fall due to wet and questionable pavement. No other vehicles were involved.  It was a light rain and I think she may have caught a white line with her tire and down she went.  It could have happened to anyone. 

I have first aid training and talked to her. She was very responsive and was moving her legs, so no spinal injury was likely. Her neck hurt, her shoulders hurt. "OK," I told her. "I have training in first aid and am going to touch your arms and shoulders.  Let me know if your hurting."   Her pulse was a little fast but normal.  She cried out when I touched her neck and around a shoulder. 

"We are not moving you nor am I taking off your helmet. I don't know if you have a head or neck injury. I think you have a broken clavicle."  I told her after a quick exam. A woman was trying to get the 911 operator to understand the problem.  I made it clear to tell the dispatcher she may have a neck injury.

 It took some time for the police and firemen to get there but it was probably less than 10 minutes.   I gave the firemen a brief summary of what I knew. They removed her helmet and put her on the backboard with a C-collar on to stabilize her head. She joked with them. She'll be fine.

 I hope to never have to do that again.  I am glad that I took that first aid training all those years ago.  It does come in handy.  I decided right then and there to take a refresher the first chance I got.

One other thing that I think bares talking about.  Some asshole kept hitting his horn and then run through the intersection past the officers and paramedics.  No one said anything but I'm sure we all said the same thing under our breaths...and we each knew Karma was going to get him eventually.

Riding is a risk.  I try to migrate that risk...and indeed I was glad this girl was wearing a helmet.  Other than that she had no other safety gear on.   I was glad no one wanted to remove her helmet, if she did have a head or neck injury that just make it worse.  I didn't like letting her lie there in the middle of the street but again you don't mess about with neck or head injuries.  Let the professionals handle that.

It took me a bit to calm down after that, as I thought about how many times I've been in the rain.  Or have gone down....and I'm sure the next time or two I'm on Kimmie I'll be ultra careful, and more than a little scared because shit can and does happen in a blink of an eye.  I just hope someone will be there for me as her friends were for her.

My head needs replaced.

When I bought Kimmie way back in 2013 I also bought myself a full face HJC helmet.  For the most part that helmet has served me well over time.

It has however caused me some issues over time.   It's prone to fog up in rain or cold, as I suppose any helmet is.  If I keep the visor up for a bit it may pop off the track.  It's getting noisy.  The plastic and the webbing are starting to come off the helmet.  It's been an ongoing issue for me for at least the past year. 

I remember reading somewhere that a lid would only last between three to five years, so it's time for something new, and I am giving serious thought to getting a modular helmet.  I wear glasses and that would make life a little simpler.  Plus if I'm out and about I won't have to take off my gear if I want to have a drink or need to run into a store.

They tend to be pricey however and I am first and foremost a cheap bastard.  Although I also know that the most important thing for me to protect is my head.  I'm also thinking that I want Bluetooth and GPS in the helmet as well.  I'm not a fan of being on the phone while riding, or listening to music (in fact one of the things I love about riding is that their are no distractions) but I do like the idea of having GPS available to me.  Since this is Florida some sort of pinlock to prevent fogging would be nice too.

Of course, now I'm looking at dropping a cool two or three hundred on a lid.  If not more.

It's also time for me to upgrade a bit into a better helmet.  While I'm sure brands like GMAX and HJC are good helmets, I want something that I feel is going to be a little better for me.  I can not afford a Arai or a Shoei lid.

Frankly there has to be something in the middle.  For example, I am really liking the price on the Italian made Caberg Helmets but sadly they seem to not available in America.  Plus being ECE rated they are generally put through more rigorous testing than a DOT approved helmet would be. 

So a modular may be out of the picture if I want the GPS and Bluetooth function.   Or I could add that later on, but I know the way I am and I'll talk myself out of it.   No, if I get those little "additions" I have to get them now or I never will.

Seriously...when do you buy/replace gear?

It's a rainy and sad Sunday morning.   I've got Miles Davis on in the background, his Kind of Blue is fitting my mood.

It's been an uneventful week, which I suppose as a scooter commuter is the type of week you want to have.  No close calls, no idiotic drivers (well, none that caused a problem for me at least).  Sadly no travel either do to a wet and very busy weekend.

So what to write about?  I considered writing about the weather - which has been hot, muggy and wet most of the week - and how to safely ride in it.  I've considered how the cooler weather will soon be here, how my "winter" jacket has served me well and since I'm now working only till 6 or 7 PM most nights, how my Freeze Out jacket, gloves and my current mesh jacket should work well for me most of the year.  In fact, for only a few months out of the year the mesh jacket suites me fine.

Average Tampa temperatures 

High °F	Low °F		High °C	Low °C
70	52	January	21	11
73	54	February	23	12
76	58	March	25	15
81	63	April	27	17
87	70	May	31	21
90	75	June	32	24
90	76	July	32	24
90	76	August	32	25
89	75	September	32	24
84	68	October	29	20
78	60	November	26	16
72	54	December	22	12
82	65	Year	28	18

The Jacket from Xmas - 2011

My blood has not thinned out that much when I would consider anything to be cold.  Of course your body adjusts to the climate your in.  We've had some cold snaps that reminded me of early winters back home.

My "winter" jacket is your traditional motorcycle jacket.  It was made by Vulcan and it has served me very, very well.  It's been through a couple of "incidents."  Neither of which were technically my fault, but as a realist - I could have done things better, been a better rider.  Experience helps you grow.  Unlike a helmet, which I know should be replaced when ever it's been involved in a accident, I'm not sure about the jacket.

It's been beat up sure, scratched up in a couple of places but the seams are still holding up nicely.  It's a little snug now, much more so then what I remember it but the man is growing older.  It's four years old now.

The jacket was given to me as a gift, I still would have preferred, and still prefer something in a bright neon or orange.  But beggars can not be choosers and I love that my parents bought me a good jacket.  I added some reflective tape to it and later still added a neon yellow safety vest to it.  It still works...but honestly I'm a bit worried about the armour and how that holds up over time.

Gloves are easy to know when to replace.  Frankly I used to buy a pair of riding gloves from my local Wal-mart, but after wearing through the fingers on a few of them I bit the bullet and paid for a pair of Fox gloves.  It's been a world of difference and I'm going to buy a pair of gauntlet gloves for the winter.  I just need to go get a pair.  Color don't matter, just be windproof and waterproof.

I know I'm cheap, but the older I get the more safety matters to me.  I'm okay paying a bit more for something that may be the difference between a broken hand and a bruised hand.

Then their is my helmet.   I have mixed emotions about it.  When I bought it, I thought it was fine, but here we are some two years later and I'm not happy with it at all.

It's an HJC.  The little plastic tab broke off that opens and closes the top vents, it's been open ever since, not that it matters.  The face shield had a tendency to come out of its' grooves, meaning I've had to pull over and fix it at times.  The plastic seems cheap and I've often had to resnap the padding back into place.  I'm cheap like I said and it was a closeout.

I do have a few other helmets.  Sue has one for her noggin and we bought a second full face helmet for me at that time but it never felt quite right when I wore it, hence I bought the HJC and was happy with it for a short time.  A silver half helmet I've not worn in forever rounds out the equipment.

I've fallen in love with the modular helmets - wearing glasses it would be so much easier - and frankly if I go that route, I might as well pay for the phone/GPS and radio option.  One of the things I love about riding is the quiet, NOT having the radio or GPS or people calling.  Still though, if I'm serious about wanting to go on day trips to the Atlantic or put in 150 mile + days on a more regular basis, having that equipment built in only makes sense.  It's just a shame that Nolan is so damned pricy.  So do we put that off?  Or the jacket for now?

No matter what I do, I'm looking at getting my money's worth out of this equipment.  Good gear can be the difference between "Ouchie" and "We are here to celebrate the life of..."   I'll take the ouchie in the pocketbook before the "celebration of life" any day of the week.

So gentle readers; when do you buy gear?  What would you recommend?  I'm listening.

Closeout (updates on various things)

I caught a glimpse of her in the mirror today.  We were on our way to breakfast at IHOP and Sue was tucked in behind me.  I could not make out her face in her new helmet but I could feel her hands around me and the press of her body on my back.  She was buying breakfast and I could not have been in a better mood.

I knew I was in trouble when she mentioned her wanting to buy some sort of communication device so she could talk to me when riding.  How Christmas was coming up, and my birthday a few short months after that.  In other words, I should expect a communications headset.

Sometimes I catch a look at myself in my gear and it's odd to think about everything that is now in my closet that is biking related.  We now have four helmets, four sets of gloves, three sets of jackets, two pairs of boots, two sets of rain gear and a partridge in a pear tree.  We have come a long, long way from a canary yellow pullover and a shiny half helmet  Well it may not be the best gear it does serve a purpose, and hopefully we will never have to test our gear.

Now that fall is coming, we should be riding more as a couple.  It was incredibly hot and humid this summer, we didn't ride nearly as much as we could have.  The heat also effected my participation in the Equinox to Equinox rally.  I finished a very respectable 13th at of 202 participants and met my goal of a top 25 finish.  I managed a total of 291 points.  If I had continued to play I have no doubt I could have finished in the top ten, maybe even the top five.  You can see my various photo's here:  I was # 096.  Well I enjoyed it, I have to admit that I am not if I would participate again.  It just seemed it to long.  While the guys at the Pace Podcast do a great job, I just feel they just bit off more then they could chew.  It would have been nice to have had updates, either on the podcast or the website, regularly.  We will see what they have planned for next year.

Finally, I love a love a good adventure story.  I love travel stories and - at the risk of being called a "wimp" or worse - romance stories.  So when I came across this story on Scooterfile I had to follow up on it.  It seems that a young man fell in love with an idea.  To ride from Canada to Peru on a 150cc Lambretta.   Now that would be crazy today...but in the late 50's?  Perfectly insane.

Thanks to the Kickstarter website

One hitch in his plan. He met the woman he would marry three weeks before hand.  He still goes on the trip, and then, showing what must of been a sure sign that he was crazy in love.  He asks her to marry him and come on the journey with him.  You can't make these stories in Hollywood.  Unless you throw in an alien invasion or Zombies.

His son is trying to put together the money to tell his parents story.  From what I understand it's just a question of getting the money for the printing.  You can read more about the Bowman's adventure on their Kickstarter page.  The official website is at The Scooter Diaries and goes into much more detail about the project. Of course, their is a Facebook page as well.   It's an interesting story and worth looking into.  

Sloppy Seconds or "Rob doesn't really have a topic this week."

It's been one of those weeks where nothing got accomplished.  I got buried at work, the weather did not cooperate and the lovely Susan and I didn't manage to get our stuff together to start trying to ride 2-up.    We did make sure she was able to climb onto the back of the bike without difficultly but we haven't taken it out yet.

In fact, I've not ridden much at all in the last few days.  When I have however I've noticed something about myself and my riding technique.  I've become sloppy.  Not really coming to a full stop when making a right turn at a stop sign.   Looking down a bit when making a turn and not keeping my eye on what's ahead.  Racing through yellow lights.   

In other words, stupid.

I am not sure where or how I've picked up these bad habits.  What I do know is that I need to break them.  If something goes wrong when I'm riding solo that's one thing.  I am responsible for my own actions, my own life.  I've accepted that responsibility.  Riding with a passenger means that I am now responsible for their life as well.   With the additional weight of a passenger the bike will react differently.  Act differently.  It's simple basic physics.  I need to break those bad habits now.

The second thing we need to do it get the lovely Susan some gear of her own.  I have a secondary "back up" helmet which she can wear on our low speed trial runs around the neighborhood, but once we start heading out on the roads I feel a full face helmet for her is in order.  It's probably the safest option as well.  We have not talked about jackets yet but I would hope she go for some Hi-Vis.  

I would like to get this all accomplished before our second cruise on Celebration Cruise lines (and third cruise overall) to the Bahama's (which we have never visited).  Last year a local scooter group traveled to the islands and  zipped around the whole island on rented scooters.  Susan and I have done similar things on our other cruises, enjoying Cozumel for example in a rented jeep, but this is the first time I will be renting a scooter.  You can see a video of last year's ride here.

When the same group offered a great rate to go this year we jumped at the chance.  We are looking forward to exploring the islands.  My only concern however is other people.  The group we are riding with are all experienced riders, I'm sure the natives are familiar with their machines.  These are not the people that concern me.  I have watched enough You Tube video's of idiots on scooters to be concerned about people that don't know better being out on the streets of Nassau.

Finally I just want to remind everyone that the National Ride to Work Day will be here soon.

National Ride to Work day and Helmet laws...why the debate?

Yesterday was National Ride to Work day and although it was good to see various motorcycles out on the road, at my workplace alone there were at least 5 bikes of various types...including mine.  I was also disheartened by something I saw.

Many of the riders out on the road were not really protected.   Here in Florida the only protective gear that your required to wear is eye protection (and a helmet if under the age of 21).  Many of the riders I passed had at least that.  A few more had at least a helmet.  Most did not.

When your riding in Florida its always a battle between comfort and safety.  Normally I start work at 4 PM, which means that I ride in during the hottest part of the day.  I love my motorcycle jacket and know it's there to protect me in case of incident or accident but it's also a mobile sauna at red lights.  I unzip it some to help move the air about, I've considered removing it and only wearing it home at night were the reflective tape and stripping will make me that much more visible.  A lighter jacket is always an option but frankly this is not a priority.  I would rather suffer for a hour or so in the heat than be unsafe for I know it only takes a second for me to go down.  All the gear all the time is more than just a saying, it should be a way of life for any biker.

What I will not compromise on however is the helmet.  Lately the local news has been full of stories of how helmets save lives.  How they reduce medical costs, how they can save the state millions of dollars and how wearing a helmet is a matter of choice.

I understand that I'm still a "noob" when it comes to riding.  I don't have years of experience or thousands of miles under my belt.  What I do have is my background is in science, education and engineering.  For several years I was the technician that was actually out there testing the concrete, the asphalt, the metal that lines the roads that you drive on.   I'm here to tell you something.  Your head is much, much weaker than those materials.  To not wear a helmet strikes me not as as idiotic but also suicidal.  For these reasons I wear my gear all the time.



So when I read a quote like this - taken from the ABATE of Michigan's website - my blood boils. "ABATE's position supporting ADULT CHOICE for Michigan's mandatory motorcycle helmet law DOES NOT seek to eliminate the use of motorcycle helmets. Although ABATE questions the MANDATORY nature of a law that forces the usage of self-protection equipment with questionable benefits, it is the use of DOCTORED statistics, the misrepresentation of facts, and outright lies used by the safety-crats to support their position which is especially bothersome."

This shows an ignorance of science and a level of hypocrisy that boggles my mind.  Why hypocrisy?  Because the same organization wishes to ban the cell phone.  In fact, they cite figures from the Centers of Disease Control and the National Transportation Safety Board to support the ban. 

Guess what...that is the same group of "safety-crats" that wish to make helmets mandatory.
The CDC is not known for "outright lies" or "Doctoring" data. The fact that ABATE is using such inflammatory language indicates that their argument is not that strong to begin with. Or perhaps it says something about the divisive nature of American society as a whole.

Now I will agree with ABATE and other groups, the Helmet itself is not going to prevent the accident! The best preventive medicine is training, experience and a awareness of your surroundings. However the argument that money spent to enforce the helmet law could be better spent on training and education, to me at least, is found lacking. Training and education is going to save your life (it's help me avoid a deer for example) but accidents are and will continue to happen. For these groups to not support a mandatory helmet law seems foolish to me.

Standard helmet fall test

The argument that helmets could be made safer and better is a legitimate argument.  However the way a helmet is tested is again based on solid scientific principals.  To argue that the chin strap could somehow strangle someone in an accident is most likely a urban myth.  To argue that a helmet is somehow going to make things worse in a accident is not based on facts.  

I understand the idea of freedom.  That some people bristle at how the government interferes with our lives, etc.  I do understand it and this is not a political tract.  It's not meant to be.  This is a plea to all bikers, be smart.  Wear a lid.  Come home to what matters.