Hawaii.... King of the squids?
Took the family to Hawaii, after a day or two I saw only one rider in full gear.
Damn near everyone is wearing sandals, no helmet and riding sportbikes or HD's.
Does it vary by island? What state has more squids?
Not sure, but if I lived in Hawaii I'd probably want to dress like a squid too.
Having lived, and ridden bikes, in Hawaii, Washington state, and now Texas, it's a mentality thing. The same type of people who don't wear gear in Texas are the same that don't wear gear other places.
But it's soo fuckin hot here in TX ☹️
I always wear at least helmet and gloves, but it's 50:50 at best when it comes to anything else. I honestly hardly even ride during peak summer anymore.
From what I've seen, Florida is pretty squiddy. They have the same kind of flip flops and t shirt sort of thing going on as Hawaii, probably for the same reason -- people think they're in the "tropics" so it's hot and therefore they "can't" wear protective gear. I'm certain copious amounts of alcohol consumption are often a factor as well.
Southeast Asia is much the same. A lot of people are seen wearing helmets there, probably because it's compulsory in a lot of places, but other than that they treat protective gear and closed toe shoes as something that happen to other cultures.
I remember being in my teens and not wanting to wear a helmet ( and paying the tickets that came with that), but now a-days i like my skull the way it is. I ride as a primary mode of transportation, which just increases the opportunity for trouble. Even at 30mph, that concrete will not be forgiving.
Helmets are optional in my state, and man i see a lot of “freedom” helmets, no jackets, sneakers (or worse), and thats at 80+ mph on the freeway! Most sport bikes have helmets on, but sooo many HD riders dont. There are a lot of HD riders in the SW.
Just don’t understand it anymore. I’m not ATGATT, as i wear regular denim jeans (and know they will be useless in a fall) but, UBU i guess.
So a few reasons:
Hawaii has a non-mainland, dont-look-like-you're-trying-too-hard kind of vibe. Business people don't wear full suits downtown. You're not even supposed to show up at the interview in a suit or you'll look off. Unfortunately this crosses over into motorcycle safety. So if you ride all geared up, you'll look like you're...not from Hawaii.
Island infrastructure is also pretty delicate. Traffic can be frequently gridlock and unpredictable. There's been a few cases where a traffic incident shut the entire island down for most of the day. Add that it's hot most of the year and you get tank top riders.
Most island residents, probably most of the ones you see riding, don't have high incomes and Hawaii is one of the most expensive states to live in. Gear is expensive. And they got that bike from their cousin.
Source: From Hawaii and rode there too.
Oklahoma seems to have a lot. Especially cruiser riders. Almost nobody wears more than a helmet.
I have long argued that a full-face helmet can prevent an accident. Ever since I was hit across the visor on the highway by what I think was a sparrow. Would have been a lot worse if it had juat hit me in the face.
I've never been to Hawaii but lived in South East Asia.
The big question I have is: how fast are they riding? Are they puttering around, barely breaking 40kmh which is a speed you can reach as a cyclist?
That's very different to the squids you see on 1000cc bikes racing up and down at 70-160kmh weaving between cars.
I remember the first and only time I tried riding my sportbike without a helmet to see what all the fuss was about, I got a big fat bug right in the cheek and it slid up into my eye under my sunglasses.
I never did it again, and twenty two years later, I'm still ATGATT on my cruiser. There's no point IMO taking a risk with your life, mental faculties, or skin. Especially if you have kids, which I now have.
To each their own, though.