Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/378199
22 UCW SEPTEMBER 10-16, 2014 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Run for Christi Sept. 13th First Bike Out at Noon 4624 BRAGG BLVD. A few months back, my friend Rick and I were crossing Canada. We had been in heavy crosswinds for days. I was wearing an Aral XD-3, which is a full-faced helmet with a visor and face shield. After riding about five-days in heavy winds, my helmet started having an uncomfortable vibration. When I took the hel- met off, I found a plastic screw had come loose and was missing. I usually carry extra bolts, but I had never imagined that I needed a spare helmet screw. We pulled into a gas coop, which is a gas station and a hardware store combined. Convenient! I was able to find a screw that would fit, but it was a little longer than I needed. Rick suggested that I put duct-tape on it, but didn't think I needed to because I had screwed it in hard. I made it until the next day, when my visor started flapping around. I reached up and the screw was missing again. A few moments later, the visor and face shield were flopping around and apparently another screw came out. "Oh, no!" I called to Rick in our headsets and told him that I needed to pull over. We were 45-miles past Edmonton. As I looked at the helmet, I got the antici- pated tongue lashing with "I told you to put duct-tape on it." I told Rick that I needed to go back to Edmonton and find a motorcycle shop. I sighed because I hate being the guy that causes a problem. Rick sighed because I didn't listen to him. I used duct-tape to secure the shield. Since the shield was duct-taped on, it made it impossible for me to put my glasses on, which I needed to ride. As we moved out, the visor became dangerously fogged up. I had Rick take the lead and guide me through the busy traffic. We found the shop and found that they had a limited selection of helmets. I usually take an XXL, but the biggest they had was XL. I paid $355 for what would be a $165 helmet in the U.S. Because my helmet was a little over four years old, I decided to leave it behind at the store. Some people do not know how to pick out a good helmet. First, you should make sure it is a Department Of Transportation- or Snell Foundation-approved helmet. Either type or both will be displayed on the back of the helmet. If not, then don't plan on any reasonable protection. A good fitted helmet should be snug and comfortable. It should not be so large that it moves freely around your head but not so small that it constricts or causes pain. From there, it is your personal option of what you want in a helmet. Visibility is important for me. I usually get white but bright yellow, high visibility helmets are becoming more available. I like a full-face helmet and really like the ones with a built in sun visor. Airflow is important to me as well. You can use the Internet to search forums and reviews to find a good helmet. As for cost, helmets come in a variety of prices. I've seen full-face helmets for $75 to $850. One thing I have noticed about price, is that the quality, comfort and wind noise is proportional to price. It is recommended that helmets be replaced every five years. The five-year replacement recommendation is based on helmet manufacturers. After five years, the glue and other materials in the helmet break down. I have often heard that if you drop a helmet you should replace it. According to the Snell Foundation website, that is true. They said that, "the real damage comes when the helmet contacts an object with a head inside." If you do drop it, inspect it. I have had a helmet that chipped, which I got rid of because it compromised the integrity of the helmet. Last week, I ordered my new Aral helmet replacement. I was amazed at how much the prices fluctuated depending on the website. After finding a new helmet on eBay, I was able to get it for about $50 less than a retail site. All-in-all my little screw that fell out of my helmet cost me about $900 to get me back to were I started. If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, you can contact me at motorcycle- 4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! Helmet Time? by JIM JONES JIM JONES, Motorcycle Enthusiast, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. Jim Jones improvised with duct tape to keep his visor from flying off. Fall VA Hospital Poker Run • 13 September 2014 • Registration: 1330 at Bubba's 33 Westwood Shopping Ctr. on Morganton Rd. Run begins at 1400 Sponsored by the Veterans Motorcycle Club www.theveteransmc.com 910.424.3549 SEPTEMBER 13 • FALL VA HOSPITAL POKER RUN to raise money and nonperishable items (razors, shower shoes, under garments, etc.) for the Fayetteville VA Hospital and its Patients. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. at Bubba 33. Kickstands up at 2 p.m. Final Stop is the Veterans Motorcycle Club Club House for entertainment, food and drinks available by donation. Call 910- 322-3003 for information. SEPTEMBER 13 • RUN FOR CHRISTI at Legends Pub. Call 867- 2364 for information. SEPTEMBER 14 • 1ST ANNUAL ALR STATE WIDE MEET AND GREET at Old Gilliam Mill in Sanford. Poker run KSU 11 a.m. $20/bike $5/ pass, bike rodeo, 50/50, door prizes, DJ, vendors, food. SEPTEMBER 20 • 7TH ANNUAL RIDE TO ROCK OUT ALZHEIMER'S at Pine Knoll in Southern Pines. Registration at 7:30 a.m., $20/sgl $30/dbl, door prizes, food, music. Call 910-246-1066 or visit www.sjp.org for information. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www.patriotguard.org for more information about the group.