I watched a film of him performing the stunt shortly before he fell, and he was at slow speed.
Common sense tells me nothing of that sort. Common sense tells me not to stand on the seat of a moving bike.
I understand the theory. Years ago I did a little TT racing (believe me, I've done my share of stupid things on a bike) and took a spill or two. We were required to wear approved helmets and I credit them for preserving my good looks. If they are so deadly, why are they required in any organized competitive event?
We can agree it was a tragic thing.
Dono

 

i have had the honor of meeting indian larry and knew him for several years. he knew all to well the risks of that stunt and could do it well. we will all at some time run out of time for larry it just came to soon. larry will be missed by a lot of the old timers, his skills at old harleys was huge and for me, he was one of the people who could make my old 1961 h/d run corectly. the first time i met larry was on a md run into brooklyn and i broke a clutch cable , he had the part and took the time to show me how to adjust the mouse trap so it would not cause another to snap. to be truthfull when i first met him he scared me then i realized how down to earth he really was.
he is missed by any one who had the honor of knowing him

 

I think that Jesse James is pretty funny. My sister lives in southern California, so I had a chance to visit his shop. I don't think that he's that comfortable with fame. I think that he'd be happier if left alone to do some fabricating.

I do like his analagy of American Chopper the best. He called them "CAKE DECORATORS". Which is basically all they do. Most of the time, the used prefabbed frames, tanks, etc. Anyone could do that, all you need is money.

 

helmet laws suck thats for sure, funny how they say you have to hae it on for safety, but if you have it on in a car you ge3t a ticket because it impairs you vision, wouldnt that be the same on a bike ? i wear a helment when i am riding trails on on the track, but rarely wear one on the highway. my mom complains often and yes i have wrecked seriusly bad when i was on dirt, spent the summer in a half body cast. and i have wrecked on the street with a helment on and off. i still perfer not to wear one.

as for american chopper i used to watch it every monday night, and if i wasnt home i would either tivo it or vcr it. But to me now it has jumped the shark. Monster garage has done the same thing, used to love it now i dont. when they stopped making stuff look stock it got boring. the lawnmower and the pt cruiser were by far the only ones that looked stock. the shark boat was just cutting a hole in the bottem of a pontoon boat and slapping on a over sized engine.I thought it was going to improve when they started only allowing one freebie, there is no way a regular guy/gal could build anything like they do there with no budget.Monster house i got bored of long ago. Some of they things they do there are just plain dumb. But i still like American Hot Rod, It was sad when bluebear left the show, but i loved it when charlie got tired of all the dumbazz deadlines and overworked all the time and quit to go work for chip foose. I still catch it when i am home and or tivo or vcr it if i am not. Of all the shows like this on tv i really like Overhaulin. you see all the work that goes into restoring a classic ride or tweaking a vechile, without showing dumb stuff like they do on Pimp My Ride.

 

I don't remember an organized event that requires you to stand on your seat. You must have missed the part where I stated there is a place and time for them (HELMETS). I am not at all saying not to wear one. Just stated the mere fact that Indian Larry would most likely have died due to a broken neck from that fall if he had a helmet on. If helmets save lives from falls why don't roofers wear them? That is about as redundant question as your comparing them to sanction events. You go as far as state you understand the theory- then prove you apperently don't by your initial statements. Plain and Simple - said once again, HELMETS HAVE A PLACE AND TIME- if you are going to dive or fall from a height I would not recommend them to save your life. They will most likely snap your neck- true you may live, you might win the lottery too, but you will most likely die or become paralyzed. AS I simply Stated before, only at a very slow speed (READ IDLE) !! will a helmet probably help you And in in the case of standing on a seat doing a stunt, and falling it wil probably do more harm than help wearing a helmet. IF you take more time to actually read apost than to fire back critisism you will see that I STATED IN A FALL "You may want to do a search on the computer- a well proven fact is helmets will break your neck in a fall-" I am in no way saying that anyone should never where a helmet. I wear one depending on the situation and I have worn one for over 35 years, riding all over the world, all types of bikes. I have also chose depending on the conditions not to wear one for almost that length of time as well. I don't belong to ABATE, and I am not a lobbyist for anyone. I never said not to wear one- One mere statement that thye will not help you in a fall. Common sense will tell you no one dives off of a roof head first with a helmet on - no one I know anyway. Oh, and by the way hard hats are predominitely for items falling on you head.....Just thought I would save you time searching that one up as well. Simple logical will tell you to read thorughly, be knowledgeable about your subject, have experience on the subject matter, and re-read until you can justify your position. Trying to correct someone on parts of the subject and not what they exactly said, brings uneducated subject matter to a post. I would take more time reading before I assumed anything and spread misinformation on a matter that may cause injuiry or lost of life.

Condensed Form : DO NOT STAND ON A SEAT unless you are a trained professional, YOU MAY FALL, I Doubt a helmet will save you if you do, might help break your neck... INJUIRES FROM A HELMET --MAY NOT APPLY TO EVERY SITUATION.!!!, I ACTUALLY RECOMMEND THEM IN MOST CASES !!!!
READ A POST COMPLETELY !!! DON'T DIVE OFF OF A ROOF - In the case someone might misread that as well...

 

I didn't mean for this thread to get into a debate over wearing a helmet. It was to point out what a stupid thing Paul sr. did when he tore up that Expedition. The argument on the forums at the discovery channel site about the show seem to say that the Tuttles have money and they can do what they see fit with their vehicles. If having money makes you do stupid stunts like that......I'm glad I'm poor.

 

I haven't found any information supporting your theory, but I can't get your link to work either.

So far what I have found is that in the state of New York at least, where a mandatory helmet law has been implemented, there has been a decrease in the number of head injuries, but a corresponding increase in broken necks. But this is redundant, those who died from the broken neck would have died from a head injury if they weren't wearing a helmet. And perhaps some of those people survived the neck injury, whereas they wouldn't have the head injury.

The study said that during sudden stops, a 4lb helmet transforms into a 200lb weight on your neck (whiplash). But that is irrelevant since in a motorcycle accident there is nothing holding the rider to the bike; he is allowed to fly off. Therefore, no whiplash.

My common sense tells me two things. 1. Don't stand on the seat of a moving motorcycle. and 2. With or without a helmet I'd be dead.. But the helmet increases my odds of surviving. Without the helmet, odds of survival are 0%, I think we can agree on that. With the helmet they have to be more than that.

Larry very rarely wore any gear, just a leather vest, maybe a peanut shell helmet. If he were wearing a helmet and only a helmet, he could have broke his neck from the fall, but his other injuries would have likely killed him anyway.

After searching the ABATE of Indiana site, I can determine that their main concern against the helmet is a lack of vision, not neck injuries. In the years I have been riding, I have never experienced a lack of vision, but I wear a open face helmet, not a full face. Get a windshield and a open face helmet if vision is your only concern.

A helmet will never increase your chance of death. It will never be a hindernace in an accident. It always provides you with a safety factor that your skull doesn't. For a minute I will accept your theory, but I could survive a broken neck. Quality of life would suck, but I'd still be alive. If I leave my head on the pavement, its checkout time.

As for the little question you left at the end for everyone to ponder, it would make much more sense for children in school buses to be strapped in than a motorcyclist. The fact that he can be thrown gives him a fighting chance to survive an accident.

Given that you are wearing all your gear, in a lay down accident you probly won't get injured very bad, and a good possibility you will walk away. However, without the helmet, your head will be left behind you. I'll put it this way, pavement chews up flesh and bone a lot quicker than helmet and leather.

However, there is a much bigger problem facing motorcyclists other than a helmet/no helmet dilemma. That is educating the rest of the motoring public about motorcycles, and teaching them to watch out for motorcycles. I think we can all agree on this point. During my time researching this, I came across numerous accidents where a driver of a car/truck claimed they didn't see the motorcyclist.

I would like to know what you were trying to prove with the "if you are going to dive or fall from a height I would not recommend them to save your life" example. Not wearing a helmet will increase your chances? Like I said before, a broken neck is a survivable injury, and in fact does not necessarly mean paralysis (look at the wrestling world for example). Having your brain hanging outside your skull however, isn't.

Trevor

 

Alright Guys.
You forced me to use the Double High-jacked Thread Reverse maneuver.


Once again, the Tuttles are Idiots.

The Tuttles are like Britney Spears. They’re nothing more than a product of a Marketing Firm: The right looks at the right time, very little raw talent, and they will crash and burn just the same.

 

i doubt it. the bussiness has been successful for 10 years. they move alot of bikes. not just theme bikes, and they have the ironworks. they will do fine and they have the money to back it up. they do alot more than what you see on the show.

 

Beano,

OCC is currently riding the wave of three different bandwagons. The custom bike/Harley craze. The custom anything craze. And of course, the reality show craze.<o =""></o>

<o =""></o>Sorry. But crash and burn they will. Unfortunately, the American public just doesn’t have that long of attention span.

 

People might lose interest in the show, but the business will never go belly up. First of all, OCC was started as a hobby. Second, they are one of the biggest names in custom bikes, their product is in demand. Third, OCC isn't just a custom bike shop, it is a franchise.

Trevor

 

The show will definitely die out, their fame will die down, but their business will still stand as long as their product stays in demand, which is easily feasible, they did it before the show and I'm sure they can do it after the show.

Their TV show is not what made them who they are...their business is...they will be around for awhile...


They may act like idiots on TV, but they have an excellent business going...something to be proud of themselves for accomplishing.

 

If you ever get to meet Jr. and Sr. in person, you will realize that there's a lot more to them, then what is portrayed by them on TV. The show may die out, but they don't care. Paul Sr. was already a millionaire before the show started, and will be so when the show is no longer popular. Incidentally, if their bikes were as poor build quality as what some try to make it seem, they wouldn't be selling bikes to people like Jay Leno, and the Miller Electric company. Also, they fabricate many more parts then just handle bars. Just because you watch a "reality" show on TV, don't think for a second that all you see is real.

 

Not only whats real or not....but the fact that they don't show you all there is to know about them and their company.

 

Sorry Guys,

I guess I should have defined crash and burn:

To fade from the public eye.

And this they will do. Sure, they will survive, just not in the households of America.