revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Ever ridden without a lid?

Imagine a clean runway on a litre bike and offer of money to ride topless?

Eg
20 mph = £200
40 mph = £400
200 mph = £2,000

Just need to accelerate to desired speed and stop as quickly or slowly as you like.

I reckon I'd opt for 120. Done that speed thousands of times and would feel totally safe on my Suzuki

Waddya reckon?

I wouldn't Would have done in the past, but a really good mate was moving his bike for a photo shoot in a car park at little over walking pace - life changing brain injury. It scared me because prior to that everyone I knew would hop on a bike and move it around lidless I have the fear now

Full chat, if you're gonna splatter yourself across a runway it may as well be as fast as the bike will go, although I would insist on a pair of goggles.

0. It took my cousin 40 years to die from the effects of injuries he suffered crashing through a phone box in 1960.

40 years dying ain't much of a living.

MrLongbeard wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2026 5:34 pm Full chat, if you're gonna splatter yourself across a runway it may as well be as fast as the bike will go, although I would insist on a pair of goggles.

Yup. Empty runway? What are the risks apart from mechanical/tyre failure? My only problem is £2k? It's hardly worth the petrol needed to get to the runway. Might need a fairing to tuck behind + goggles + a good set of leathers.

(Helmets weren't compulsory when I started riding but it was a damn sight more comfortable in one at anything above 30 mph).

As long as I have goggles and a really really long runway I will go full chat and try for 200. You only die once.

I've recently seen a trike with a bandana, didn't look very padded.

In the early 90s I hired a DR125 in Crete and rode around in shorts and t shirt, no crash helmet, probably went 60mph max, got sun burnt to a crisp, now I wouldn't ride a motorcycle without full protective gear and a crash helmet, so the fastest I'd ride without a helmet is a slow walking pace moving the bike.

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2026 9:18 pm In the early 90s I hired a DR125 in Crete and rode around in shorts and t shirt, no crash helmet, probably went 60mph max, got sun burnt to a crisp, now I wouldn't ride a motorcycle without full protective gear and a crash helmet, so the fastest I'd ride without a helmet is a slow walking pace moving the bike.

Walk around any town and you'll see kids on the leccy scooters doing 30mph without lids

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2026 9:18 pm In the early 90s I hired a DR125 in Crete and rode around in shorts and t shirt, no crash helmet, probably went 60mph max, got sun burnt to a crisp, now I wouldn't ride a motorcycle without full protective gear and a crash helmet, so the fastest I'd ride without a helmet is a slow walking pace moving the bike.

We hired bikes in benidorm and same as you, no protection, but with a bog roll pushed between the seat and grab rail just incase.

On a litre bike, runway with goggles, send it.

Rode around rural Italy on the monster in shorts and tee shirt without helmet from mates house to collect water, visit locals, go to bar, no problem.

Won't ride the mtb without one, odd perspective on risk, yup

Mate and his, then, wife hired scooters (on a Greek island iirc). Not sure she'd ever ridden anything with two wheels + engine before). She, riding around in flop-flops ends up with a chunk of her foot missing, horizontal, on an insurance subbed flight back to the UK as a medium-urgent med-evac case.

Don't think she ever rode anything with 2 wheels + engine again. (Or considered that, somehow, being on holiday and doing what 'everybody else does' doesn't make you invulnerable!)

Imagine a clean runway on a litre bike and offer of money to ride topless?

I'd imagine my moobs would start fluttering at anything above 30

Cycled 4500 miles round Europe including some epic alpine descents bitd with no helmet & still happy to hit 50mph on a push bike with no lid, so I recon with eye protection, gloves and a pair of Speedos probs up to 150, as that's about the fastest I've ever been on a bike

Yorick wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2026 4:34 pmon a litre bike

Fuck I missed that part.
Not enough money in the world to be seen riding a learner bike helmet or no.

Where's the 'none of the above' option?

Just remembered: I often ride without a helmet on the perimeter road at Willow Springs 30-40mph, but there's bugger all traffic out there.