UTMC

So, here's the story:
A friend of mines girlfriend asked me for a ride home on my bike tonight. Last night, her boyfriend asked for me to give her a ride to commemorate the 5 year anniversary of her motorcycle accident, so I know it's not a problem giving her a lift. Anyway, we get on the bike, go to her place and sit on a ledge smoking a cigarette. My helmet is securely sitting up there, next to where I'm sitting. As she goes to hand me the spare helmet I lent her so I can ride home, she knocks mine off, which is sitting next to her, down the other side of the ledge. I hear smack, the thing drops nearly 10 feet. I pick it up, it's fucked. Visor attachment cover thing is broken, rear vents are broken. Fuck.Plus, I don't really trust it after a fall like that. If it were an HJC that I had for $100, whatever. But it's a fucking Arai that I bought less than 6 months ago, and there is not one fucking chance in hell that I can come up with the money to replace it. So what the fuck do I do? A large part of me wants to just eat it, I put it on the ledge and shit happens, it was an accident. Other part of me says goddamnit, that's a nice ass helmet that I scrimped and saved to get and now I've got to buy some piece of shit to replace it because I gave someone a ride home and I'm poor. Is asking for half of the replacement cost rude? Full? (at least $350) She offered to give me money (60 bucks is what she offered right then and there), but I said just let me think it over.
Imput?

I'd ask her to pay for half.

I agree, half seems more than fair.

I disagree.

She may have knocked it down, but you put the helmet on that ledge, or at least allowed it to be put there. You really can't expect non-motorcyclists to treat gear or people who aren't you to treat your stuff with the same reverence as you or understand why they should, which is why you have to take responsibility for that stuff yourself. Sorry Dozer, but I would probably turn the $ down.

As for the lid, I've heard a lot of people claim that you should replace a helmet if it's dropped even from waist height because it can damage the impact absorbing foam interior, but Arai themselves have said that there would have to be a mass (e.g. your head) inside the helmet acting against the foam for that to happen. 10 feet is not waist height, though.

You can always send it back to arai and see if they can give it a good bill of health...

I mean, it *might* be OK, and I know that the vents just stick on with adhesive and the visor-attachment points are removable/replaceable. Arai *may* be able to spiffy it up and send it back to you if you can get by with the loaner helmet in the meantime - and worst-case is it's toast, which is pretty much where you're at now, right?

FastCat wrote:You can always send it back to arai and see if they can give it a good bill of health...

I mean, it *might* be OK, and I know that the vents just stick on with adhesive and the visor-attachment points are removable/replaceable. Arai *may* be able to spiffy it up and send it back to you if you can get by with the loaner helmet in the meantime - and worst-case is it's toast, which is pretty much where you're at now, right?

+1, in the past lid manufacturers have gone out of their way to take good care of me and a couple friends of mine, it's one of the only industries I can think of that come across as old school solid in how they deal with customers.

/RM

Sending the helmet to be checked out brings in a helpful 3d party. With a letter in hand that says 'sorry to inform that the damage to the helmet cannot be repaired and it is rooned' the girl (and, ahem, her parents if y'all are both college students) have documentation of the value of the mishap.

One time my bicycle helmet, sitting innocently on a ledge at a gathering, ended up in the line-of-fire when a really hung-over guy had an unexpected episode of projectile vomiting. Luckily for me the guy was a nice and generous soul and also everyone's weed dealer so he kindly peeled off a stack of bills for me to atone for the party foul.

If she is a motorcyclist then she knows the value of the helmet in question. As has been suggested, have Arai check it out but don't think twice about accepting whatever help she is willing to offer. It shows that she knows that she was as responsible as you. Half? Again I say take what she offers and thank her for her respect. And bust her balls about it until she and your pal break up (not to the point of causing the break-up, I am just thinking chronologically), at which point give your buddy hell about it.

I assume she can't just make a claim on her liability insurance?

maybe you can get a BJ out of her?

DerGolgo wrote:I assume she can't just make a claim on her liability insurance?

you might have something there.

for example, when i was the pedestrain in a pedestrain auto accident, if i had had under-insured motorist coverage on my vehicle, it would have paid what the guy's insurance couldn't.

doesn't hurt to look into it.

xaos wrote:maybe you can get a BJ out of her?

dozer wrote:A friend of mines girlfriend

Otherwise, blowjobs are legal tender in my country, yes.

I'm just going to split the cost of an AGV from modern classics and be done with it.

dozer wrote:

xaos wrote:maybe you can get a BJ out of her?

dozer wrote:A friend of mines girlfriend

Otherwise, blowjobs are legal tender in my country, yes.

Well, I couldn't find a video or any other embeddable source for this.
So Hereis a song to help you with that quandry

What size yo head, boy?

I have a spare Icon just gathering dust at my house, XL, flat black (though it does have the obligatory Icon farkles: chrome chevron thingy on the vents that makes you look a bit like a Decepticon).

I only used it for a few months before I got my Shoei, and it's got a tinted visor, too.

Lemme know if you want it.

I wear a Med. with my Arai, so I'm doubtful that an XL can fit. If I find one to try on and it does, I'll let you know. I'd like to look like a robot... Thanx!

xaos wrote:maybe you can get a BJ out of her?

unless she looks like this:

xaos wrote:maybe you can get a BJ out of her?

I was thinking handjob, but then I own an HJC.

HandJob. Wonder if that is what the HJ is in HJC?

Wow, just had a dream about that icon helmet and being in WA in the rain riding around and talking to whiskeywrist. It didn't fit very well, and it really reminded me of the movie the machinist. weird.

dozer wrote:Wow, just had a dream about that icon helmet and being in WA in the rain riding around and talking to whiskeywrist. It didn't fit very well, and it really reminded me of the movie the machinist. weird.

That is weird. It never rains in Seattle.

Man up, hand back the $$.
Being poor is no excuse to be a douche.
Shit happens, circumstances could very easily be reversed.

Are you "more poor" than them? Are you really in a position to rate their financial health?

Not to be harsh, but take no $$. IMHO

Or, do what you want.

Yeah, I am absolutely way poorer than they are. Both boyfriend and girlfriend work at the same pub, one as a waitress and one as a bartender/barback. Both have graduated from Hopkins and Goucher respectively. I go to school full time, work a minimum wage job 30 hours a week, and am trying to save up cash so I can make it to Denver in the summer. Why taking $150 for a $600 helmet that was broken through no fault of mine makes me a douche is beyond my understanding; I would not hesitate to pay that money if I had been the one breaking someone elses shit...Accidents are accidents, but fault is fault.

JoJoLesh wrote:
do what you want.

But, why are you asking the question?

Rev wrote:

dozer wrote:Both boyfriend and girlfriend work at the same pub, one as a waitress and one as a bartender/barback.

Well fuck, that changes things. These Rockefellers should probably buy you a helmet made of spun silk and Faberge eggs. Perhaps their footman will bring it over.

Points to the first person to bejewel Dozer's lid and post a pic here!

/RM

JoJoLesh wrote:

JoJoLesh wrote:
do what you want.

But, why are you asking the question?

Well, because I am going to do what I want regardless, but that doesn't mean that I'm not curious why you think that when someone breaks something they are not responsible, even in part, for replacing said broken object. I'm not saying I think you're wrong, because if I could afford not to give a shit and replace it without taking their money, I would. I'm just curious.

Rev, all I can say is that when I worked tables at a busy restaurant/bar, I made easily enough money to buy a new helmet in a day; when the day before this happens girl is saying how nice it was to make $500 in a night, and not even have to give a blowjob for it...I'm not sure how guilty I should feel taking money for something that she broke.

I dunno, man. If I really didn't want my helmet to be broken, I would put it in a place where it wasn't in risk of being knocked, kicked, or dropped 10'.

Work things out with your friend however you like but at the end of the day you are responsible for your own shit.

Not trying to sound off like a prick...

Maybe I just shouldn't own a helmet, because obviously if I didn't have one then it couldn't have been broken, thus avoiding the problem of having it broken. Or, just own a really shitty one, so when it's broken I won't care. I have talked to a few people about this, and these arguments always leave me a bit confused. I mean, sure, I put it on the ledge. But I didn't knock it off the ledge. If I had, it's my problem. I also ride a motorcycle, an inherently dangerous activity. Does that mean it's an assumed risk that someone will hit me, and I shouldn't sue for damages if they do, because after all, I WAS on a motorcycle? I feel like the helmet is merely an extension of me, in a sense.

dozer wrote:Maybe I just shouldn't own a helmet, because obviously if I didn't have one then it couldn't have been broken, thus avoiding the problem of having it broken. Or, just own a really shitty one, so when it's broken I won't care. I have talked to a few people about this, and these arguments always leave me a bit confused. I mean, sure, I put it on the ledge. But I didn't knock it off the ledge. If I had, it's my problem. I also ride a motorcycle, an inherently dangerous activity. Does that mean it's an assumed risk that someone will hit me, and I shouldn't sue for damages if they do, because after all, I WAS on a motorcycle? I feel like the helmet is merely an extension of me, in a sense.

I think that you are using your helmet wrong... you absolutely should have a helmet, but I believe you keep improperly putting it on your head. This method is clearly incorrect.
You should be using it to plug your GIANT GAPING VAGINA!!!

Since that is all you need to be using it for... I don't think that a 10 foot drop is going to make it unusable. No need to replace it. There problem solved.

Seriously?!? Did you ever truly think for one moment that anyone on here was actually suggesting that you should not wear a helmet? Seriously... I call melodramatic bullshit on this!

Yes, being poor and putting yourself through college is stressful. Boo Hoo. Lots of us have done it. I won't judge you for your choices... as that is not my place, but my sense of pride wouldn't let me take any money from them, but all of us get to decide what kind of man we want to be, everyday, by the choices we make.

I can offer you no advice as to how you should handle this particular situation... because... I'm not you, I have no idea what you are comfortable with. I know people who sleep like a baby after spending an afternoon euthanizing kittens and I know people with so much guilt they lie awake worrying about the feelings of the person who had to ride the elevator after they farted in it that one time. So... you are going to do whatever you are comfortable with... If you are fine with taking their money, do it, if not, don't... fuck all of our opinions... remember, when something bad happens, you can always blame the butterflies and their terrible flapping wings.

Are you a banana?

Wow, is it still snowing where you guys are? Damn, smoke some weed or something.

Brothah Magnus, I'm guessing that in real life you're a really big fella and people wet their pants when umad. Either that or you've got a lot of scars and know many floors in the biblical sense. Not that I don't agree with the sentiment a lot of the time, but your delivery is a tad overboard in the gofuckyourself department. It's cool if that's your thing, but it doesn't earn you any bonus points when it's a constant. I've been known to flop my wang out and smack people's foreheads from time to time as well, but it seems to be much more effective when done in moderation.

Whatever, this isn't charm school here, it's good to remember that sincerity is a very effective social lubricant though.

Brothah Dozer - It's a tough call on that one, and yeah, the honorable thing for you to do is suck it up get on with things. I realize that's a really tough thing to do when you're broke and it's something you need. If it was a jerk, or stranger, or co-worker that broke it I'd say hang em on the rails till they pay. The difference here is that it's a friend's girl, and that makes it double messy. You don't want to cause friction, but you need to get a new lid.

If any of us broke something of someone else's we would likely do our best to replace or repair it. It's the honorable thing to do. That is the choice of the individual who did the breaking though. Not everyone has the same set of ideas on what is right and honorable, and you can't always fault them on it.

Sometimes it's easier just to say shit happens and get on with it.

One night at Rocket to Venus, one of the fellas hopped on his bike to leave. He wasn't drunk by any means, but he had likely had a few. Not so many that he wasn't safe to ride, but he wasn't stone cold sober either. He hopped on his bike (it was on the centerstand) and gave the kickstarter a whack. The bike started up, but he lost his balance and the pair fell over into my bike. My first thought wasn't of my bike, but of his safety. We helped him get straightened back up and checked all the vitals. Nothing bad, just a few bruises at most. He was lucky my bike was there to cushion his fall

My bike had a few scratches and a dent here and there. Barely noticeable, but it was damage that would cost me a few hundred bucks to get fixed professionally. It was also something i would have broken a stranger for doing, accident or not. I could have asked him to pay for the fixing, and he readily would have I'm sure, but he already felt like a dork for crashing his parked bike, it just seemed cruel to ask. As it turns out I spent a few hours buffing, polishing and touching up the bike. To be honest it was kind of a nice excuse to spend some quality time with the bike ( it's still new enough that I don't get to do more maintinence than washing it). You can only see the damage if you really look for it. It wasn't a big deal, because I chose to not let it be a big deal. Shit happens, and it often happens in the least desirable ways, the important thing is to not let it get to you.

I would say don't waste your time letting this eat away at you. Maybe she'll have a hot friend she'll hook you up with down the road. Maybe these two will end up being some of your best friends for years to come. Maybe they'll surprise you down the road with something really nice to make up for this oops. Or maybe not.

We've all dropped our helmets and fucked them up all on our own, it sucks balls but it happens. Hell, at the moment I've got some huge gouges in the tinted visor of my Roof Boxer and I can't even afford the shipping on a new one, let alone the visor itself. No biggie, at least my head wasn't in it when it happened.

Oh, and if the cute friend she hooks you up with down the road gives you the clap, I would say you should absolutely get her to pay for the antibiotics. Pick your battles.