Yep, turn 57 on Saturday myself.
All the talk on the site of hitting deer and the like has given me a new appreciation for staying in an upright position. I keep having flashbacks to when I face planted in a bed of oysters when I was a little toddler and somehow that is my impression of road rash.
It's those images that caused me to wear my helmet on the way to CC this year even in the non-helmet states. I look like a dork(according to my wife but mostly because of the mic for the bluetooth), but now I'm old enough to not give a chit, safety and longevity outway the cool factor. Besides, you don't has to luk kewl to bees kewl. [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif]
Yeah, Roger....the way I look at that stuff is that I may not look all that sporty with a helmet on, but I'd a lot rather have my ears, nose, and other parts of my noggin' still attached when the helmet is off my head, and not leave meat on the pavement. Besides, I couldn't keep my glasses on if my ears got ground off in a slide

Plus, the harm to eardrums from wind at 90 MPH is something else to consider....it's like being at a Led Zepplin concert on the front row

Been there, done that...had the ringing in my ears for a day or so. The helmet helps a bit with that as well.
Jackets are a different issue when it's extremely hot, but I have a rule for both me and Suzanne...I don't get on the bike without my riding boots, at least sturdy jeans, my deerskin gloves, and at least a 1/2 helmet....90% of the time it's a 3/4, and with the V it will probably be a full face most of the time.
To each their own, but when I see people riding with shorts and flip flops on, it makes me shudder. But I see it all the time.... [smiley=nervous.gif]