What kind of Helmet should I purchase?

[jrdudas]

I'm glad this question has come since I am also in the market for a new helmet. I started riding almost 50 years ago when no one except racers wore helmets. Since then I have had 3/4 open face and a 1/2 open face helmets. It's my opinion that the wearing of a helmet significantly alters the experience of riding. It just feels much better to be unrestricted by a helmet. That being said, I also think it's foolish to tempt fate by not wearing a helmet.

The only time I have worn a full-face helmet was during the test drive for my current bike; the helmet was a loaner from the dealer. It seems that the stuffing in my old helmet has gone to powder since I last used it so it's time to replace it. I guess I will go with a full-face but I can't help thinking that my field of vision and my hearing will be negatively affected by the restrictions of a full-face. The flip-up sounds interesting but I have not seen them for sale locally. Wish I was as hard-headed as my wife says I am.

JR

[storysunfolding]

It is up to the helmet manufacturer to SUBMIT their helmet to SNELL for testing. Snell does not seek out helmets to test, (unlike for instance, the folks who do "Consumer Reports"). My understanding is that no one has yet submitted a flip face to the SNELL foundation.

That says to me, even the manufacturers don't think the design will survive SNELL safety testing.

P

Even more rumor mongering is coming your way.... now!

I heard that SNELL hasn't formulated a test for a flip face helmet. Sure they can run it through the impact tests but does that prove that the latch is safe enough to warrant a snell rating? It might be great at stopping impact but the hinge and locking mechanism might be so faulty that the "full face" protection you thought you were receiving just isn't there.

[Sev]

If SNELL will certify 3/4 helmets, why won't they do flip face ones? What's the difference?

[Z (fka Sweet Tooth)]

I recently got a Scorpion 3/4 helmet with w/ the flip visor and like it alot. One word of causion though is to actualy go out there and try the helmets on. All of the sizes run diffrently through out the diffrent manufacturers.

[storysunfolding]

If SNELL will certify 3/4 helmets, why won't they do flip face ones? What's the difference?

A latching mechanism. I'm sure with all helmets the impact tests are the same but I've heard that they don't have a standard for what makes a good latching mechanism.

When I go to the dealer there are helmets that I can full apart without using the release and there are ones that I can only pull apart using the release. Some are plastic, some are metal. Some have more protection with the face up than others due to the amount of material used in the rigid portion of the helmet. The question (according to the rumors that I hear) is what should be the standard for a flip up helmet?

[Kal]

my opinion that the wearing of a helmet significantly alters the experience of riding. It just feels much better to be unrestricted by a helmet. That being said, I also think it's foolish to tempt fate by not wearing a helmet.

Aye, however I think its the same kind of issue/arguement as condoms and casual sex You know wearing them degrades the experience a little but if you never wear one then there is an inevitablilty to the health risk you are running and if you only wear one occasionally then you've just got to hope you'll be lucky enough to be wearing one when it really matters.

I thought I would have issues with peripheral vision before I started wearing a helmet on a regular basis. To be honest once I got used to wearing one I haven't had a problem and completely forgot all about it until you just mentioned it.

One of my friends was wearing a flip-face lid as a pillion during a serious crash. She is now the six-and-a-half thousand dollar woman where they pinned her back together. The lid survived the accident intact, however the locking mechnaism broke and face became jammed.

[calgarygt]

Thanks for your help, I purchased a Flip Face HJC helmet, It feels really good and I like the flip face as I do wear glasses and makes it easier to get on and off. Also i picked up my bike yesterday...incredible..I shouldn't have waited until I'm 46 to get one.

[anarchy]

from my understanding of reading all the mumbo-jumbo on snell's web site (too much like lawyer-ease for my pea-brain to comprehend), they have standards to test different helmets: 1/2, 3/4 and ff. for ff, it doesn't matter if it's latching (flip up) or not - it's run through the same test as ff.

snell will test any helmet sent to them (or that they pick up for testing - however that works). according to this totalmotorcycle article, snell has approved a flip up before:

We happen to know for a fact that at least one flip-up did pass Snell certification once -- we have a copy of the official test, which was performed at a Snell-approved lab, and the helmet passed with flying colors. The manufacturer had all good intentions of selling the helmet in the U.S.A., but they stumbled trying to break the arcane U.S. distribution system and they also ran into some manufacturing capacity issues, which has so far completely stalled the entire process.