Helmet styles...

[RaoulDuke]

Howdy all:

I've been able to surmise that most people here endorse a full-face helmet. From a safety standpoint, I would tend to agree on supposition alone; i.e., I can't speak from personal experience, but it only makes sense.

Now, with that said, I'm going to be shopping for a helmet soon, and I'm worried about comfort. Simply put, I live in the South, I sweat at the drop of a hat, and I sweat profusely before I can pick the hat up. With my jacket, boots, and pants, I will roast. I know that a half-helmet would provide the most "venting" but would be the most unsafe. I'm thinking that a Open Face helmet would be a good compromise. Your thoughts?

As a followup (and this may sound silly): how hot do full-face helmets get? Do they have any kind of venting system?

Thanks in advance.

--Ant.

[siralienj]

Full faced helmets have venting systems. When you are moving they work rather well. You migh look into flip-up/modular helmets. They are full faced that allow you to unlock and raise up the whole chin and face of the helmet and not just the visor as traditional full-faced helmets do.

Regardless of whether or not you buy you helmet on line, I endorse making a trip to a store and trying on a bunch of helmets to get an idea of style and fit. Once you find the one you like walk around the store with it on for 10 minutes or so. You will look kind of dumb but it's the only way to know for sure if it will be comfortable and not pinch when you where it for a while.

[shane-o]

Open face helmets are fine, until you land on your face, then they are not so good, or you take an object to the face while at speed, I have helmet chips around the chin guard and visor from stones, bugs, and objects coming off cars while at high way speeds.

If you ride a sporty, full face is the only way, as you have very little between your good looks and flying objects, cruisers are not so bad, you sit a lot lower, usually have a kick arse wind shield, and probably not at the same sorts of speed.


Full face helmets are the best in protection, and are the only style I would use.

As for sweating, well you will when its warm - hot and not in motion, when riding however, you get enough air flow to be comfortable, most helmets have removable liners so they can be pulled out and washed.

Those full face helmets that have a chin guard that raises up look fuggin stoopid IMHO.

[Grey Thumper]

You could always search the interwebs for full-face helmets that are pretty airy. I'm thinking of getting this one,



it's a modular helmet that can be converted for summer/winter use and supposedly gets a heck of a lot of venting. CE rated though, not DOT.

http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/r2/motorcyc ... givi/x-01/

[olebiker]

If I lived in the American south I would not wear a full face. Oh wait I live in Canada and I don't wear a full face. I like a three quarter helmet. And yes if I fall on my face it is gonna hurt. Oh wait I have fallen many times and yes it does hurt. Try not to crash the bike. Cause it does hurt. Your choice of what you wear is a really personal one. If you are just starting out you have a much greater chance of crashing. Truly riding as though anything that can happen may happen takes a while to become so ingrained that you don't think about what next. Make your decisions with that knowledge. When you are in heavy traffic at speed and you are suddenly faced with a muffler right in front of you you will not have time to think. In fact if you don't get proper training you would have no idea what to do anyways.

[dean owens]

i too live in NC, understand the heat and sweat like crazy myself. hence a recent thread i started to ask about shorty helmets for slow speed around town trips. everywhere else i where a full helmet. while going any decent speed i have never had problems in my full faced helmet. and if it's really warm and i come to a stop light i just flip up the lid.

about vents... my helmet is a scorpion and it's pretty well vented. i can feel the air passing over my head through the vents. but there are other helmets that might even do a better job. i think shoei's are known for having very good vents.

basically saying, i know the temps of NC and i love my full faced helmet.

hope that helps.

[Wind Rider]

I wear a three quarter with a face shield.

[RaoulDuke]

i too live in NC, understand the heat and sweat like crazy myself. hence a recent thread i started to ask about shorty helmets for slow speed around town trips...

...basically saying, i know the temps of NC and i love my full faced helmet.

Yeah, thanks Dean, I appreciate it and everyone else's feedback. about 30-40% of the reason I'm getting a bike now is to save on gas. A lot of commuting; average speeds of around 25-30 mph. There's a good chance I'll ride through most of the winter...you know ow mild they can be down here. Anyway, I think I'm going to have to go 3/4 or even shorty for the summer. I'll freakin pass out from heat stroke with a full face. I wore my friend's full face helmet outside today at about 3:00PM for about 5 minutes, and now I feel like my brain's just a little crispier for the effort.

I'll probably go full face and lots of leather in the winter for warmth.

It's weird to say that I'm putting comfort over safety, but I'm not sure I have much choice...other than not riding at all.

Incidently, I grew up in Cary, and live near Charlotte now...drive right through Pittsboro when we take the scenic route home.

--Ant.

[Grey Thumper]

Yet another helmet you might find useful but isn't legal in the US. Oh them lucky, lucky Euros.



http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/schuberth-j1/

[follow]

I have both a shorty (Carbonfiberhelmets.com which is DOT approved) and a full face (Nolan modular) both serve well. The shorty (beanie) is great for the warm weather.