Helmets???

[rudog]

My father was an efficient spender when I was growing up on dirt bikes. "Just be careful. When you stop growing, I'll buy you a helmet." I loved it. When I stopped growing and moved to street bikes, Johnny Law insisted I wear a helmet. I hated it.

Now I live in Texas. No need for a helmet...until a few weeks ago. I had a grasshopper karate kick me in the mouth. I'm pretty sure I won the fight, but I'm looking at a helmut again. That and it's fixin' to turn cold. I'ld rather not have to thaw the face after a ride.

Can't deal with full face. Half helets dont usually have shields. So...I've been looking at open face helmets. What do you wear? Why?

[rek]

I didn't like full face either, too heavy and wind noise bothers my ears so I wear plugs. I have 3/4 helmet or what ever you'd call it and my face gets cold and the bugs just hurt sometimes. I also took my windshield off because of head buffeting, and I have a snap on shield for my helmet that is part of my rain gear. Maybe all you need is some kind of snap on for a regular helmet? (Geez, look at all those little animated icons when you're replying to a post, heh.)

[budoka]

depends on my mood/the weather. in general, i like to feel the wind and hate to have something between me and the ride, so i usually like to wear a 3/4 with my Gargoylz. good combo.

if i'm expecting rain though, i keep a bubble type face shield that they sell over here to snap on since i don't run a front fender. if you want one and can't find one (for some reason they don't seem to sell the nice ones in the US), i can send ya one.

in the winter, i want to be able to comfortably ride all day if i want, so a full face is the trick. if the looks of a full face turn ya off, look at Tachibana helmets. they hand make vintage style full face helmets that meet all the safety standards over here. decent price too.

i'm sure everyone will have their opinions, but that's what i use anyway.

-dan

[rudog]

Thanx for the offer Dan. Finding one I liked is tough. With this economy, I can get a full face for $80. 3/4 Fulman with hinged shield for $60. I can always rattle can it flat black when I get home, but the one I liked had a mirrored shield that just hit me wrong. I'll prolly buy it the next time it turns cold.

My problem with full helets is the Darth Vader effect: narrow FOV with the heavy breathing thing. When I started laughing at myself...the reverb was just more than I could handle.

[rek]

Those Tachibana helmets look neat, do you know if they fit American heads ok?

[railroad bob]

Usually ride wthout, just a rag. Wear ear plugs a lot for the wind noise. I have 3 types of helmets tho,
long beanie (I can wear a ball cap under it), full face with a flip up chin guard so I can drink something
without taking it off, and a open face with a flip up shield.
What I use depends on the weather and laws wherever I happen to be.

I've been caught in heavy thunderstorms when my goggles were filling with water, no shit.
Helmet would have been a godsend. I was having to go so slow I was worried about getting rear ended.

Sooner or later you'll get caught in some bad weather. When I'm touring, I have a helmet handy.

[curt]

new york sucks ya have to wear one i wear a novelty beanie when its warm and sunny but love the fullface in the rain and cold and hate how darthvader the dam thing is but it keeps the rain out someone has gotta invent a windshield wiper for those dam things

[rudog]

Got this Fulmer AF9B with dual shields. Good FOV and decent ability to turn my head. It kept the chill off of my face like I hoped.

AF_9B0_BLACK_005.jpg (25.84 KiB) Viewed 1655 times

Now for some gloves with fingers

[Maz]

Unfortunately helmets have been compulsory here in the UK since the late 1970's but given the state of many of our roads and the volume of traffic it is maybe not such a bad thing...kinda restricts your personal freedom though.......

Maz xx

[yona]

I use an old military Cold-weather facemask....light and comfy....or a black painters face sock........ What does bugshit taste like, Ru.....It's been a while ... LOL

[rudog]

Yeh, I was thinking of a sock for when it gets really cold. Sorry to not get back to you...been easily distracted lately.

Bug-juice is not that bad when mixed with a bloody lip.

[Ghostrider61]

I grew up in Illinois and never wore a helmet. I kinda got wrapped up in the helmet police vice the personal freedom thing for awhile but as I have grown older, the use of a helmet just makes sense to ME. I say ME, because I still feel that it should be a personal choice by he individual rider. It was MY decision to wear a helmet and there's about a 99.9% chance that I would wear one even in a helmet free state...but I go back to my original premise - MY choice.

Now to the helmets themselves. I've got a half helmet that I used to wear all of the time. Has a zip on "collar" that makes it more like a 3/4 for warmth during the winter months. A couple of years back I bought a Davida 3/4 that is sorta retro. Doesn't give me the mushroom effect that most helmets do. I like it because it is comfortable for starters and it does a good job of killing off the wind noise as a bonus.

In the winter, I wear this fleece dealie that my wife found me which covers my neck and face up to my nose and tucks into the collar of my coat. Works pretty good.

The 3/4 doesn't do a whole lot against bugs...most of the time I see the big ones coming and have been lucky enough so far to either duck the bastards or get just enough out of their way that they hit the top or side of the helmet.

I won't even talk about the time I decided to pass a trailer truck hauling a load of cattle... Wasn't pleasant and it probably wouldn't have mattered what sort of helmet I was wearing!!!