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what style of helmet

J

jd4300

Member
hi my question is more of a safety/ comfort issue than designs or grahics.

in the past i always wore a full face helmet, at that time I was riding a ninja or other rocket type bike. I went down doing doing 140 my own stupidity (duh) I know that helemt saved my life, now i have a softail deluxe and a half helemt i have no intention of excess speed and at times get a little wobble that reminds me of the accident. so my question is what style of helmet do you wear and do u care if it matches the same style of bike. in other words full face high grahics for the rockets while half helemts for the laid back baggers and touring style bikes.?

regards,

Mike
 
I struggle with that all the time. I have a shorty that I really like - looks good and it's cool in Summer. I also have the full face helmet that taunts me from afar everytime I use the shorty.

Safety-wise, I suspect we both know the right answer. Unless it's really hot. Then, my pea brain starts to melt and I wonder if the shorty is better because my head is cooler and the thoughts flow quicker.

All that said, I just KNOW that if I ever come off the bike forcefully (god-forbid a high-side), I'll want the full face helmet in place and secure. Because, there's a pretty good chance that when I land, my face will hit something - sidewalk, road, tree , whatever. A very trusted mechanic friend of mine was testing a bike when he was T-boned while wearing a 3/4 helmet. Many dental bills later he absolutely refused to sell me anything other than full face helmet when I first started riding.

So - the shorty is a gamble. But then so is riding. Personally, I'll wear the shorty on the hottest days - otherwise it's whatever protection I can find - particularly for this old melon.
 
I wear a full-face helmet all the time. What it does (safety) is more important to me than matching the bike, style, or fashion. Even at slow speeds, your head and face are pretty vulnerable areas.
 
Well.. It's kinda a matter of what you like...

On that note, a BMW shop owner in Orlando Florida was killed moving a bike from the back of the shop to the front. He went down doing 10mph without a helmet. He died of a head injury..

As long as the is certified you should be fine.. But for the best protection, IMO, a full face is the way to go.

I ride with either a half helmet (warm/hot days on the Harleys) and full face on cold days (on the harleys) and all the time on my sport bikes.

But then again, I'm the guy you see riding the harley wearing sport bike protective equipment.
 
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In North Carolina a new law went into effect this year... you have to wear a DOT approved helmet or get a ticket if caught and that tickets comes with points against your licenses! I used to wear a brain bucket in the summer time and have gone to a very nice good fitting 1/2 helmet for the summer months, one that does not make my head look like a mushroom. Took a long time to find one that fits and looks good. In the winter I have a 3/4 Bell helmet with a full face shield that keeps the cold air off my face at interstate speeds. According to the reports I found say more than 1/2 of ALL motorcycle fatalities riders were not wearing a helmet. After witnessing my son flip his brand new BMW end over end after a dog ran out in front of him at 70 mph right in front of me, I no longer have a problem wearing a helmet. Our group of 10 riders were out on a cool winter morning and I was the bike behind my son and saw it unfold right in front of my eyes, he could not have avoided it. His full face helmet was scraped up from chin to the top of his head. If he was not wearing a helmet he would be dead or his whole face would have been scrapped off..
 
You don't need to be going 140 to bite the dust from an accident. Normal riding speeds are sufficient to do the deed. Secondly, statistically the most frequent point of head impact in motorcycle accidents is on the left or right chin, followed by the left or right temple, and lastly the top of the ole bean. Bottom line, if you're wearing the helmet for safety purposes the full helmet is the right choice. Three quarters is next best, followed by half helmets and then, of course, the useless novelty ones. But, I'm not telling you something you don't already know!

All the rest is a personal decisionl
 
3/4 helmet for me and my wife (we always ride two up). We also have the HD headsets mounted in them for the raido and intercom. Got HJC with the little vents in the top. They don't help much for ventilation but are better than not having them.
 
We all know what the answer is from the safety angle - not even debatable.

Other than that, it's strictly a personal decision. Wear what you want and who cares if it doesn't match the style of your bike or what others may say.
 
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