helmet, yes or no?

I was just wandering how many people wear a fullface helmet if any helmet at all. Myself, I wear a full face all the time. especially after seeing my co-worker lay down his bike last summer after a lady pulled out and stopped in the road. I used to sneek out with no helmet from time to time but no more. so how about you guys? (if you don't mind me asking)

 

I do. Its a Hawk Tiger Stripe. Thanks ebay. Coolest thing I've ever worn
-SLKid

 

FULL FACE SNELL APPROVED.

why?

i race MX and i have gone down a few times. after a bad crash i can thank my helmet as i toss it into the trash, because i still have a round head and a pretty face, despite the broken bones and blood i may have elsewhere.

 

Full face... I like my head just the way it is.

 

Full face. Why take the risk of getting any uglier than I am?

 

full face all the way. my brother wrecked bad 2 years ago and the way that the front of helmet was scratched and dented was unbelievably. my father wore half helmets all his life not no more first thing he did was go out and buy a full face helmet.

 

Having had the whole front of my helmet covered in bug splat is what keeps me wearing a full face. I did compromise with a modular helmet, and love it.

 

Full.

 

Full face all the way -- Stereomind's pic above shows the numbers. That's a full 45% of the impacts/damage that are taken on the chin bar or shield.

Personally, should I ever go down, I just want SOMETHING to be between my face and the pavement .... don't really care what, just something.

 

full face modular. I like the flip-up convience when needed but still full face protection.

 

I wear ful face and 3/4 helmets, depending on the bike I am riding.

I would rather wear the full face, but the chin guard keeps me from looking down (maybe I'm old and just inflexable anymore) and seeing things like the stupidly designed gauge package and idiot lights on my '98 V-Max. It is difficult, but I do generally wear the ff while on the V-Max anyway.

When traveling long distances on my Royal Star Venture, unless it is really cold, I wear my 3/4 with my intercom in it.

In SC, if you are over 21, you don't have to wear a helmet at all (except in Myrtle Beach where the city enacted its own helmet law this year).

I'm always gonna have a bucket on my skull. I have ridden a couple miles a time or two to try going lidless but I can't stand the wind in my ears.

 

I rerally like my modular helmet.
If you want it's a 3/4 for the wind in your face.
Rain or night the shield comes down.
I hate when you get caught out after dark with a 3/4 and you're driving around looking over the top of sun glasses.

 

Maybe I'll get a modular because I wear bifocal glasses and I stress the arms squeezing them on after putting on the full face.

Is your modular a Nolen? Tha's the only one I have really paid attention to.

Any modular suggestions out there?

 

full face or mod my current is full.

 

Modular, Symax II. It is a little noisier than my Shoei full face but the convenience of being able to put the helmet on take it off without removing glasses is worth the price of admission. On the OR 250 last weekend I found myself riding most of the time with chin bar raised(shouldn't do it and I promise I won't do it again) feels good doesn't it Hound! But it was in the 70's and felt like it was in the 120's after a long cold wet winter!

Looks like I'll be getting another Symax soon as my wife accompanied me to 2 different motorcycle dealerships today. We found one she really likes! She's saying all the right things like "I really like the color of this one." The seat is really comfortable". OOOOH Baby! These are exciting times in the old WAMXIM household! The one she likes the best even accommodates Bullethead the Boston Terrier. Schweeeeeet!

 

You're getting a helmet for the dog?
That's true love.

Yes, I love the wind in my face and the smell of the road.

 

Oh no my friend! Not a helmet, rather shall we say, a new ride with DELUXE accommodations suitable for the mutt! We're still a couple grand apart on the price but keeping fingers crossed.

 

Full face, HJC CL-SP. I PREFER the old 3/4 style especially when I'm riding the Norton because I can hear what's happening down in the engine room a lot better. BUT my 3/4 helmet was approaching 11 years old so now it's the full-face all the time.

I've had a number of both styles over the past 20 years or so since full-face helmets became commonplace, and I must say this HJC is the most comfortable helmet of either style I've ever owned.

By the way guys, if your helmet is more than 5 years old, replace it. And DON'T give the old one away.

 

Full face since 88. Seen a few of those gory pictures of the yutzes who didn't and now sport hamburger meat for a jaw.

 

I wear a full face. One of my co-workers is on the volunteer fire department and before I got my bike he told me about a call he went to near his house where a guy lost control of his bike and ripped his jaw off. OUCH!!! 8O

I have to admit though, since I have a windshield and wear wraparound shades, I usually ride with the visor up unless it's raining or at night.

mikeg

 

I have both. When its really warm out I go with the 3/4. Full face for the rest of the time.

 

Full face... Shark S800 DOT, SNELL, and ECE 22-05

With all the road debris alone - the full race is worth it.

 

Definately full face/ modular. I'd think the first thing to hit the pavement would be my chin.... no thanks!

 

I am in full agreement with fitz on the comfort of the CL-SP. I tried on a whole bunch of helmets at a local dealership and the only one (besides a $450 Shoei, which is more than half the cost of my bike) that fit comfortably was the HJC CL-SP.

 

I was borrowing a Modular last fall and loved it because it allowed me to not have to argue with my glasses when putting it on/taking it off.

This spring I've moved over to wearing contacts again and decided to buy a full-face (HJC IS-16) instead. Comfortable fit, good venting, DOT approved and the integrated sun shield is pretty cool too (just like the one in the Symax 2 and the new Nolan N-103's). And the price was definitely nice as well at about $160 shipped.

Wamaxim, if your wife's looking at a new modular, have her check out the HJC IS-MAX. I was looking at one and really liked the features and the fit for the price (<$200), but went with the IS-16 because I wanted a fancier color.

 

Kyrrinstoch, you're right it is a nice looking helmet. I bought my Symax II locally for $240 cash tax free when I had tires mounted and balanced at a local dealer. I asked the guy if he could do anything on the price and he knocked $49.95 off. Snatched it right up.

 

I saw those IS series but thought the integrated sunshield might add too much "bulk" so I went old-school.

Do you notice any practical difference using the sunshield as opposed to just putting on or taking off a pair of sunglasses?

Is the extra bulk noticeable or nonexistent? I didn't have the opportunity to try one on.

 

Full face , used to have half tho

 

Man...we are such a bunch of old geezers. I wear glasses too and find them a pain to wear under a full-face helmet. I usually put my contacts in when I ride. I wear a full-face helmet because I'm a new rider. After catching gravel and bugs in my face, I'll stick with it.

 

I always wear full face. I knew a guy in college who was sunting with a girl on the back. She has his helmet on when he lost control. She walked away few a few scrapes and bruises. He had his face messed up pretty badly. They were not going fast at all either.

 

1000% yes! Wear a helmet and save your noodle. I wear an HJC modular helmet. Full face protection and can open it up when it's hot as hell in traffic. The best of both worlds.

 

Fullface definatlly saved me from me dumber than i already am in the past soo im sticking to it :lol:

 

I wear a "jet" style helmet (basically a three-quarters helmet with a full-face lens). The HJC FS-3 is pretty similar to the one I currently have: http://www.newenough.com/helmets_eyewea ... elmet.html

Apparently I have an oddly shaped head; all of the 2X full-face helmets I've tried don't fit (the chin bar pushes back on my jaw, very uncomfortable), while I can pull a 3X off while it's buckled.

So the jet helmet is a compromise. If they ever become available in the US, I want a Shuberth J1.
http://www.schuberth.com/index.php?id=22&L=1
All the advantages of a 3/4 helmet, but still with a chin bar.

 

Fitz, the IS series HJC helmets aren't noticably bulkier or heavier than than any other model I've looked at.

One of the practical things for me with the integrated sun shield was the fact that the sunglasses I have (prescription) are Polarized and do NOT like being combined with the clear polycarbonate face shields/lenses. It ends up creating a very distracting rainbow/prismatic effect, so I can't (safely) wear them under a helmet.

It will also allow me to have the tinted lens during bright conditions and switch back to the untinted as the riding conditions change without having to pull over to change my glasses or the lens. 8)

Also, the sun shield follows almost the entire field of vision (only a very slight gap at the bottom edge). As such, so there's no breaks between the lenses to distract you and no frame/arms to further block your peripheral vision.

Mine should be arriving on Friday, so if you have any specific questions about it, I could more accurately answer them then.



82XJ, check out the HJC IS-33 - open face/ 3/4 helmet also with the integrated sun shield. Not my style of helmet, but the same set of features.

 

Hey Wesley,

Being in the Cherry Hill area or anywhere else in Jersey I'd want all the protection I could get. Not saying its all of you but anytime I see one of those yellow license plates I try to put some room between me and them even in my truck.

 

A helmet 200% of the time. I have ridden ATVs for the last twenty years and a helmet has saved my noodle many of times. I have one helmet that is trash but I still keep as a reminder. I took a spill and hit my helmet on a rock right behind my left ear and was knocked cold trough the helmet. The helmet cracked, but my head stayed intact.
I am new to street bikes, but you will always find a helmet on my head.

 

When it's time to replace my current bucket, the IS-33 is on top of my list (unless, as I said, Schuberth starts selling helmets here).

 

100% wearing a helmet. As someone who worked in EMS I am a believer!!
A friend had to lay his bike down once to avoid a car that stopped in front of him just as he was about to pass it. No hard hit but the left side of his helmet was sanded down to the "foam". If that had been his skull we would have been seeing gray matter.

Like some of you have remarked, I am not interested in putting my face at risk. I don't want to be eating via straw / gastric tube.

I wear a Shoei modular. It was expensive, but, I tried on all the other modulars I could find and none of them fit really comfortably. The Shoei was the only one that seemed to fit my head so I had to pony up the extra $$$. I studied a lot about helments when I was choosing one. The best advice was to try it on, keeping it on for at least a half hour. See if any spots get uncomfortable, "hot", etc., since you will be wearing it hours on end on your bike. Narrow down your selection and then go to the store with something to read and wear it for a couple of hours. If you can't stand it there, you won't want to wear it riding.

I wear the modular for 2 reasons. First, I wear glasses and second, the way my head is shaped, trying to get a full face on tends to cause a great deal of abuse to my ears ...

I would like to see a law passed that all who ride helmetless are automatically organ donors. If you are going to offer up your brain pan, at least let someone else use the rest of your parts.

 

I had the same problem with a pair of sunglasses I had, ended up having to swap them with a non-polarized pair. Apparently the "clear" shields UV protection is also some form of polarization; I never experienced that before. Nearly made me puke, not fun inside a helmet. I thought I was being overly sensitive, you're the only other person I've heard it from. Some folks thought I was nuts.

Luckily I don't have to wear glasses except "readers" (yet) but the sunshade idea is intriguing. I always worry about too many points of failure. Let us know how you like it, and how practical it is in real-world use, please.

And Sushi, please, we're NOT old until we say we are. We're just very experienced. Very, very.

 

My gripe about a full face helmet is the detached feeling, like you are not really there riding, it's just a game. The whole confinement thing.
Claustrofobia- - Feels like nothing matters, or like a video game.

I like the football helmet chin bar idea alot !!
Meanwhile, I ride with a 3/4 helmet about 95% of the time,
I ride to the bank, grocery, convenience stores 3 blocks away with no helmet, just as I would on a bicycle. Low speeds, Parking lots.

 

Full face helmet, never rode with anything else. Even with a windshield, you can get a good slap from a juicy bug or some rocks. I'd rather have it hit my helmet than my face. I use a THH-888. It's only DOT but it's quite comfortable. Before that I used an old Bieffe. Wish id' have kept that one it was so easy to change the faceshields for day and night riding.

 

I hear ya on that, but it could be worse. You could be surrounded by maryland drivers. Lol!

 

Full face! While I've been told I have a hard head, I haven't been told I have a hard face. So, I like to protect both just in case.

 

I wear a full facer when i'm strictly on the road. When I'm on my duel sport I wear a DOT appoved MotoX style. TimetoRide, You might want to check one of those out, they're light weight, and they give you more sensory awareness.
Having worked the past 4 years at the trauma room in Rapid City SD during the Sturgis Rally I can tel you that the differance between no lid, half lid, and full face are very appearent.

 

Time, I felt compelled to comment on this.

You cant control the speed of anyone else.....

I say this only out of concern, not as a way to belittle or berate.

 

Yeah, me too, COMMENT that is.

TIME WTF dude, you're old enough to know better! It's not "just like a bicycle" it's a MOTOR VEHICLE that weighs 600 POUNDS. If you want to ride 3 blocks to the convenience store in your shorts and flip-flops BUY A BICYCLE. Fer chrissakes man what are you thinking? If you're going faster than you can walk you should be wearing a helmet.

Try this: RUN as fast as you can, then jump up in the air and land on your head. Face first. On pavement or better yet gravel on top of pavement. Then you'll have something to compare to.

 

If you are age 16 or under in WA or OR and you are on a bicycle you had better be wearing a bicycle helmet or Mr. Will take your bike and you to to meet your Momma and/or Poppa, and explain the situation to them. Oh yeah, he'll give them a ticket too.

Not even prudent to ride a bicycle without a helmet.

 

I wear a full face helmet. So many times I've heard/felt stuff bounce off my helmet while riding and always am thankful my head is protected from that.

 

HA! You know it.

 

TimeToRide,

You have to remember that it is the drop from height that you are being protected from by the helmet, not the speed. Look at the statistics for riders who go over the high side rather than the low. It doesn't matter the speed, unless you slide into an obstruction like a curb, it matters the height. You are at the same risk riding @ 25 mph as you are @ 65mph.

I *always* wear a bike helmet when I ride a bike, just as I always wear one on the motorcycle.

Take a watermelon or some such item about the same size and weight as your head and drop it on concrete from 5 ft. in the air. That's your head.