Full face or other?

[lordcannon88]

i have a vetter fairing and all i wear is a half helmet. on cold days i zip in a liner. i actually had a wreck last summer going fifty where i hit a slick spot on a curve and slid into a mazda. my helmet never hit the ground. i do fear this cat is running out of lives though.

 

[Gimpdiggity]

This is the helmet that I wear when I ride. I also have an all black KBC helmet that's got a silver face shield. The wife generally uses that when she goes with me.

This helmet is a KBC Force RR Airborne 2 limited edition.

I love KBC as a company. They have treated me perfectly through 3 different helmets. Broken bits and pieces?? Get them in a few days in the mail when I call them. Send them an e-mail thanking them?? Get a T-shirt and some stickers in the mail in two days. Good company.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I know some people don't, but I like my face.

I wore a 3/4 Bell with a comp shield back in the day. But now I wear a full face. I have a Scorpion EXO-700.

Here's a compilation of helmet reviews that you might find helpful.

Do you like your face?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Steve]

Snell vs DOT? Depends on how you ride.

DOT rating covers what is likely to happen on the street at somewhat legal speeds. Snell is rated for racing speeds. Given that you only have about an inch of foam for padding inside the shell, they have to adjust the density of the foam for the speed. A foam that is light enough to absorb the shock of your head hitting the pavement at 60 mph is far too light to absorb it at 160 mph. Conversely, foam that is dense enough to properly absorb the impact at 160 may as well be a brick wall at 60.

If you race, get a Snell-rated helmet. If you stick to the street, DOT will suffice.

.

 

[Grandpa]

i have a vetter fairing and all i wear is a half helmet. on cold days i zip in a liner. i actually had a wreck last summer going fifty where i hit a slick spot on a curve and slid into a mazda. my helmet never hit the ground. i do fear this cat is running out of lives though.

Yeah, the Vetter Windjammer will protect your chin and the rest of your face from road rash, eh? Dream on!

On my Bambicide 7 years ago, my Shoei's chin was scraped up pretty badly. My handsome face was saved.

You're right -- your cat could well be running out of lives.

Get yourself a full-face helmet and keep on riding.

Nowadays I wear an AVG XR-2.

 

[Grandpa]

It's a neat-looking lid, but "good protection"? How?

Do you have a magical ability to only land on the top of your head in a crash and not the sides or front? If so, can't you use your magic powers to guarantee that you'll never, ever crash?

Look at some pictures of crashed helmets -- ALL have significant damage to areas this helmet does not cover.

Again, the decision of what helmet to wear is up to the individual rider. There are trade-offs and compromises in every piece of gear short of a full-on racing suit.

However, if you feel that this type of helmet offers much in the way of useful protection, you are basing your decision on incorrect information.

Amen to that, bwringer!

 

[Zooks]

It's pretty simple (IMHO). If you ever come off, the lower part of your face could possibly scrape along the bitumen until you stop. If you come off at speed this could be enough to grind your face right off the front of your head. Just thinking about it makes me HATE open face helmets.

As I said - IMHO.

 

[spyug]

When I started riding 6 years ago I was afraid to wear a fulll face as I felt I wouldn't be able to hear and see as well as with my half helmet.

The first time I wore a full face I went down in a gravel parking lot. Low speed for sure but my left side face and chin hit the ground with enough force to stun me and scrape up the helmet. I would likely have had a busted jaw and maybe even cuts to the face. I've been sold ever since.

As the other guys have said, most serious injuries occur to the face so it only makes sense to protect it as much as you can. While the modular helmets are better than open helmets they are not as good as full face and just as useless ( as opens) when worn with the face mask portion raised as many folks seem to wear them ( including TV hosts like Dennis Gage).

This is always a hot debate but for me its a no brainer. Full face or don't ride.

Cheers all,
Spyug

 

[Hammered]

It's a neat-looking lid, but "good protection"? How?

Do you have a magical ability to only land on the top of your head in a crash and not the sides or front? If so, can't you use your magic powers to guarantee that you'll never, ever crash?

Look at some pictures of crashed helmets -- ALL have significant damage to areas this helmet does not cover.

Again, the decision of what helmet to wear is up to the individual rider. There are trade-offs and compromises in every piece of gear short of a full-on racing suit.

However, if you feel that this type of helmet offers much in the way of useful protection, you are basing your decision on incorrect information.

Well lets see. I dont ride like I stole it. Im the type that keeps it under or just at the limit. I back off the give that space I need in the front. I havent had an accident since I started riding, thats 26 years to you and me. And I understand one thing most riders NEVER think about or have practiced, how to roll in a crash. And yes you can learn this if you ever decide to take a MX riding course. For me learning what it took to stay off the pavement was more inportant than the trend to farther cover myself in armor. 28 years of being upright cant be wrong.

 

[Grandpa]

Well lets see. I dont ride like I stole it. Im the type that keeps it under or just at the limit. I back off the give that space I need in the front. I havent had an accident since I started riding, thats 26 years to you and me. And I understand one thing most riders NEVER think about or have practiced, how to roll in a crash. And yes you can learn this if you ever decide to take a MX riding course. For me learning what it took to stay off the pavement was more inportant than the trend to farther cover myself in armor. 28 years of being upright cant be wrong.

You're so sure of yourself, Hammered. 26, 28, whatever...

Totally laughable post. Thanks for the good laugh.

 

[8trackmind]

Since I don't have any magic powers and never practice crashing, I wear a full face helmet.
Btw, even if you don't crash it's not fun having stuff like rocks, june bugs, birds, and rain hitting you in the face.

 

[Grandpa]

Since I don't have any magic powers and never practice crashing, I wear a full face helmet.
Btw, even if you don't crash it's not fun having stuff like rocks, june bugs, birds, and rain hitting you in the face.

Yeah, none of us are as blessed with magic powers as Hammered.

 

[Hammered]

Yeah, none of us are as blessed with magic powers as Hammered.

Its more about being prepared than being of magical means. I also dont have elitist misgivings to riders that believe in something different than I do. I ride with any type of bike and ride as long as they arent a danger to me and mine. With my riding experience starting at a much younger age than the law allows, I found myself on a dirtbike. I also found that learning to ride meant more than just being able to demean certain types of bikes and swearing that "my way" was the only way. I tend to distance myself from cruisers who act the same way. Of course if you want to be the type of rider who experience stops at "I do my own oil change" and do the point and laugh when you see something outside of your comfort zone, by all means, its your right. Since taking to the street, Ive stayed upright, I attibute that to my ride style.

 

[reddirtrider]

Its more about being prepared than being of magical means. I also dont have elitist misgivings to riders that believe in something different than I do. I ride with any type of bike and ride as long as they arent a danger to me and mine. With my riding experience starting at a much younger age than the law allows, I found myself on a dirtbike. I also found that learning to ride meant more than just being able to demean certain types of bikes and swearing that "my way" was the only way. I tend to distance myself from cruisers who act the same way. Of course if you want to be the type of rider who experience stops at "I do my own oil change" and do the point and laugh when you see something outside of your comfort zone, by all means, its your right. Since taking to the street, Ive stayed upright, I attibute that to my ride style.

Riding style certainly plays an important role in safety and riding dirt (IMHO) gives you a skill set that most street riders never learn.

That said, unfortunately your skills won't always save you on the street. I wear as much protective gear as is reasonable, and at the top of the list is a full face helmet.

 

[reddirtrider]

One more word on helmets.

They are only designed to absorb about a 7 mph direct impact (I think that's the figure from memory). That's equivalent to the vertical impact when going down at speed or standing still and hitting your head on the pavement. It can kill you, or cause severe brain damage in either case.

Sliding along the pavement and striking your head on the curb is not a direct impact, but a glancing one and your helmet should be able to absorb that also. The benefit of a full face helmet is the added protection to your lower face. Probably not life threateng, but wether you eat solid food, or not, after the crash makes a difference to me.

 

[portdave]

I have a AGV Miglia which is a modular. Here is a review:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/agv-helmets/miglia/

I have trouble with a full face with my glasses and feeling claustrophobic.

I have had this one for almost a year and it has done well.

I purchased it here:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/5/15/151/1478/ITEM/AGV-Miglia-Modular-Helmet.aspx

The price went up from when I bought it but it is still a good deal.

 

[bonanzadave]

Since taking to the street, Ive stayed upright, I attibute that to my ride style.

Ive never had a street bike crash either, but I dont ride that much. 30 years on 2 wheels and only about 80K miles. Thats nothing compared to some riders. Most of my close calls came in the first year and mostly my fault from being stupid. After that it was all the other guys fault. There is no way to really prepare for someone elses stupidity. I guess thats why they call them accidents.

Today I ride like an old lady but I think Ill stick to a full face helmet.

 

[seuadr]

the thing i am confused about with the dot vs snell helmet debate... every snell helmet i've ever had was also dot approved. so how does being snell AND dot make it not as safe as just dot?

 

[howling60]

for what it is worth.. i just had this discussion with myself (and a few others) over the last 4-5 days... i ended up picking up a KBC full-face... all the other "cheaper" helmets.. my jaw felt like it was either A) sticking out the bottom, or B) almost sticking out the bottom...

AANNNNDD.. the big one... i used my local shops to try stuff on, but then found a GREAT deal @ www.motorcycle-superstore.com via my GF... they're having a huge clearance sale right now... i picked up the Vr-2R (their flagship race-bred.. blah blah blah)... for $80 shipped (retails locally for $280...) local shop tried to price-match.. but then flat-out told me.. "go buy it online... we can't touch that"

-Nate

 

[jimfj]

Wow,

I haven't heard the so many people get on the full face bandwagon.

First, my personal pref. is full face. I own both a true f.f. and an Eagle modular with the flip down sunshield. I like them both. I really don't have a preference between them. I use the mod. when I ride during the day because i don't have to cram my sunglasses into the helmet. The regular full face goes on at night. I ride at night a good part of the time, just because that's when I can get away.


Any friends that have the cruiser style bike don't want a full face helmet and it floors me. I live next to the state line of Missouri, where there is a helmet law and even though Kansas doesn't and I have a windshield like Basscliff"s, I wouldn't think about riding my 850 without one. I tried the half helmet and no thanks, we have Junebugs (brown hard beetles that fly) here in the summer and getting hit by one in the face just plain sucks. I've taken a couple in the chest before I had my windshield and they left bruises. I watch all the Harley riders wearing skull caps and wondering why?

Just my .02 cents