Ditching my full face helmet for safety !

[2LZ]

If you mean Itchy Boots, she always has Arai brand helmets.

Conversely when Lois Price did the top of Alaska to the tip of South America (as recorded in the book Lois on the Loose) she had another woman ride with her part of the way who had a low speed accident in Chile, while wearing an open face helmet, and ended up needing facial reconstruction surgery. Lois continued to ride with an open face though, and didn't end up having any major accidents.

As one of my engineer friends likes to say "the main key to road safety is to not crash"

Yep. The biggest Safety Device one has on two wheels is what's inside the melon. Motorcycling itself has inherent risks. We all know that.

 

[Hemiehead450]

This Is the helmet I use daily. Its kinda heavy but great protection

 

[2LZ]

This Is the helmet I use daily. Its kinda heavy but great protection

I really like the "Turn head, look out ear hole" option you ordered!

 

[Rocket-3]

Just keep the rubber down and the bubble up and you won't have any worries no matter what helmet you wear.

 

[Woodstock]

It's a shame that Schuberth no longer make the J1, but have just introduced the J2, but at huge cost, almost £500 here in the UK. Maybe the best option for an open helmet
View attachment 25403

This looks a good option. I will look out in the future.

 

[grymsr]

Lots of research done on this. I dont remember all the Info given but a helmet can save your life or kill you. Depends on circumstances. I do remember One of the Instances given was a guy hit something and the weight of the helmet broke his neck. But with that being said I rather go sliding down the asphalt with a helmet than without One. LET THOSE WHO RIDE DECIDE. Just like seatbelts. Some times It works sometimes not.

Death is inevitable. Only the circumstances matter.

 

[Scott Free]

It's been 10 years or so, but Icon had a helmet whose graphics referenced statistical locations of impact from the Hurt study. Looks like Professor Dietmar Otte is credited with creating the image from the studies results that has been quite impactful (pun apology).

Icon Airframe Statistic Helmet

Riding motorcycles is a dangerous habit, most people who've been riding for any length of time will have stories about "offs" they've endured with many

silodrome.com

I am a bit suspicious of the Icon "statistic helmet" for two reasons. First, I am old enough to remember when the Hurt Report came out, and very clearly remember it saying that chin impacts were rare and there was little evidence that a full-face helmet provided better real-world protection than an open face. Second, notice the way the helmet is carved up into statistical zones: the two zones that include the chin area also include a significant portion of the side of the jaw--which is protected by most modern open-face helmets. The fact they did not cut the jaw area into three zones (the two side areas that are protected by open-face as well as full-face helmets, and the chin area that is exposed in an open-face lid) makes me suspect there may be a little marketing-driven "how to lie with statistics" (that's the name of a real book, by the way) stuff going on here.

I don't know exactly when it happened, but some years back the "open-face" helmets grew a bit of an appendage on both sides--rather than the edge turning back below the ear, it turned forward. I'm not going out in sub-freezing weather to confirm this with pictures, but I'm willing to bet my Nolan N40-5 extends forward enough on both sides to assure that the only way my chin will contact the road is if I go absolutely straight into the pavement chin-first. Any glancing blow would hit the helmet first. I do note that some of the descriptions of the N40-5 refer to its design as "hybrid jet" rather than "open-face" or "3/4 coverage," perhaps reflecting this modification. It would be interesting to see the data used to create the Icon "statistic helmet" applied to the "hybrid jet" style.

I have owned several modular and full-face lids over the years. I still own a full-face "ADV" helmet (a "Z1R Range" that includes the "MIPS" technology that is supposed to keep your brain from being spun off your spinal cord in a glancing collision) along with my N40-5. The "ADV" helmet is OK in spring and fall, but it fogs up too badly in the winter and is too hot in summer. The Nolan is particularly nice in summer because I can sip ice-cold water from a vacuum-insulated bottle on the handlebars while riding. This was an absolute lifesaver when I was riding in Utah in August! The full-face has to be taken off to do this (and don't bother suggesting I wear a hydration backpack--I tried that option once and found I have no desire to suck water at body temperature or higher through a plastic tube). A modular can be flipped up, which is OK if I don't mind stopping to take a sip, but every modular I've owned has had crappy ventilation when it gets hot.

Which leads to a question: way back in the late '80s-early '90s, AGV briefly made a refrigerated helmet--there was a thermo-electric module in the helmet that cooled a bag of gel inside the styrofoam crash padding. Reviews said it was a bit heavy but worked well. The aluminum heat sink on the top of the helmet gave a real Mad Max "mohawk" look. What ever happened to that?

(sound of keys clicking)

Hmm. Seems the Fehrer company makes a similar helmet, though it seems a bit less elegant. A bit ugly, actually. It carries the thermo-electric module in the back and blows cooled air through a fabric liner. Interesting.

 

[tom_d]

I am a bit suspicious of the Icon "statistic helmet" for two reasons. First, I am old enough to remember when the Hurt Report came out, and very clearly remember it saying that chin impacts were rare and there was little evidence that a full-face helmet provided better real-world protection than an open face. Second, notice the way the helmet is carved up into statistical zones: the two zones that include the chin area also include a significant portion of the side of the jaw--which is protected by most modern open-face helmets. The fact they did not cut the jaw area into three zones (the two side areas that are protected by open-face as well as full-face helmets, and the chin area that is exposed in an open-face lid) makes me suspect there may be a little marketing-driven "how to lie with statistics" (that's the name of a real book, by the way) stuff going on here.

Australia looks to have some research at the public level, and this group in Australia looks to have put effort into what benefits safety and have some info on helmets and filtering on their site as part of advocacy. It is consistent with what I am finding, that the later research is supporting earlier findings about helmet efficacy and that type is a factor. They also refer to MotoCAP in Australia and Sharp in UK which are some good resources with some standardized testing. Not perfect but better than most vendors might or don't do.

Australian Helmet Standards - Ride to Review

This document is no longer current and only maintained for historic purposes. Released : 25/07/2015 Updated : 26/09/2016 Version : 2.5 Prepared by: Tim Kelly Preface If you ride a ...

www.ridetoreview.org

Just in my data set of personal experience, I've had 3 unexpected dismounts at speed so 33% with chin bar taking a hit. The first helmet had damage across the visor and temple, the second mainly on the visor and chin bar, and the last near the temple on the side again. I wonder what percentage the visor would represent in the distribution map. My dad wore an open face helmet in a slower crash had his CB750 with a Vetter wind jammer which tore his septum when the windscreen tipped and snuck under his visor. He dealt with that for a good while and had surgery to repair. Probably part of the reason 3/4 helmets don't speak strongly to me.

 

[adFinemMundi]

I live in Arizona where the heat is so intense I cannot wear a full helmet with full face shield. Also, I wear prescription sunglasses which often fog up with a full helmet. My solution was to buy a half helmet with a flip up/flip down half-face visor which allows me to flip it up out of the way if things seem distorted. I got the HJC IS-Cruiser Helmet for US $99. Of course I am sacrificing some safety; however, it is about the best I can do given this situation.

Phoenix Resident: My wife and I purchased a pair of Bell Broozer helmets and love them. The design is DOT approved (ECE 22.05) for both full and 3/4 configurations. Great as full helmet when I'm foolish to ride in the rain during monsoon season and even better as a 3/4 helmet when the summer temperatures rocket past +110F. Mine is matte black and runs 3-4 degrees hotter under direct sunlight than my wife's which is bight white. Both helmets look good and fit well regardles of whichever configuration we wear them in.

 

[Vito43]

I ride for the pleasure of it, not for anything else. When it gets over the low 90's F, its just too hot to be any fun. I once read that when the temp is over 92, the air blowing on your body is actually making you hotter rather than cooling you down. When I lived in San Antonio, Texas several decades back I found I did far less riding than when I moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin despite the cold, and the snow that Milwaukee gets. How you ride in 110 degree heat, or I might ask why you ride, seems crazy to me. When I did ride in San Antonio, most of the time I wore light jeans, ventilated boots, a nylon long sleeved t-shirt, fingerless gloves and a half helmet. Not too safe, but made the hot days almost tolerable.

 

[SPOFF]

I don't know exactly when it happened, but some years back the "open-face" helmets grew a bit of an appendage on both sides--rather than the edge turning back below the ear, it turned forward. I'm not going out in sub-freezing weather to confirm this with pictures, but I'm willing to bet my Nolan N40-5 extends forward enough on both sides to assure that the only way my chin will contact the road is if I go absolutely straight into the pavement chin-first. Any glancing blow would hit the helmet first. I do note that some of the descriptions of the N40-5 refer to its design as "hybrid jet" rather than "open-face" or "3/4 coverage," perhaps reflecting this modification. It would be interesting to see the data used to create the Icon "statistic helmet" applied to the "hybrid jet" style.

My latest "jet style" helmet is the LS2 Infinity II. It passes the latest ECE 22.06 standard and is made of fiberglass composite. The shell extends to my chin and the helmet has a strong shatterproof shield that locks securely into the helmet shell. I don't plan to test it but this combination likely would keep asphalt out of my teeth at least in a glancing blow. In reality, drivers have because so much worse over the winter I'm now wearing my Bell full face.

 

[Turbofurball]

... I once read that when the temp is over 92, the air blowing on your body is actually making you hotter rather than cooling you down. ...

Technically true, but doesn't matter as much as the humidity level. A truly scary thing is a "wet bulb event" where the temperature is high, but also with humidity high enough that your sweat won't evaporate ... with that combination anyone who can't get out of the hot air is going to drop dead in a matter of minutes.

 

[Adoom74]

Just catching up here. Personally, I like the vision in my current Torc T1, and Origine (that is the exact same as the T1...but somehow fits better). ECE rated. Thin chin-bar (if you wanna "rip a dart" or somesuch thing with the helmet on, you could). Airflow is "meh" at best, even with 4 vents. All that said the sight-lines are so far the best out of any of full-face helmets I own. I do, admittedly, have a cheap open face that I keep in the shop for running out on quick test rides (writing that makes me think I need to rethink that logic) but I don't usually wear it for longer rides. I like the open-face helmet, I just don't trust it. I teach MSF, and I've seen my share of whiskey throttle supermans. I can attest that chins and temples get the brunt of even low-speed (we are in a parking lot) falls. And gloves. So many torn gloves.

 

[wachuko]

I started with a full face Arai. Quickly realized that for hot and humid Florida it was the wrong choice. Not much after, I bought a modular helmet and have not looked back.

I did try a 3/4 helmet at different times… but my 3/4 helmets are pure decorative items on a shelf.. every time I used one just to go around the block, a frigging torpedo hits my face… bugs , at speed, can hit really hard…

So it is always a modular helmet for me.

I have owned Arai, Shoei, Nolan…

Made the mistake of buying a Schubert based on reviews and folks saying it was the best, quieter, etc… blah I hated that helmet.

I am back to a Nolan and will get a Shoei Neotec 3 in a few years. Always loved the Shoei, just not the price…

But will always wear a helmet and gear. Hard to find spare parts for this old guy…

 

[2LZ]

Made the mistake of buying a Schubert based on reviews and folks saying it was the best, quieter, etc… blah I hated that helmet.

Funny how that works. I bought a face shield for my 3/4 helmet based on stellar reviews. My neighbor bought the exact shield for the same reason. Then on our first ride.....we pulled up to our favorite picnic table for some refreshment and I asked him, "Does your shield whistle?"
He says "YES! I hate it! Unless I turn my head slightly sideways, it whistles like hell!"
So we both rode home with our heads tilted. They went into the garbage.

 

[smilespergallon]

The reviews were probably by 'Loud Pipes' people who couldn't hear anything except their potato bike's echo.

 

[adFinemMundi]

I ride for the pleasure of it, not for anything else. When it gets over the low 90's F, its just too hot to be any fun. I once read that when the temp is over 92, the air blowing on your body is actually making you hotter rather than cooling you down. When I lived in San Antonio, Texas several decades back I found I did far less riding than when I moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin despite the cold, and the snow that Milwaukee gets. How you ride in 110 degree heat, or I might ask why you ride, seems crazy to me. When I did ride in San Antonio, most of the time I wore light jeans, ventilated boots, a nylon long sleeved t-shirt, fingerless gloves and a half helmet. Not too safe, but made the hot days almost tolerable.

The standard joke in Arizona is that "Its a dry heat . . . like a blow torch!" I try to avoid riding during the hottest part of the day from June to mid-August, but even our nighttime temperatures often hover around 100 degrees. I ride instead from 4:00 until sunset at around 7:30 PM pm which for most local resident isn't too uncomfortable, provided the humidity is lower than 20%. Sadly, wearing fingerless gloves during the day isn't an option with scorching hot metal clutch/brake handles.

 

[2LZ]

The standard joke in Arizona is that "Its a dry heat . . . like a blow torch!" I try to avoid riding during the hottest part of the day from June to mid-August, but even our nighttime temperatures often hover around 100 degrees. I ride instead from 4:00 until sunset at around 7:30 PM pm which for most local resident isn't too uncomfortable, provided the humidity is lower than 20%. Sadly, wearing fingerless gloves during the day isn't an option with scorching hot metal clutch/brake handles.

I'm getting to be more of a wussie the older I get. Now if it's over 95', count me out. May as well sit at home and hold Mrs. 2LZ blow dryer against my face until it peels.

 

[RTD]

The standard joke in Arizona is that "Its a dry heat . . . like a blow torch!" I try to avoid riding during the hottest part of the day from June to mid-August, but even our nighttime temperatures often hover around 100 degrees. I ride instead from 4:00 until sunset at around 7:30 PM pm which for most local resident isn't too uncomfortable, provided the humidity is lower than 20%. Sadly, wearing fingerless gloves during the day isn't an option with scorching hot metal clutch/brake handles.

Indeed. During summer I tend to do my pleasure rides on the early side: pre-sunrise to about noon or 1pm and then pack it in. I’m hardwired to be up before dawn anyway, and the desert air is fantastic at that time.