full face vs open face helmet

[JustMark]

Ok, so ive read all the pros for a full face helmet vs open and yet when i bought a helmet i decided to go open face instead. When i was testing the bike out, the guy i was buying it from had a full face he let me borrow. It wasnt comfortable at all. Not that it was tight or loose, i just didnt feel like i could see very well at all. peripheral (sp?) vision seemed minimal at best to me. Am i weird that my first helmet is NOT a full face?

[Johnj]

Have you ever tried to talk to somebody that had their jaw ripped off in an accident?

[jstark47]

There's a chart around somewhere -- I'll post it later if I find it -- summarizing a German study of motorcycle accident statistics. The area of the head most frequently impacted in a motorcycle accident was the jaw. I like my jaw the way it is, so I'm not risking it motorcycling. But that's a personal decision of course, others may differ.

Contrary to the OP, I find another reason for using full face helmets is comfort. I ride year round (unless there's ice on the road). I'd rather not have 35F air blowing in my face at 75 mph, it's a tad chilly. I also opt not to have stones, bugs, and other small objects hit my face at speed.

As far as peripheral vision goes, in my case the area cut off by the helmet is so far to the edge of my field of vision it's of very little practical use to me. I maintain situational awareness through actively scanning mirrors, doing head checks, and listening (yes, you can hear with a full face on).

I had a 3/4 helmet once. I stopped using it after buying my first full face, and we eventually gave it away. As for half helmets, I don't much see the point.

[csspostal]

Is this the one you were referring too?



I had a 3/4 with a shield when I took the safety course. It made me a little more comforatable because it felt like I was in a hockey helmet.

Now someone posted a pic of their yellow full face helmet on here when they were in an accident It was awfully scratched up in the jaw area. I thought and my wife agreed I didn't need to get any uglier so I decided to get a full face helmet. I can just catch the edges of the full face in my peripheral vision. The only thing this will do I believe is to force me to do my head checks. I'll turn the to check to see if that thing in my peripheral vision is just the edges of my helmet or something sneaking up on me. The instructors told me we can lose close to 300 points on my full license test for just head checks so getting into that habit isn't a bad thing.

Truthfully though it is a personal decision on how much risk you are willing to take.

Now buying helmets may lead you to be called names by some people. Well it did me anyway. My wife called me a woman. I was She caught me looking at my next helmet which is a full face by Joe Rocket coming out early this year



Told me I going to be like a woman with a shoe collection only mine will be helmets. I went she is right.

[solstice22]

Well first I have to congratulate you on wearing a helmet! When I went helmet shopping I had two things that I wanted: Full-face and White. And here is why; I wear contacts and having 24-60mph winds in my eyes will dry my eyes faster than a desert, not to mention I do not like dust and crap flying in my eye. I also wanted my helmet to be white, as long as you are not riding in a snow storm, a helmet is the highest point on your cycle and motorists seem to notice white. Of course you can lose all sense of style and go for the neon yellow helmet however I find white to be a happy medium. I went out with these intentions and spent 5 hours in the motorcycle shop trying on helmets. As it stands now my helmet is my favorite piece of gear. I also wear a Skull Cap under my helmet to get a snugger fit and to keep it from smelling like sweaty nastiness. Everyone has their reasons for what they want, just make sure the reason you get your gear is for safety and comfort then style. Ride safe!

[HYPERR]

Have you ever tried to talk to somebody that had their jaw ripped off in an accident?

Lol yeah. I mean why bother even wearing a helmet if you aren't going to protect the one part that is most likely to smash into the pavement.

[JustMark]

Thanks for all the input. Maybe that particular helmet just didnt fit right for some reason? Who knows. Im sure at some point ill look at helmets again and probably end up with a full face also. Guess i just thought all helmets fit that way, and i didnt give em a chance. Ill have to hit the store and try on several different ones and see if i can find one i feel comfortable with.

[jaskc78]

JustMark--you're absolutely right about different helmets fitting differently. i sell quite a few helmets at my buddy's shop and i can tell you that Arai is the only helmet that fits the way they do. KBC's have a different feel, too; people either seem to love it right away or it's always just that little bit off that makes it uncomfortable. i tried on a bunch of Shoei helmets because i like a lot of their color schemes and graphics, but i never could find one that was comfortable. my first helmet was a Sparx and i loved it, but i decided to wear it again after wearing only my Scorpion since Christmas and i immediately noticed how differently they fit.

bottom line: try on every helmet you can and see how you like it. you'll know right away if it's something you might like or if it'd drive you nuts to wear it on a motorcycle. if it's something you might like, wear it around the shop for maybe 15 minutes or so and see if it develops any hot spots. if not, it's probably a good fit. also keep in mind that it should feel snug on your cheeks and it should be tight enough that when it's on and you grab the chin and move it back and forth the skin on your face should move with it (most noticeably will be your forehead, it should slide back and forth over your skull with the helmet).

there's a helmet buying guide on here, too, so may want to give that a good read before buying your next helmet.

[Lion_Lady]

Thanks for all the input. Maybe that particular helmet just didnt fit right for some reason? Who knows. Im sure at some point ill look at helmets again and probably end up with a full face also. Guess i just thought all helmets fit that way, and i didnt give em a chance. Ill have to hit the store and try on several different ones and see if i can find one i feel comfortable with.

Like wearing (downhill) ski boots for the first time, a full face helmet can take a bit of getting used to. Once you're on the slopes, the "odd" feeling of ski boots is no longer an issue, because they're doing their job.

It does seem that a full face helmet will limit your peripheral vision, but I'm sure you'll discover that once you're riding it doesn't. Check out the "Helmet Fit Guidelines" - stickied at the top of this forum. Print it and take it with you shopping for a full face. You may reconsider.

P

[dean owens]

a full face helmet felt constricting when i first tried them on and i thought i'd never get used to it. 3 years later and i can't imagine riding without one. knowing what i know i'd have a hard time wearing anything other than a full face helmet.