If you enjoy the thought of your face potentially grinding itself off on pavement or just shattering on impact I recommend you go with an open face helmet.
If you just bought it i'd be down with that. But you likely wont. Even a low speed (for you guys on cruisers) crashes can seriously mangle the face.
Know the risks is one thing. Flagrently asking for it is another. I know the risks too, and try to mitigate the ones i have some control over by:
Wearing gear
Taking as much training as i can
Maintaining my bike and improving its weaknesses
Or you can just put in gas and ride it around i suppose....
But a beanie is so much fun! You damn safety patrol! Wear what you want. At least die with a smile. Maybe no one will see it but, it will be there. OK, maybe not.
I know the risks. I wear a beanie. You get used to bug guts. If I wanted to be safe, I'd drive a cage. To each their own. And stupidity. I also enjoy sun bathing and that is just plain dumb. See, I'm completely mad.
A full face is the proper choice in all situations, as it provides superior protection to an open face in all types of riding at any speed. Having said that, my personal choice is an open face in warm/hot weather and a flip-up full face in cool/cold weather.
I have seen one sport bike rider ever wear a beanie. It looked ridiculous. He was also wearing crocs and sweat pants if that tells you anything about his persona.
although i do agree that a full-face offers the best level of protection, it may only be a marginal increase and it doesn't matter how mangled your face is when you're dead. Not saying it wouldn't happen, but my helmets have not shown any rash in the chin area for the incidents (1 street, 4 track) that i've had. also, two friends of mine passed away in unrelated motorcycle accidents and it wouldn't have mattered what kind of helmet they were wearing. it's about choices and i find it comical that individuals feel the need to preach to others on what is best for them.
I also see Harley riders with open face. Sport bikes I notice mostly full face.
What about FLIP helmets? Worth it? Probably around extra 1LBS to wear? Is that noticable? I think if ur cruzing in 40km/h zone, flip to open face Seems like a neat idea, but what do I know - I never rode yet
Only one flip helmet to date has been engineered and tested to be DOT and Snell approved while open.
That's the Shark Evoline. It is meant to be work closed or open.
All of the rest are meant to be worn closed while riding. Period. None of them advise riding with it flipped up, as they didn't design them to be safe while riding with it flipped up. They say that the whole flip up engineering is for convenience off the bike, not while riding.
Just a head's up.
..>And R1junky...it's not preaching when the "others" have asked for it by posting a thread asking for other riders, who have hundreds or thousands of yrs of amassed experience, for their advice. Get it?
If I walk up to you and start telling you how to live your life in the grocery store line, that's uncalled for. But when you ask me for advice, and I give it, I am actually doing you a service. In fact you'd owe me a beer!!
although i do agree that a full-face offers the best level of protection, it may only be a marginal increase and it doesn't matter how mangled your face is when you're dead. Not saying it wouldn't happen, but my helmets have not shown any rash in the chin area for the incidents (1 street, 4 track) that i've had. also, two friends of mine passed away in unrelated motorcycle accidents and it wouldn't have mattered what kind of helmet they were wearing. it's about choices and i find it comical that individuals feel the need to preach to others on what is best for them.
Personally prefer open face in the summer time. However took me many months of riding to get comfortable before I would make or even recommend the transition.
It's up to you and what you are comfortable with. While bugs are definitely less of an issue in the city, flying cigarette butts from cagers certainly aren't.
On the rain comment, I actually find it very refreshing. But I'm a little nuts.
If you just bought it i'd be down with that. But you likely wont. Even a low speed (for you guys on cruisers) crashes can seriously mangle the face.
Know the risks is one thing. Flagrently asking for it is another. I know the risks too, and try to mitigate the ones i have some control over by:
Wearing gear
Taking as much training as i can
Maintaining my bike and improving its weaknesses
Or you can just put in gas and ride it around i suppose....
I've ditched a few times in my life. Plenty of character road rash. I've also had more serious injuries playing slow pitch while drinking beer. It's dumb but, I still do it. Not sure what that says about my skills as a ball player or a motorcyclist but, just thought I'd share to provide some context.
Heard it was against the Harley law of ridin... that you couldn't wear a full face while ridin a HD. That's what a friend told me...when I was considering the idea. Asked why?..."Just cuz it ain't right"...lol.
Cruisers = open face/ beanie
Sport = full face
Other = whatever you want
i'm not debating which is safer. you cant even do the chin bar test for snell certification on an open-faced helmet, so technically an open face couldnt get snell certified to begin with. regardless, my point was that the human body can only withstand so much and at a point it doesnt matter how many letters there are on the back of your helmet.
Why bother wearing leather? or good riding boots? or gloves? I mean the human body can only withstand so much right?
This season I'm going race wearing a chrome beany, a knicks jersey, board shorts and flip flops. The weight savings alone will make me faster and be well worth it.
Why bother wearing leather? or good riding boots? or gloves? I mean the human body can only withstand so much right?
This season I'm going race wearing a chrome beany, a knicks jersey, board shorts and flip flops. The weight savings alone will make me faster and be well worth it.
Sometime wearing gear is a false sense of security, I myself ride completley different on the street depending on my gear choice. Squidding it with jeans and a t-shirt i ride like a grandma, wearing ATGATT i ride like a grandad.
Just sayin, i'd still ride with a full face even i was riding a cruiser.
When i first started riding last year, i hated the full face helmet in the summer, but i would never go without one, ill deal with sweating rather then risk mangling my face if i ever have a serious crash. But thats just me. lol
If i had a cruiser i might go without the fullface though.
That's so you can fit in. With the black t-shirt, chain drive wallet, boots with a buckle, sometimes fingerless gloves, a vest with a ton of patches like the ***** fell off and loud pipes save lives, to go with your new facial hair and silly do-rag. You know, so you can look like every other single cruiser rider alive, to be a free individual. And I almost forgot that if you ride a Hog that every item of clothing you wear must have a giant HD logo on it.
I tried to wear an open face on the cruiser I had. It sucked. And I sure wasn't concerned about trying to look like a bunch of geeks dressing exactly the same or what they thought of my gear.
Full face. Nothing less. With all these new potholes all over the place you never know what could happen. You may as well keep the lower half of your jaw, you need that thing to chew, and talk, and other things. =)
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