Poll

Do you primarialy use a

Open Face
15 (22.1%)
Full Face
53 (77.9%)
none (legal in PA)
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 65

Author Topic: Open face helmet or full face  (Read 4624 times)

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Offline GammaFlat

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #25 on: December 23, 2010, 06:59:10 PM »
I wear a modular.  When all locked down it behaves like a full.  I'm picky about noise though and I wish I could find something that had less wind noise. 
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Offline Goofaroo

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #26 on: December 23, 2010, 07:05:25 PM »
Full face only. I've never had to use it for face plant protection but it sure keeps the bugs and road debris off my face. Besides that I'm just more comfortable not having the wind blasting my face.

Offline solo 2

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #27 on: December 23, 2010, 07:48:25 PM »
Simple physics ,,, I guarantee you if you go down in a side even at a slow speed say 30mph you will not have the strength to fight the forces keeping you head sliding along the pavement. Your neck is not strong enough to hold your head up off of the ground.

Only partially correct, it's all about impact and luck. I've wrecked more than a few times (much younger), speed has nothing to do with it unless you actually hit something. The impact with the ground is the same if your doing 15 or 150 MPH, essentially the ground is the same distance no matter how fast you're going. In all the times I've gone down I've only marked the helmet twice, the worst being a 15 MPH face plant when my front end washed out on sand, I would've probably lost alot of my face that time. The last time was the same at about 50 MPH on the track, don't tell me I can't hold my new $900 Arai helmet off the ground... not a mark :D

It's a personal choice and should not be judged as stupid or careless because it's not what you agree with. It comes down to luck alot of the time. As Clint once said..."Do you feel lucky?"

I wear a full face most of the time, when I'm on my Harley I wear the obligatory 1/2 helmet, and I won't lie when I say that when I think about it on the bike sometimes it gives me the screaming heebie geebies.

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Offline cb650PK

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #28 on: December 23, 2010, 09:49:42 PM »
Nolan modular, made in Italy, not in garbage producing China.
S CB750 na vecne casy a nikdy jinak.

Offline Grnrngr

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #29 on: December 23, 2010, 10:58:41 PM »
I've busted two full face helmets, but it wouldn't have mattered if they had been 3/4 or half, the damage was at the top back of my head, wouldn't have been any jaw damage ...Both of them were Bell...
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Offline BLUE71TURBO

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #30 on: December 23, 2010, 11:23:16 PM »
 ENOUGH SAID.   :o

                       
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Offline turboguzzi

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #31 on: December 24, 2010, 12:14:10 AM »
"Wear open for short rides" sounds smart till you read the Hurt report stats and realize most motorcycle accidents happen in the city in SHORT trips.


Offline Huh??

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #32 on: December 24, 2010, 12:47:31 AM »
Have you ever been hit in the face by a rock that shot out from a car or truck tire? I haven't, but I always wear full face helmets. I did get hit in the neck by a tiny rock, though. It stung like crazy and bled a little. I have been caught behind some large trailer trucks from industrial sites that haul a lot of gravel and have been pelted with some when they hit bumps in the road. It's not hard to imagine a lime/egg/tangerine sized stone to smack you out of nowhere and take a couple of teeth out of your head. It could make you lose control too. Plus, like others have said; the way you fall usually can't be controlled, and if you end up in a low speed face grind without striking a pole or wall; you'll likely survive the incident, but you won't ever be nearly as pretty.

Offline SigEpRider

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #33 on: December 24, 2010, 12:54:33 AM »
I started out riding sport bikes so I had full face helmets.

Now that I own a Harley I tried using a half helmet. I guess I wanted that cool Harley rider look. However all I ended up doing is putting on googles, a bandana, and neck protector to stay comfortable. To me it was pointless to ride with a small helmet and still cover up. I went back to full face and have never looked back.

Vision is more limited so you need to get used to it and always check your mirrors and blind spot.

My face is just too pretty to not fully protect

Offline trueblue

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #34 on: December 24, 2010, 01:07:23 AM »
When I was younger I used to ride dirt bikes with a fella who would always wear a fullfaced road helmet, we used to take the piss out of him for doing so, until one day we were riding and a rock about the size of a small orange flew up off of my tyre and hit him in the face, it knocked him off of his bike, he was ok but his helmet was a write off the lens was busted and the top of the helmet right in between his eyes was all cracked. I would have hated to see what the results would have been if it had happened to one of us who were wearing an open face mx style helmet and goggles, so needless to say I havent worn an open face since.
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Offline fastbroshi

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #35 on: December 24, 2010, 02:47:07 AM »
Full face always, imagine the effect touching the pavement with your chin might have on your teeth.

  This would've happened to a squid acquaintance of mine if he hand't been wearing his full face.  The chin bar was cracked and gouged very deeply.  I'd rather suffer a little bit in the summer than to have my jaw torn off. 
  I don't know about you guys, maybe I've got Roger Maris vision or something, but I can see almost directly behind me in my peripheral vision if I turn my head 90 degrees.  Let's all understand, you don't have to be looking directly AT something to see it.  With the helmet on this is cut down a bit, but I wouldn't rule out protecting my dome because of it.  This is life, you're supposed to have your head on the swivel anyway. 
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Offline Fritz

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #36 on: December 24, 2010, 04:59:44 AM »
My face is so ugly, that contact to the road at 50mph wouldn't make it looking any worse :P

A couple of years ago, I had a bicycle accident and hit the ground with my chin. Nothing serious that could not be fixed with a few stitches and the scar is very small. But two weeks after, I nearly died, because a neck artery was slighty damaged by the impact of the accident.
I had a stroke and was very lucky that it was not serious enough to do any damage.
Since then, there is no question about riding on my motorcycle without chin protection -> Full face helmet

1976 CB550F

Offline BruceDeuce

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #37 on: December 24, 2010, 06:40:42 AM »
Full face always, imagine the effect touching the pavement with your chin might have on your teeth.

  This would've happened to a squid acquaintance of mine if he hand't been wearing his full face.  The chin bar was cracked and gouged very deeply.  I'd rather suffer a little bit in the summer than to have my jaw torn off.  
  I don't know about you guys, maybe I've got Roger Maris vision or something, but I can see almost directly behind me in my peripheral vision if I turn my head 90 degrees.  Let's all understand, you don't have to be looking directly AT something to see it.  With the helmet on this is cut down a bit, but I wouldn't rule out protecting my dome because of it.  This is life, you're supposed to have your head on the swivel anyway.  

Hey man I been riding for 39 yrs and as I stated earlier the difference between a half shell and a full is the peripheral vision. And as for safety, when its my time to go I will be taken. He who fears death on a motorcycle cant enjoy the ride.
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Offline simon#42

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #38 on: December 24, 2010, 07:21:49 AM »
he who doesn't fear death on a ride will probably get killed

Offline trueblue

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #39 on: December 24, 2010, 07:31:03 AM »
He who fears death on a motorcycle cant enjoy the ride.
But also remember he who is dead cant enjoy the ride either, I personally take as much precautions as I can, I live in Queensland and our summers quite often reach the mid to high 30's celcius and sometimes as high as 40, but you wont see my arse on a bike on the road without my full face, jacket, jeans, gloves and boots. I have hit the bitumen hard off of a push bike a few times back when I was racing and I know what it feels like to bounce down the road on rough bitumen, wearing nothing protective other than a small helmet at over 50kph and believe me it hurts, I would hate to try it at 100kph and with a bike following that weighs nearly a 1/4 of a ton. 
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Offline Huh??

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #40 on: December 24, 2010, 09:44:49 AM »
"Hey man I been riding for 39 yrs and as I stated earlier the difference between a half shell and a full is the peripheral vision. And as for safety, when its my time to go I will be taken. He who fears death on a motorcycle cant enjoy the ride."

Yeah, I've heard that a lot. I'm a Paramedic and I've seen plenty of Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVAs). Not everybody dies, especially in the lower speed collisions, but plenty live with serious injuries. How fast was Gary Busey going when he ate the curb (sans helmet)?

Offline BruceDeuce

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #41 on: December 24, 2010, 09:58:04 AM »
You ride yours, I will ride mine! Have fun, thats whats its all about!!!
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Offline domer

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #42 on: December 24, 2010, 10:38:22 AM »
started with a open face.... cruising along the freeway one sunny day about 70, when a golf ball size rock (or so it sure as #$%* seemed) flashed before my eyes. with just enough time to cock my head a #$%* hair and have the #$%*er take out 2 molars through my cheek. try holding on to your bike while spitting out your shattered teeth, and screaming in pain and choking on blood. if there were more people on the road i'd be dead, as i got hit and some how ended up 3 lanes over. then my dentist told me i was looking at $1800 per tooth. FULL FACE FOREVER! and im still missing the teeth...

Offline Grnrngr

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #43 on: December 24, 2010, 12:37:11 PM »
Like I said, I have, and have used, all types, as well as putting thousands of miles behind me without a helmet. I've also lived long enough to have known a few and heard of several more folks who have died on the road, on bikes and in cars, from the helmetless tshirt and sneakers guys to the full leather, gloves and boots, full faced helmet guys and a few who were surrounded by 2 tons of steel. While the mortality rate of motorcycle accidents may be higher, more people by far, die in car accidents than are killed on bikes. In spite of having busted two solid helmets, and I very likely would have died, or been permanently vegged without them, my actual closest call with The Reaper was in my car when the other guy in a much larger vehicle ran a stopsign, and the physical damage has affected much more of my body. But, these are my experiences, the things I take into account when I decide to wear a helmet or not, or whether to ride or drive my car. I would no more expect they should influence anyone elses behaviour any more than I would allow someone elses experiences to dictate my decisions. Neither would I consider anyone else either more or less intelligent as a result of their own decision making, we all have our own lessons to learn in life. I'm not in favor of mandatory helmet laws..I love to ski also, and just read online of a guy locally who is pushing to instate mandatory helmet laws for all skiers, because his snowboarding son died as a result of a collision with a tree last year, and "no one should have to go thru what we're going thru". I can sympathize with losing a family member, but I am 100% against a ski helmet law in spite of the fact I have been personally considering getting one. My reason for wanting one has absolutely nothing to do with safety, it is based on being tired of having to gather up all the parts I lose when I wipe out, plus the added warmth, and ability to have speakers for my mp3 player. I like guns too, but I'm not gonna put on body armour every time I go target shooting because I might be injured by ricochet, even tho that does occasionally happen. The difference in peripheral vision between full, 3/4, and 1/2 helmets, as far as I'm concerned is negligible. Perhaps it's a heightened sense of awareness, when I pass someone, even if I can't see them, I have a good idea of where they are, and with mirrors and actually turning my head, I don't worry about it much. In a car, you should really be aware of what's going on in the 1/4 to 1/2 mile ahead of you and about a 1/4 mile behind, on a bike it's even more important, because realistically, we all try to stay at least a half step ahead of the rest of the traffic and things are happening just that much faster. I don't fear death, it is a constant companion, whether you ride a bicycle, motorcycle, a car, or just walk down the street, and the older you get, the closer it is. If you let it rule your life, you're not living, if you treat it with disregard, it will snatch you up quick. But...no reason to fear it, no one gets out alive anyway.
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Offline AnthonyMichael

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #44 on: December 25, 2010, 02:49:19 PM »
I wear a peanut lid in the summer and full in the winter. The full takes away my peripheral vision.

Me too. I don't get the same exhilaration as I do when I wear a skull cap. It's much more of a fun ride without the full face but on long trips/high speeds, I definitely go full face.

Offline Anti-Johnny

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #45 on: December 25, 2010, 03:12:35 PM »
my dad was in a nasty accident a couple years ago. several broken bones and surgeries. He had a very expensive modular, thankfully. The front of the modular was flattened. I can only imagine what would have happened if he had only an open face. I immediately bought a full face.

I still ride with just blue jeans though. looking for a good set of pants to go on under. you can ride safe and still enjoy it.

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Offline tramp

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #46 on: December 25, 2010, 03:14:05 PM »
when a bird hit's you in the front of a full wrap helmet you'll have your answer
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Offline Anti-Johnny

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #47 on: December 25, 2010, 03:18:48 PM »
ive had a bird and one of those giant moths hit me right in the face. id have had to stop and vomit if the guts had been on my face instead of just on my helmet.
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Offline Really?

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #48 on: December 25, 2010, 03:54:11 PM »
This was under the tree for me today!  WooHoo!

I don't have a motorcycle, sold it ('85 Yamaha Venture Royale).  Haven't had a CB750 for over 40 years.

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Offline Pors

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Re: Open face helmet or full face
« Reply #49 on: December 26, 2010, 02:07:07 AM »
In spite of what my avatar would suggest, I always use the full face helmet for both comfort and safety.
- Old style open helmets look cool though…