Are open face helmets stupid?

[weasel]

While I've never used one, KTMDoug (who is an EMT) believes that the open face helmet 'should' be required by law.

That's ridicules (KTMDoug), said rider might not be unconscious if they were wearing a FF/Helmet. This is why I give my old helmets to the fire dept. so they can practice.

 

[LongGoneJohn]

I guess you only need a get-off or two to discover the value of a full face helmet.

I've fallen wearing both. And dirt helmets.

 

[Phaedrus]

This has been posted on BARF before. Can't recall who did the study, but it's the percentages of impacts in various locations in motorcycle crashes. You can see that you have a 35% chance of striking your chin/face in a crash. If you forgo the chin bar, you're giving up a full 1/3 of available protection.

 

[NoGall]

For peace of mind, I would not wear an open face helmet. But the reality is that there are 1,000 ways to die on a motorcycle... with or without "better" gear. For convenience, I would totally consider rocking a Multitec or similar though. It's a pain in the ass to have to constantly taking the helmet off just to peek through the DSLR's view-finder.

 

[beginner]

Just to clarify, the EXO-200 does have a flip-up face shield that covers the face to protect against bugs, rocks, etc. The lack of a chin bar is mainly what makes it "open face".

Which has me thinking, why can't there be a minimal chin protector, like a place kickers chin bar, minimal but strong enough for the purpose. Somthing that comes up on the highway, outside my experience is metal depris off the road like muffler hardware, etc. The goggles I use on the dirt bike weren't intended to deflect that kind of stuff.

 

[codger]

I'm pretty comfortable with an open face but back in the day thats all there was. Ive had a several crashes in excess of 80 mph with open face on and one with no helmet because I had let one of my buddies try my brand new back then bell star he caused the crash by the way and said it was because he had no peripheral vision. I own one open face and four full face helmets including my dirt helmet. I prefer full face most of the time but there are days in sac when its way too hot to wear the full face. I just realized ive never had a serious crash wearing a full face helmet might be time to toss the open face. Ive tried wearing the dirt helmet when its really hot but theres just too much drag for riding highway speeds.

 

[Matt.Lai]

That diagram is from the Hurt Report. Everyone should look at the condensed summary once a year to review the 53 bullet points. A few are dated (crash bars?) but there is so much stay-alive info there.

http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~john/vfr/hurt.html

This has been posted on BARF before. Can't recall who did the study, but it's the percentages of impacts in various locations in motorcycle crashes. You can see that you have a 35% chance of striking your chin/face in a crash. If you forgo the chin bar, you're giving up a full 1/3 of available protection.

 

[Roadstergal]

While I can see how you could hit your head on a cruiser-style bike, I can't see how you would hit your face falling off of one.

My one street accident was getting hit by a left-turning car while I was riding my only cruiser. I went over the hood and slid until I hit the curb. The chinbar of my fullface was decently scored.


My helmet is utterly stupid; I tried to get it to sing the Alphabet Song and it just sat there. Fortunately, its job doesn't require a lot of intellect.

 

[xgambit]

you have more options that just a full face or no face helmets...

schuberth j1

nolan n43 trilogy

dont just pick a full face because the safety obsessed nancy boys tell you to do so. if youre not riding on the track...wear a helmet that has the right balance between protection and comfort for you so that you are happier wearing it

 

[Roadstergal]

you have more options that just a full face or no face helmets...

And he has more options than just the fullface he got. Fullface helmets vary widely in their fit and fogproofness and visibility. The fogging issue has been beaten to death in threads that are only exceeded in frequency by Harley threads. The visibility and fit-with-jacket issues can be addressed by trying on a multitude of helmets in the store (and if it's CG, you can take it back for another one if it doesn't work in the real world even after your 20-minute try-on session - you did that, right?).

I don't like flipfaces; just one more potential failure point.

 

[ob1ventura]

you have more options that just a full face or no face helmets...

schuberth j1

nolan n43 trilogy

dont just pick a full face because the safety obsessed nancy boys tell you to do so. if youre not riding on the track...wear a helmet that has the right balance between protection and comfort for you so that you are happier wearing it

+1........

I'm w/ No Gall, Antaruius and Codger on this one.

Have gone down at well over 80 w/o a full face and I'm not much uglier than before the crash. Slid under a p.u. w/o a helmet and got lucky. On the other hand I doubt better gloves like someone suggested are the answer. It can go bad way too fast.

That Schuberth has my attention!

 

[gnstalodz]

my face... sexy and worth covering











































jk haha

 

[ob1ventura]

+1........

I'm w/ No Gall, Antaruius and Codger on this one.

Have gone down at well over 80 w/o a full face and I'm not much uglier than before the crash. Slid under a p.u. w/o a helmet and got lucky. On the other hand I doubt better gloves like someone suggested are the answer. It can go bad way too fast.

That Schuberth has my attention!

Edit: Wow, and for $379.00. That ain't bad at all. Need to find an excuse to replace my helmet.

 

[RRrider]

This has been posted on BARF before. Can't recall who did the study, but it's the percentages of impacts in various locations in motorcycle crashes. You can see that you have a 35% chance of striking your chin/face in a crash. If you forgo the chin bar, you're giving up a full 1/3 of available protection.

For me, that 19.4% and 15.2% tells it all. apart from the forehead, all the other sections are getting low single digits. Statistically, it would seem the main point of a helmet is to protect primarily the jaw and secondarily the forehead. If not full face, why bother (apart from the law , ok so get the yamaka style helmet then...I hear it protects bald spots really well).

 

[rodr]

... The visibility and fit-with-jacket issues can be addressed by trying on a multitude of helmets in the store (and if it's CG, you can take it back for another one if it doesn't work in the real world even after your 20-minute try-on session - you did that, right?).

Nope. It was free.

 

[fast4d]

my face is ugly but it's the only one I have.

 

[Sane_Man]

At the ripe age of 6 I had my first two wheel crash on a 10-speed. Face-first and a few plastic surgeries later I still have a crooked smile as I tore off the left side of my face. I can only imagine what would happen at 60MPH...

It's your head and statistically your chin will take the impact.

You could ride a 10-speed bike with 26" wheels at age 6?

If true, you crashed because the bike was too big for you. Were you wearing any sort of head protection?

 

[JO EBRMC]

The decision was made easy for me when I was crossing the Bay Bridge some years back and came across a bike down. Traffic was moving slow and I stopped blocked traffic with my bike. Turns out it was a cruiser that had gone down at somewhere below 30MPH. The rider was laying face down on the pavement. In trying to check his condition (yes, without moving him), he rolled himself over. His face was a complete mess and was clearly going to require some recontructive surgery. If he had been wearing a full face helmet, he would have stood up and ridden home, as it was, he was going to the ER.

I'm not suggesting that anyone else should make their decision based on anecdotal information but I would be freaked out on the street without a FF helmet.

 

[TheRiddler]

On the gloves comments, this is how you break your wrists or collarbone. All that force has to go somewhere, and bracing yourself with your arms will result in something else broken. It's better to land on your elbows and shoulders that have padding (you have a padded jacket, right?).

I prefer full face most of the time but there are days in sac when its way too hot to wear the full face. I just realized ive never had a serious crash wearing a full face helmet might be time to toss the open face. Ive tried wearing the dirt helmet when its really hot but theres just too much drag for riding highway speeds.

I have an experiment for you to try. When it's over 100 degrees out, wear your full face helmet. Keep the visor closed. After you've been riding around for about 15 minutes, open the visor. I guarantee it will be hotter with your visor open than closed.

 

[sanjuro]

I do a lot of errands, and I use a half shell and I would get a modular or a 3/4 helmet if I felt like wasting more money.

Besides the convenience of running into stores without removing your helmet, under 40mph the wind doesn't bother me as much, and while it is an increased risk, I think I will be ok without the full face.

However, whenever I go over 55mph, I hate the half shell. My face gets blasted and the helmet lifts off a little.

Maybe if I had an open-faced with a shield it would be better. But I feel faster and safer in a full face, so if I get on the highway, it will always be a full-face.