Helmet vs how fast you ride.

[Old Syko]

I've been wearing a 3/4 helmet since I started riding again a couple months or so back. Well the weather has changed so I went to the winter hat which is a Bell full face. Now I catch myself going way to fast. It seems I got so used to the sound and feel that now the full face has changed my perception of things. If I open the shield I slow right down. I've always depended on the seat of my pants whether riding, driving, flying, or anything else I do but I'm having trouble adjusting to the difference in sound and air movement in this case. Yep I know I'm strange, but surely I'm not totally alone here am I?

[Lunatic]

You're not alone.

I live in Florida, so I have the option not to wear a helmet. They're hot, uncomfortable things and the extra weight and wind resistance tends to irritate my bulging discs in my neck.

Plus, they give me this 'Invincible' feeling I don't really like.

[HRH_Z]

They're definitely not comfortable, especially when it's warm. A lot of people are just scared of not wearing a full-face helmet anytime they're touching the motorcycle.

[Old Syko]

Originally Posted by Lunatic

You're not alone.

I live in Florida, so I have the option not to wear a helmet. They're hot, uncomfortable things and the extra weight and wind resistance tends to irritate my bulging discs in my neck.

Plus, they give me this 'Invincible' feeling I don't really like.

Here in Indiana like Florida there are no communist mandated helmet laws either but it is a rule of my own. When I rode many years ago a lot of that time was on a race track and old habits are hard to break. Being a fan of Bell is another of those holdovers. I do understand the disc problems. Mine too are in my stupid neck but I'll deal with it since history has me convinced it is the right thing to do, and more than once.

The strange thing is, I don't remember changing helmets changing the feel of things so much, but then again I didn't exactly get younger. The good part of getting older is you have something you can easily blame your flaws on.,


BTW that invincible feeling has subsided somewhat but probably not near enough. I know you understand also.

[Romans5.8]

Hmm, interesting observation!

I love mine when it's cold out. That along with a thin black scarf I wear (and a chin curtain in the full face helmet) and I'm good way down into the low temps and comfortable. But I guess I've never noticed my speed changing. I tend to adjust my speed on the seat of my pants as well but I guess I usually go buy the sound of the pipes, I pretty much have gotten used to what the pipes sound like at certain speeds.

I don't find my full face uncomfortable, though I know a lot of people do. I actually kinda like it. I must have the 'right shaped head' for it I guess. It's just really nice when it's cold out. I look at all of these other guys wrapping facemasks and scarves and goggles and all sorts of stuff underneath their half shell, and I just pop on a helmet!

And HRH, I'll agree with ya there. I've known a few people who, frankly, are afraid to ride a motorcycle but do it anyway. Riding a machine your afraid of with a helmet on is probably more dangerous than riding a machine your comfortable with without it. People die with helmets on too. Although a healthy amount of fear is probably good. I don't run red lights or pull out without looking, and I suppose you could say it's because I'm afraid of getting clobbered by a car! lol.

I always wear a helmet, because, I think it's the right thing for me to do. Doesn't bother me when others don't though, that's them, I'm me. Crashes do happen and sometimes they happen to good riders! But, again, I think there's a difference between being sensible and accepting and managing risk, and just being silly. Although I guess if I'm gonna be alright with people not wearing a helmet, I shouldn't have anything to say about people wearing big ol' leather track suits, that would be hypocritical otherwise. BUT, I DO have something to say about the people who decide that they want to be 'safe' on their motorcycle by wearing a full face and gear, then ride like a lunatic!

[Old Bear]

I wish I had been wearing a full face helmet the first time I was bucked off a bike. I would likely still have my own front tooth! My bud wishes he had been wearing a full face instead of the 3/4 after we zipped through a swarm of bees - with several of them having a good ol' time inside his helmet on his head until he managed to stop, dump the bike and rip the helmet off. Lost count of the number of hard bugs and road debris that has bounced off my full face. From the looks of the front of my son-in-laws full face helmet after he performed a unannounced high-side maneuver, he would not have much of a face right now if not for the helmet. The few times I rode without a helmet in KY, I quickly found it uncomfortable.That said, to each their own. My big lesson for purchasing a full face helmet is to not skimp - buy quality! A lot of the common complaints disappear when you do. Just my two cents.

[whoaru99]

Originally Posted by Romans5.8

People die with helmets on too.

Yup, that's right, but last figures I saw said that you're ~30% less likely to die and ~67% less likely to have a disabling brain injury if you wear a helmet.

Those are significant numbers. I should ALWAYS wear one but I don't (always). Why not? Because like many others it's probably because I foolishly think "I'll never happen to me." or "It's just a short ride.".

[Gray Ghost]

When we first met, my wife was putting herself through nursing school while working as an EMT with EMS. She had seen enough motorcycle head injuries that she won't ride without one. We have the option here in SC too. However, I've always worn one since 1966 and changed to full face in 1990. Diagrams and statistics show that the frontal face/jaw area take the most damage. My cousin just had the halo removed from his head after months of being screwed into it. Slow speed wreck without a helmet. I have a friend of 40 years slowly dying after over a year of strokes and having the skin pulled over the huge hole in his skull. Brain swelling and darinage will not allow the hole to be covered. No helmet, left the road and hit a tree. As a hospice chaplain I could give other examples of sitting with patients dying of head injuries because they were too cool or it was too hot to wear a helmet. It's your right to not wear one but I love my life, wife, children, grandchildren and friends too much to think of them suffering because I decided to ride without a helmet.

[whoaru99]

Originally Posted by Old Bear

My big lesson for purchasing a full face helmet is to not skimp - buy quality! A lot of the common complaints disappear when you do. Just my two cents.

I fully agree. There is so much difference in the fit and comfort of helmets based on brand and your head shape it's almost unbelievable until you try on many different brands and price ranges.

[Romans5.8]

Originally Posted by Old Bear

That said, to each their own. My big lesson for purchasing a full face helmet is to not skimp - buy quality! A lot of the common complaints disappear when you do. Just my two cents.

That's the key. Buying a cheap full face online or wearing your buddies, is probably going to be uncomfortable! There are all sorts of VERY comfortable full face helmets out there. It's like anything else, you get what you paid for. It's not for everyone but, it's hard to judge them all off of one cheap one!

And the 'fit' is more than size you really have to try them on and wear them around for a while. Different brands use different shapes. The key to comfort is to have them fit right. As far as heat, good ventilation is available on these helmets that makes them really cool. Plus, I ride with the visor open when it's hot (and safety sunglasses to keep the bugs out of my eyeballs!), I'm not ever warm or sweaty. But that's me and my helmet, and again, everyone is different.

Originally Posted by whoaru99

Yup, that's right, but last figures I saw said that you're ~30% less likely to die and ~67% less likely to have a disabling brain injury if you wear a helmet.

Those are significant numbers. I should ALWAYS wear one but I don't (always). Why not? Because like many others it's probably because I foolishly think "I'll never happen to me." or "It's just a short ride.".

Well and that's why I always wear a helmet too. I just believe in being a realist and recognizing risks and managing them responsibly, not feeling 'invincible'. I don't knock those that choose not to, but, I always wear mine. Like I said above, it feels like the right thing to do. I'm just not a fan of a guy doing 180 down the highway in a $600 full face telling me how 'safe' he is (even though I wear a full face too!) You have GOT to prioritize safe riding. No matter WHAT you wear it won't matter if you ride impaired, don't ride defensively, and/or ride outside your limits. Just be sensible.