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Post by StewRoss on Dec 20, 2006 4:48:08 GMT -5
Hi, At the moment I wear a black Shoei XR1000 Diabolic 2...very nice helmet. After getting knocked from my Honda 900 a couple of years ago by a car driver who was 'looking straight at me', I figured that wearing a red helmet wasn't going to help against someone that wasn't looking anyway..so black it was! Over the years I have owned, Stadium, Hondaline, Eldorado, Shoei's, Bell's, Arai's and AGV's...all good helmets in their own way......well perhaps not the Stadium Project 4...any helmet that says 'good for skiiing' but doesn't mention 'bike riding' is a bit marginal...still there were plenty of these around in their day. Lots of guys used to cut the tape straps out of the crown and paint them matt black for that 'low over the forehead look' look...hmm, beauty is in the eye of the beholder  ...lots of deaths in those days! I also nearly bought an Everoak full face helmet when the full face helmets first came out; but they had the straps in the crown similar to the Stadium, so I bought the Eldorado instead. I still have a lot of these helmets on various shelves. I reckon you could drop the Eldorado now and it'd shatter like glass... My idea on helmet fit has changed over the years as well, now tight as comfortable is the go. Over the years on the road I have had several nasty accidents...nearly all of which found me wearing an AGV. I can definately vouch for their effectiveness!  I recently bought a Davida pudding basin 'period' helmet for use in classic demo rides on my little 250 Ducati. This is complete with Aviator Goggles and a leather face mask...err, shades of Pulp Fiction...heh, heh. What are your experiences? SR |
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Post by sjef on Dec 20, 2006 8:57:38 GMT -5
hallo Stew
always have had an openface jet helm, at the moment a black davida jet with European Safety Standard ECE R22-05 certifcation.
aviator goggles and if it is a bit colder a fullleather facemask.
it gives you a good awareness of the elements outside ;D ;D
regards sjef
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Post by tradrockrat on Dec 20, 2006 10:24:03 GMT -5
I'm more of a - "If it meets DOT, then I'm fine with it. Helmets can be a touchy subject, but I believe that it's more important to be a good rider than to wear top of the line gear. Good gear IS important, I'm not saying otherwise, but we've all seen helmetless riders get up without a scratch and well protected riders die anyway. If it's bad enough - nothing will save you.
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Post by thumperbill on Dec 20, 2006 12:40:30 GMT -5
As for me I wear a HJC full face that flips up. Love to be able to flip up the shield and chin guard while fueling or cruising slowly down the street. Had a bad accident once with no helmet and wont ride without one now. Cut a deer in half at about 90mph without a helmet and it did a job on my face and head among other parts of my body. Thanks to a good plastic surgen I look fine now. Even after that accident I still do not condone helmet laws as it should be a personal choice not mandated. Everyone should be able to wear or not wear one. As for me I choose to wear mine every time I hop on a bike unless it is a quick test down the driveway and back.
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Post by pablosrfivehundred on Dec 20, 2006 16:01:59 GMT -5
icon mainframe
A must have.
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Post by colinjay on Dec 20, 2006 16:32:33 GMT -5
Hi all,
My currently daily ride helmet is a white HJC (FG3 Kevlar) open face worn with a pair of Oakley (?) MX goggles, I also have a HJC fullface helmet that I wear on long trips. Even though it took 200 odd stitch too put my face back together in 1975 after an altercation with a Ford Falcon, I still have a preference for open face helmets, as I get a bit clostrophobic in a full face helmet. I also have a DAVIDA puddin basin helmet that I wear on the odd occasion that I ride my '49 Matchless and some other classic hemets that I wear when I ride my 1960's Honda's in events like the Birdwood Classic, here in SA.
For everyday use I would say wear any helmet that fits comfortable as long is it meets AS1698, SNELL or one of the British/European standards.
CJ
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Post by medic09 on Dec 20, 2006 17:24:32 GMT -5
I wear a Shoei RF1000 full-face. Most motorcyclists who died of head injuries in the US (forget the years of the retrospective study) had concurrent facial injuries. Present thinking in the medical community is that the face needs protection along with the skull. There is genuine debate as to whether or not flip-ups provide the same protection. Hence my choice. One thing's for sure: no helmet at all is a mistake.
Despite my friend Trad's comment (and I have scraped up a few helmetless riders who did remarkably well), the evidence heavily favors wearing a helmet if you want a good neurological outcome post crash.
Mordechai
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Post by frankyb on Dec 20, 2006 18:59:08 GMT -5
Hi everyone, I no longer ride on the road anymore, just ride dirttrack, and i use an hjc cl14 full face. I have my doubts about mx style lids, as ive seen the chin bar come off these types of helmet several times, and your face still seems open to abuse by mother earth if you come in contact with it. I like the fact that I have alot more vision compared to an mx helmet and goggles, and that my entire head is protected. Cheers Frankyb.
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Post by milkman on Dec 20, 2006 22:43:54 GMT -5
Well this has me thinking how silly I am in some respects - I never used to wear a helmet of road - grass looked soft, but not the rocks in it!
I have a Shark R2r?? full face fiberglass etc etc. Really good, comfortable and feels like I'm wearing something safer (sometimes that confidence makes me ride less so......). Highly recommend Sharks though I've never "properly" tested them.
I wanted an open face for ducking to the shops/up the street more easily. I love the freedom of them, but I bought a $77 AUD THH lid. Now its been fine, meets standards, but it feels like plastic wrapped hard foam, as opposed to something more secure. It sits very high on the forehead also. It would stop your head splitting, but as for impact absorption? Now I find myself using it 50% of the time, I'm thinking maybe a shoei open lid? Something that sits lower and "feels" safer.
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Post by colinjay on Dec 21, 2006 16:33:25 GMT -5
I know what you are on about with helmets that just don't "feel right". I think there are laws against selling helmets in AUS that don't meet AS1698 or equivelant overseas STD's, so the most important thing is how the helmet fits and feels.
All the helmets I have had for street of serious off road riding have fibreglass or similar composite fibre shells. I do have an old KIWI open face helmet that has a polycarbonate (plastic) shell, but this was the helmet I used to wear when I rode competitive observed (moto) trials were light weight was more of an issue that outright crash protection. After a full day of trials competition a heavy helemt can be a real pain in the neck, quite litterally.
CJ
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Post by medic09 on Dec 21, 2006 18:46:04 GMT -5
Colin's point about 'pain in the neck' is important. If you don't tolerate wearing your helmet, it'll do no good sitting in the garage. Better to buy a helmet that you're willing to wear everytime, than one that you're tempted to leave home.
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Post by wotavidone on Dec 24, 2006 4:50:02 GMT -5
I got advice regarding "as tight a fit as you can comfortably stand" and that's what I bought.
Nearly 12 months down the track, I'd amend that advice to "very tight, without giving yourself a migraine." Reason? After a few hours of wearing my tight as I could comfortably stand helmet, it now feels a bit loose. Not bad enough to throw away, but could be tighter.
I have an open face helmet, M2R brand, that was $75 at the local shop. $49.95 at a shop in Adelaide but I was not going to spend $60 in fuel and 5 hours driving to save $25.
I had to get one as light as possible to save my neck. My old 1970 Bell Star full face was just too heavy!
My neck still hasn't recovered from the violent contact my head made with the beer booth at the Port Germein footy oval at 11:30 pm one Monday night in 1976.
The boys and I were indulging in a little bit of moonlight flattracking, I was in my usual position - side ways at 60 mph - when a slight miscalculation of the throttle on my little ported out suzuki 100cc two stroke saw me leave the track and take an unscheduled detour.
Bike was buggered, I carnaged my neck and split my helmet straight down the center, better than splitting my head, and broke my leg.
There was this bench seat made out of railway sleepers, you see. I missed all the verandah posts and stuff, but the end of this seat caught me right across the shin. Hurt a lot, but not as much as taking out a dear at 90 mph, I bet.
Mybe we should start a thread - "Accidents I have Enjoyed - and the Lessons learned."
Come to think of it, I will.
Mick
Mick
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Post by StewRoss on Dec 26, 2006 0:44:51 GMT -5
Hi, Yes I agree with the helmet fit but with one proviso...a helmet that is very tight and presses hard on some part of your head probably won't ever stop pressing on that part with use. Especially some of the cheaper brands. Helmets like heads come in different shapes and some just fit you better than others. I have tried on helmets that are very tight and press on say your forehead and I doubt that they'd ever stop this. A helmet shouldn't move about once on; if you try to turn it about the head it should not move much at all. Most of the modern helmets hold onto the sides of your face fairly firmly and your head will stay in one spot. A loose fitting helmet doesn't protect you as it should and on a fast bike it will tend to move back about the skull as the speed increases. Very uncomfortable! You should be able to turn your head at speed and the helmet should stay put. On another note, I have noted during several getoffs, while wearing quite new AGV full faces, that the quick-release visors tend to come off. Hasn't resulted in any problems for me but I would rather that they stayed on to protect my eyes. Two of these helmets have nice ground contact marks on the side of the chin area.... SR  |
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Post by tradrockrat on Dec 26, 2006 16:46:47 GMT -5
Despite my friend Trad's comment (and I have scraped up a few helmetless riders who did remarkably well), the evidence heavily favors wearing a helmet if you want a good neurological outcome post crash. Mordechai I agreee completely |
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staffy
Junior Member
Posts: 92
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Post by staffy on Dec 30, 2006 19:19:13 GMT -5
Full-face only. no need to make myself uglier now!  |
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...lots of deaths in those days!
