And yet we (you and I both) still wear the 1/2 or 3/4 versions instead of the full face. This thread proves style and comfort trump safety in the vast majority of cases, even after witnessing the results.
what style of helmet
- Thread starter jd4300
- Start date
And yet we (you and I both) still wear the 1/2 or 3/4 versions instead of the full face. This thread proves style and comfort trump safety in the vast majority of cases, even after witnessing the results.
bwalsh22
Junior Member
I have a 3/4 that I purchased and a half that I got from the guy that I bought the bike from. The 1/2 has only seen my head to see if it fit, else I have never ridden with it on. Living in PA/NJ, it gets hot in the summer, but the 3/4 helmet is plenty cool for me and I personally would rather be safe then leaving my wonderful family behind cause I didn't protect myself properly. While riding is a risk, I choose to minimize it and along with the person above, I too where the armor (all year round) and am working on getting a pair of chaps too.
I think this is a very common misconception. I really don't believe a 3/4 is any safer than a 1/2 helmet. The MSF course showed the statistics for impact zones in a motorcycle accident and the vast majority are on the jaw/chin/face area. The only true leap in safety from no helmet or a 1/2 is to go all the way to the full face helmet.
I'm not passing judgement on any of us. I wear a 3/4, I've thought about getting a 1/2, and I rode lidless a couple times while at Biketoberfest. I just think we're all trying to rationalize anything less than the full face when we all truly know the facts deep down inside.
Let me just add this about the 3/4 vs 1/2 helmet from my personal experiences.
I wore a 1/2 helmet for many years but going back 20 or so years, I wore a 3/4 helmet and I was hit by a car which landed me with the back of my head on the edge of the curb when I landed. If I had been wearing the 1/2 helmet at that time, I wouldn't be typing this most likely.
I wear what I'm comfortable with which is the 1/2 helmet in the hot weather regardless of the safety factor. If I were concerned more with the safety factor of riding, I wouldn't be riding on 2 wheels to begin with. JMHO.
I wore a 1/2 helmet for many years but going back 20 or so years, I wore a 3/4 helmet and I was hit by a car which landed me with the back of my head on the edge of the curb when I landed. If I had been wearing the 1/2 helmet at that time, I wouldn't be typing this most likely.
I wear what I'm comfortable with which is the 1/2 helmet in the hot weather regardless of the safety factor. If I were concerned more with the safety factor of riding, I wouldn't be riding on 2 wheels to begin with. JMHO.
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KingHeritage
Junior Member
A helmet and a seatbelt should be an individuals choice IMO,but I always buckle up.I also choose to wear my helmet in Delaware because I choose to.Anyhow,I've always figured if I go down I'm probably not going to get up.So far so good.I've never been down in 39 years of riding on the street.
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3/4 face for summer.
Old age is setting in - bought a (GASP! HORRORS!) full face WHITE one for winter.
For the young un's: back in the day IF you rode a Harely and wore a helm at all, it HAD to be black or you just weren't cool. White was definitely out!
Sort of like fingerless gloves today... OH LAWSIE, HERE WE A-GOES AGAIN!!!
:small3d023:
Old age is setting in - bought a (GASP! HORRORS!) full face WHITE one for winter.
For the young un's: back in the day IF you rode a Harely and wore a helm at all, it HAD to be black or you just weren't cool. White was definitely out!
Sort of like fingerless gloves today... OH LAWSIE, HERE WE A-GOES AGAIN!!!
:small3d023:
I haven't really started riding yet(I just got my license this last summer and still can't afford a bike...that runs) but I will always wear a helmet. I've always been kind of intrigued by the helmets that can switch back between 3/4 and Full Face(I'm sure they've been mentioned before. I didn't read the full thread).
I was lucky enough to learn to wear a helmet on something a little cheaper than a motorcycle. I was just on a mountain bike going a little under 30 MPH down a hill. I was trying to get up on the sidewalk to go off into a park to ride around a little bit. I missed the ramp, hit the curb, and flying flying/rolling on the sidewalk. I had two stitches in my elbow and a bunch of road rash all over my arms and side. The reason I'm telling this story is because even at that relatively low speed I still had dents in the brand new helmet I had gotten the day before. If I wasn't wearing that helmets those dents would have been in my head.
I was lucky enough to learn to wear a helmet on something a little cheaper than a motorcycle. I was just on a mountain bike going a little under 30 MPH down a hill. I was trying to get up on the sidewalk to go off into a park to ride around a little bit. I missed the ramp, hit the curb, and flying flying/rolling on the sidewalk. I had two stitches in my elbow and a bunch of road rash all over my arms and side. The reason I'm telling this story is because even at that relatively low speed I still had dents in the brand new helmet I had gotten the day before. If I wasn't wearing that helmets those dents would have been in my head.
KingHeritage
Junior Member
Well we are talking helmets,right?OK,I'll give you that I might be a little off subject.We can discuss helmet laws on another day in a different thread.Having said that,my helmet probably wouldn't protect a fly's head.But that's my choice and it should remain my choice.