Are full face helmets really safer than open face helmets

no doubt full face provides more protection, but most full face helmets also restrict peripherial vision and hearing around you. My only crash happened in part because of my own mistake based on limited peripherial vision. For that reason, I like the open face helmet, but I do have both styles and use them both as well.
 
There's some price snobbery when it comes to helmets.

If the helmet has a DOT, Snell, or CE certificate/sticker, then it's safe, no matter the cost.

For me, big factors are: the helmet's weight, visibility, wind noise, and comfort.

There's an inverse relationship between the size of the viewing port - height and width - and the helmet's overall strength. It seems like "racing" helmets have less visibility and are heavier.

As for beginning riders - get a 250 or 450cc endure/dual sport with knobby tires and ride that for a year. The knobbies, on the street, will "talk to you" and teach you more about how to feel your traction than will street tires.
 
wrecks said:
I realize this may be a little off the thread topic, but, for a guy with little motorcycle experience what would be the recommended riding kit?
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Well a good approved helmet that fits your head properly, its up to you what you want to pay, a decent jacket is a must one that fits you right, I perfer leather to the fancy light weight jackets with the skid protection suff inside them, gloves if you like wearing them, myself not a fan of gloves, and a decent pair of boots that will protect your ankles and feet, I wear just normal jeans but you can buy jeans with special marterial thats made for motorcycle riders and won't tear when sliding down the road, but you can have all the protection you can have and still get hurt, but the best advice I can give any new rider is keep your eyes open around you not just in front of you, keep a safe distant from anyone in front of you as you don't know what the person in front of you is going to do, keep a eye on cars that are going to pull out on you, these are the most dangerous ones, and keep a eye out for drivers who are distracted using their phones or doing other things that take their mind off their driving, its a dangerous world out on the road these days so think ahead and keep safe at all times, distraction is your enemy and be aware whats going on around you and don't do silly things without thinking about it first.
Follow these simple rules and you will be safe, ride to the conditions and don't overtake unless its safe to do so, be aware what coming towards you as its usualy the other person that makes mistakes, hope this helps you to a long safe riding experience.

Ashley
 
thought this was 'bout helmets , guess a safety lesson from a younger guy down under never hurts .... as previously noted I like a full face helmet for several reasons , mainly the comfort, noise reduction and bug stopping ...... I do think you get what you pay for to a degree , it seems for me anyway the more expensive a helmet is equals : less weight , less noise and for my head more comfort as well as usually comes with a pinlock anti-fog shield .... as far as vision , no doubt an open face is the best , unless like me, you fighting with the damn thing at speed 'cause it wants to lift off .... can't imagine riding with no gloves , once put my hands down while sliding on asphalt in hopes of avoiding car coming at me , that didn't take more than a second to realize , bad move ! .... as for the rest of ride gear depending on weather and where I'm off too , it can be armored pekev jeans and leather jacket , a full weather proof , armored , gore-tex sport tour 2 piece suit made by Klim , or full old school leathers usually either Sidi tour rain or old school harley boots .... never jeans and sneakers :) and yup always try and ride safe in traffic as explained above ....
Craig
 
If your open face helmet is lifting when riding then its not fitting you right or your strap is not tighten enough, the open face should fit nice and snug on your head the same as a full face.

Ashley
 
Pretty sure I got fit correct , maybe the Bell just not for my old noggin anymore .... it sure does catch a lot of wind at the forehead area , you know where hair used to grow .....
 
Craig said:
Pretty sure I got fit correct , maybe the Bell just not for my old noggin anymore .... it sure does catch a lot of wind at the forehead area , you know where hair used to grow .....
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Not sure about the hair bit as I still have a full head of it lol, as for the Bell open face I had one many years ago and it did catch a lot of wind at the forehead, my newer open face don't have that problem, with the Bell there seems to be a bit of a gap from the outside shell to the head liner and thats might be where the wind gets hold.

Ashley
 
I know I might still have my original teeth if I had been wearing a full face helmet one day in 1971....
 
In about 1967 was still riding with an open face helmet at Phillip Island, when I locked the front brake and crashed onto the non-skid surface at about 90MPH . I was about 28 years of age and rolled every inch of the way. What might have happened does not even bear thinking about. In the 1950s, many riders were killed due to pudding basin helmets and drum front brakes. These days there are still people who believe that kind of shit is OK. We even get some who suggest that road races should be run on our circuits in the reverse direction to create a bit of interest. Personally I don't like it when the meat wagon picks up the pieces as the result of stupidity.
 
Al I sort of don't get your point, we are talking about helmets not which way you are racing around a circuits, times and safety rules have saved a lot of riders on the track but still get deaths from racing, same as riding on the road in some accidents a helmet is not going to save you and other times they will in 45 years of riding and mostly wearing with a open face helmet and has only been a few years I have worn a flip top full face helmet for traveling or bad weather riding, I still feel safe wearing my open face, I still have all my teeth, and my chin, its been some time now that I have been down, I haven't changed my riding style I still ride my bikes hard and push them to their limits in the twisties, but I am more wiser these days and more aware what is going on around me and more aware of stupid people who should not have been given a licence in the first place or idiots that still hold onto their mobil phones while driving, texting is the most dangerous thing to do while driving but people still do it, they just think it will never happen to me and thats the most dangerous time for us motorcycle riders others not paying attention.
A few weeks ago I was out on my 1200 Thruxton there was a 4x4 in front of me we both were doing 100kms on the open road I was just sitting behind him minding my own business when all of a sudden he just locked up his brakes for no reason at all and I had to brake hard as I wasn't expecting it then he stuck his finger up out of his window his misses was freaking out in what he had done, I then got up beside him and asked WTF are you doing then he tried to push me over but I just opened up the 1200 up to get away from the idiot, I was sitting at the safety distant behind him, I think he just had a thing about motorcycle riders, he just had a adttude problem or something and thats how road rage starts, I don't play them games

Ashley
 
ashman said:
Al I sort of don't get your point, we are talking about helmets not which way you are racing around a circuits, times and safety rules have saved a lot of riders on the track but still get deaths from racing, same as riding on the road in some accidents a helmet is not going to save you and other times they will in 45 years of riding and mostly wearing with a open face helmet and has only been a few years I have worn a flip top full face helmet for traveling or bad weather riding, I still feel safe wearing my open face, I still have all my teeth, and my chin, its been some time now that I have been down, I haven't changed my riding style I still ride my bikes hard and push them to their limits in the twisties, but I am more wiser these days and more aware what is going on around me and more aware of stupid people who should not have been given a licence in the first place or idiots that still hold onto their mobil phones while driving, texting is the most dangerous thing to do while driving but people still do it, they just think it will never happen to me and thats the most dangerous time for us motorcycle riders others not paying attention.
A few weeks ago I was out on my 1200 Thruxton there was a 4x4 in front of me we both were doing 100kms on the open road I was just sitting behind him minding my own business when all of a sudden he just locked up his brakes for no reason at all and I had to brake hard as I wasn't expecting it then he stuck his finger up out of his window his misses was freaking out in what he had done, I then got up beside him and asked WTF are you doing then he tried to push me over but I just opened up the 1200 up to get away from the idiot, I was sitting at the safety distant behind him, I think he just had a thing about motorcycle riders, he just had a adttude problem or something and thats how road rage starts, I don't play them games

Ashley
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And that is why I always try and pass everyone to get a nice bit of free space in front of me and settle in.

Safer in my pudding basin that way. :rolleyes:
 
All the rationalizations in favor of open-face helmets are akin to those that postulate ANY helmet is dangerous-the weight can break your neck, it inhibits vision and hearing yadda, yadda, yadda. Full-face helmets are UNDOUBTEDLY safer and more protective. If you were ever to show up on a race grid with an open-face, you'd be laughed off the track before the stewards could remove you. It may not look correct wearing a full face whilst racing a tank-shift, foot clutch antique, but the alterations to your personal looks allowed by an open-face in a crash take precedence.
 
I know of one guy who thrown onto his face when he locked the brake on a TR3 Yamaha, many years ago while testing the bike onto the non-skid surface on a country road. His injuries were horrendous. However that is the only instance I can remember where a full-face helmet might have helped. I know of a couple of instances in road racing where the full-face helmet has come off the rider's head in a crash. I suspect you might have to leave the strap undone for that to happen. One of them involved a friend who had an aircooled T500 Suzuki on methanol. It stepped out ass he came out of a corner and launched him onto his head. He lost the helmet, but survived.
 
Have you ever seen a motorcycle cop wearing a full face helmet? Most wear half helmets for the increased peripheral vision and hearing advantages.

I was once approaching a "T" intersection on the "through route" leg. I was contemplating turning right when I heard a car passing me on the right from the rear at speed. Wearing a half helmet, I heard the car and avoided a possible fatal accident.

On the race track or trails, full face. In traffic? Maybe not the best choice IMHO.
 
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Triton Thrasher said:
Modern open face helmets are very thick and catch a lot of wind.

I find that full face helmets strain my neck less at speed and keep the weather off my face better.
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I find the contrary- the full coverage helmet has more surface area - fine when looking straight ahead at speed - but turn your head to look over your shoulder and it acts as a sail wrenching your head around .
 
I have been wearing modular helmets for the last 20+ years. I like the ease of putting it on and taking it off, as well as being able to flip up the chin piece when stopped for extra air, and ease of communicating with my fellow riders.

I do not have a windshield on my bike. To me, helmet safety extends beyond how well the helmet protects you in a crash - safety from air-bourne sand, stones, and bugs (especially junebugs!) are what my helmet protects me from everyday. Not to mention protection in the rain…

Agreed- a lot of it is personal preference. Just my $0.02 CAD
 
Dan1950 said:
Have you ever seen a motorcycle cop wearing a full face helmet? Most wear half helmets or the increased peripheral vision and hearing advantages.

…Wearing a half helmet, I heard the car and avoided a possible fatal accident.
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Should I cast away my ear plugs, so I maintain these hearing advantages?
 
I also wear full face and foam earplugs always …. I hear fine actually better than open face without ear protection ! …. I only have fly screens on my bikes so helmet choice is important Shoei works for me … yrs ago I witnessed a fellows face/head after taking tumble off a dual sport on gravel , can’t imagine worse injuries , suppose landing on pavement would be …. However we all different and make our own choices ! , way it should be …. I choose the gear and full face these past 20yrs or so …. And yes a June bug in the face would be real nasty at speed
 
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