What kind of helmet do you wear?

[Jess from VA]

This has probably been done before, but I'm curious.

[Jersey mike]

2 bike, 2 different helmets. I only voted on what I wear on the Valk.

Valkyrie gets a Nolan modular…and built in Bluetooth. Love it.



Aspencade gets 1/2 helmet, wife wears a 3/4 helmet.

[Alien]

HJC i91 Modular.

Ride Safe,

Alien

[Jess from VA]

I forgot about modular, so I added it to the poll.

I have no experience with them, but guess it's a full face with the chin bar down, and a 3/4 with it up?

Tell me, do you ride with it mostly up or down (fast and slow, bugs, wind, sun)? 

[Fazer]

Schuberth C4 Pro.  Saved my bacon in a crash.  Scratched up.  Has integrated blue tooth, not the best but pretty good.

[98valk]

Full Face Bell Helmet. Bell Qualifier DLX MIPS Hart Luck Live Helmet,  Mips (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) is a leading slip-plane technology inside the helmet designed to help reduce rotational forces that can result from certain impacts.
 https://www.ebay.com/itm/157367271721?var=458863148135&_ul=US&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5339046648&toolid=10001&customid=eb%3Ab%3Avms%3Aeb%3Ap%3A157367271721-458863148135%3Beb390ae6907a1b82645963fb4bf57380&loc_physical_ms=94845&loc_interest_ms=&msclkid=eb390ae6907a1b82645963fb4bf57380

without the face shield unless raining and lower 50F.  without the shield always blu-blocker type safety glasses.

[carolinarider09]

It depends on the bike.  The Goldwing is used mainly for long distance trips.  We both wear modular helmets.

The Valkyrie and ST1300 are used for local trips and when I ride solo for a couple of days.  Then we/I use 3/4 helmets.

[HayHauler]

Schuberth C3 Pro.  This is my 2nd one and probably the quietest helmet I have owned.  I have only owned Shoei and Schuberth modulars since I started riding in 2008.

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Jersey mike]

I forgot about modular, so I added it to the poll.

I have no experience with them, but guess it's a full face with the chin bar down, and a 3/4 with it up?

Tell me, do you ride with it mostly up or down (fast and slow, bugs, wind, sun)? 

I usually keep the whole face closed when on the highway or anything over about 50mph.

I still like the feel of the wind in my face at lower speeds and the helmet does have a drop down dark visor so it acts like a decent sun shade and bug deflector. If it’s a colder or windier day and lots of grit is flying around I’ll close the face on low speed roads. There are a few 35mph roads that runs along the ocean but on windy days that sand just blows with the wind and can be a real pain in the tush if it gets in your face and eyes so I’ll drop the whole face down and batten down the hatch.

[old2soon]

    Seems like ya can Only vote fer 1 so I voted the 1 I wear the most! A half shell I can NOT recall the make of! It's probably aged out BUT it's like an old friend-danged difficult to repace! A Bell full face and a Bell 500 3/4. The full face fer me anywho only comes in used when it's below 30 degrees F! It do tend to retain a Lot of warmth! RIDE SAFE.

[klb]

HJC i10 full face. I wear sunglasses and keep the visor up unless it's too cold.
It matches my 1999 black and chrome pretty good.

[Serk]

HJC RPHA 91 Modular with built in Sena Bluetooth module.

Kiddos use various HJC Modulars with added on Sena Bluetooth modules.

Most of the time I ride with it in "full face" mode, but when I want it open, it sure is nice to be able to do so.

[NewValker]

I wear a HJC half helmet until it gets cold, then it’s a modular.
Usually open shield, with sun visor down.

Craig

[Jess from VA]

I've mostly worn DOT half helmets all my life.

I do have a 3/4 (which is probably so old it's no longer safe to wear), and a like new full face I got because it's wildly painted as the head of a dragon (with lots of teeth), but I've only worn it 2-3 times in the really cold (but I'm done riding in really cold).

I wanted a half with a half visor to add wind and sun protection for my eyes, and got a good one, but the visor was so dark when I used it with my good dark prescription riding glasses, it was too dark to see through.  They made an alternate mirror shield I had to call all over creation to find, and it's just the right amount of tint.  I'm not crazy about the little snap in ear covers, instead of a warm zip in neck curtain.  And there's a little vent you can open and close on top (so little, you can't tell if it's open or not).

[scooperhsd]

I wear an HJC open face with a face protector and a sun brim.

[Big Rig]

I have this helmet I wear unless it is raining, I also have a modular if liquid sunshine comes into play on long trips...no better use for the trunk on the IS IMHO...


[/quote]

[Alien]

I forgot about modular, so I added it to the poll.

I have no experience with them, but guess it's a full face with the chin bar down, and a 3/4 with it up?

Tell me, do you ride with it mostly up or down (fast and slow, bugs, wind, sun)? 

Correct.  I ride with it closed, for the most part but I have two large bicycle water bottles mounted to my bike and it's nice to be able to flip it up and take a drink while riding.  Also it's nice to be able to put the helmet on without removing my glasses, flip it open for air at gas stops, etc.  It also has a built in retractable sun shade which is nice in that I can wear my clear prescription glasses and have sun protection on demand as well as being able to go back to unshaded almost instantly when needed (like entering a dark tunnel or parking garage) with just a tap on top of the helmet.

Ride Safe,

Alien

[Jess from VA]

The dark glasses and visor was my issue.  I wore my clear prescription with the dark visor because I could not see with both my dark glasses and the dark visor.  But I like the visor up best and at slower speeds, and the clear glasses were too much sunlight for my old eyes.  This was solved when I found the medium tint visor.  So I only carry my clear varilux readers on the bike to go in stores or if I have to read something (smaller than a stop sign  ). 

But on windy sunny days, the visor stays down all day. 

I carry cold water in the trunk.  But with my old man prostate I must limit all fluids while (and before) riding, otherwise I'm riding around looking for portacans or heavy shrubbery.     Water is good for you, but when riding it must only be small sips for me.   

[Serk]

I get frustrated with the (clear) visor often popping itself back down when I'm trying to leave it open to the point I usually remove it and store it in the trunk, only coming out in especially wet and/or cold weather riding conditions.

My glasses are the "Darken in sun" type, but also the helmet has a flip down/up sun visor separate from the main visor I utilize as necessary.

[F6Dave]

I forgot about modular, so I added it to the poll.

I have no experience with them, but guess it's a full face with the chin bar down, and a 3/4 with it up?

Tell me, do you ride with it mostly up or down (fast and slow, bugs, wind, sun)?  

Actually there are 2 versions of modulars. The original style (I bought one 40 years ago) had a chin bar that would rotate upwards just enough to clear the front opening, to make it easier to put on. Riding in the open position wasn't really an option.

Now there's a version with a chin bar that rotates fully to the rear, so you can ride using it as a 3/4 or full coverage helmet. I think Shark was the first to offer this type and I bought one about 10 years ago. Now LS2, Nolan, HJC, and others offer this type of modular helmet.

[h13man]

GMax 3/4 most the time. Road trips and cooler temps Gmax FF.

[Jess from VA]

I get frustrated with the (clear) visor often popping itself back down when I'm trying to leave it open to the point I usually remove it and store it in the trunk, only coming out in especially wet and/or cold weather riding conditions.

When I changed out my half helmet visor to the lighter tinted one, I discovered the lashup is pretty flimsy.  Couple plastic parts fit together.  First time I rode with it, the darn thing just fell out of the helmet when I pulled it down, and I was lucky to grab it before it blew down the road.  If I yank on it riding, it can come right out.  So up and down while riding must be a careful/gentle operation.

[Road Scholar]

Schuberth C5 (modular) in white.  I like it a lot, very comfortable, relatively quiet.  Pinlock seems to work well.  If open, the Visor tends to snap closed at about 60 mph - it probably is best closed at that speed anyway.  I have the comms system (Sena) which I've used a few times (calls, FM radio).  The helmet meets the 22.06 safety rating.  Ventilation is good.   Not a cheap helmet by any means but I'd recommend it. 

Previously I had an $80 helmet (ILM) I bought on Amazon and the difference in quality is very noticeable.  I tried a Simpson helmet but could not get a fit for my melon.

[HayHauler]

I forgot about modular, so I added it to the poll.

I have no experience with them, but guess it's a full face with the chin bar down, and a 3/4 with it up?

Tell me, do you ride with it mostly up or down (fast and slow, bugs, wind, sun)? 

Correct.  I ride with it closed, for the most part but I have two large bicycle water bottles mounted to my bike and it's nice to be able to flip it up and take a drink while riding.  Also it's nice to be able to put the helmet on without removing my glasses, flip it open for air at gas stops, etc.  It also has a built in retractable sun shade which is nice in that I can wear my clear prescription glasses and have sun protection on demand as well as being able to go back to unshaded almost instantly when needed (like entering a dark tunnel or parking garage) with just a tap on top of the helmet.

Ride Safe,

Alien

Same here.  I learned a trick from TJ on here (5_19) to put a couple of strips of black electrical tape near the top of the shield.  That way, when riding into the sun, all I have to do is tilt my head down a little bit to block out the sun.  Works Great!

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Jess from VA]

Helmets are one of those things you must try on for fit in person.  You cannot just order your size.

There are round heads and oblong heads, and sizing varies widely (esp with overseas production).

So you go to a store and try them on and if you get a good fit in one you like, you can go home and see if you can order it on line for less (which is nearly always the case). 

[GiG]

Helmets are not made in individual sizes - no profit possible there 
Padding varies between sizes
XL helmet has less interior padding than Med helmet. Shells are the same 

[F6Dave]

I get frustrated with the (clear) visor often popping itself back down when I'm trying to leave it open to the point I usually remove it and store it in the trunk, only coming out in especially wet and/or cold weather riding conditions.

I have an older HJC 3/4 helmet with a shield that flips down in the wind. I wore it for short trips because it was lighter than my Shark. I could gum up the mechanism with tape and the shield would stay in place, but only for a while. I got so sick of it that I bought my new HJC F100 Carbon.

The shield on the new helmet stays where you put it. Being carbon fiber it's noticeably lighter, which is great for my neck. Thanks to the new ECE 22.06 regulations it's quieter, has better ventilation, better visibility, and even better scratch resistance. It's so much better than any helmet I've ever owned that the riding experience is actually improved.

[TrapperAH1G]

Daytona Modular.  Anything over very slow parking lot speed, it's closed.  Best helmet I've ever had.

[fudgie]

None when around home but skid lid when I travel solo. When we road trip together, nothing. If it rains or helmet State while traveling, skid lids. It was hard to remember to wear it at IZ this yr.

[BudMan]

I wear a Shark modular on the Wing (usually 2 up) and a Half on the Harley.

[98valk]

Helmets are not made in individual sizes - no profit possible there 
Padding varies between sizes
XL helmet has less interior padding than Med helmet. Shells are the same 

most manufacturers today do the padding thing only for size difference such as  med- large, xl - xxl.
they don't go med to xl.  some high end helmets like Arai and Shoei don't do that all when I checked yrs ago. My Bell does the 2 size padding thing.

[Pluggy]

Helmets are one of those things you must try on for fit in person.  You cannot just order your size.

There are round heads and oblong heads, and sizing varies widely (esp with overseas production).

So you go to a store and try them on and if you get a good fit in one you like, you can go home and see if you can order it on line for less (which is nearly always the case).  

Jess, I looked all over to find a replacement for my 3XL helmet.  Few to try, nothing fit.  Two from Amazon sent back.  Seems I need a "2.5XL".  

Got lucky.  A 3/4 style 2XL that fit!  The $350 price was mostly for the Willie G skull graphics.  That helmet without the graphics was an online closeout for $127.  The black and blue color matches a previous year Harley.  Not a color that I would have picked, but a real quality item.

Yes, we have to try them on.

[98valk]

why its so important to have a helmet with a chin bar. most of the impacts actually happens to the chin compared to other areas of the helmet.

https://www.hardheadveterans.com/blogs/reviews/motorcycle-half-helmets-vs-three-quarters-vs-full-face-pros-cons?srsltid=AfmBOopfQy0v3VF8vDieHssugrC-0s88G_1zFuQVdrYgUUNwoyqFTtmm

""However, perhaps the most well-known numbers from biomechanics and accident analysis expert Dietmar Otte came to a different conclusion. In the 1980s, Otte compared full-face helmets to open-face versions and determined complete coverage headgear was 45.3% safer. This number stems from the percentage of impacts to the face and chin, illustrated in a diagram reproduced many times over the years:  This study’s injury proportions aren’t definitive. For example, NHSTA data from 2003–2005 estimates facial injuries at just over 20%, another study had combined face and neck injuries at 20-30%, and a third had “jaw and face” injuries at just below 20%.

Nevertheless, the overall conclusion is clear: a decent proportion of hits happen in places that full-face helmets protect.""

[Serk]

Helmets are one of those things you must try on for fit in person.  You cannot just order your size.

And be a decent human, the B&M places are struggling as it is. Don't go into your local one, try on a bunch of helmets to find the one that fits, then go order the right make and model online...

[Jess from VA]

Helmets are one of those things you must try on for fit in person.  You cannot just order your size.

And be a decent human, the B&M places are struggling as it is. Don't go into your local one, try on a bunch of helmets to find the one that fits, then go order the right make and model online...

Actually, I agree with this.  I will often pay a bit more in various stores that need the business and give good service.     I bought the one I posted above in my local store.  (Maybe $20 more than ordering)

We have two local bike gear stores.  One gives great service, and the other none at all (and they wonder why no one goes there).