Open face helmets vs full face helmets - what's your preference?

[BlightyBiker]

I recently dropped my cheap-arse first helmet so I'm looking to get a new one.

But with summer coming up I've been considering buying an open face (possibly in conjunction with a full face for longer/faster riders - bugs in your teeth etc). I just think it would feel much nicer on the commute into work with an open face during the summer months.

Any thoughts on safety/looks/practicality of open face vs full face?

[skippa1]

I recently dropped my cheap-arse first helmet so I'm looking to get a new one.

But with summer coming up I've been considering buying an open face (possibly in conjunction with a full face for longer/faster riders - bugs in your teeth etc). I just think it would feel much nicer on the commute into work with an open face during the summer months.

Any thoughts on safety/looks/practicality of open face vs full face?

I have an open face helmet for slow cruises around town, commutes and really hot days stuck in stupid Auckland traffic. I find a full face fogs up my glasses (prescription glasses) on really hot days and is very distracting. As far as possible, if my ride is going to be mainly open road, 100kmh stuff I use the full face. I have canned off and rubbed my helmet on the road (95 odd kmh) face first so I know the risk.....I just find it so distracting to be too hot and fogged up. It feels nice on a good day too.....I am sure I will be criticized but, hey.....too f**ken bad aye

[steve_t]

Safety? You won't go better than full face. Even the modular/system flip-up helmets are a compromise (check sharp ratings for the ability to stay closed in a crash). Open face puts you at risk of grinding your face or suffering a nasty impact in a crash. That said, as with all gear choices, know the risks and make a choice for yourself

[007XX]

Each to their own, but my personal preference has always been for full face helmet, even when riding overseas in the tropics.

As a teen, I saw a friend go through upper and lower jaw reconstructive surgery after having an accident on a scooter, wearing an open face helmet.

That was enough convincing for me.

[jim.cox]

I like the wind on my face

I feel claustrophobic behind the visor of a full face helmet - plus they tend to fog

But I dont like the idea of scraping my jaw down the road

So I use a MX style helmet - best of both worlds

[Maha]

Full face without doubt...What size helmet, we have a Black Shark S500 you can have real cheap...been worn a couple of times...0n special now for $149.00 @ cycletreads...make an offer if it suits?
We also have a KBC Lady Killer brand new, (bought, but ended up being to tight)...size MD 57-58cm...http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/139790-KBC-VR-2R-Lady-Killer-Helmet-Medium

[BlightyBiker]

I feel claustrophobic behind the visor of a full face helmet - plus they tend to fog

Yeah, I really struggled with claustrophobia when I first started riding but it's not too bad now. It's more the fogging and the desire to feel the wind like you said.


Full face without doubt...What size helmet, we have a Black Shark S500 you can have real cheap...been worn a couple of times...0n special now for $149.00...make an offer if it suits?
We also have a KBC Lady Killer brand new, (bought but ended up being to tight)...size MD 57-58cm...

Thanks so much for the offer Maha. In cheap helmets with not much padding I'm an XS (not sure of the specific measurements) but I tried on a Shark recently and an XS was waaaay too small so an S might fit but M may be too big. Will go to Cycle Treads this weekend to to try on a medium and see what it's like!

[ital916]

My 2c, if you are going for a helmet, don't skimp. Be it full or open face, get a good quality one with a good safety rating. As for open or full, get whatever you want to get. What you like the fit of, feel of and most importantly what makes you feel good on the inside. Don't listen to the scaremongering and friend of a friend stories of people losing their face whilst riding in an open face. You can be wearing every bit of safety kit on the planet and end up in bits.

Myself, I have currently in my stock, 2 full face helmets and 2 open face. A givi open face with shield for hot commutes, a davida open face with goggles for commutes and open road. A rockhard and a shark helmet (full facers) for whenever. One of each is a good way to go haha.

Have fun, try lots on and get it sized properly. :niceone:

[Maha]

My 2c, if you are going for a helmet, don't skimp. Be it full or open face, get a good quality one with a good safety rating. As for open or full, get whatever you want to get. What you like the fit of, feel of and most importantly what makes you feel good on the inside. Don't listen to the scaremongering and friend of a friend stories of people losing their face whilst riding in an open face. You can be wearing every bit of safety kit on the planet and end up in bits.

Myself, I have currently in my stock, 2 full face helmets and 2 open face. A givi open face with shield for hot commutes, a davida open face with goggles for commutes and open road. A rockhard and a shark helmet (full facers) for whenever.

Have fun, try lots on and get it sized properly.

But do you really care?......:lol:

[ital916]

But do really care?......:lol:

As to what she does in the end...na not really :bleh:, I do care though about what Mcdonalds combo I will have for lunch. I'm thinking a 10pc Mcnuggets combo.

[BlightyBiker]

As to what she does in the end...na not really :bleh:, I do care though about what Mcdonalds combo I will have for lunch. I'm thinking a 10pc Mcnuggets combo.

Aw thanks guys, I'm feeling the love! :killingme

But seriously, it's all good advice thanks!

[Gremlin]

I like my jaw. Also, I've discovered you can't plan for when you're going to come off (otherwise I'd be at home wrapped in cotton wool at that time), so I'll go for best protection thanks.

I use a solid full face for commuting and city work, but for all my country riding etc I have a flip face as lifting the jaw when stopped is very handy. Service stations complain less as well. I've come off at 100kph before and it stayed shut, so as long as it's a good quality flip front, then I see no safety issue with it. In time, my next commuting helmet might also be a flip...

[slofox]

I like my jaw.

Wot 'e said. I quite like having a chin too so it's always full face. If you get a decent one (Arai in my case) there is excellent ventilation and a pinlock fixes any fogging. You can always leave the vent open a smidgen if you want more wind in your face.

I'd sure hate to faceplant in an open face lid. At warp factor 9. Doesn't bear thinking about.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Its like any decision about personal protection equipment over the minimum legal standard, innit? Entirely up to you. Your choices will be coloured by your comfort with risk, your perception of that risk, involving the type of riding, where you're riding, weather, blahdeblah.

If you want to wear it, wear it. Dont whine like a little bitch if your decision bites you in the arse. Or face. What evs. Thats all I'm asking.

Its worth nothing to you I know, but I have a Davida Jet which I wear occasionally in summer. I don't look half as good as the woman in their ads though. I am a prescription glasses wearer too.

[ellipsis]

...i prefer a full face for riding on my local roads...

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac85/motorcycle-mania/forphotobucket.jpg


...a plus to an open face out here is not having to stop for lunch...but six or eight of these up your nose and a dozen in each eye makes for a hell of a ride...

[GrayWolf]

I recently dropped my cheap-arse first helmet so I'm looking to get a new one.

But with summer coming up I've been considering buying an open face (possibly in conjunction with a full face for longer/faster riders - bugs in your teeth etc). I just think it would feel much nicer on the commute into work with an open face during the summer months.

Any thoughts on safety/looks/practicality of open face vs full face?

have used al three types, so all I'll do is put down personal experience, thoughts.

Open face... the best for peripheral vision, and really for hearing engines behind you etc. Downside? Little facial protection, even with a fitted screen like some now have. The other downside? I found out too late, is the level of wind noise without earplugs.. I now have 'industrial level deafness' of the type found on people who worked around heavy plant/machinery. Other 'con' is no facial protection in rain, sleet, hail etc without a screen, or one of the new style 'matt black n well 'ard brigade' scary neoprene face masks! :bleh:

full face.....overall the best protection you can get,, bearing in mind checking SHARP/SNELL ratings, you get what you pay for. Biggest issues in my experience is the cheaper brands tend to use one shell size to make all internal head fittings, so either very difficult to get on and off as the opening at the bottom is too small, or floppy as it's too large, can mean an excess of padding to puff out the inside, rather than a different Styrofoam inner shell. Often cheaper and 'basic' internal impact absorbing shell is inferior. Straps/fixings/clasps can also be a bit suspect. Downside is enclosed, can be difficult to find a good fit for chin, mouth, nose etc.

Flip Front? SHARP will tell you which ones are good, like em or loathe em, Nolan consistently have a 100% 'non failure' rate of the locking mechanism. I think the top (Justissimo) Carberg had only a 70% non failure rate. The advantage of a flip front is the ability to talk, drink etc without removal, and for me also the critical reason for using them... can be opened in commuter or city traffic, giving excellent peripheral vision, and hearing. Downside is, the cheaper ones do have a higher 'failure rate of the lock mechanism....and they tend to have higher wind noise levels than a full face in general.

[scumdog]

.


...a plus to an open face out here is not having to stop for lunch...but six or eight of these up your nose and a dozen in each eye makes for a hell of a ride...

Wear an neoprene face-mask ya big jessie!

[007XX]

Wear an neoprene face-mask ya big jessie!

Or harden up and take your protein like a good girl :lol:

Re:flip fronts. Schuberth are quite awesome, but not the cheapest.

http://www.schuberth.com/en/motorcycle/dealers.html?tx_pxhaendlerverwaltung%5Bcountry_id% 5D=78&cHash=133742c01bce26e2f18cfe184d72dc40

[BlightyBiker]

I found out too late, is the level of wind noise without earplugs.. I now have 'industrial level deafness' of the type found on people who worked around heavy plant/machinery.

That's interesting! Didn't even consider wind noise because I've never really experienced noticeable wind noise.

[caspernz]

That's interesting! Didn't even consider wind noise because I've never really experienced noticeable wind noise.

A few hours on the open road with an open face and you're gonna hear the wind roar for a few more hours...

Me, flip face. Even my first helmet was a fullface. Good brand, last helmet was a flip and my current one is a flip. I don't like bugs or roadrash :doctor:

[Gremlin]

That's interesting! Didn't even consider wind noise because I've never really experienced noticeable wind noise.
Be careful. Generally, the wind noise at 100kph is sufficient to give you permanent and sustained hearing loss.

[ellipsis]

Be careful. Generally, the wind noise at 100kph is sufficient to give you permanent and sustained hearing loss.

...sorry, I didn't hear that...

[Maha]

Be careful. Generally, the wind noise at 100kph is sufficient to give you permanent and sustained hearing loss.

Hair loss?....why wasn't this explained to me in the begining?

[caspernz]

Hair loss?....why wasn't this explained to me in the begining?

I think I did the damage in that department a long time ago...maybe that's why I do the flipface thingee now...to keep my follicly challenged noggin under cover :eek5::sweatdrop

But like Gremlin mentioned...hearing damage...so earplugs it is:2thumbsup

[Banditbandit]

I used to think that I would only ride in an open face helmet ... but I bought a full face because it was better for a commuter through Wellington's weather ..

Then one day I dumped the bike at a reasonable speed - and the lower part of the full face looked like someone had attacked it with an angle grinder .. I thought 'Shit - in an open face that would be my skin and jaw bone' .. so I have never used an open face since ..

[jafar]

I use a full face for most of my riding, have done for years. I have a flip top as well & use that when the mood takes me. The flip is good when in slower traffic or when I havn't finished my smoke before I leave the gas station :msn-wink:
Wind noise is a bit more with the flip but not so bad as to be uncomfortable.
I don't have an open face helmet, they are for scooter riders & push bike riders IMHO.

[xknuts]

I use a full face for most of my riding, have done for years. I don't have an open face helmet, they are for scooter riders & push bike riders IMHO.

Face or NO FACE!

[jafar]

Face or NO FACE!

Exactly, not too hard to guess the outcome if this had been an open face helmet :no:

[The Lone Rider]

Posts like this make me think we need not only the pointless drivel section, but the "Obvious, Straight Forward, Or Neverending" section.

The "waving" thread could go in that section to.



PS.. I use both types of helmets. But not at the same time.

[Road kill]

Full face helmets are very dangerous,in my big crash I was wearing a full face,,but I'm sorry I don't have any pictures because I don't like to advertise my cock ups,,,,like some people<_<

But in 40 years of using open face helmets I've never had a crash while wearing one.

I can also post heaps of pictures of undamaged open face helmets as proof positive of both this and my Owesome riding skills:shifty:

In fact I belive full face helmets are actually accident promoting devices due to their making their wearers feel safer than they really are.

Exersize,,,put one of those squids out on the road with no helmet at all and see how he rides.

Then put him out there with a full face on and see how he rides.

I rest my case:laugh::bleh:

[Grizzo]

I could never bring myself to sport an open facer.
That said I do like feeling the wind on my face.
Visor up as much as I can.

[Shortie]

Open face is nice around town, but on the highway, you get hit with stones on the lip and rain feels like needles. And a lot of wind in the eyes.

What a Fucken poofter, I can't believe I wrote that shit

[scumdog]

Exactly, not too hard to guess the outcome if this had been an open face helmet :no:


Pfft, if he had been driving a car instead of riding a bike there would have not been an issue...

[Subike]

Pfft, if he had been driving a car instead of riding a bike there would have not been an issue...

But scummy, you have seen his car, if it was in the position needed to do this to a helmet. well.................

[GrayWolf]

Full face helmets are very dangerous,in my big crash I was wearing a full face,,but I'm sorry I don't have any pictures because I don't like to advertise my cock ups,,,,like some people<_<

But in 40 years of using open face helmets I've never had a crash while wearing one.

I can also post heaps of pictures of undamaged open face helmets as proof positive of both this and my Owesome riding skills:shifty:

In fact I belive full face helmets are actually accident promoting devices due to their making their wearers feel safer than they really are.

Exersize,,,put one of those squids out on the road with no helmet at all and see how he rides.

Then put him out there with a full face on and see how he rides.

I rest my case:laugh::bleh:

Sorry mate I rode for years with an open face lid,,,,, and went to full face AFTER seeing just the end result that happens from hitting the clocks/shield face first!!
I can 'agree' with the perceived safety you point out, and it is the same as the perceived safety that ABS, traction control, etc in cars.
But for physical safety?? I can only think of one word... BOLLOX!! The time that full face lids WERE a physical danger was back in the 1970's before they realised they needed to 'lift' the rear of the shell to prevent necks being broken...
Yes you can get better peripheral vision and hear better in traffic using an open face,, thats where a flip front comes into it's own.. best of both worlds!

[Road kill]

Sorry mate I rode for years with an open face lid,,,,, and went to full face AFTER seeing just the end result that happens from hitting the clocks/shield face first!!
I can 'agree' with the perceived safety you point out, and it is the same as the perceived safety that ABS, traction control, etc in cars.
But for physical safety?? I can only think of one word... BOLLOX!! The time that full face lids WERE a physical danger was back in the 1970's before they realised they needed to 'lift' the rear of the shell to prevent necks being broken...
Yes you can get better peripheral vision and hear better in traffic using an open face,, thats where a flip front comes into it's own.. best of both worlds!

Really,you take this shit seriously ?:laugh::laugh:too much.

[jafar]

Pfft, if he had been driving a car instead of riding a bike there would have not been an issue...

That like saying "if he had been playing on his xbox there wouldn't have been an issue".

[scumdog]

That like saying "if he had been playing on his xbox there wouldn't have been an issue".

You can use an xbox to travel around???:scratch::crazy:

[hellokitty]

I got slammed in the helmet today by something :( something wet and squishy..... would have been too gross and painful if it had hit my face. Not sure what it was!

[Berries]

I got slammed in the helmet today by something :( something wet and squishy..... would have been too gross and painful if it had hit my face. Not sure what it was!
In some countries people would pay for that.





And Hamilton.

[lowflyn]

I recently dropped my cheap-arse first helmet so I'm looking to get a new one.

But with summer coming up I've been considering buying an open face (possibly in conjunction with a full face for longer/faster riders - bugs in your teeth etc). I just think it would feel much nicer on the commute into work with an open face during the summer months.

Any thoughts on safety/looks/practicality of open face vs full face?

iv seen pics of what happens to some people that have had a major accident wearing an open face skid lid and the pics remind me how glad i am i own a full face. never mind the bugs and shit in your teeth with an open face , imagine chin and jaw vs handle bar or other hard objects:brick:

[Mom]

I recently dropped my cheap-arse first helmet so I'm looking to get a new one.

But with summer coming up I've been considering buying an open face (possibly in conjunction with a full face for longer/faster riders - bugs in your teeth etc). I just think it would feel much nicer on the commute into work with an open face during the summer months.

Any thoughts on safety/looks/practicality of open face vs full face?

Back in the day that was all I could afford. I wore it with face mask and goggles. (yep I really did)

Then I used to ride with an open face and a bandana. (was really horrible in wet weather, I used to think I could drown the amount of water I got to swallow as I rode)

I have had friends graze off their chins on road bikes wearing an open face helmet.

I wear full face, and wont wear anything else now.

[scumdog]

iv seen pics of what happens to some people that have had a major accident wearing an open face skid lid and the pics remind me how glad i am i own a full face. never mind the bugs and shit in your teeth with an open face , imagine chin and jaw vs handle bar or other hard objects:brick:

After seeing what happens to a motor-bike rider who crashed his bike through a fence I'm glad I drive a car...jus' sayin'...

[lowflyn]

After seeing what happens to a motor-bike rider who crashed his bike through a fence I'm glad I drive a car...jus' sayin'...

haha fair call !:niceone:

[Coldrider]

iv seen pics of what happens to some people that have had a major accident wearing an open face skid lid and the pics remind me how glad i am i own a full face. never mind the bugs and shit in your teeth with an open face , imagine chin and jaw vs handle bar or other hard objects:brick:at least with a fullface you can look perfect in the coffin.:(

[Banditbandit]

iv seen pics of what happens to some people that have had a major accident wearing an open face skid lid and the pics remind me how glad i am i own a full face.

Exactly - I swore I would never wear a full-face - until sometiome last century when I dropped a couple of bikes at speed while I happened to be wearing full face helmets .. when I saw what happened to the helmets and realised that would have been my face in an open face helmet - I have never ridden without a full face since ..



never mind the bugs and shit in your teeth with an open face

Fuck the bugs - I ride with my visor open unless it is raining - yeah you get hit - but shit happens ... get over it and harden up ... you're bike riders, not wosses (I think) ... and bugs don't taste that bad ... shit in some countries they are delicacies ...

[awa355]

ouch!! only a robot but shows the potential for injuries if this was an open face.

278916

[scumdog]

ouch!! only a robot but shows the potential for injuries if this was an open face.

278916

Ouch, shows why you shouldn't be on a bike - or in a small car:rolleyes:

[Laava]

ouch!! only a robot but shows the potential for injuries if this was an open face.

278916

Why has this BMW got so many stickers on it?

[BMWST?]

Why has this BMW got so many stickers on it?

you cant see the first row of stickers.in the is picture the door intrusion beams have scored a 4 the next row a three and so on:cool:

[cc rider]

278916What are the odds of colliding with a vehicle the same colour :crazy:






... I wear both.... at the same time

[awayatc]

if you come off you can never have to much protective gear....
open face helmets in summer around town are very pleasant.
You don't need to take them off everywhere either.
How safe you feel you need to be all the time?

[fireball]

Full face helmets all the way...

Let me show you a picture.....

[Erelyes]

Fullface... if you really want the wind in your face, visor up and some shatterproof eyewear on.

Or buy an Ariel Atom.