Full Face Street Helmets

[houseowax]

I know this has been touched on before, but the discussion almost always concludes with open face helmets being recommended.
I am a new rider with a '63 CA77. I live in New York City and will be doing the majority of my riding in the city where traffic is fast and erratic. A full-face helmet seems like a good idea. Mostly, though, I just promised the missus I would wear a full-face, so...I'll be wearing a full-face.

Here's the rub: I hate 'em.They're claustrophobic and make me feel removed from my surroundings. I suppose this is unavoidable and I'll eventually get used to the sensation. In the meantime, nobody seems to make one that doesn't look ridiculous with a 50 year old bike. If I could find one I liked the looks of maybe it'd dull the pain a little..

Anyone? Assume money is no object (even though that's the furthest thing from the truth).

[davomoto]

Check out ARAI helmets. Not even close to cheap, but like the old Bell Helmets ad stated, " If you have a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet, if your head's worth more, wear a Bell" I've been using ARAI helmets exclusively since 1981, both street and dirt.

[LOUD MOUSE]

I ride with a VEGA Summit XVP which has the lift up chin cover and the lift up shield.
Very comfortable to me.
When I raced in the 60's I used a BELL MAGNUM type with a football quarter back mouth guard
(2 bar type) wrapped with black electrical tape.
It was to keep ya face/chin out of the dirt/rocks (crash) and when passing/being passed the rocks from the rear tire of the other bike from hitting ya mouth.
IT WORKED!!!!!!!. ............lm

I know this has been touched on before, but the discussion almost always concludes with open face helmets being recommended.
I am a new rider with a '63 CA77. I live in New York City and will be doing the majority of my riding in the city where traffic is fast and erratic. A full-face helmet seems like a good idea. Mostly, though, I just promised the missus I would wear a full-face, so...I'll be wearing a full-face.

Here's the rub: I hate 'em.They're claustrophobic and make me feel removed from my surroundings. I suppose this is unavoidable and I'll eventually get used to the sensation. In the meantime, nobody seems to make one that doesn't look ridiculous with a 50 year old bike. If I could find one I liked the looks of maybe it'd dull the pain a little..

Anyone? Assume money is no object (even though that's the furthest thing from the truth).

[Loudo]

Regardless of any other consideration, you need to buy the most comfortable helmet possible. Everyone's head is different, so try on at least a few. I have an Arai Vector in plain white, my head seemed to agree with the Arai better than Shoei. It has lots of venting so it's comfortable.

You could write a book on full-face vs. other helmets discussions, but if you take a pragmatic look at the issue you'd see that chin bar damage figures prominently in get-offs. I personally don't care what I look like on my bike, I'm having too much fun riding to give a moment's consideration to what I look like to other motorists.

[houseowax]

Thanks for your thoughts, fellas.
If I didn't care about safety I'd wear an open with a shield, but I reckon full-face is the way to go. I'd be lying if I said I didn't care at all what I looked like, but not enough to grind my chin off in the pursuit of aesthetics.
I am claustrophobic and don't like wearing anything over my face; it makes me nervous in a 'caged rat' kinda way. I suppose I'll just have to desensitize myself over time. Still, if there was one I liked the looks of more at least I'd resent having to wear it less.
Once a helmet's achieved DOT and Snell approval, is the additional $ just for more vents/lightness/hi-tech features?
Is a $500 Arai much SAFER than a $200 DOT/Snell helmet?

[Hotshoe]

Here's a resource for an on-line discounter with lots of close outs.

Competition Accessories <CompetitionAccessories@ixs1.net>

I just got a good deal on a nice Bell open face helmet from them, OK service and lots of other stuff available too.

[cyclon36]

Thanks for your thoughts, fellas.
If I didn't care about safety I'd wear an open with a shield, but I reckon full-face is the way to go. I'd be lying if I said I didn't care at all what I looked like, but not enough to grind my chin off in the pursuit of aesthetics.
I am claustrophobic and don't like wearing anything over my face; it makes me nervous in a 'caged rat' kinda way. I suppose I'll just have to desensitize myself over time. Still, if there was one I liked the looks of more at least I'd resent having to wear it less.
Once a helmet's achieved DOT and Snell approval, is the additional $ just for more vents/lightness/hi-tech features?
Is a $500 Arai much SAFER than a $200 DOT/Snell helmet?

You're paying for a number of things. Quality of craftsmanship among the lot of them. The high dollar helmet companies have a lot more money to do R&D on foam composites that might give them an edge in crash tests. Something you might not be able to feel by comparing face to face. The higher dollar helmet companies also work to make sure that the materials used inside the trim is nice to the touch and comfort is more than just about fitting on the head. Granted, there are uncomfortable expensive helmets. The shape of your head has a lot to do with it and since all heads aren't the same...well, you get the idea.

Graphics are going to play a part in the cost as well. A plain jane white helmet is not going to be as much as a nice paint job helmet.

When all is said an done, the higher dollar margin is for a safety rating or crash test that is probably only measurable in lab tests (assuming both helmets are reputable quality and not the chinaman special).

Anyway, my opinion on the whole deal. Not necessarily the best answer.

If you're looking for a vintage look, you might want to consider the 70's style helmets:





just do a google search on "vintage full face helmet" and I'm sure you'll get a ton more