- This topic has 10 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by eon.
Broke down and bought a new helmet.
-
AuthorPosts
-
June 9, 2009 at 5:44 pm #2976MunchParticipant
Ok guys…. you win…sorta. After a debate of sorts about halves, fulls, and 3/4 helmets I broke down and got me a 3/4. Now before some of ya start doing the victory dance I still stand very firm and very passionate about the right to choose.
Now with that said I went to the dealership today to get my rear tire replaced, which I hope lasts longer then the previous one. 3700 miles on 1 tire and it’s down to 2/32 is ridiculous….anywho. I was talking with a Product rep there while I waited. We chewed the fat about gear, helmets and the like. Now nothing against mesh but me and this guy butted heads alot about them. He was trying to Argue how modern textile/mesh jackets are getting comparable to leather…. I of course strongly disagree.
However I found myself thinking an odd thing once we moved onto helmets. He was doing his job and trying to sell me a FF helmet … like a good little sales rep he was pushing Scorpions. While I was talking with him and thinking about different conditions I ride in he drug me over to the HJC section. Showed me the HJC IS-33. I was thinking about the long treks I like to make and how recently with all the afternoon pop up thunderstorms I get anxious about the ride home. Sucks seeing a t-storm crawl up your back door and thinking….do I have my half on and hope it holds off and ride comfortably with a good wind, maybe having to stop to throw the FF on? Or do I just throw on the FF and suffer (for me) the overheating and hope it rains. Well then I also found myself thinking how ridiculous I sounded about being a firm believer in leather and yet I ride with a half helmet. Got a mental kick in the ass for that one. Started wondering why I found myself TRYING to justify the open air of a half helmet against the protection of the FF. The only real argument, a weak one all be it, is that a FF gives you full “protection” but that can get compromised if your dangerously close to heat exhaustion and pass out. With the half…. reverse. So the 3/4 was an awesome compromise.
This is the one I got… it even has the cool feature that has been boasted on FF helmets with the retractable “sun shield”. Rode home with it and I do like it… It is much lighter, even more so then my half helmet and the sun visor is a nice touch..though I will likely be tinting it more. The front clear screen will help in the rain to keep thing off me a visible. It was $150 USD and over all thus far I am very happy with it. Even behind a windshield on the 9 you can still feel some air circulation from the 4 vents. Over all am happy.
Now… 2 things… the Gmax FF I have… not for summer riding. Even though they boast clear venting that baby gets hot and quick. Yes I coulda dropped a bunch more on something that has more gimmicks and such but the Gmax that I have is actually perfect for my winter riding. The limited air flow that it has keeps my head from frosting over in 20 degree weather at 75+mph.
Now a big warning…. The BELL Drifter model half helmet. I absolutely recommend everyone to stay away from this. One of the reasons I even started looking for another helmet is the material they used to coat the outer shell with actually started melting under the full force of the sun. The second day I had it the material started softening up and then actually melting. Not a confidence builder once you start thinking about all the the things a helmet should be able to “protect” you against. I will likely get me another half helmet some where down the road and if I do BELL will not be on the list. Likely I will go with Headtrip helmets.June 9, 2009 at 7:45 pm #19485eonParticipant
Glad you like your new purchase. I will always be a FF guy but I absolutely respect a persons right to choose. Sucks about your rear tire, 3700 miles! That seems extremely low. I’m not an expert on these things (or anything really) but is that anywhere remotely near normal? Maybe on a high performance sport bike with sticky rear tires handling lots of HP, but on a cruiser?June 9, 2009 at 7:57 pm #19486motokidParticipant… since you seem to be a nice and reasonable guy, I’m going to ask this question: how is a helmet different than seat belt when it comes to legislature making it mandatory or not. What I mean, there are people opposing seat belts, but I have never seen big gun arguments like democracy, freedom, liberty, respect … being pulled out while debating belts legislation.
K
June 9, 2009 at 9:10 pm #19487MunchParticipantyou my friend have not been on the bricks paying close attention. There are people everyday fighting forceful seat belt laws. Sit in a traffic court room for a full day and you can hear numerous arguments to no avail against forceful seat belt laws. Back in the 80’s there were serious organization and movements against it. How it came to pass to law… well look to your G-men (now women too) that passed the laws and what motivated them to do it. Not every state enforces it either. It also does not include all modes of 4 wheel transportation.
June 9, 2009 at 9:56 pm #19488EliasParticipantNice helmet, glad you like it! If I didn’t go with the Shark, I would have bought an HJC as well.
June 20, 2009 at 4:40 pm #19965DaggerParticipantI think as we get more comfortable on bikes we take less and less precautions.. The fact of the matter is, most gear is meant to protect you in a crash going less than 40mph.. If I lay my bike down on the freeway going 80 then no amount of gear is going to protect me from the car right behind me.
That being said.. Is it safest to always wear a FF helmet and all your gear? Yes. Is there times on a hot summer day when you just want to throw on a skid lid and a vest and go out and enjoy the sun? Yes. (Especially if you’re a cruiser guy like me) When I started I swore I would always wear a FF helmet.. After a year that rule has kinda gone out the window.. My helmet choice now is which will I be more comfortable in on that day.. Warmer days I put on the 1/2 and cooler days I go with the full..
Everyone makes their own judgments as to what is “safe enough” for them.. It’s about finding what works for you and doing your best to stay safe.. Would I recommend that a new rider go with a 1/2 helmet while they’re learning to ride? Never.. But as for someone who has been riding a while and is competent, I say why not. They are after all DOT approved as far as skull protection goes… Yes you run a larger risk of rash and jaw damage but we take a risk every time we get on our bikes.
June 20, 2009 at 11:02 pm #19975MunchParticipant+1 and then some.
June 21, 2009 at 7:25 am #19985eonParticipantI’m not sure what you mean about 80mph and the car behind you. If a car hits you at a speed differential of 80mph then yes, nothing is going to save (I doubt it would help much at 40mph either). If you are sliding at 80mph then good gear will definitely save you. If a car runs over you while you are sliding then that’s going to hurt but gear could certainly improve your chances.
I am going in the opposite direction from you. I am currently shelling out a lot of cash to get better protective clothing. I am riding more miles, riding faster, cornering faster than I was in the beginning so my need is greater now than it was then. I made plenty of mistakes as a beginner but I was going so slow I could recover from them. I make less mistakes now but the consequences are higher. And while I cannot really afford this expense just now, not having better protection could cost me a lot more.
Plus shopping for bike stuff is fun
June 21, 2009 at 9:27 am #19987eternal05ParticipantI’m in your camp, Eon. Every year I end up upgrading my gear to be hotter, stuffier, more constricting…oops…errr…I mean safer gear! No, seriously though. I started out wearing a helmet, textile jacket, gloves, jeans, and work boots. Now I wear a minimum of a leather jacket, back protector, full gauntlets, leather pants, hip/coccyx armor, and fully-armored sport boots any time I’m going to be on the bike for more than 10 minutes. Sometimes I rock the full leather suit. It’s a lot of work getting in and out of all that gear, and damn it can be hot at a summer stop light, but the feeling I think Ben described of “feeling safe enough in your gear to sprint down a gravel road and launch yourself headfirst into the ground” is simply irreplaceable. Solid gear for the win!
There’s that one problem with really good gear though. It’s damn spendy.
June 21, 2009 at 2:04 pm #19989MunchParticipant“If a car runs over you while you are sliding then that’s going to hurt but gear could certainly improve your chances.”
Umm no…. your gear with the exception from your helmet only “protects” you in the event of a slide. A car runs over you…no gear in the world aside from an iron suit is gonna help you. The back pads , knee pads, pucks, shin guards etc. are only rated for minimal protection for your landing from being launched off the bike. There’s a huge difference between a 150 to 300 lbs person hitting the road from 10 feet in the air and a 1500 lbs car runnin straight over you.June 21, 2009 at 3:16 pm #19992eonParticipantIf a 1500 lbs car was to hit you then no gear will help. If we are talking about it running over the top of you then I think it might. If you were to lie down in the road and have a car run over you at 10mph and you have the choice of wearing a back protector, race boots etc, would you choose to wear the gear? I know I would.
But, as you have said we all find a personal balance in the risks we take and how we approach them. I know I lean towards the safety end of the spectrum (you just need to look at what I ride to know that).
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.