Three quarter helmets....

[thepeacebullgrunt]

By the way !

Where can I get a new Visor for my Schuberth Concept ?
since Schuberth is not represented in USA anymore

I tried ebay but nothing pops up.. ..

I have heard that some guys have the hand on a stock in US but who ?

[ShinySideUp]

This is the second entry in a Google search for "Schuberth visors"

http://tinyurl.com/arby92

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Et Voila ! they are the guys from BMW Santa Cruuuuuz....

Thanks ShinnySideUp !

[ka5ysy]

At the MSF classroom where I teach, we have a sample helmet marked with the probabilities of impact to its various parts. The numbers are based on a study of several thousand motorcycle crashes. Care to guess the probability of impact to the chinbar? Would you believe 40%?

No judgment, just information...

+1 for me on this quote... I was riding with my Shoei X-11 at slow speed when the RR decided to do a snap-roll right and slammed me into the ground. The helmet took a hard hit at the 2 o'clock position and a really bad scrape across the right side chin bar and face shield. Net result was a good concussion and 4 cracked ribs, but not a scratch on me because of ATGATT. A 3/4 helmet would have had a really bad outcome for my jaw. All this happened at about 5 to 10 mph. I replaced the X-11 with a new Multitech, and it is equally good ventilation and is actually a bit quieter than the X-11 plus being a flip-up for stops and talking with my students in Riders Edge classes.

A good helmet is not hot in the summer, does not impair hearing or sight.

A white or light colored helmet seriously improves you chance of being seen by cage drivers something like 30 percent, besides being cooler than a black helmet in the summer. Adding SOLAS reflective tape makes you really visible in the dark.


Observation: Ever see anybody on the superbike circuit in a 3/4 or brain bucket? Hmmmmmm... Think they know a little bit about safety equipment ?
\

Dress for the crash that WILL come...

Besides, bugs, rocks, beer cans, and hornets smacking you in the face really are not a lot of fun when riding.

[Bill Stevenson]

My helmet of choice is an Arai SZ-Ram3, a very high priced, 3/4 helmet. I also have several other helmets including both full faced ones and shortys. Several people have correctly pointed out that ours is a risky activity and each of us must make our own choices. There is no such thing as the perfect helmet. Assumptions that one type of helmet is the "best" are also problematic. DOT vs. Snell is controversial. A study several years ago conducted in Australia indicated that full face helmets might be more dangerous because there is a chance that the chin bar hitting first could break the neck. Anything is possible in a crash. My advice is to find a helmet you like and that is comfortable and that you like to wear. Use it in good health and try to keep the rubber side down.

For me, living is South Florida, a 3/4 helmet is a lot more comfortable for our hot climate. When I am up in New England, I prefer a full face helmet. So there are a lot of good reasons to make your own decisions.

Bill

[ErikM]

The flip front (system type) helmets are now being tested for their abilty to stay closed in a get off. http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/ of course they are testing to a higher standard than our DOT but the tests on the chin bar are representive of US helmets. As far as having to use a 3/4 helmet due to heat, if it's that frickin hot that I can't wear a full face helmet (95+ degrees) I just use the car, that's what air conditioning is for

[thepeacebullgrunt]

I have a Schuberth concept and live in California... in summer its help a lot at slow speed in residential area's as soon as you speed up a little the wind pressure on the open part is too high on the neck then you already started to cry so bad just because the sun visor do not cover enough under the eyes.

So ! this open face helmet is for me %90 of the time a full face helmet... it just pleasant and help at slow speed.

The recent upgrade of the Schuberth concept has a way bigger sun visor, it might perform well at higher speed if face is open.... but once riders reaches higher speeds common sense is to close the helmet anyway.

[curmudgeon]

I wear the recently released (2008) version of the Bell Star helmet and it has the best ventilation of any full face helmet I've used to date (Shoei's & HJC carbon). This Bell helmet definitely makes hot weather easier to deal with and doesn't fog up. When I was researching it I read that Bell had their bicycle designers in on the Star helmet design to help with ventilation features, the bicycle people tended to find most motorcycle helmet venting pitiful. You might see if a local dealer will let you try one on a ride, it just may surprise you with the amount of air flowing through the helmet. Lots of propaganda here if you're interested:

http://www.thebellstar.com/index.aspx

I've worn a full face since I started riding in the late 70's and continued to do so even when I rode Harley's. Darwin candidates wearing non-DOT-approved novelty helmets used to give me static about it but i just laughed it off. Personally, I'm not willing to risk the results of a face plant for a little more breeze but it's a free country and you can do as you like (just my opinion, I'm not lecturing).

[vielzebub]

....and we're back.

Oddly enough curmudgeon, the bell star is exactly the helmet I ended up getting. I think I was bred for the arctic as I'm hot whenever it gets above 60 in New England.
I too read about the ventilation of the star and figured it would be the perfect helmet for me. Well, the perfect helmet that I can get in America anyway. Honestly, I was sold on the J1 that was posted, but didn't want to deal with trying to get one here in the states.
So yeah, I read about the bell, bought the bell and am fairly okay with the bell. My other helmet is a Schuberth C1 or C2, can't remember which, and Schuberth makes the perfect helmet for me. Like Don and Shiny I must be somewhat blockheaded....
From what I remember the bell was lighter and A LOT NOISIER than the Schuberth, but I'm kinda, sorta happy with it on a day to day commute.
Kinda.
I hate that the tab to open the visor is on the left only. Often I open the visor at a stop with my right hand. You know, clutch in, bike in first, standing on my left foot, right foot holding the rear brake, ready to squirt out of trouble if someone comes roaring up behind. With the tab on the left I either reach awkwardly across my face, or put the bike in neutral. So yeah, I have a thing about the tab, but whatever. It lets in a lot of air and really, that was a big priority for me. The noise I can deal with on the commute and for long trips I still have my old Schuberth.
I do thank everyone for their earlier comments and helpful links.

eric

[Johnny the W]

I like the Nolan N-42 N-Com for really hot days and running errands close to home. The dual visors are really nice and work well behind the windscreen of my R12R. Great visibility and fit, love the padded ratchet chin strap.


http://www.nolanhelmets.com/n42ncom.htm


A full face is almost always in order for serious riding at speed.

JTW

[snag]

I am way late to this discussion and I live in what can be considered as northern Canada, heat exhaustion is not an issue, so I apologize if my thoughts are somewhat late and out of context.

I use both styles and unfortunately most of my riding buds are on Harleys, so you know what they wear. My experience with them in tow (literally) has been, in hot weather, rain and cold is that while they suffer, I simply motor on in comfort. Particularly in the rain and cold; while they fight the elements I am unaffected and much safer because I am concentrating on the road and not wondering where the feeling in my face went or where the road is.

There is an old saw about Harley riders being "Lifestyle Riders" and I take smug comfort in thinking that I am not one of those "Riders". However, I wear my 3/4 when I ride my CB750 and CBX because it's the right "look", so I really am one of those Lifestyle Riders too. I even wear the 3/4 on the 12R once in awhile because I can hear the exhaust note much better than with my full face without earplugs.

This thread has been very useful from a sober second thought standpoint. You need to read Bill's post a couple of times to appreciate what he is saying. That actually happened to him and it was not planned. We don't plan accidents, they just happen. At 5 mph or 85 mph an accident can be devastating. Our fault or the other guy's, usually a combination of both and fault doesn't change to results. Bill's post has me thinking that the 3/4's days are over. As much as I love wearing it, it's days are probably done.

Not to be a safety Nazi, but we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones (most importantly) who will have to deal with the results, to take whatever precautions are available to us. If we can make it safer, we should. As risk taking beings, we do a lot of things because we can, not because we should. Getting away with it is the rationalization that legitimizes many of the less prudent things that we do. I'M hot so I should wear the 3/4 or the tank top is simply that.

Ride safe and keep the rubber side down are cute sayings, but the reality behind those words is: Do everything that you can to minimize the risks inherent in doing what we love, riding motorcycles. Doing what fells best to you is often not what is best for you.

This thread has made me look at my actions objectively, which is sometimes hard to do when a part of you lives simply to ride.

Now how do I get the CBX Owner's Association sticker off of my 3/4 and on to my full face?

Doug

[skysailor]

HJC....100 bucks. DOT and SNELL. It fits. 'nuf said.

[gersh10]

I own both and ride I've worn them on everything from duel sports to cruiser as well as test rides on the R1200R (which I intend to buy this spring ) What I've notice is that with my Scorpion 3/4 helmet I have much better peripheral visibility and of course ventalation (not to mention I think it looks better with my leather jacket... )
My last bike was a cruiser. I would switch between windshield and not. What I found was that with the windshield in place I preferred the 3/4 for ventilation my Arai didn't flow much at all. without the windshield I also like the 3/4 at slow in-town speeds do the enjoying the feel of the wind on my face and again the visibility, I love the cool morning air! Also I like to see what is coming at me... The problem with the 3/4 at speed is that it has a lot of drag pulling at my head. I've had a neck/shoulder injury on my bicycle a few years ago and that extra pressure caused problems on long hauls. On one long haul one of my non helmet wearing friends convinced me to take it off and strap it to the bike and OMG what a difference it made, I completely understand the enjoyment of riding without one so much more comfortable and free feeling... but I've also had a couple in incidences in my past where the helmet has saved my life, so I always wear one.
As for my Arai I love it's air flow with no windshield in the way, my last couple bikes had windshields and I forgot just how well the helmet flowed. Also opening the shield works great on hot days,,, but not nearly as well at the 3/4. Also the peripheral vision on most the full face helmets I've owned sucks compared to 3/4 helmets. Does anyone know who makes the helmets you see in the BMW photos? They look like they'd have good peripheral vision.
It comes down to personal preference, if you have a lot of hwy travel and no windshield then a full face will be much more comfy especially on the day the unexpected rain hits (dam that hurts). But my recommendation would be get one of each. If funds are limiting then I'd start with the full face and then get the 3/4 later. But then again you can usually get the 3/4 cheaper.
Happy riding...