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BouncinBob
Encumbered by employment
I've had a Schoei, Nolan and now a Schuberth.
So far I like the Nolan best. Why, my head hit a wooden gaurdrail post shortly after a near 50 mph lowside. The helmet took an incredible impact. I was out for a bit. The ER doc was looking at the helmet and my CAT scans and couldn't believe he did not see anything to say I had a concussion. The left side of the helmet was cracked and had caved in some, the hinge exploded but the front stayed down and latched.
So far I like the Nolan best. Why, my head hit a wooden gaurdrail post shortly after a near 50 mph lowside. The helmet took an incredible impact. I was out for a bit. The ER doc was looking at the helmet and my CAT scans and couldn't believe he did not see anything to say I had a concussion. The left side of the helmet was cracked and had caved in some, the hinge exploded but the front stayed down and latched.
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B
bmdubyou
Guest
BouncinBob said:
Holy cow...the hinge "exploded"??
BouncinBob
Encumbered by employment
mcclimans84rt said:
OK maybe exploded is a bit strong.... I'll charge up the camara and post a pic.
BouncinBob
Encumbered by employment
BouncinBob
Encumbered by employment
SFDOC said:
When I was trying to figure out what to do with the helmet, someone suggested I go to an ABATE meeting.
B
BOKRIJDER
Guest
Helmet
I've owned a couple of flip-ups. My favorite is the new BMW/Schuberth which I picked up in Belgium. This helmet is a bit different than the Schuberth offering here in the states. Peripheral vision is great, latch works very well. Too bad that BMW does not import it. Bottom line, its all in the fit. I would not buy a helmet without trying it on. This means trying on the actual helmet which you are going to buy, not an example. Go to a shop offering a number of brands, try them in a side by side comparison. You may pay a few dollars more, but you will earn the money back in a month. One man's favorite might be your curse. Personally, I don't think that there is a bad helmet in any of the top brands.
Does anybody have one of the strapless Schuberth helmets? I bought one years ago, really like it. I don't know if they are still in production. Quiet to the max!! In fact so quiet, that one feels a bit detached from the world. Seems almost airtight, but does not pinch. I initially had a bit of claustrophobia when putting it on, but got over it. That may have been the design's downfall.
Motard
R1150GS
R50
I've owned a couple of flip-ups. My favorite is the new BMW/Schuberth which I picked up in Belgium. This helmet is a bit different than the Schuberth offering here in the states. Peripheral vision is great, latch works very well. Too bad that BMW does not import it. Bottom line, its all in the fit. I would not buy a helmet without trying it on. This means trying on the actual helmet which you are going to buy, not an example. Go to a shop offering a number of brands, try them in a side by side comparison. You may pay a few dollars more, but you will earn the money back in a month. One man's favorite might be your curse. Personally, I don't think that there is a bad helmet in any of the top brands.
Does anybody have one of the strapless Schuberth helmets? I bought one years ago, really like it. I don't know if they are still in production. Quiet to the max!! In fact so quiet, that one feels a bit detached from the world. Seems almost airtight, but does not pinch. I initially had a bit of claustrophobia when putting it on, but got over it. That may have been the design's downfall.
Motard
R1150GS
R50
B
BOKRIJDER
Guest
Don't know if the helmet is really better, just different in a few ways. I checked our Schuberth offering and liked the european version better. I keep a complete set of gear at a friends house in Belgium, saves lugging it back and forth. I tried the helmet on a whim and liked it so well that I shelled out the hefty price. (with the poor dollar, a very steep price) I wore it for a week and again liked it so well that I brought it back. I've read other posts here mentioning the lid. Maybe someone in your area has one which you could check out and determine if the search is worthwhile. Isn't there a dealer in Canada advertising in ON? I can imagine that he would not ship to the states. Might require a road trip. Sounds like a good ride to me.
Motard
R1150GS
R50
Motard
R1150GS
R50
H
honu
Guest
Thanks for the info on the flip ups, I had been thinking about getting one, it's nice to have free advice from someone who isn't trying to sell you something.
I get the Magazine "Motorcyclist" and they've had a few articles recently about SNELL ratings vs DOT only ratings. They looked at common causes of impact based on the HURT report (slow rate of speed, close to home, etc.) and resulting traumatic brain injury. I guess some folks were upset about the implications of their conclusions regarding SNELL. I was wondering what you all might think, if any of you got a chance to read those articles.
I get the Magazine "Motorcyclist" and they've had a few articles recently about SNELL ratings vs DOT only ratings. They looked at common causes of impact based on the HURT report (slow rate of speed, close to home, etc.) and resulting traumatic brain injury. I guess some folks were upset about the implications of their conclusions regarding SNELL. I was wondering what you all might think, if any of you got a chance to read those articles.
B
bmdubyou
Guest
BouncinBob said:
wow..I think if that were my noggin in there I wouldve come to the same conclusion, BouncinBob. So is that a show N tell trophy or do you still wear it??
BouncinBob
Encumbered by employment
mcclimans84rt said:
Still wear that, no! It sits on a shelf in the garage as a reminder, mostly to my son and his fearless friends. The shelf is right over the dirt bike. A couple years ago it surprised the heck out of my son. He came home with helmet in hand, shepish about something. He held it up and professed how sorry he was it got the marks from the rocks when he went over the bars. His expession went to shock when I took it and tossed it in the garbage can and told him we were off to get a new one without being the least bit upset. I hope he remembers that day.
I had actually expected the Insurance guy to take it, I guess he was confident I wouldn't use it again. So there it sits.
N
nyminute
Guest
1 down 2 to go
Yesterday at the Venture BMW open house I finally tried a Shuberth, it definetly is a cool helmet, after trying on both an XL (this one felt a litle too tight all over especially chin area) & XXL (a tad looser but still tight in the chin area,it wasnt uncomfortable in shop and the drop down sunglass thingy is super cool,I just didnt think I'd like that part touching my chin al the time). So now If someone in the LA area had the Caberg ant the new Nolan 102's Id have a shot at deciding.....anyhow thanks foe the continuing discussion, cool stuff.
Steve
981100 RT
Yesterday at the Venture BMW open house I finally tried a Shuberth, it definetly is a cool helmet, after trying on both an XL (this one felt a litle too tight all over especially chin area) & XXL (a tad looser but still tight in the chin area,it wasnt uncomfortable in shop and the drop down sunglass thingy is super cool,I just didnt think I'd like that part touching my chin al the time). So now If someone in the LA area had the Caberg ant the new Nolan 102's Id have a shot at deciding.....anyhow thanks foe the continuing discussion, cool stuff.
Steve
981100 RT
sgborgstrom
Don't forget your towel
<Bob Higdon cites "A helmet that should not fail failed, but she was otherwise injured only slightly">
Failed in what way? IIRC Fran Crane did not die as a direct result of her motorcycling injuries but from a major error in medication at the hospital.
Your helmet does not make you invulnerable, it merely reduces the chance of brain injury and/or the need for cosmetic work post-crash.
Steve
Failed in what way? IIRC Fran Crane did not die as a direct result of her motorcycling injuries but from a major error in medication at the hospital.
Your helmet does not make you invulnerable, it merely reduces the chance of brain injury and/or the need for cosmetic work post-crash.
Steve
BouncinBob
Encumbered by employment
iRene said:
That is of course a personal choice. The point of my [pictures was to show the damage to the hinge. The hidge held and the helmet stayed latched.
PacWestGS
25-MPH NEXT 1OO MILES
Head Protection
iRene, (and IÔÇÖm not picking on you personally) I don't doubt that you have your opinion and some historical perspective, but IMHonestO and years of crashing everything from BMX bicycles, AMA motocross, ISDE woods riding, and a few high speed and low speed get offs on the street: (With both open face and full faced helmets.) There is little to debate whether a full face or flip-up-full face is better than say an old fashioned open face helmet. The part that protects your head in an impact has nothing to do with a chin guard or flip-open visor/screen, although they do a better job of keeping your nose and chin out of trouble.
When helmet manufactures began making a plastic chin-guard in the ÔÇÿ70s; fastened to the corners of open-faced helmets to provide more protection to the riders face from flying debris there were those dyed in the wool fans that believed a certain number of never before neck injuries where a result of the chin-guard. So the AMA allowed the continued use of 'Scotts' Mouth/Chin Guards and Full-Face Goggle shields with an open face helmet. 25-years later, you would be hard pressed to find anyone in competition wearing an open faced helmet?
The flip-up full faced helmet is nothing more than a convenience, and a better alterative to the open faced helmets still worn by the cruiser and touring (Gold Wing) market of riders.
As for the designated full faced helmets used by the road racing, sport touring, and the other serious folks who give up a little convenience for better crash protection, that is a debatable question. It probably has more to do with the sanctioning body "AMA or FIM" than whether the helmets are safer or not. Why have, or allow extra moving parts to a safety device that more than likely will be tested in a real crash on a race course, not the remote possibility over 10s of thousands of accident free miles on the street.
I think the realistic answer to why a flip up over permanent full face coverage is cost and protection from the elements not a planned or intended crash.
The latest study of protection levels offered by helmet manufactures and the DOT is that any helmet (from $69.00 to $1000.00) will provide the wearer with adequate head protection in an ÔÇ£AVERAGE CRASHÔÇØ if the helmet properly fits, is worn, and the chin strap is properly fastened. Everything else is cosmetic, and form over function.
The only helmet that wonÔÇÖt protect you is the one not worn.
If a flip-up design fractures open on a hard impact and the hinges break; the helmet probably absorbed more of the impact than the head inside. If the wearer of a molded full face is subjected to the same forces those forces will be transferred to the head inside and the neck conecting the head and body.
In most all conscious level (no loss of consciousness ((LOC)) crashes the head may make contact with the ground once, because it is heavy, after that the body will protect it with arms and hands. The exception is contact on the fall and then subsequent contact with stationary objects along the path of the crash.
In the LOC crash it will make repeated contact after the LOC event occurs (First impact or secondary impact with stationary object), and the helmet will sustain multiple strikes with everything until movement ceases.
In the EMS field it relatively easy to tell whether the patient sustained an LOC event based on relative finding of helmet damage or abrasions to hands and arms.
Just a thought on this debate, FWIW
iRene, (and IÔÇÖm not picking on you personally) I don't doubt that you have your opinion and some historical perspective, but IMHonestO and years of crashing everything from BMX bicycles, AMA motocross, ISDE woods riding, and a few high speed and low speed get offs on the street: (With both open face and full faced helmets.) There is little to debate whether a full face or flip-up-full face is better than say an old fashioned open face helmet. The part that protects your head in an impact has nothing to do with a chin guard or flip-open visor/screen, although they do a better job of keeping your nose and chin out of trouble.
When helmet manufactures began making a plastic chin-guard in the ÔÇÿ70s; fastened to the corners of open-faced helmets to provide more protection to the riders face from flying debris there were those dyed in the wool fans that believed a certain number of never before neck injuries where a result of the chin-guard. So the AMA allowed the continued use of 'Scotts' Mouth/Chin Guards and Full-Face Goggle shields with an open face helmet. 25-years later, you would be hard pressed to find anyone in competition wearing an open faced helmet?
The flip-up full faced helmet is nothing more than a convenience, and a better alterative to the open faced helmets still worn by the cruiser and touring (Gold Wing) market of riders.
As for the designated full faced helmets used by the road racing, sport touring, and the other serious folks who give up a little convenience for better crash protection, that is a debatable question. It probably has more to do with the sanctioning body "AMA or FIM" than whether the helmets are safer or not. Why have, or allow extra moving parts to a safety device that more than likely will be tested in a real crash on a race course, not the remote possibility over 10s of thousands of accident free miles on the street.
I think the realistic answer to why a flip up over permanent full face coverage is cost and protection from the elements not a planned or intended crash.
The latest study of protection levels offered by helmet manufactures and the DOT is that any helmet (from $69.00 to $1000.00) will provide the wearer with adequate head protection in an ÔÇ£AVERAGE CRASHÔÇØ if the helmet properly fits, is worn, and the chin strap is properly fastened. Everything else is cosmetic, and form over function.
The only helmet that wonÔÇÖt protect you is the one not worn.
If a flip-up design fractures open on a hard impact and the hinges break; the helmet probably absorbed more of the impact than the head inside. If the wearer of a molded full face is subjected to the same forces those forces will be transferred to the head inside and the neck conecting the head and body.
In most all conscious level (no loss of consciousness ((LOC)) crashes the head may make contact with the ground once, because it is heavy, after that the body will protect it with arms and hands. The exception is contact on the fall and then subsequent contact with stationary objects along the path of the crash.
In the LOC crash it will make repeated contact after the LOC event occurs (First impact or secondary impact with stationary object), and the helmet will sustain multiple strikes with everything until movement ceases.
In the EMS field it relatively easy to tell whether the patient sustained an LOC event based on relative finding of helmet damage or abrasions to hands and arms.
Just a thought on this debate, FWIW
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