subject: Half Helmet Or Full Face Helmet - Which One Is Best? [print this page] Half Helmet Or Full Face Helmet - Which One Is Best?
The truth is that each helmet has positives and negatives, and no matter which one you ultimately decide upon purchasing, just making sure that you strap on a helmet every time you're riding your motorcycle, dirt bike or ATV is the single best decision you can make.
A full face helmet covers the entire head, with a rear that covers the base of the skull, and a protective section over the front of the chin. Such helmets have an open cut out in a band across the eyes and nose, and often include a clear or tinted transparent plastic face shield, known as a visor, that generally swivels up and down to allow access to the face. Many full face helmets include vents to increase the airflow to the rider. The significant attraction of these helmets is their protectiveness. Some wearers dislike the increased heat, sense of isolation, lack of wind, and alleged reduced hearing of such helmets. Full face helmets intended for off-road use sometimes omit the face shield, but extend the visor and chin portions to increase ventilation, since riding off-road is a very strenuous activity. Studies have shown that full face helmets offer the most protection to motorcycle riders because 35% of all crashes showed major impact on the chin-bar area. Wearing a helmet with less coverage eliminates that protection the less coverage the helmet offers, the less protection for the rider.
The half helmet, also referred to as a "Shorty" in the USA and "Pudding Basin" in the UK and popular with Rockers and road racers of the 1960s in the British Isles. It has essentially the same front design as an open face helmet but without a lowered rear in the shape of a bowl. The half helmet provides the minimum coverage generally allowed by law in the USA. As with the open face, it is not uncommon to augment this helmet's eye protection through other means such as goggles . Because of their inferiority compared to other helmet styles, some Motorcycle Safety Foundations prohibit the use of half helmets now.
Comfort really depends upon the personality of the rider. If you do a lot of high-speed, long distance travel, then getting a full face helmet would be recommended. The full faced helmet provides a quiet and comfortable ride on the highway. But, for shorter, around-town rides, a half helmet might be recommended because a full face helmet could be kind of heavy and constraining. Plus, on hot days, even though you could flip up the visor, the smaller, cooler half helmet would be great to have. While riding on cool days, or in the rain, it is always good to have the full face helmet, because your head stays warm and dry. For comfort, the decision really depends on your personal choice.
What kind of bike do you ride? If you have a chopper or a bobber, wouldn't you look kind of silly wearing a full face helmet? Purely from a styling perspective, the half helmets really look good on the custom, lowered and chopped bikes. On the other hand, if you ride a crotch rocket, then a full face helmet is practically mandatory. I just couldn't imagine any other helmet being used with a race bike. I think this is a matter of personal tastes.
