Advocacy & Safety - Does Anyone Ride Wearing A Full Face Motorbike Helmet?

Or have you ever tried it? Yesterday just out of interest I went for a 5-6 mile ride wearing a motorbike full face helmet just to see how it would feel, and see if it could be done without getting too hot. I found I could ride with the visor open and it wasn't too hot, and it made me feel awesomely comfortable and safe going through heavy traffic, although I did get some really weird looks off people. I just tried going back to my Bell Faction and it just felt wrong, so I'm almost considering making the change to just wearing the motorbike helmet all the time because I think I'll be way safer wearing that helmet than anything else if it all goes wrong.

Am I mad, or is it actually a pretty reasonable idea? I've never seen anyone else on a bike wearing a motorbike helmet, but it seems like it might be a pretty reasonable idea to me.

Any thoughts?

I've always worn a full face helmet when riding my motorcycle, and wear a bicycle helmet when pedaling. The bicycle helmet still feels like it won't do much good in a fall, and even if that new research that most motorcycle helmets are too stiff, I still feel a lot safer in my motorcycle helmet than in the bicycle helmet. Wearing the motorcycle helmet makes me feel calmer and more focused on my riding, whereas the bicycle helmet just makes me feel like a huge dork and reminds me I'm about to go exercise.

There are full face helmets avaialble for cyclists but they tend to lack adequate padding on the chin protector. Most common are those for kids riding bmx, they think they are cool because of the stunt pros who wear them.

It's interesting to note that manufacturers are currently limited by consumers expectations who favor a smaller, better design outlook to more protective helmets. Another limitation to improving protection by manufacturer comes from the legislation that requires that any superior improvement be available all across the range. Source: Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (http://helmets.org/whatneed.htm)

There was a recent post about using motocross helmets for bicycling. They are full face, which makes sense because there is a good chance you will do a face plant if you crash or go face first into someting.

Someone should really come up with a purpose made full face for cyclists. I would think it would be as easy as putting a chin bar on a conventional helmet. Similar to what receivers or quarterbacks have in pro football.

I haven't tried a motorcycle helmet, but I guess it would work since on my motorcycle I can get my chin on the tank, which would be the equivalent of being on the drops on a bicycle, but I think peripheral vision would be compromised.

There have been several other threads involving full face helmets on this forum. I personally wear a Pryme AL (http://www.prymegear.com/) helmet. I wear this helmet because a year ago I was almost side swipped by a car and bailed to get away. When I fell I hit my chin. I didn't break anything but I was pretty bruised up. So, I wear the full face because I don't want to break anything if I go down again. I find the AL to be similar in design to road bike helmets but it also has the added protection of the chin guard.

There have been several other threads involving full face helmets on this forum. I personally wear a Pryme AL (http://www.prymegear.com/) helmet. I wear this helmet because a year ago I was almost side swipped by a car and bailed to get away. When I fell I hit my chin. I didn't break anything but I was pretty bruised up. So, I wear the full face because I don't want to break anything if I go down again. I find the AL to be similar in design to road bike helmets but it also has the added protection of the chin guard.

Nice helmet. Throw in some shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin guards, and a touch of light body armour and you might be dressed enough to face some pretty nasty traffic.

I really have wondered if sometimes all that armour is the way to go.

The tales of Spike Bike. (http://members.aol.com/clubnbc/spike_1.htm)

Nice helmet. Throw in some shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin guards, and a touch of light body armour and you might be dressed enough to face some pretty nasty traffic.

I really have wondered if sometimes all that armour is the way to go.

The tales of Spike Bike. (http://members.aol.com/clubnbc/spike_1.htm)

No kidding. While I am a strong advocate of bicycle helmets, anything more intrusive than a good light skull helmet is not very welcome IMO. The face protection is a good argument but, not to get off topic, I think we should amphasize other safety measures such as "riding defensively" and "crash avoidance techniques" before we go to protecting ourselves like this.

I can't remember were I saw a banner ad for a full body armor saying: "If you're not crashing, you're not riding hard enough". Well, that's about it ;)

Full face are good though for bmx on pipes, mtb racers and the like, body protection can also be justified. But in the street? hmm, I don't know. I'd like to see more innovation in helmet engineering as far as protection is concerned but with a limit on the intrusion on the cycling experience.

No kidding. While I am a strong advocate of bicycle helmets, anything more intrusive than a good light skull helmet is not very welcome IMO. The face protection is a good argument but, not to get off topic, I think we should amphasize other safety measures such as "riding defensively" and "crash avoidance techniques" before we go to protecting ourselves like this.

I can't remember were I saw a banner ad for a full body armor saying: "If you're not crashing, you're not riding hard enough". Well, that's about it ;)

Full face are good though for bmx on pipes, mtb racers and the like, body protection can also be justified. But in the street? hmm, I don't know. I'd like to see more innovation in helmet engineering as far as protection is concerned but with a limit on the intrusion on the cycling experience.


No matter what you wear, nothing is going to be as nice as a full set of surrounding air bags, if the worst should happen.

Your best defense is a good offense.

I don't feel it intrudes on my cycling experience, except for on the hottest of days. There was another helmet I looked for but could not find, was a esentially a road helmet with a replaceable chin bar. The bar was significantly smaller than the full face. I found it once a UK site then never again.

No matter what you wear, nothing is going to be as nice as a full set of surrounding air bags, if the worst should happen.

Your best defense is a good offense.

I'm not very good at Photoshop, but if someone could paste a road bike on top of this GoldWing, just to get an idea :D


http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/1949/aribaggedmotorbike3by.th.jpg (http://img477.imageshack.us/my.php?image=aribaggedmotorbike3by.jpg)

Found the other helmet MET Parachute (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=2407) .

Not sure if m/cycle helmets would do much good.

Dr Mayer Hilman's research into fatal head injuries among cyclists discovered that in about 92% of all the cases, the rider would have died anyway from other injuries. For instance, coming to an abrupt halt at 20mph can tear your aorta from your heart.

My own feeling is that, if you want to wear a m/cycle helmet and avoid the other fatal injuries, you should attach a rectangular frame round your bike to act as a crumple zone. This would avoid the necessity of wearing any body armour. Of course, the extra weight might,perhaps, require some external energy source to assist with the additional weight (and aerodynamic drag) involved.

A reduction in drag forces might be achieved by covering the frame with material which would smooth out the passage of air and thereby increase your speed. This might, in turn, require upgrading the external power source. This would also need to take into account the additional weight of the fuel supply.

Unfortunately, this could lead to a reduction in the superior manoeuverability of your machine so that further power would be required so that you could keep up with the general traffic flow.

Alternatively, wear a cycle helmet and stop worrying.

Great idea, or you could use ski, snowboard, hockey helmets . I think we had 3 kids die in sledding accidents last year mostly from head injuries hitting trees , poles or fences.

Lauren Hutton probally would have died without her helmet in her motorcycle accident.

"when at age 55 she was in a serious motorcycle accident while on a 100-mile ride near Las Vegas with bikers and fellow celebrities including Dennis Hopper and Jeremy Irons-who reportedly gave her a full face helmet just minutes before her crash-to celebrate a planned motorcycle exhibit at the Hermitage-Guggenheim museum. After losing control on a curve, she skidded about 100 feet and went airborne, ultimately suffering multiple leg and arm fractures, broken ribs, a punctured lung, cuts and bruises. The actress subsequently traveled down a long road of physical rehabilitation."

Four years ago I had the opportunity to "coast" down Mt. Haleakala on Maui in Hawaii. The bikes provided were heavy bikes with two disk breaks. WE were provided with full rainsuites and a motorcycle helmet with full face shield. I thought I was on the moon. If I recall, during the descent the rain on the shield made visibility a problem. I always wear my bike helmet... saved my noggon a few years ago.

Well, I'm gonna stick to wearing the motorbike helmet for the moment. Been out wearing it again today and I'm starting to kinda like it. Sure, there is no substitute for skillful riding, but I just feel so much safer and more comfortable wearing the motorbike helmet, especially as my face is properly protected wearing it.

I have a constant stream of people giving me odd looks in the street but I don't really care. I value my head and would like to keep it in one piece, so giving myself the highest level of protection I can find makes sense. I'm guessing it will be a little too hot to wear in summer, but hopefully not. It'll feel strange going back to my Bell faction after this.

Well, I'm gonna stick to wearing the motorbike helmet for the moment. Been out wearing it again today and I'm starting to kinda like it. Sure, there is no substitute for skillful riding, but I just feel so much safer and more comfortable wearing the motorbike helmet, especially as my face is properly protected wearing it.
Last evening at about 5:45 I heard a thud outside my house. A motorcyclist hit a pickup truck in the side near my house. The motorcyclist was laying in the street right in front bof my house. I was by his side within one minute of the crash. The motorcyclist had no pulse. Someone else tried CPR before the emergency people arrived to no avail. His buddy on another motorcycle had to take his perfectly intact full face helmet off to attempt to give mouth to mouth before the emergency people arrived, but to no avail. The victim's face wasn't scratched and except for the bleeding from both ears and his mouth filled with blood couldn't see any visible damage. BUT his helmet was intact; and no it didn't save his life; nothing would have. He knocked both wheels off the rear axle of the pickup as well as ripping the topper completely off the pickup bed when he hit it with his body. The speed limit is 30 mph on the street.

Moral of the story - don't place faith in helmets of any kind to undue the damage created by physical forces beyond the capability of the human body and/or the helmet to absorb. Skillful, or at least careful, cycling is FAR more important than faith in magic.

I wear a full face BMX helmet. I feel much safer in it than with my old bell bicycle helmet. This thing breathes quite well and I don't feel hot in it. I have always worn full face helmets from riding motorcycles so it was not a big deal for me to wear this all the time. I got it on ebizzle for $ 60. new ! =)

This is a picture of it:

http://i8.ebayimg.com/02/i/05/57/ba/b1_1.JPG

Unless you go with a premium, lightweight fullface helmet, the weight is an issue. You won't notice the weight if you sit upright, but when you start to lean your head down in one direction the weight becomes noticeable and cumbersome. Bike helmets feel better to me since I have greater vision range and the light weight makes looking around and especially peering over your shoulder easier.

Well, I'm gonna stick to wearing the motorbike helmet for the moment. Been out wearing it again today and I'm starting to kinda like it. Sure, there is no substitute for skillful riding, but I just feel so much safer and more comfortable wearing the motorbike helmet, especially as my face is properly protected wearing it.

I have a constant stream of people giving me odd looks in the street but I don't really care. I value my head and would like to keep it in one piece, so giving myself the highest level of protection I can find makes sense. I'm guessing it will be a little too hot to wear in summer, but hopefully not. It'll feel strange going back to my Bell faction after this.

You only saw the people giving you odd looks, because you couldn't comfortably turn around to see them laughing their asses off.

I ride a motorcycle, and wear full body armor as well as a full-face helmet while riding it, but you typically are up against much greater odds of being killed or seriously injured on a motorcycle than that of a bicycle. I also don't need people spewing out statistics....anyone who rides both knows what I'm talking about. Statistics mean nothing when it comes to your time to crash.

I'm not very good at Photoshop, but if someone could paste a road bike on top of this GoldWing, just to get an idea :D


http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/1949/aribaggedmotorbike3by.th.jpg (http://img477.imageshack.us/my.php?image=aribaggedmotorbike3by.jpg)

Sure, he's sitting on the back tire but it's the best I can do. :p

Moral of the story - don't place faith in helmets of any kind to undue the damage created by physical forces beyond the capability of the human body and/or the helmet to absorb. Skillful, or at least careful, cycling is FAR more important than faith in magic.

I don't have any illusions that a motorbike helmet (or any helmet) will save me from everything, or that wearing a helmet is more inportant than learning how to ride well in the first place. My point is that wearing the strongest helmet I can find makes sense to me.




You only saw the people giving you odd looks, because you couldn't comfortably turn around to see them laughing their asses off.

I don't doubt they were laughing their asses off. I haven't actually found it to be that restrictive, and if that helmet makes me feel safer (which it does) to be honest I don't really care if people do laugh at me.

Last evening at about 5:45 I heard a thud outside my house. A motorcyclist hit a pickup truck in the side near my house. The motorcyclist was laying in the street right in front bof my house. I was by his side within one minute of the crash. The motorcyclist had no pulse. Someone else tried CPR before the emergency people arrived to no avail. His buddy on another motorcycle had to take his perfectly intact full face helmet off to attempt to give mouth to mouth before the emergency people arrived, but to no avail. The victim's face wasn't scratched and except for the bleeding from both ears and his mouth filled with blood couldn't see any visible damage. BUT his helmet was intact; and no it didn't save his life; nothing would have. He knocked both wheels off the rear axle of the pickup as well as ripping the topper completely off the pickup bed when he hit it with his body. The speed limit is 30 mph on the street.



As in: the wheels came off the axle. Both wheels, one on each side?

Bullsh*t. But nice story to pull at the heart strings and force others to ignore facts.



It's amazing, for a site that tears you a new one for NOT wearing a helmet, you all seem to be pretty flippant about a full face helmet that may actually offer BETTER protection than something that'll just keep your hair in place if you manage to kiss the ground.

:rolleyes:

And this is the fourth thread so far that I've read through while looking for info on full face helmets that has the same attitude: Either wear a skull lid like the rest of us, or stop being a puss and get a car.

I don't think I'd feel as safe in a motorcycle helmet. It'd really diminish my field of view, hearing, and ability to make eye contact. I imagine it'd be like driving a hummer-- safer in the event of a crash, but much less able to avoid one.

I don't think I'd feel as safe in a motorcycle helmet. It'd really diminish my field of view, hearing, and ability to make eye contact. I imagine it'd be like driving a hummer-- safer in the event of a crash, but much less able to avoid one.

I'm referring to full face bicycle helmets, and not necessarily motorcycle helmet.


I do understand that it would intrude on the peripheral vision, but I would really rather deal with the extra protection a face guard would offer.

Case in point: out of all the f-ups that I've managed to pull off on a bike, only 1 of them have put me on my back. The rest have always been near face-plants or on the side of my head.

Another concern is the design of the helmet. To me it seems that the "peak" on the back of the helmet could crank or put the head at a dangerous angle if you happen to land on your back.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19474.jpg


To me, the rounded back, and complete coverage of the back of the head, has always seemed much more effective, and safer, in case of an accident.

http://www.ci.owatonna.mn.us/services/police/images/clip_image002_001.jpg


Of course, as evidenced by this post (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=5863769&postcount=2679) in a 169 page thread, I'm sure I'll be torn a new one for suggesting that one helmet might be more unsafe than the other, but again these are just my observations.

Only when I'm attempting to set a bicycle land speed record on the Bonneville salt flats drafting behind a faired Lamborghini pace car;) In other word never! For protection against insane drivers, if I weren't a pacifist I'd rather opt for an uzi or a rocket launcher than a motorcycle helmet.

I've often thought about using a snowboarding helmet to ride in.

I do understand that it would intrude on the peripheral vision, but I would really rather deal with the extra protection a face guard would offer.



It would also make it much harder to turn around to look behind you.

A motorcycle full faced helmet would be great for warmth! I used to seal up the neck opening with a scarf when I was into MCs and it was great. Peripheral vision and hearing gets a tad diminished tho.

I have an old full faced Giro helmet with a removable chin guard. I used it for commuting when I had 13 miles of off road included in my commute. It was not a problem. I really grew to like it on a bike that sat me up a little straighter than my road bike. Never tried it in "roadie" bike position. On our coldest days I added some Oakley double-lens ski goggles to the mix. Worked great.

I only have one photo of the helmet:

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=87363&stc=1&d=1227491413

It's your head. Doctors still don't know much about fixing brains and teeth/jawbone surgeries are painful and expensive. Do what makes you happy.

It would also make it much harder to turn around to look behind you.

Maybe, but I'm curious as to how much it would restrict movement. (again, I am talking about a bicycle full face helmet, not a motorcycle helmet)

I putz'd around with one at Target last night, and it didn't seem that much heavier or cumbersome than a normal lid.

It actually felt more natural, if you can believe that.

As in: the wheels came off the axle. Both wheels, one on each side?

Bullsh*t. But nice story to pull at the heart strings and force others to ignore facts.

If he's making up this story (I have no reason to believe he is) then he's a huge ass. If he's not, you sure are.


It's amazing, for a site that tears you a new one for NOT wearing a helmet, you all seem to be pretty flippant about a full face helmet that may actually offer BETTER protection than something that'll just keep your hair in place if you manage to kiss the ground.

:rolleyes:

And this is the fourth thread so far that I've read through while looking for info on full face helmets that has the same attitude: Either wear a skull lid like the rest of us, or stop being a puss and get a car.
The site has no attitude. And clearly the people that post here disagree... see the incredible huge helmet debate thread.

The OP expressed that he felt it made him feel "awesomely comfortable & safe" in traffic.... if a helmet makes you feel significantly safer, you're probably harboring delusions.

If he's making up this story (I have no reason to believe he is) then he's a huge ass. If he's not, you sure are.


All I will simply say about that is this: It is damn near physically impossible for the wheels to just get "knocked off" the axle.

The only exception (and even then...) if we're talking about a recent production truck might be, maybe, a Ford 8.8, and only if the strike managed to break the c-clip in the rear end, and managed to make the wheels and axles come off the axle tube.

Maybe. If it was a leaf sprung truck, you have better chances of shearing the U-bolts attaching the axle to the leafs, or one of the bolts attaching the leafs to the shackles.

And don't get me started on "crumpling" a camper top (hint: good luck doing that to fiberglass).


The site has no attitude. And clearly the people that post here disagree... see the incredible huge helmet debate thread.

The OP expressed that he felt it made him feel "awesomely comfortable & safe" in traffic.... if a helmet makes you feel significantly safer, you're probably harboring delusions.

That says plenty.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=87363&stc=1&d=1227491413





Lookit the tires on that thing. I bet you could ride on water on that bike.

Lookit the tires on that thing. I bet you could ride on water on that bike.

It will float on water, but not with me on it. "Floats" over sand at the beach like a champ.

... Dr Mayer Hilman's research into fatal head injuries among cyclists discovered that in about 92% of all the cases, the rider would have died anyway from other injuries...

I've read both a European Cyclists federation report and a New Zealand Medical Journal study that said said about the same thing, however, if someone wants to wear a full face motor cycle helmet, that's up to them.

It certainly would give more protection than a regular bicycle helmet but the person wearing it should still give sober thought as to just how much protection it provides and what some of the draw backs are of such coverage.

Or have you ever tried it? Yesterday just out of interest I went for a 5-6 mile ride wearing a motorbike full face helmet just to see how it would feel, and see if it could be done without getting too hot. I found I could ride with the visor open and it wasn't too hot, and it made me feel awesomely comfortable and safe going through heavy traffic, although I did get some really weird looks off people. I just tried going back to my Bell Faction and it just felt wrong, so I'm almost considering making the change to just wearing the motorbike helmet all the time because I think I'll be way safer wearing that helmet than anything else if it all goes wrong.

Am I mad, or is it actually a pretty reasonable idea? I've never seen anyone else on a bike wearing a motorbike helmet, but it seems like it might be a pretty reasonable idea to me.

Any thoughts?

Theoretically reasonable, but practically, too heavy.

Well this is an old thread!

After I started this thread I continued wearing the motorbike helmet until the weather warmed up a bit, then bought a TSG Evolution and wore that through summer. Now it's getting cold again I'm back to wearing the motorbike helmet on every ride. I've weighed up all the pros and cons but I still just feel way safer wearing the motorbike helmet.

Found the other helmet MET Parachute (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=2407) .

That thing looks like it could cut your neck/face to pieces in a crash.

I think its not possible to wear a full face helmet in a hot humid Houston summer while exercising hard without getting a heat stroke. I rode motorcycles for 10 years with full face helmet, so I know what its like on a motorcycle.

I think its not possible to wear a full face helmet in a hot humid Houston summer while exercising hard without getting a heat stroke. I rode motorcycles for 10 years with full face helmet, so I know what its like on a motorcycle.

It's not too bad on a cold British day though!

Here's mine
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/372/prymealblk0bp.jpg
980gm hand laminated fiberglass, with killer padding, especially on the side of the head. It can get a bit hot in the summer but for the most part very comphy.
I feel absolutely indestructible with it, and it scare drivers.... no joke. In the winter I almost never need a hat riding with this.

Looks like motorcycle helmets are less dangerous than bicycle helmets:

Department of transport federal office of Road Safety. Report No. CR 55 May, 1987 "Motorcycle and Bicycle Protective Helmets: Requirements Resulting from a post crash study and Experimental Research" J.P. Corner, C.W. Whitney, N. O'Rourke, D.E. Morgan

"The efficacy of bicycle helmets against brain injury" Curnow WJ. 2003. Accident Analysis and Prevention: 2003, 35: 287–292

So I suppose if you find cycling scary enough to merit armour, a motorbike helmet is the way to go. But I suggest that it isn't statistically much more dangerous than walking, and if you are a careful cyclist, it may well be less dangerous. With this in mind, maybe you can survive without such unusual headgear?

Here's mine
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/372/prymealblk0bp.jpg
980gm hand laminated fiberglass, with killer padding, especially on the side of the head. It can get a bit hot in the summer but for the most part very comphy.
I feel absolutely indestructible with it, and it scare drivers.... no joke. In the winter I almost never need a hat riding with this.




I also wear the same one.

I've weighed up all the pros and cons but I still just feel way safer wearing the motorbike helmet.


You seriously have that much fear when you ride a bike? Do you wear a helmet in your car or in the shower? Do you wear elbow and knee pads when going for a walk?

Bicycling is a safe sport and you have virtually no chance of being injured. You are protecting yourself for a chance of injury that is very, very small. You appear to have unrealistic fears.

If I was shooting the side of a mountain, on a balls out speed run I might, as well as racing leather.

I wear a 661 full face BMX helmet when I zoobomb, especially in the winter. sometimes I'll wear it on my commute in the winter too, it's nice and warm. a lot of zoobombers wear full face helmets now, after a number of people broke their jaws (one girl twice) or their teeth wearing conventional helmets a few years back. all the serious gravity bikers and skateboarders wear full face helmets plus padded leathers on the 'bomb.

wasn't there a Red Bull speed run once as well?

found it
http://www.redbullroadrage.com/index.php

not enough alcohol in Red Bull. Joose, Sparks or Tilt are preferred by zoobombers. I never drink any of these things.

;)

You seriously have that much fear when you ride a bike? Do you wear a helmet in your car or in the shower? Do you wear elbow and knee pads when going for a walk?

Well, that would depend on the car, now wouldn't it? ;)



Bicycling is a safe sport and you have virtually no chance of being injured. You are protecting yourself for a chance of injury that is very, very small. You appear to have unrealistic fears.

Statistics? Articles/Studies cited?

Also, do you wear a helmet every time you hop on a bike?

I've often thought about using a snowboarding helmet to ride in.

Now that it's colder and there is some snow on the ground here, I have switched to wearing my ProTec helmet.
It keeps my head warm.

Statistics? Articles/Studies cited?

read:http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm, and keep in mind, "if someone tells you that bicycling is dangerous, point out that heart disease alone -- which can be prevented by riding a bicycle -- kills almost 1,000 times as many people each year."

take the quiz @ http://www.bicyclinglife.com/SafetySkills/SafetyQuiz.htm

@http://neptune.spacebears.com/opine/helmets.html they say, "On a per-mile basis, the odds of being killed or sustaining a serious head injury while riding a bicycle are about the same as the odds of being killed or injured while out for a walk."

and from: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/traffic_safety/mayer.htm

"He explained the concept of "life years" which he had used. This allowed him to make a comparison of the life years lost in road accidents against the life years gained through improved fitness. He took each cycle death in 1989 and looked at the acturial evidence as to how long a person of a certain age could expect to live and multiplied that by the number of deaths in each age group in order to arrive at a figure of approximately 11,000 life years lost in cycle fatalities. To calculate life years gained he looked at some American evidence of the increased longevity of those who cycled regularly and this showed that people could expect to live two years longer. When this is multiplied by the numbers of those who cycle regularly, as revealed by the National Travel Survey, you arrive at the extraordinary ratio of 20:1. In other words, he says, for every life year lost through accidents, 20 years are gained through improved health and fitness."

I could go on and on