Open Face Crash

[redbirds_imp]

This is a decision that only you can make. I struck the back of a car 45 years ago and did a flip over the trunk. My open face helmet protected my head from the initial impact but I suffered some road rash on my face and a cut on my cheek. When the Bell Star came on the market I saved the money to buy one. Full faced helmets ever since.

The older I get (66 now) the less able I am to tolerate the summer heat and an open face helmet is something I'm considering. This past Saturday we rode with a small group of friends and I chose to ride in a long sleeve shirt. It was simply too warm and humid for even my summer riding jacket. The ride was worth the risk.

Motorcycling is a risk that we have all decided as being worthwhile. Wear the gear you feel comfortable in. Diligence and riding skills are still your best safety gear.

 

[AzBob_imp]

So, I ride in the worst heat anyone who doesn't live in the desert has ever experienced. I still ride with a full face helmet, and quite frankly, just don't understand how one 1) Rides without a full face helmet on a bike without a windshield (I can't breathe with 70mph air hitting me in the face) or 2) Can ride in hot, I mean REALLY hot (115+) weather without a helmet, jacket and gloves; that hot air on the skin is AWFUL.

Anyway, I heard a story of a guy a few decades ago who, wearing an open face helmet, stopped at a red light, put his left boot down into some oily slop, dropped the bike, and basically curbed himself on the curb to his left. Needed a new jaw. At zero miles per hour. Never would have happened with a full face helmet.

Of course, you do whatever pleases you, I just can't make logical sense of some of the choices people make.

 

[lola_imp]

Always wore Full Faced helmets but When I got The CB1100 the thought Of getting me a opened faced helmet crossed my mind almost every time. I guess its because of all these advertisements of honda on the CB1100 and the rider riding through the open road looking all cool with his open face, ah freedom... It's ok to be cautious however to me an open face helmet is like driving a convertible car versus driving a car with a sun roof, Which you get more roll over protection with the latter . I still want to feel how it is to ride with a open face until I found a compromise which is the New Bell Bullit helmet. It has a Huge Eye Port almost like an open face but has a thin/Narrow chin bar with an option of a regular or bubble Visor. It is I believe Snell and Dot Certified maybe ECE? but Unfortunately it is still on back order and is pretty expensive. But if I had enough Coin to spend I would definitely consider the Bell Bullit.

Here is video / benefit of riding with a full face.

 

[RetroKitch_imp]

I got tagged by a car and thrown off my 1200 Sporty at around 25MPH while wearing a 3/4 face back in '98. I was VERY lucky as my face was untouched and the gouges in the helmet were in those lower percentage areas. Still, I was hauled away on a backboard with a shoulder contusion, sprained ankle and needed some stitches in my side.

Nowadays I wear modular helmets but once in a while I'll wear a Retro Bell 500 open face with goggles when taking my vintage CB's to a local cruise night. As far the rest of the gear I'm always wearing either textile or mesh. So many great choices for protective gear these days....still shocks me how most of the cruiser crowd still rides in jeans, t-shirts and skid lids :-/

 

[flynrider]

Despite having a glut of very nice full face helmets. I'm still drawn to an open face number for the summer.

I know this has been discussed before, but is just want to know, has anyone (or anyone they know of) crashed in an open face and come to any harm?

I see so many of the retro/Guzzi boys poncing about in them here and I'm getting slightly jealous.

When I was in Italy a few months ago they were ' de rigour ' and I dint see too many disfigured youngsters....

Am I being over cautious, or rightly wary?

That's a question that only you can answer. Personally, I've always worn either a full face or (very recently) a modular. I've had several crashes in the last 35 years and in most of them, my full face ended up with deep scrapes and gouges around the face area.

I'm not one of those who dresses head to toe in protective gear for every ride, but I draw the line at facial road rash. That's something I don't want to take a chance on.

 

[Houtman_imp]

Full Face Arai for me, boots, Held gloves ,knee / shin protectors and a Joe Rocket jacket with armor.
I rather be uncomfortable on my ride than be uncomfortable in a hospital .

 

[JohnNevets_imp]

I have no data what so ever, and like everyone else has said you need to do what makes you feel comfortable.

I will say that when I was looking for a new helmet I was trying both full and modular helmets. Some of the full helmets were tighter in the cheek then they should have been, so I tried a modular from the same company. I noticed that when I put it on my cheeks would push out the sides enough that it actually felt more comfortable, and stayed that way when I put the front down. This made me think, if just my cheeks can push this out, how is it going act in an accident. Now I'm sure it would probably be fine, but just having that bit of doubt, convinced me to go with a full face helmet, because I was more comfortable with it. Plenty of very smart people are fine with a modular helmet, and I respect there decision, it just wasn't for me.

 

[Tripod_imp]

In the summer, I am usually no helmet or open-faced. In the colder months, modular...

 

[shdwghst457_imp]

Gotta admit, my RF1100 Shoei has a lot of air flow in it. Sometimes I crack the visor open if I want more.

 

[Deanohh_imp]

Ever had a big flying bug strike your shield? Now think about it hitting your face.

 

[shdwghst457_imp]

Yes! Bugs, rocks, etc. Every single time I think "Glad I had the visor down!" Took a piece of drywall/maybe a big rock to the left shin the other day and thought "Glad that didn't hit my bike!!"

 

[Gustav_imp]

I wear in the most time my open Davida speedster, but always I use a pair of plastic sunglasses. Also I have a pair of aviator glasses sitting on top of the helmet. Sometimes i put them on, when I believe there are a lot of bugs, bees or fruits from the trees flying through the air…
For higher speeds, I wear a full face helmet with bluetooth connection kit inside (for listening music from the iPhone).
:biker:

regards
Gustav

 

[the Ferret]

You look very cafe retro there Gustav!

 

[Rocky_imp]

I ride my two vintage bikes a lot because I belong to a vintage bike club that is very active with bi-weekly runs all summer and into late autumn.
At first I went for the café racer look with an open face helmet and goggles. After being hit in the face with bugs and other unknown objects I opted for an HJC open face with a full face shield.
I wear that most of the time when it's hot, but I wear my HJC flip-up pretty well for all my other riding - especially if I do an overnighter or am on the road for a few days.
The first HJC Symax I had was my first flip-up helmet and I crashed wearing it and ended up sliding face down. I didn't land on my head per se, but the flip-up helmet stayed in one piece and protected my face.
When flip-ups first hit the market nay-sayers said the helmet would break on impact. I guess that would depend on the impact, but it held together for me and I'm grateful that it did.
Only one crash per helmet so I threw it away. It was all gouged up anyway and I wouldn't wear it regardless.

 

[OldF7Guy_imp]

I wear a full face all of the time for no other reason that for the protection to my eyes and face from bugs and debris. An if I have to use it, I know it will protect my head about as good as possible. Its just a personal choice and everybody is going to be different. We all take a risk everytime we go to the mail box let alone slinging a leg over a motorcycle.

 

[Oboro_imp]

I've got a Bell Bullit with a bubble shield!! Full face helmets just look cooler IMO as well as protect better.

 

[Cormanus]

First things first: let's see Gustav in all his glory!



Back to the question. I got knocked off in 1973 wearing an open face helmet. Luckily I suffered no facial or head damage. But I have ridden with a full face helmet ever since. It's mostly because I'm cautious, but also for warmth in the cold (rare these days) and protection from the almost endless stream of bugs. I guess you could solve that with an open face and a shield. Tough choice, but I'm with Rboe when he said "Dress for the accident, not the ride."

 

[VTR1000F_imp]

I once suffered a lowside crash with CBR1000R. The bike slid under the rails and I slid somewhere, I lost consciousness. I woke up sitting on a road vomiting, but virtually untouched, no rash, no broken bones. Just a light bruise on top of my helmet. PAramedic ordered a trip to hospital for full body scan. As I climbed on the scan table and they took first series of pictures the doctor rushed in and told to not move anymore, as I have a broken vertebra in lower part of my body. So I spent few days in hospital, underwent a major surgery and then spent 3 months recovering on a bed.

The story above doest nothing to do with type of helmet. My point is always wear maximum posiible protection. For me it is always riding boots, full face helmet, quality gloves, leather jacket with integrated "turtle back" protection - nevermind what the outside temperature is. Only thing I lack on so far is the trousers. I wear jeans with add on knee warmers or knee sliders. Something I have to work on.

 

[rboe]

In Arizona I get hit with a few bugs, got stung on the face once (bee, dirt bike helmet, no goggles) but in Minnesota. Ufdah! Behind grain trucks on highway 2 going to Duluth, like little needles hitting you. Nasty! Then outside Superior Wisconsin I was tooting along the back roads on my TS125 when a big water beetle flew across the road. I was center punched just at the bottom of the sternum. Ouch! And juicy! Only had on a t-shirt (no money, no internet, no motocycle safety classes; I really was clueless).

Then the army worms came out and with those you get big plump black flies. Those hit and burst like ripe tomatos; very pleasant on a helmetless face. Lost it on a curve once while riding the CJ360T when I hit a rather slick green slime spot of ex-army worm bodies. 35mm camera swung around and tapped me on the chin. That hurt for weeks.

Had friends taken off bikes by large birds and deer but I managed to avoid that. I've hit raccoons (highway 61 going to Two Harbors) and a badger (highway 60 outside Quemado New Mexico) but managed to keep the bike up.

 

[the Ferret]

You know I could buy into all the guys saying dress for the crash, not for the ride, but it seems to me that if one were REALLY, and I mean really, interested in being safe, all the ATGATT guys would be wearing more Hi Viz..jackets, helmets etc, and although I am seeing more of it these days, very few are giving up their black or bike matching colored jackets and helmets for Hi Viz.

Isn't it better to try and avoid the crash in the first place than to just wear gear to help in case of?

Isn't the number one excuse for drivers pulling out in front of motorcyclists the old "I didn't see him" line?

On my recent tour out west I wore a high viz vest over top of my regular gear 100% the time. I was in strange areas, looking for hidden roads, with unfamiliar traffic patterns. I wanted people to see me. I also had extra reflective stickers on my helmet and bike ( seems many on this forum immediately remove the side reflectors on their bikes). I saw lots of bikes on our trip out west. Jim's jacket and my vest were the only Hi Viz gear I saw,



I can tell you from working 25 years in the highway traffic safety field, that Hi Viz is the most important thing you can wear if you want to be seen on the highway. Without question, the greatest thing you can wear from a safety stand point.

So, many of you safety first guys, what is your excuse for not wearing Hi Viz gear?