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Open or Full Face


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Hi All,


Just curious, planning a trip at the end of the month, 2 days in Wales with a few pals. I have a Bell Custom 500 (open face) as well as an AGV K5 (Full face) and I am thinking about which to take on the long distance ride. Open or full face. If I was to go open, i'd purchase a bubble visor rather than just wear sun glasses. My question here is what would you guys go for, does anyone go long distance with an open face, whats your experiences etc etc.

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This is an ATGATT subject imo, I always have full face on mine or the firm's busas but open face on the cruisers & Bonnevilles unless the weather forcast is horrendous or if I have a much longer route.

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For me, I'd go for the full face so there's the option to have some protection from the wind when you want it. You can always open the visor whenever you fancy.

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Full face flip lid is what I own.


I understand it's perfectly legal to ride with the lid flipped up.


:popcorn:

 

I think in the UK it's only certain flip-ups you can ride with then open - ones where it's locked in place. They have to be dual homologated.


[mention]mccarthy1983[/mention] Shark and Roof both so helmets where the chin bar goes all the way back - gives you the option of both in the same helmet then.


Shark_Evoline_Series_3_Mezcal-Black-Chrome-Orange_open_front_quarter_251534.jpg


Roof_Boxer_V8_Full-Matt_Black-Open_front_quarter_208269.jpg


I think I've even seen one where the visor and chin bar are both removable, but can't for the life of me remember what it was, so it's possibly something I've just made up.

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Until I started riding I always looked at guys on Bonnevilles and Harley's and all that stuff and thought if I end up on something like that I'd wear an open face helmet.


Today on the way to work I had my visor open as I went through a cloud of midgies and I brought a baker's dozen with me to work...I don't think i'll be wearing an open face helmet...

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Full face flip lid is what I own.


I understand it's perfectly legal to ride with the lid flipped up.


:popcorn:

 

I think I've even seen one where the visor and chin bar are both removable, but can't for the life of me remember what it was, so it's possibly something I've just made up.

 

Scorpion Exo combat, although the chin bar isn't fully protective as it were.

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I would never ride without a full face lid, here's a little info-graph I quite like which shows the likely-hood of impact zones on your head in an accident.



Nearly 35% chance you're going to hit your chin, which is very high considering there's several other parts of your head to bang.

http://dontai.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/helmetcrashdiagram.gif

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I think in the UK it's only certain flip-ups you can ride with then open - ones where it's locked in place. They have to be dual homologated.

 

 

Nope. Any helmet can be used in the open position.


I did a post about this very subject a few months ago, have a search.

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Where what you feel good in . I wouldnt wear an open lid , cause I'd look fooking stupid on my bike , but if I had a Harley then wearing a full face would look fooking stupid .

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Whether to wear an open face or not is totally subjective in the same way as some riders choose to ride flip front hats.


So here is a counter thought. I would rather wear an open faced helmet than a flip front.


I have dealt with more serious injuries, brain injuries and fatalities of riders wearing flip fronts than I ever have with open faced hats, and this is going back nearly 40 years when full face helmets were crap, open faced were the norm and flip fronts had not even been thought of.


A helmet is intended to protect your brain function. Whatever style you wear, by and large they all do that and have to in order to comply with EC22/05 (as well as the old BS6658-85).


A full face will afford a degree of facial protection over an open faced helmet and greater comfort in inclement weather, but that is about it.


At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you are wearing, but if your impact is hard enough, you are going to die or be left paralysed anyway.


Broken necks are the most common cause of death with riders. A £500 hat or a £30 cheapie is no protection against that.


So, it comes down to personal and individual choice.


Would I wear an open face? Sure I would. When I started, that was all that was available, and when I started on Police bikes that was standard issue.


Would I wear a flip front? You must be joking, No chance. If that all that was available, I would give up riding altogether. (and I was a consultant to one of the big Jap firms to help get their flip front through BSI which is why it was sold as an open face)


I choose to wear a full face and have done since the late 70's on my own bikes, but even they are no guarantee that you are going to walk away from a crash unscathed. Look at my case of Finnis v Cauldfield (2001) which I was the expert on, and the riders head shrunk by about a third on impact allowing the helmet to rotate and come off resulting in serious brain damage to the rider.


So nothing is ever guaranteed.

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[mention]TC1474[/mention] just to check, are your comments relating only to a flip front helmet which is being worn in the open position? I really like my flip up, but only because it means I don't have to take my helmet off when talking to people while stopped. I've never ridden with it up, and don't really intend to, so for the purposes of riding it's in effect a full face.


However, by it's very nature I know it won't be as solid as a single piece lid, so I guess it's that difference I'm asking about.

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