I am on the verge of ordering a Thruxton R and am starting to think about stuff to go with it. I am troubled by the helmet choice. I currently have a scooter and use a Momo fighter open face with it which I love. It has a dark visor hidden in the helmet which is really useful and is comfy. However, when I test rode a Thruxton the helmet kept rising up every time I got any speed up to the point where it felt like it might actually get pulled off. I have a couple of full face helmets but would prefer to have an open face for general riding. I could buy a regular classic open face helmet but I am not the Bank of England so I don't want to be spending £2-300 only to find that it does the same. so my question is: Do open face helmets all ride up when speeds get up to 60-70 MPH+
I find they do on unfaired bikes,my sprint 900 has a top fairing and is a bit better but not much. my helmet is not a £200+ one tho. had an everoak open face in the 70s and that lifted too
I find my ever oak lifting but never too sure if it's due to me tilting my head back slightly. When I tilt it forward again it seems fine but then gradually tilts back again, try with your head tilted down slightly when you reach those higher speeds.
No problem with my LS2 open face fitted with a peak and goggles on my 08 thruxton. Bought mine from fat skeleton for £89 plus goggles at £40 which fit over my glasses.
Thought about a flip front? Best of both worlds, but do get a decent one, the crap cheapo I bought first was better off as a flower pot, but my AGV is brilliant! Mine also has a flip down sun visor, which I didn't like at first but now use quite a lot.
A Shark Evoline 3 is a decent compromise when you want an open helmet. The chinbar is not obvious when in the up position, and they can be picked up on ebay. Though the normal price is over £200, I got mine NOS in plain white for £130.
It will depend on the quality and fit of the helmet. I have an AGV open face helmet, which is fine for urban riding but I really regretted riding to Germany with it! No protection in the wet and it did ride up at motorway speeds, plus the goggles became uncomfortable after several hours riding. I like the look and feel of an open face but I only wear mine for the DGR and round the lanes pottering - I'm with half ton on this - I'd rather keep the lower half of my face (ugly though it is) in the event of an off. On my second flip front - a Schuberth C3 Pro. Can't fault it and it is certified to be ridden with the front up.
My mistake - that was the Shoei I was going to buy, but the Schuberth fitted better. To be honest you wouldn't want to ride at speed with the bar up anyway as it's not exactly aerodynamic!
To my mind the answer is ' yes'. If the padding under the forehead is thick as it is these days the wind catches it and pulls it up I had a Biltwell which didn't...but inside it said ' novelty helmet....do not use as a safety aid'. I think it was made from papier mache. I have a newish Biltwell open face now....it's padded thickly but better than some others.
Fitting a small flyscreen to the bike may help. Back in the '80s when i rode a CB550 i fitted an old helmet visor the headlamp and it took buffering away. I was tight fisted in those days and the cheapest mods were the best. This is the best one. With the old-style engine crash bars, i cable tied a home for sale corrugated plastic board to each side. Trimmed and moulded to fit. They lasted for a year of despatch riding and in the cold weather directed the engine to my legs. After about 6 months i noticed other despatch riders were doing the same.
My Caberg is cleared for riding flipped up, it also has the “P” and “J” designation. Ken. PS. My Caberg open face sees the clear visor pressed against my face when speeds get higher.
personally, id say no matter what open face you buy, it will lift, design depends upon how much it lifts. whatever you get, just expect it to be different to a full face. and my missis has a davida, and hers lifts, just thought id mention. It could be head shape/ chin and cheek mostly, if you wear a face scarf/ tube, how tight you like the chin strap. i occasionally use my bell moto 3 and the difference with visor on / off is night and day, its actually a pleasure when its off. just expect it to and you wont go wrong
Both my partner and me use open face helmets on our old Brit bikes and have done for years, they are old cheap helmets from years back that we have always used and one day we tried them on our new modern bikes as it was a hot day and they were a waste of time. We normally use full face helmets on our modern bikes so looked into new open face helmets and after trying a few was impressed with the Bell 500, they fit snug and and don't lift at all
I once crashed a zx6 r on the road and it’s the only time even in fifteen years of racing I got knocked unconscious. But the damage to my crash helmet was all on the chin bar and visor. Since that day I’ve only had full face. Not trying to be a scaremonger but it shit the life out of me because I didn’t know what happened
