Yup its always the big bees that hit you its actually because they are old and fat and cant get out of the way when they discover the bzzzzzź from yur bike isnt a female bee.
I'd like to have you know my bike does not BZZZZZ! it roars and I have yet to find a lion trying to hump it from behind!!
I once had a wasp on the inside of my full face helmet visor. It gave me a moment. Almost as much when so one threw a fag out of their car and hit me in the face when I had my visor up.
I had this debate a few months back when I came back to biking, NEVER an open face, usually a full but had a couple of flips in the past. I found some info on the testing to qualify for the ECE R 22-05 sticker all helmets used on the road must have, flip fronts are treated as full face and the visor has the same testing as a full face, in other words the flip visor must stand up to the same vigours as a fixed front helmet. How-ever, when ridden with the visor up it does not offer the same protection and the full face certificate is void, but it does not have an open face certificate either, so be careful in the event of an insurance claim if you have an off with your flip visor up! Technically you ride with an illegal helmet, I know a twist and go scooter rider who was pulled on the way to the MFN meet at a mass Police check en-route and warned of this. Also, if you have a sun visor down and ride with the clear visor up or the flip visor up the sun visor does not have any 'E9' requirements or testing and could shatter if hit by any flying objects. It seems that price makes not a lot of difference for any helmet safety either, it's the shell, inner polystyrene shell and strap/fastening that must meet or exceed the tests to get the certificate, and strangely I could not find ANY Chinese made helmets with a certificate! Your hard earned dosh goes into better padding, visor's, paint jobs and fasteners, but as long as it has that sticker on the back the cheapest of the cheap has met the same safety criteria of the dearest Aria! You can tell where you helmet was made by the code it must carry on the inside, you should see a big circled E9 then some thing like 06. 1652/-P-1815008, the P stand for Spain. There is a listing of code's on the web, but could not find it again, if I do I'll post it up. Finally there is the ACU Gold, that's a different matter and has no legal bearings for road use what so-ever. Pulling the lining up may reveal a date code although that does dont seem to be a legal requirement, helmets don't start to date until they go into service, with polycarbinate deteriorating quicker due to U.V. reaction. After considering all this, my personal preference come down to double D ring fastening, I wont have any thing else after my wife nearly had hers lift off after the clip one she had was not properly secure, cant happen with D's. I've tried Expensive glass/carbon ones that 'last years', but for me last no longer than a poly as I always seem to distort the lining/straps with time well before its shell is too battered and chipped, polys get the sack after no more thane 2-3 years, then I've probably distorted that too! Just my preference though. Finally, it seems that the old Kangol Corker or any helmet made before 1967 is still legal, as they do not come under the later legislation, as long as it can be proved it was made before that date and it was designed as protective head gear its legal! That wont include any German helmets then! Terry
Was riding to work on one nice summery day and something slammed down the side of my open-face and hit my ear. Happens all the time so I thought nothing of it. Then I felt the impact pain again. And again. And again. Lawdy lawd I had a lay-by 10 metres in front of me by the time I realised what was going on, never stopped so fast in my life. The little stripy anger ball buggered off pretty quickly and my ear swelled to twice the size. Throbbed the rest of the 10 miles to work and the swelling didn't go down for hours! ..But I'd never wear a full-face.
Some helmets do not suit some bikes at all, as in Messyart's bike above , you cannot look good on an America or, spit, a Harley in a full face. Yes an R1, Panigale, Blade etc. Then again you have to have your Dainese race rep leathers on then or you look kinda silly. I know some of you,in fact maybe most, will say you won't look cool after a smash in an open face and that is fair enough but then again if we took that all the way to the stop we would all be driving in cars with full roll cages to protect us. I wear leather gloves, armoured denim jeans, jacket with armour in the back and shoulders and always wear bike boots. I used to ( in the 70s) wear sunglasses while riding but as an old fart would not dream of doing so now and wear goggles. Yep i like looking like a WW1 Sopwith Camel pilot, and yep again, I very occasionally wear my brown leather flying jacket for old times sake, and nope, it probably does not go with my Sprint but do i give a F***, well what do you think??? lol
Now I guess you all know I aint so fond of the newer type Bonnies but I happen to think you look super cool in a flying jacket on one. I had one in the 70s when I had a starfire and I looked soooooooo cool on that ( DON'T LAFF). he trick is to buy one a size or even two sizes bigger than you need. I have lost 4 and a half stone this year so mine fits a treat now and all i need is some nice sunnier days in the winter to wear it on the bike. The rabbit fur is nasty when it gets wet,lol. ps the black flying jackets with white fur are very uncool, even on an old school Bonnie
I must admit i am a fan of open face with glasses and scarf and in my Enduro/trail riding days i would pretty much use the same better all round vision and didnt seem to much enclosed in !!!
Cannot disagree. Somehow the film Easy Rider would just not work with Fonda in an AGV Rossi rep helmet and Hopper in a Marquez Shoei, lol, maybe a Lorenzo HJC. Not cool
Bloody dangerous in my opinion. Hate the damned thing. I would be worried in case it came off in an accident, or how would the paramedics know how to remove it if necessary, they would be looking for the straps. Be interested what others have to say
In the video they show a pictogram sticker on the helmet that gives instructions how the front part of the helmet can be removed without disturbing the rear part or the accident victim.
But stickers can be damaged in a crash. Also ( I dont mean in an accident)if the mechanism locked how the hell would you get it off,at least with a strap it can be cut off
Yup been there anorl with the wasp, was sitting still at the time talking to my mate with the visor up as you do and the little fokir flew in, my mate said sit still I'l get it, but he never and I swear to god trying to multi task getting the side stand down and gloves off whilst the coont was terrorising me was epic. One of my lives away that was. Another time was when I picked my son up from the golf course me in my shorts coz it was toasting, he chucked his bag in with a wasp in it and as I flew along the motorway in my car as it happens it got out. It was giving it all sorts in the rear window trying to get to me so I opened the window to blast it back but the wind shot the wee coont up my shorts where it stung me twice before I got it, worst bit was I slapped myself it the gonads in the process. Wife thought it was funny as they do and said let me see yur sausage then pissing herself.
