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Half Helmets (aka Mushroom Head)

10K views 31 replies 21 participants last post by  mboogiemanusa 
#1 ·
I just picked up a new Bell Drifter model half helmet.
http://www.bellpowersport.com/helmets/images/drifter_l1.jpg

I grew up with Bells and still own and use my old ratty 70's 3/4 helmet for local riding. The new helmet fits great. I am curious though if I am going to have my head buffeted all over the place. (I would take it for a ride to find out for myself but the thing has tags all over it that I would have to remove in order to use it) It's a full 2 inches from the front of my head to the outer shell. I ordered a DOT hemet because I want the protection, but I don't want to be a bobblehead doll while riding. I don't have a windshield on my bike, and the helmet doesn't have a visor (I know from experience that sun visors can increase the wind buffeting). Does anyone have any experience with these DOT half shell type helmets? Am I worrying about nothing? I can return this one and get a Carbon Fiber helmet that is still DOT but has half as much padding. I would stick with the Bell though if I didn't think I would get my head knocked around. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
That isn't a bad looking helmet in my opinion and the distance from your head is obviously due to the design. Not sure how it will do at high speeds, but it may tend to lift more than some of the other designs. I have a full face, a regular round half helmet with the snap-on visor (like the cops wear) and a small thin DOT half helmet. They all serve a different purpose.

When it's cold and I'm going to be in traffic I tend to use the bigger half helmet because it's a little warmer with the liner/skirt zippered in. If I'm primarily going to be out on the highway I'll use the full face. But, once it hits about 40 degrees and I'm tooling around town I use the smaller half helmet because of the great visibility.

I will say the bigger half helmet has a huge lift off problem and at anything above 60 mph it's quite annoying unless you really pull the strap tight. The smaller one does lift a little, but not very much and hardly at all with a dew rag (or maybe I just don't notice it as much).

The only thing I don't like about the thin half helmet, which I can easily fix, is that there isn't a snap to secure the free end of the strap. The other day I happened to have it on when it was about 20 degrees and my ears were already cold. I usually tuck the free end of the strap under the stap on my neck, but didn't this time. I hit about 50 and the free end beat hell out of my already frozen ear about (what seemed like) a hundred times before I got hold of it. That freaking hurts!
 
#3 ·
My two cents. Before I'd wear a half-helmet I'd just ride helmetless. I honestly don't see the difference in the two options. Oh, and BTW, I understand helmets deteriorate with age to the point of uselessness. You probably should chunk that 70's helmet. I hope you don't take this in the wrong way. Honestly. ^rolleyez^

FWIW, I wear a Shoei RJ-Air Platinum like this.

 
#5 ·
zartoff said:
My two cents. Before I'd wear a half-helmet I'd just ride helmetless. I honestly don't see the difference in the two options. Oh, and BTW, I understand helmets deteriorate with age to the point of uselessness. You probably should chunk that 70's helmet. I hope you don't take this in the wrong way. Honestly. ^rolleyez^

FWIW, I wear a Shoei RJ-Air Platinum like this.

Look at that helmet. It protects the ears it protects the head and it sure as hell beats going helmetless. If Missouri didn't have a Helmet law (and my wife didn't make me) I would ride w/o a helmet, but a DOT 1/2 helmet and helmetless are about the same. WTH????????
 
#8 · (Edited)
Thanks for all the responses guys. Jersey's a helmet law state, so that's why all this is even coming up. I had been looking at the Carbon Fiber Helmets web site. I think that's what I'll go with. BTW, that 70's helmet is just around to make the boys in blue happy. It may be a POS but it says DOT on the back.
 
#9 ·
RKJ said:
zartoff said:
My two cents. Before I'd wear a half-helmet I'd just ride helmetless. I honestly don't see the difference in the two options. Oh, and BTW, I understand helmets deteriorate with age to the point of uselessness. You probably should chunk that 70's helmet. I hope you don't take this in the wrong way. Honestly. ^rolleyez^

FWIW, I wear a Shoei RJ-Air Platinum like this.

Look at that helmet. It protects the ears it protects the head and it sure as hell beats going helmetless. If Missouri didn't have a Helmet law (and my wife didn't make me) I would ride w/o a helmet, but a DOT 1/2 helmet and helmetless are about the same. WTH????????
I'm not sure at all how you can equate wearing a 1/2 helment with no helment at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#11 ·
8-Ball said:
www.carbonfiberhelmets.com

They are light, small, and comfortable.... and DOT approved.

I love mine.
8 Ball
Below is a quote from their web site...........
advanced carbon composites

"* ACC Helmets on this page are NOT DOT APPROVED, buyer assumes all responsibility for
suitability of application**

They look great but from what I can see the are NOT DOT. Just thought y'all might want to know.
 
#12 ·
DynaLow05 said:
8 Ball
Below is a quote from their web site...........
advanced carbon composites

"* ACC Helmets on this page are NOT DOT APPROVED, buyer assumes all responsibility for
suitability of application**

They look great but from what I can see the are NOT DOT. Just thought y'all might want to know.
One thing to remember... never, never doubt me.

You were looking at the non-DOT page. They make both.

Another quote from their website:

"ACC is proud to introduce the worlds smallest DOT certified helmet."

Here is the link to the DOT helmet page:

http://www.carbonfiberhelmets.com/dot.htm
 
#14 · (Edited)
zartoff said:
My two cents. Before I'd wear a half-helmet I'd just ride helmetless. I honestly don't see the difference in the two options.
RKJ said:
If Missouri didn't have a Helmet law (and my wife didn't make me) I would ride w/o a helmet, but a DOT 1/2 helmet and helmetless are about the same. WTH????????
OldMsocko said:
I'm not sure at all how you can equate wearing a 1/2 helment with no helment at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I quote from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, http://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/helmet_CSI.pdf
"A 'shorty' half-helmet protects even less of your head (than does the 3/4 open-face helmet). It is more likely to come off your head upon impact. Therefore, 'shorty', half-shell helmets are not recommended."

I may be wrong but I don't think the Snell Foundation will certify half-helmets. They may be DOT accepted but if a helmet doesn't have the SNELL sticker, I won't wear it. It's my opinion and, of course, others will differ. I'm just saying, that for me, I would just go helmetless if I was considering the shorty and, here in Texas, helmetless is allowed.
:sofa:
 
#16 ·
8-Ball said:
One thing to remember... never, never doubt me.
i'll doubt ya FTH of it...
but that is one tuff looking scooter. the back struts look real nice, good pipes, man if i had the money i'd be doing the dame things- especially the solo seat!{salute(
 
#17 ·
zartoff said:
I may be wrong but I don't think the Snell Foundation will certify half-helmets. They may be DOT accepted but if a helmet doesn't have the SNELL sticker, I won't wear it. It's my opinion and, of course, others will differ. I'm just saying, that for me, I would just go helmetless if I was considering the shorty and, here in Texas, helmetless is allowed.
:sofa:
I found this helmet article on the Motorycyclist magazine very refreshing in conducting an unbiased study of helmets other than the raters (DOT, SNELL, the European Standard ECE 22-05) performed...please check out SNELL's reply to the study, and the Motorcyclist's reply back to SNELL...food for thought anyway!

http://motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/hatz/
 
#18 ·
#19 ·
PlanB said:
I found this helmet article on the Motorycyclist magazine very refreshing in conducting an unbiased study of helmets other than the raters (DOT, SNELL, the European Standard ECE 22-05) performed...please check out SNELL's reply to the study, and the Motorcyclist's reply back to SNELL...food for thought anyway!

http://motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/hatz/
I thought this was the best article I ever read in that mag when I still subscribed. Excellant. And the Snell certification doesn't mean all that much to me anymore.
 
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