3/4 Lids I am torn...

[2dogs]

It will make communicating on your Sena much clearer if you have a modular. It is hard to cut out the wind noise on a 3/4. Have you looked at those helmets that have the removable chin bar? They aren't cheap but would allow you to go with the 3/4 feel when you want and the full face/modular at other times. I think BRP has one.

That's the Shark helmet.

[Peteoz]

We were going to go to a 3/4 but after seeing Bob's picture we decided to stay with a modular.

Don’t just go by Bob’s picture to make that call, DDT. That is a very old research paper, and there is a lot more recent research that calls it into question. Do some of your own research. I was going to go modular or full face after seeing that picture, but further research showed me (and I stress “ME”, not necessarily “YOU”), that the new 3/4 helmets with the extended chin guards and full length visors provided both protection and improved vision that I was happy with. I would never ride in one of the old fashioned 3/4 helmets, but the Arai CTZ, the Schuberth and the Shoei 3/4 are a different item altogether.
PeteE3916F08-AA9A-4EC7-A33F-615C91DDBEE3.jpeg

[Peteoz]

p.s. I have never had any trouble communication via my Sena or my Uclear using either the Schuberth or Shoei 3/4 helmets.

Pete

[M109Dreamer]

I have had this one for 5 years and will be replacing it with another one this season. Its not as quiet as my full face but in the summer I like being able to run a 3/4 without the chin piece sticking in the air and pushing my head around. And when I get caught in weather, I can just flip the chin piece over and lock it down.

https://us.shark-helmets.com/collect...oline-series-3

[Peteoz]

I have had this one for 5 years and will be replacing it with another one this season. Its not as quiet as my full face but in the summer I like being able to run a 3/4 without the chin piece sticking in the air and pushing my head around. And when I get caught in weather, I can just flip the chin piece over and lock it down.

https://us.shark-helmets.com/collect...oline-series-3

Yeah, in my opinion, the smartest helmet ever made, M109. Unfortunately, they changed the headshape between the series 2 and the series 3, and the 3 was too tight in the largest size they make.....bugger.....

Pete

[JP58]

I have a shoei j-cruise. It's a nice fit and comfortable. Also my sena 20s fits good. The shield go's way down low so mike on sena is good. Has built in sun visor. I do have a taller recurve windshield on my RTS.

[jaherbst]

A little common sense goes a long way. The 3/4 with the face Shield is also not very safe. Ask someone who has actually had an accident with one. When doing a face plant or "Cranial Perch" the helmet/helmut will always violently tilt forward and the bottom of the shield will dig into your throat. Even if it does not cut your throat it will do severe damage to your "adams apple" and windpipe.

With three emergency Doctors in my immediate family I always get the weekly report on motorcycle accidents, helmets and deaths. I don't ask for these but they never pass up a chance to point this out.

Life itself is a risk and riding M/C's for me is part of it. Why not be as safe as you can so you can come home to those who love you most.

Jack

[MOSESS]

common sense or a preference. from reading all the posts there are some that feel a full safe is the best way to go based on safety and there are those that feel the 3/4 is a very good solution for them. in the summer I can see why one would go with a 3/4. the rest of the year a full face is the only option. okay after 3 hours in a shop trying on lids I am was tired and still could not decide.

[loisk]

Best tip I was given was to try on a helmet in store, and leave it on - walk around for half an hour.

Ignoring this has left me with many uncomfortable helmets on my shelf ...

Following this has led to many "essential" purchases whilst walking around the store ...

[Peteoz]

A little common sense goes a long way. The 3/4 with the face Shield is also not very safe. Ask someone who has actually had an accident with one. When doing a face plant or "Cranial Perch" the helmet/helmut will always violently tilt forward and the bottom of the shield will dig into your throat. Even if it does not cut your throat it will do severe damage to your "adams apple" and windpipe.

With three emergency Doctors in my immediate family I always get the weekly report on motorcycle accidents, helmets and deaths. I don't ask for these but they never pass up a chance to point this out.

Life itself is a risk and riding M/C's for me is part of it. Why not be as safe as you can so you can come home to those who love you most.

Jack

I really would like to see examples of your quoted “cutting your throat” or “damaging your windpipe” occurrences, Jack. With your head bent forward at its maximum angle, the bottom of the Shoei 3/4 shield actually rests on your breastbone, way below your throat and wind pipe.......and a full face and modular helmet rests in exactly the same position, so they, with the firm bottom edge, would also impact your breastbone. I have never seen any examples of that in any of the research I have done.....and I have done plenty. That’s not to say that under some bizarre circumstance it hasn’t happened, but under bizarre circumstances, full face helmets have caused severe neck injuries.

I stress that I am not talking about the old fashioned 3/4 helmets here, but the newer, extended cheekguard models. Maybe we should call them 7/8 helmets.

The 7/8 helmets provide me with significantly better vision (and I believe better vision on a motorbike is always safer vision) than full face helmets, and with the jury still out on exactly whether a full face is better than a 7/8 in preventing head trauma occasioning death, I do indeed believe I am indeed being “as safe as I can”, despite your intimation that using anything other than a full face or modular is not using “common sense”.

Pete

[Bob Denman]

Best tip I was given was to try on a helmet in store, and leave it on - walk around for half an hour.

Ignoring this has left me with many uncomfortable helmets on my shelf ...

Following this has led to many "essential" purchases whilst walking around the store ...

But were the Store Security personnel keeping a close eye on you??

[andytexas]

Here's another take on helmets I'm going to be 74 shortly and have been riding since I was 13. I spent a lot of time riding you know fun in the sun and live in south Texas and can ride everyday. I used mostly 3/4 helmets. My doctor noticed 5 spots of cancer on my face (you know fun in the sun). She recommended that I switch to a full face or modular.

[Bob Denman]

I'm not saying that you're gonna leak all of your brains out through an ear-hole; if you don't wear a Snell Approved full-face helmet...

And I'm not saying that the aforementioned helmet will protect you from any and all harm...

But I AM saying that you should probably pick out a helmet that fits you comfortably.. and wear it!

[jaherbst]

Well let's start at the beginning. Any helmet is safer than no helmet, right? Ever wonder why all the pro-racers both motorcycle and auto never wear anything but full face helmets. Their is a reason. They of course crash more often. You should be able to read between the lines. Comfort vs Safety is probably what this is all about. The choice is yours. Ain't it nice to ride in a free country!

Jack

[jaherbst]

I really would like to see examples of your quoted “cutting your throat” or “damaging your windpipe” occurrences, Jack. With your head bent forward at its maximum angle, the bottom of the Shoei 3/4 shield actually rests on your breastbone, way below your throat and wind pipe.......and a full face and modular helmet rests in exactly the same position, so they, with the firm bottom edge, would also impact your breastbone. I have never seen any examples of that in any of the research I have done.....and I have done plenty. That’s not to say that under some bizarre circumstance it hasn’t happened, but under bizarre circumstances, full face helmets have caused severe neck injuries.

I stress that I am not talking about the old fashioned 3/4 helmets here, but the newer, extended cheekguard models. Maybe we should call them 7/8 helmets.

The 7/8 helmets provide me with significantly better vision (and I believe better vision on a motorbike is always safer vision) than full face helmets, and with the jury still out on exactly whether a full face is better than a 7/8 in preventing head trauma occasioning death, I do indeed believe I am indeed being “as safe as I can”, despite your intimation that using anything other than a full face or modular is not using “common sense”.

Pete

Pete, simply visit any emergency room and discuss this with any Emergency Room Doctor. Emergency Medicine is a specialty and they see it all. Ask them about which helmet they would recommend. You probably already know the answer.

​Jack

[Lew L]

Full or Modular----- " Never leave home without one"

Lew L

PS: I do wear a 3/4 helmet when I ski.​

[wyliec]

I really would like to see examples of your quoted “cutting your throat” or “damaging your windpipe” occurrences, Jack. With your head bent forward at its maximum angle, the bottom of the Shoei 3/4 shield actually rests on your breastbone, way below your throat and wind pipe.......and a full face and modular helmet rests in exactly the same position, so they, with the firm bottom edge, would also impact your breastbone. I have never seen any examples of that in any of the research I have done.....and I have done plenty. That’s not to say that under some bizarre circumstance it hasn’t happened, but under bizarre circumstances, full face helmets have caused severe neck injuries.

I stress that I am not talking about the old fashioned 3/4 helmets here, but the newer, extended cheekguard models. Maybe we should call them 7/8 helmets.

The 7/8 helmets provide me with significantly better vision (and I believe better vision on a motorbike is always safer vision) than full face helmets, and with the jury still out on exactly whether a full face is better than a 7/8 in preventing head trauma occasioning death, I do indeed believe I am indeed being “as safe as I can”, despite your intimation that using anything other than a full face or modular is not using “common sense”.

Pete

Pete,

You may find this quote interesting, from an article I found:

"Helmet usage itself does not preclude the occurrence of the coup-contrecoup type brain injury that is suffered in most head injuries. This paper presents an overview of the anatomy of the brain and mechanisms of head injury in non-technical terms to provide an understanding of this problem. As motorcycling comes under closer scrutiny this information will be needed to answer to those who would place unreasonable restriction on motorcycling."

In case you're not familiar with coup and counter-coup which ends up being a TBI (traumatic brain injury), coup is the impact site where your brain hits the skull first, and counter-coup is the opposite site where your brain swings back and hits the skull. So, what you have said that I have bolded makes sense. However, there are other factors in play here like facial damage, to name one. I'm sorry, I didn't go back and read every post, so facial damage may have been mentioned. All that being said, I wear a full face, and make my gf wear one, or don't ride. As for preaching to others, wear whatever you want. I'm sure this topic will come up again in a couple weeks.

[crna59]

Folks..... you do know that most helmets have removable/replaceable padding to have a custom fit. The Neotec that I got was too tight around the cheeks and too loose around the crown. I ordered thinner cheek padding and thicker padding around the crown. Now it fits perfectly!
Arai has tear away padding 5mm increments.

[Peteoz]

Thanks Guys, there’s some good points there. However, I have heard every one of them before and took all of them into consideration when making my decision (including trauma room photos and reports&#128521. Yes, there is an added risk of chin/nasal type injury with the 7/8, but I have also seen two instances of the chin bar cracking on a full face, with horrific results.

It was an informed decision (made over a long period of time) on my part to go with the 7/8 Shoei and Schuberth helmets, and I feel very safe and very comfortable in them. Thanks for the feedback.

Pete

[M109Dreamer]

Yeah, in my opinion, the smartest helmet ever made, M109. Unfortunately, they changed the headshape between the series 2 and the series 3, and the 3 was too tight in the largest size they make.....bugger.....

Pete

Well crap, I have the first version. I hope it will still fit well then. I had that I don't have anywhere near me to try them on before hand. I have to buy then exchange, sometimes several times to get the correct one.

[Peteoz]

Well crap, I have the first version. I hope it will still fit well then. I had that I don't have anywhere near me to try them on before hand. I have to buy then exchange, sometimes several times to get the correct one.

I could get the series 3 on, but it was really tight in a couple of spots compared to the series 2. Way too tight that it would loosen a bit......and since I was wearing the largest size (XL), I couldn’t try the “next size up”, which may have been perfect. Boy, was I pissed. There I was, having found the perfect helmet for me, and suddenly it was gone once the Series 2 wore out.

Pete.

[mavrik]

Wow...that is a totally different but valid point...and thanks. We spend so much time on these machine and in the sun, in the process of trying to get cooler we put our facial skin at risk...another positive for a modular helmet.

Here's another take on helmets I'm going to be 74 shortly and have been riding since I was 13. I spent a lot of time riding you know fun in the sun and live in south Texas and can ride everyday. I used mostly 3/4 helmets. My doctor noticed 5 spots of cancer on my face (you know fun in the sun). She recommended that I switch to a full face or modular.

[Stogeylink]

After having a run-in with a small tree in 1976 and looking at the right side of my helmet pealed down like a banana, I went with the Bell statement of "If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet". From then on, I stayed with Bell and have a Bell Star full face now that is my favorite. I'm new to the Spyder community but, so far, I have loved this machine. It just works and gives satisfaction. Besides, my wife said it had to be a trike this time due to some sever leg injuries from 2003. She just didn't say which trike...LOL! She actually loves it too and I wouldn't be surprised to see a pair of them after a while. Hoping to spend some time in the wind this spring as I am semi-retired and looking for day trips and over-night getaways for the wife and I. Hope to see you all on the road.

[ofdave]

about 10 years ago I used to ride once in a while with a guy who's brother was in a mild accident.
He was wearing a 3/4 helmet and suffered major damage to his chin, bottom jaw, and left cheek bones as a result. His brother had pics of him after the surgeries and during the healing process. After seeing those pics, I got my first modular helmet 2 days later. The damage was shocking. Even more shocking was that there was minimal damage to the rest of him, minor road rash, and no broken bones except for the lower jaw and cheek bones, but his front teeth were gone and lips destroyed.
You'll never find me in anything other than a modular or full face ever again.
The risk to take is up to the rider.

As far as riding wearing a modular with it being open-that's just stupid. They are not meant to be worn that way. Do a get off and have the open front get dragged on the ground and see what happens to your neck. Just dumb.

[mavrik]

we all take calculated risks being on these machines....with the spyder i'm a little more relaxed compared to when I was on a full bike...but still wear a full faced helmet. Problem is we can calculate some risks but there are other things that are out of are control....when crap hits the fan it can be bad....be prepared for that and except those risks with choices we all make