I've been riding bikes for a long time and for most of that time I wore an open face helmet whether on dirt or on the street. On dirt I wore goggles but on the street I usually just wore sunglasses or prescription lenses because, after all, I was behind a windshield. What was going to hit me in the face? Well, today I found out.

I got my first full face (well, modular) helmet about 5 years ago and I'm on my second now, a Shoei Multitec. Today I was behind and gaining on an oilfield tanker truck at about 70 MPH, just getting ready to pass it on a 2 lane road. A rock came off the truck's tire and it's trajectory was just right to come over the top of the windshield and hit my face shield hard enough to gouge a pretty good spot on it. Though it didn't hurt, I really felt the impact. The windshield was all the way down but I'm short so I was still looking through it, not over it. Though I've had a few bugs fly in from the side and hit me I never expected a rock, or anything else, to be able to get past the windshield and hit me in the head but this one sure did.

I'm really glad I had the shield on and it was closed. I'm also glad to find out that a hit as hard as that one scarred the Shoei's shield but didn't break it. From where the rock hit, I don't think I would have had an eye injury or anything really serious but I could definitely have lost a tooth and would have undoubtedly been sore for some time. Got my attention. I still have a really nice Shoei open face helmet that I sometimes wore on hot summer days. I won't be doing that anymore.

Cotton