Choosing a good quality motorbike or scooter helmet these days can often be rather confusing.
There are so many different styles of helmets to pick from that you’d end up racking your brains deciding which one would be best for you. Biker headgear comes in many different designs, sizes, colors as well as a good number of brands and styles to choose from – open face helmet, half helmets, skullcaps, crash helmets, full face helmets…
People often choose a helmet that matches their personality and/or the colours of their motorbike, moped or scooter. Bell, Vespa, Icon, AGV, Suomy, Nolan, Thor and Scorpion are just a few of the many popular brands available.
Lets take a look at half helmets. This style of helmet doesn’t completely cover the entire face, it simply protects the top and sides of the head and occasionally include a visor which helps keep bugs, dust and debris out of the facial area. Half helmets and also skullcaps have become quite popular with the cruiser crowd.
A skullcap does precisely what it suggests, it covers only the cap of the head and generally doesn’t have a visor. They’re extremely popular with the American biker crowd primarily for the reason that they can be personalized with a nice paint job and motif such as skulls, old aeroplanes, bullet holes, flames, iron crosses and the like.
But really skullcaps are mostly for show as they do not provide very much in the way of head safety and protection. You will also find that almost all the really cool looking designs are neither Dot and Snell approved helmets. So should you be looking for a helmet that offers good protection I would suggest at the very least a half helmet, but for better protection buy an open face helmet. If you are determined to get a skullcap then at the very least get one that has Dot approval.
Of all the different helmet styles, the full face helmet offers the best protection and is required headgear for all sportbikers who love to pump up some serious horsepower and are also more at risk of an accident and sustaining serious head injuries.
Most offer a venting system (a unique ventilation system that perpetually circulates and replaces air within the helmet) and a quick switch face shield to switch from a clear to a tinted shield in an instant. It’s important, when choosing a full face helmet, that it fits snuggly, not overly tight, but tight enough so that the helmet cannot be turned when its on your head.
Lastly you have the open face helmet – Open face helmets gives good protection to the head, neck, ears and eyes. Some come with a quick release flip-up anti-scratch visor that opens up and which can be very convenient.
Though this type of helmet shields the biker from wind and rain, insects and dirt etc, the chin, teeth and nose area are exposed. If you prefer to go with an open face helmet without a visor you will need to get some motorcycle goggles. Whatever you decide upon, make sure that the helmet fits properly on your head and is comfortable enough to be worn for long durations.
You can find more details here including current special offers and reviews on a select range of cheap open face helmets plus motorcycle goggles and open face scooter helmets