The official newsletter of the International Star Riders Association ©ISRA, 1999. Redistribution prohibited without permission. Volume 1. Number 7.

I've read several posts postulating that a crash bad enough to hurt your helmet is one in which your injuries would be severe enough not to worry about one factor or another of the helmet itself. I have to disagree. My riding-buddy was assaulted by a van with an impact speed of about 35 mph. Her bike ended up inside the cargo area of the van. Her helmet was totaled, crushing her glasses inside the helmet. She had only minor contusions and no cuts or broken bones. It was clear that she would've had massive facial and cranial damage without her full-face helmet. Her head dented the van's structural supports, but her neck did not break. A helmet is designed to be crushed at a rate that slows the rate of skull-impact to a bearable level. SueB - ISRA # 776

I went with a more expensive helmet than I expected. I don't like d-rings, but there is the slightest chance that if the strap was the weak link, it would probably be the one with the buckle that would let go. I do believe that the flip up chin piece could also be a weak link. Bud - ISRA #1143

I almost always wear a helmet. My life was saved by an old 3/4 helmet a number of years back, but luckily I was only going about 5mph. A guy in front of me stopped dead in the middle of the road while I wasn't paying attention and I hit his bumper. The bike fell over and I hit my helmet very hard on the curb. Hard enough that, without the helmet on my head, I'm sure it would would have looked like a squashed melon. The helmet adds a degree of safety but the rider adds the rest and the rider's part is far larger than the helmet's. Bill Hamm - ISRA#729

I think probably the reason Snell concentrates on full-faces is that the full-face protects areas that aren't covered by the others. If a crash doesn't involve one of those areas, then another helmet may do just as well. So if you're going to ride with less than a full-face, just plan your crashes accordingly! SueB - ISRA # 776

To tell the truth, full-face helmets scare the hell out of me. I believe there is too much decapitation potential. Anyone seen studies to that effect? Fuzz - ISRA #959

I used to think you couldn't get a Snell certification on an open faced helment. However, apparently this is not the case. The Nolan is tested as an open face because the chin guard is movable. I checked the M-95 certification list at the Snell site and the following Nolan models have Snell certification: -Elan -Avenue -N90 -N92

Wish everyone could do this experiment: On a familiar road with little traffic, ride the road with first a full faced helmet, then ride again with a 3/4 helmet and one more time with no helmet. You will find, guaranteed, that each time you wear less on your head, you'll see more, lots more. Things you can see, you likely won't hit. Bill Hamm - ISRA#729

From the MSF guru, Marcia Ann at the Shadow Riders Forum: "How nice, a trolling comment worth answering. Especially since it will clarify some issues for others. BTW, you would probably call me one of those safety Nazi's. I will not debate the manditory helmet laws. This post is not about that. First - 'Helmets obstruct your vision.' - A persons peripheral vision extends in a 90degree arc from the center of your sight. DOT approved helmet have a MINIMUM of 105 degree arc when worn properly. Check it out by putting your fingers up with outstreched arms while looking straight ahead. When you loose sight of your fingers you are at the limit of your peripheral vision. When you want to really see something to the side try turning your head - you will see it much clearer. In that case the helmet won't come close to obstructing your vision. Second - 'It cuts down your ability to hear things around you.' Actually a helmet improves your ability to hear things around you by removing wind noise. This protects you hearing from damage, keeping it more sensitive to the softer noises around you. Finally - 'There is no conclusive evidence that wearing a helmet protects you from fatal head injuries.' Every accident study on motorcyclists have the same conclusion. While the numbers/percentages/statistics vary a little, the results are overwhelming. Wearing a helmet significantly reduced the severity of head injuries. In the RARE cases where a helmet was found to have caused minor injuries the fact is they prevented far more serious potentially fatal injuries. In case you don't want to believe the Statistics, why is it that those who were wearing helmets and involved in a serious accident are staunch supporters of wearing helmets? Those that weren't wearing helmets usually comment they wish they were and wear them somewhat religiously afterwards. Your skin and hair are not very good protection from injury when hitting the ground at 20 MPH and sliding for ten feet or more. Maybe you like spending the rest of your life walking around with freakish scar tissue on your face. I happen to prefer my face as it is. In conclusion - even if you don't believe a helmet protects you in an accident or that you will not have an accident what about protection from flying objects. Many here have related stories about getting hit with a bug, bee or stone at 60+MPH. Do you want the scar left on your face as a badge of honor cuz you ride without a helmet? What about those moments of distraction as you try to wipe the guts/blood off your face or shake your head to stop the pain? What can happen during those 2 seconds while you are speeding down the road at 65MPH (95 feet per second)?" I thought the peripheral vision info. was interesting. They went thru the same thing in NASCAR. The drivers didn't want to go to full face for fear of loss of peripheral vision. After they researched it they found there was no loss. Driller - ISRA#265

I tried on my HJC full-face and found that with or without the helmet, it made a lot of sense to turn my head to see what was at my side. When I was 17, I was hit from behind by a little old VW bug with a 73 year old driver. I took out his windshield with the back of my helmet. My head came out of it fine. Von

I wear either an ARAI classic or a renegade depending on the heat factor. That post was a direct "paste" from Marcia Ann who is a highly experienced MSF instructor. It directly cites D.O.T. studies and Blue Ribbon reports. Driller - ISRA#265

It's been said many times before, and I'm still amazed that the "peripheral vision loss" myth still survives. SueB ISRA # 776

I don't wanna argue with the "experts", but I used to always ride with a full coverage helmet. Then when I got the Vstar I bought a 3/4 Nolan and noticed I kept seeing things I'd never had seen before. Then one summer day, I took the ride only wearing my skull cap and saw all sorts of things I'd never seen before. So...while you may be "able" to see just fine out of a helmet, it doesn't mean you "do" see as well. Besides, it is the goverment's job to protect me from others, it is NOT the goverment's job to protect me from myself. Bill Hamm - ISRA#729

I have an ARAI Renegade. It fits well and is very comfortable. Driller - ISRA#265

I have always had this habit of riding with jeans, boots, gloves and a helmet. Twenty years ago I went over the handle bars at 60 miles an hour after another rider forced me off the road. I put my hand out and shattered all the bones in my wrist. I then came down on my head with the bike landing on top of me. Together we slid down the shoulder of the road in the gravel. When I woke up the next day in the hospital I had a cast on my arm and one hell of a headache. The helmet took the shock of the landing and was destroyed - gloves, jacket, and boots took the rest. BTW - it cost $11 for a headlight shell to repair the bike, when it fell on me, I saved it from any real damage. Chuck - ISRA # 886

When they re-do the roads in the area I live in, they do what we call a chip seal. That is, they cover it with an inch of gravel and then spray some oil on it. I wear the full because I dont enjoy being hit in the face with gravel; it seems to just clear the windshield and get me right in the face. On a normal 100 mile ride I get hit 15 or twenty times. And in the last 10 years, 5 bikers in this area have been killed by flying rocks. Snowdance

No argument from me on that. I always ride with a jacket, jeans and boots and gloves. Blacktop takes off bare skin very quickly. And I have no problem with full face helmets, just never found one that fits. An uncomfortable helmet usually gets left at home. Bill Hamm - ISRA # 729

I think you hit on another important issue. Helmets that don't fit or are uncomfortable don't get worn since they are expensive and all fit differently. What one calls an XXL another is a L. Chuck - ISRA #886

I agree about the Nolan, I have the N-100 and a Biefe full-face and others including my 1967 Bell Full Face that I use in parades. I love the N-100, it's by far the best helmet I have ever had. I have found that buying any helmet with out trying it on first is a mistake. I have a number of helmets; some are med and some are large, but all fit the same. By the way, the N-100 should be bought one size larger than normanl. Snowdance - ISRA # 373

The info about flip-up helmets being submitted to Snell and flunking is inaccurate. This is from the Snell web site: "'Why won't Snell certify some types of helmets like flip up front designs?' Snell does not dismiss, out of hand, any helmet design that strays from the conventional. Snell does not point out any design specifications, other than general requirements in our standards. We are however, always concerned with innovations and new designs that may effect the helmet's ability to protect the wearer, or in some cases the helmets potential to cause injury. At present, the Foundation has not had the opportunity to test any of the flip up front type helmets. So far, we can not find any fault with these designs as long as they are used according to the manufacturer's instructions. We will also certify any size of helmet as long as it meets the same requirements as any other Snell certified helmet." BTW, I have a Shoei Syncrotec and love it. Jeff N

One of the best points brought out here I believe is the point about not wearing one that doesn't fit. Bud - ISRA # 1143

I have also heard also that the various manufacturers make different "shapes"; i.e., more round or oval or whatever, so that even if the inside diameter is the same, the shape might be wrong for your head. I guess there's no substitute for actually trying it on before you buy it. I've also heard the suggestion that you should wear it around the shop for a half hour or so to make sure it really fits. SueB - ISRA # 776

The shop in my hometown actually let my roomate go for a test ride wearing the helmet she was interested in. It felt good and she ended up buying it. Von

I find that when using a full face helmet I tend not too see as much, due to the, "tunnel vision" syndrome rather than due to an actual impediment to my vision. I had the misfortune to go down on an interstate curve at 80 mph. My Bell 3/4 took a beating, as did my leather jacket gloves and levis. Although I ended up with only multiple bruises and a slight headache, my helmet had several delaminations and a silver dollar size piece missing from the back of it. Be that as it may, I still defend the right of the individual to be stupid and not wear a helmet. If most of those so called experts were actually to ride we would see less emphasis on the "statistics" relating to hemets and subsquent helmet laws. RT

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