I have never wore a helmet but I guess I should.

Do you guys wear the dirt mx type (Full face) helmets or Open face helmets w/ a visor?

Which is best and what is the full face thing for?

Do both work good with googles?

Is there anything to beware of in helmets?
Thanks

 

I am prejudiced against full face helmuts. I will explain, first for years I raced boats, if you bit the big one you were gonna eat some water, full face, no CPR without removing helmut. If neck was broke, to bad now you are a quadrapelgic. Beside they can fix your face if you smash it up, if you are dead but your face is still pretty, you just save the mortition some time. Also the full face helmuts are heavier, harder on you neck.

 

A helmet must be DOT (Department of Transport) or other authority approved. Lots of fancy legal stamps but as long as its certified for motocycle driving in your area, it will be ok.

For my slow trail riding, I like an open face helmet with a 3/4 length flip down visor. When I enter dusty areas or thick brush areas, I pull my visor down. When its a nice day and we are just "put putting" around, I push my visor up. When I snow plow, pull trailers, zip around our yard, etc. I keep my visor up. With OPEN face, I can talk to my son and/or others around me and they hear most of the words I say. At times I have to yell, but they do hear me ok. With a full face, one can't hear the person talking. A full face gets too hot in the hot summer days as well. But, a full face helmet with full visor is the best protection. For fast trails with my adult quad buddies, I'd use a full face helment. One simple tree branch twig in the eye could leave you blind for life.

For open face helments, their price can range from $49.00 to $499.00+ (in my area). For my slow driving, I purchased a $49.00 "legal stamped" open face helment. The full face helmets are more expensive. If purchasing any helment, don't get suckered by its graphics. If it has Fancy Graphics, the seller may put a huge selling price on it. Hold it beside a non-graphic helment of the same quality and its price could be dramatically different. In other words, price doesn't always prove its quality.

Hope this helps allow you to better decide what you need for your unique riding conditions...

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I have a dirt bike helmet, but that's because it was left over from my dirt bike!!! Didn't make a whole lota sense to go out and spend the money on something else. I ALWAYS wear it, need to set the example for my kids, and I have worn it with goggles and it works well. Good luck, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Marla

 

Bear, you gotta funny way of putting things...I like it.
Anyway thanks for the comments, I am going with Open face, dot approved. Found a good deal on Ebay for them. I mainly putt around but occassionaly do some steep hill climbs so prob outa protect what I have left upstairs...

 

i don't wear helmits atving (i know i should) but i was backing out of a mudhole a couple years ago and my fourwheeler hooked up so hard that i stood it right up on end so my fourwheeler just sat there and i hit my chin on the handlebars and now have this scar on my chin my dad got into an accident snowmobiling and he busted up his full face helmit when the handlebars came up and hit it and if he wasn't wearing it his jaw would have been broken i guess that is what i prefer i wear the moto x style for snowmobiling and i never though if cpr had to be administered but that would have to be pretty extreme circumstances but a very valid point but the chances of breaking your jaw in my book far exceed the chances of needing cpr administered and hmmmm i think i came up with my multi million dollar idea a cpr thing that gets behind a full face helmit [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] lol but you can't go wrong as long as you wear a helmit any helmit it is better protection then nothing

 

The docs can fix a broken jaw, hell the can rebuild you whole face if necessary, but dead is dead and then they just shovel dirt on you after that.

 

Everyone has their preferance. I and my wife wear full face helmets now. There was a guy here in NC riding up the side of the mountain, good rider, hit a place and it flipped backwards. The Suzuki 500 then rolled over his face breaking both jaws. He was airlifted to the hospital where he spent 2 weeks, and another couple of months with his jaws wired together. This was the only injury he had. My wife flipped her A/C 375 a couple of months ago and the rear rack had her head pinned to the ground. She was unhurt other than a bruised shoulder. Like I said everyone has their own opinion, but that is a couple of reasons that we wear full face.

 

i like the full face to help deflect branches, rocks and wind

 

Being an avid road cyclist and ATVer I would say to you that more protection is better. Just watching the Speed channel, seeing what they are wearing in ANY competition, it would seem that full face helmets are the way to go. I ride in a large cycling club and put on about 2500 miles each summer and see several cyclists go down during that time in the peleton. Open face helmets leave a lot to be desired as far as protection goes especially when hitting the pavement at 20 MPH. I don't ATV much, about 775 miles in 1 1/2 years but feel it's not if, but when, you go down. Given my experiences from cycling and the fact that there is a potential to attain higher speeds over rough terrain with an ATV is why I only use my full face helmet now. I don't wear my open face helmet anymore at all.

When I hear people say they don't wear a helmet when ATVing I feel inclined to say that they are just not too bright for taking such a senseless risk. I have seen cyclists face plant at 15mph over the handlebars, shatter their helmet, and be dazed so bad they can't stand for 5 minutes. Had they not had a helmet on I feel they would be dead. Go to the State of Wisconsin's site where they give details of ATV fatalities for the state. Almost every case involves NO helmet and excessive speed and alcohol/drugs. This was taken from their 2003 report:
Do not consume alcohol (or drugs) before or during your ride. The chances of injury or death greatly increase when riders do not heed this basic safety rule. Last year alone, nine fatal victims didn’t think it would happen to them.

Wear a helmet, this includes passengers. Almost all ATV fatalities involve a person who was not wearing a helmet.

The big advantages besides the obvious safety advantage are the visor blocks cold better and is easier to use if you wear glasses. Plus you eat less dust! I like Bell helmets myself but just make sure it is Snell rated.