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Post by prodigit on Jul 17, 2012 20:08:55 GMT -5
Hi, I want to buy a helmet for my scooter. It's only a 250cc scooter, runs ok, usually I do speeds lower than 40MPH. The florida heat sometimes can be uncomfortable with a helmet on, I prefer no helmet, but because of insurance reasons I wanted to buy one. Would it be ok if I buy a bicycle helmet like photo below? They have plenty of airvents, and I don't sweat too much in them! I just want to not be stopped by a cop for not wearing a helmet and not being insured or something....  |
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Post by inkyben on Jul 17, 2012 20:30:21 GMT -5
its not a state requirement to wear one but I don't think that helmet will do any good if you were in an accident. Ofcourse any protection is better than none though.
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Post by prodigit on Jul 17, 2012 21:11:17 GMT -5
probably protect my head from road rash, as it is a bit wider than my head.
I don't think any helmet will do any good if the accident is a truck hitting me at 100mph from the opposite direction!
However, if I'm driving at 35MPH, and I somehow flip off my bike, it'll probably take the frontal and lateral hits.
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Post by jwalz1 on Jul 19, 2012 18:11:28 GMT -5
I was reading in another forum a discussion and there was some link to a, I think, German study of accidents and different types of helmets. And from memory, (so take with a grain of salt) a decent percentage of the "area of damage" I guess you would call it from typical accident was somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40% of impacts were to the lower jaw/face area.
Then someone posted a picture of themself holding a large dental bridge and a five tooth gap in their upper teeth, and another posted a story of a left turner causing them to have several reconstructive facial surgeries.
This made me personally decide full face or no riding. (I generally ride with full gear on anyway, armor jacket, gloves, boots, etc) Now I have been riding quite a bit in this 90-100 degree weather and while I can say it gets hot at stops, my Scorpion full face helmet is decent at flowing air through the vents, but at stops I flip the faceshield all the way up, or wear sunglasses under the helmet and ride with the shield open one notch. With the shield open a crack and moving, it is no problem at all and feels very comfortable. If I hit the highway and speeds of 50 or more I generally close it and get enough airflow, but the full face helmet open a notch is cool for me, and I am a warm blooded sweathog.
Even if it were even somewhat uncomfortable, I would pick better-safe-than-disfigured safety over short term comfort.
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Post by prodigit on Jul 23, 2012 19:11:48 GMT -5
I don't plan to go on the highway, mostly cruising around town at slow speeds upto 35MPH.
I'm generally a defensive rider and never had a single accident in my entire life, on a bike.
However, now I'm living in a town full of dumb azzez who drive around like they're thinking they're on the racetrack. However they are a danger to the road, and to themselves!
Personally I think they should be banned from the roads, all those idiot yoyo guys driving with big rims thinking they're "tha mista".
Because of them I'm actually considering a helmet. If it wasn't for them, I'd just drive through town without one!
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Post by derbi on Jul 23, 2012 19:15:57 GMT -5
Full face helmet and full gear all the time, road rash hurts really bad.
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Post by gatekeeper on Jul 23, 2012 20:21:38 GMT -5
Hi, I want to buy a helmet for my scooter. It's only a 250cc scooter, runs ok, usually I do speeds lower than 40MPH. The florida heat sometimes can be uncomfortable with a helmet on, I prefer no helmet, but because of insurance reasons I wanted to buy one. Would it be ok if I buy a bicycle helmet like photo below? They have plenty of airvents, and I don't sweat too much in them! I just want to not be stopped by a cop for not wearing a helmet and not being insured or something.... Take a sledgehammer and take a good strong swing at a bicycle helmet and then at a D.O.T. approved helmet and note the different results. Even if you never drive over 35 MPH, your head will be hitting the pavement at 35 MPH. Worse yet, if you are hit by an oncoming car and you are both doing 35 MPH, your head is now in a 70 MPH collision. Do what you want but I'll put up with a little sweaty hair. |
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Post by tug54 on Jul 23, 2012 21:42:28 GMT -5
I live in Florida and use a full face too... It is hot at stops and you get wet hair yes, but it is protection. Also in Florida Could be I am wrong. My Honda 250 is under $200 a year... Man if you get hurt you are going to need it.
Magoo
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Post by skuttadawg on Jul 23, 2012 22:30:09 GMT -5
I am looking into skateboard helmets for summer as they are made of a harder shell and have plenty of vents where bicycles are foam and soft
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Post by jwalz1 on Jul 24, 2012 11:02:08 GMT -5
A friend of a friend took his motorcycle out a few years ago when the snow melted to run it a little around the neighborhood and get the cobwebs out. Up here we have lots of sand put down to deal with all the snow. He was riding around about 15 miles an hour to get it warm, and did not come back. The police came to his wife and said he was found dead on the road a few blocks from his house and was found by another motorist. It was from a head injury, because of course, he did not need a helmet at 15 mph or less.
Watch a couple videos of high sides and low sides. Some I have seen look like the rider is going to just slide out and something catches and SLAMS the guy down at the end of the fall.
Once is all it takes. You are riding around at thirty, something gets kicked up by a car wheel and you dodge it and go down. An animal runs into the road from behind a parked car and you go down. A patch of sand. A grease spot.
We have a medicaid program called the "Tramatic Brain Injury Waiver" in my state and it costs about $75k per year to have a medical professional watch after a brain injured person turned vegetable 24/7. If you were to go visit these people, a very high percentage are motorcycle accidents. They don't get reported as a death, because they have about 50 years of drooling ahead of them.
Most of them never wore helmets. Most of them never thought anything out of the ordinary could happen to them. But not everything that happens when you are riding is something you can control. Even at 30 mph.
I have a friend who is a nurse and she says at the hospital they have a name for motorcycle riders who do not wear helmets and that name is "organ donor".
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Post by jonglauser on Jul 24, 2012 12:24:40 GMT -5
I've seen a guy riding a 50cc with a bicycle helmet around here. I cant take him seriously with that on his head. Then he parks it with the bike rack. Everything he does just screams out that he has no clue what he's doing and is dangerous. It's not a bike, it's a motorcycle with all the rights, responsibilities, and risks. Wear at least a 3/4 helmet for every ride.
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Post by spandi on Jul 24, 2012 12:54:31 GMT -5
Here in the desert it can climb to 118-120 degrees and more, but I would NEVER think of wearing anything less than DOT approved protection. (or better, just in case.)
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Post by psychedelicode on Jul 30, 2012 14:43:37 GMT -5
IMHO, NO! At the speeds you reach on a 250 you don't need a bike helmet. You need a real motorcycle hemet. Any decent one has very adiqate ventilation that i have not had any problem on my lil 50 and we had a very humid 100 degree week recently. Just get a good helmet. Maybe a modular if you get hot. My HJC modular sooo just saved my face from a good grinding, is comfortable, and inexpensive.
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Post by medewtysenu on Jul 30, 2012 16:22:47 GMT -5
Most states that have helmet laws require a DOT approved helmet. According to the information on this website www.bikersrights.com/states/florida/florida.htmlif you choose not to wear a DOT approved helmet in Florida then you are required to have $10,000 worth of liability insurance on your motorcycle or moped. Let's see $10k worth of insurance or a $50 DOT approved helmet? 316.211. Equipment for motorcycle and moped riders (3) (a) This section does not apply to persons riding within an enclosed cab or to any person 16 years of age or older who is operating or riding upon a motorcycle powered by a motor with a displacement of 50 cubic centimeters or less or is rated not in excess of 2 brake horsepower and which is not capable of propelling such motorcycle at a speed greater than 30 miles per hour on level ground. (b) Notwithstanding subsection (l), a person over 21 years of age may operate or ride upon a motorcycle without wearing protective headgear securely fastened upon his or her head if such person is covered by an insurance policy providing for at least $10,000 in medical benefits for injuries incurred as a result of a crash while operating or riding on a motorcycle. Besides the cost, like others have said many accidents cause injury to the lower jaw and face something a bicycle helmet doesn't protect. I wear a Full Face all the time because of debris kicked up by other vehicles on the road and rain which can feel like small rocks hitting your face even in a light shower. Add insect to that and you have a healthy chance of being blinded and losing control of your scooter. It's not so much the speed that injures a person but the fall height. A Helmet is Designed to Only Protect Us Up to A 13 mph Impact Speed Partially true, but deceptive. The 13 mph value is indeed the impact speed at which helmets are tested, according to the DOT standard. However, this value wasn’t chosen as being the “upper speed limit” of protection. It is the physical result of the chosen six-foot drop height. The six-foot height stems from the 90th percentile (i.e., 90% likely) accident type identified by the Hurt Report of 1981, and verified numerous times since. In 90% or more of real-life motorcycle accidents, the rider suffers a blow to the head by falling off his bike from approximately a six-foot riding height, thus hitting the ground at approximately 13 mph. This impact speed holds true regardless of the cruising speed of the motorcycle. www.smarter-usa.org/PDF%20DOCUMENTS/Crash_Sci_Myths&Realities_of_MC_Helmets.pdf |
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Post by yoshidawg on Sept 28, 2012 0:42:29 GMT -5
I was recently given a "dew rag" as a gift. At first I was like, no, but tried it on a 98 Degree afternoon ride and was sold! A huge difference between the day before. It was still hot but I was dry when I got home.
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Post by ozark on Sept 28, 2012 7:34:03 GMT -5
Hi, I want to buy a helmet for my scooter. It's only a 250cc scooter, runs ok, usually I do speeds lower than 40MPH. The florida heat sometimes can be uncomfortable with a helmet on, I prefer no helmet, but because of insurance reasons I wanted to buy one. Would it be ok if I buy a bicycle helmet like photo below? They have plenty of airvents, and I don't sweat too much in them! Give the bicycle helmet a try and let us know how it works out. The Darwin Theory comes to mind. Personally I wear a full face all the time and feel naked without it. Protect the parts that you cherish the most or can't live without. |
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Post by fugaziiv on Sept 28, 2012 8:16:40 GMT -5
In short, no. A bicycle helmet is a bad idea. They aren't designed for impact at anything resembling even 50cc scooter speeds. Just look into a real motorcycle lid with good venting. If you (god forbid) ever have a get-off, you'll be so happy you were wearing a helmet designed for the event.
Matt
You'll notice I'm in FL as well. I ALWAYS ride with a proper motorcycle lid. Usually full face, but sometimes I slum it with a 3/4 lid. The funny thing is that my full face is actually cooler than my 3/4 due to better venting. Go figure.
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Post by inuyasha on Sept 28, 2012 11:49:08 GMT -5
Hi SNEL approved FF helmet is my vote. www.smf.org/Take care and ride safely Yours Hank |
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