5 Favorite Styles of Motorcycle Helmets

Posted on May 01 2009 at 08:22 AM


Most motorcycle helmets are made from fiberglass or carbon fiber which is a very durable material. You can also find motorcycle helmets made from leather, chrome and stainless steel. Once you have chosen your helmet style and what material you want it made from, you then get to choose its appearance. You can purchase your helmet in stock condition, or you can choose to purchase a custom made helmet. Even if you initially purchase a stock helmet, you can always take it at a later date and have it painted and customized. Here are the top five helmet styles on the market that are favorites among motorcycle riders.

5. The Full Face Motorcycle Helmet

This helmet is for those that want complete coverage. The full face helmet offers the most protection as it covers the entire head and has a face shield. The face shield is extremely convenient for keeping bugs and weather conditions such as rain and snow out of the riders face. These are most often made from a fiberglass material and come in a wide variety of colors.

4. The Half Motorcycle Helmet

This style is for those that still want good head protection, but don't like having a full face shield in their face. It provides a partial face shield that will help shield the forehead and the eyes from insects and bad weather. The half motorcycle helmet is generally found made from fiberglass, though you can sometimes find it in other materials as well. It is also available in many different colors and styles.

3. The Open Face Motorcycle Helmet

This helmet closely resembles the half motorcycle helmet, but has a little less face and head coverage. This helmet is popular for riders that frequently take moderate to long rides, as it provides good head coverage, but keeps their face in the breeze. This is another helmet that is generally made from fiberglass though you can often order it in another custom material as well.

2. The Shorty Motorcycle Helmet

This helmet provides the least amount of head coverage, covering only the top portion of the head. This helmet style is popular for riders that enjoy cruising at lower speeds on cruising or touring bikes. This helmet is the popular choice for carbon fiber, stainless steel and chrome, though you can also easily find it in fiberglass as well. For some reason, these helmets often come in a standard color of the material they are made from, though you can also easily have it painted and customized.

1. The Novelty Style Helmet

There are many types of novelty style helmets including the Jockey, German and Kaiser style. These helmets generally offer limited head protection but are quite popular among riders that want something a little different than the norm. There are no hold barred with the novelty style motorcycle helmet. You can find these helmets made in almost any material with any kind of paint job.

Click here to learn more about motorcycle helmets at The MotorcyclePedia.

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Helmets: Why Do You Need It When Riding?

Posted on May 01 2009 at 07:41 AM

Helmet is a French derivative of the word 'helm' from 15th century. Although helmets are available in countless designs for different utilities, they all serve just one purpose, which is head protection. The earlier helmets used to be manufactured in leather till the 10th century AD when metals with inner cloth lining for cushioning and comfort of wearing on the head became the norm. Helmet wearing is mandatory in northern America, barring a few states, for all bikers, whereas Sikhs are demanding a waiver from this mandate.

Functional Utility and Symbolism

Till the early 20th century, helmets were basically the protective head gears of soldiers and used to be a part of combat uniform. With industrialization, helmets reinvented themselves and undergone a lot of changes, both in terms of strengths and weights and became a 'must wear' for certain industrial workers in sectors such as mining, construction and manufacturing etc. Surely, the popularity of helmets shot-up, thanks to the symbolic protection they offered.

Typical Classification

Helmets can be classified based on their utility and construction. The simplest for of helmets worn by construction workers and bicycle riders are nothing more than 'hard hats' as they are required to protect blunt impacts, whereas a soldier's helmets are designed for ballistic impact protection. These are made by KevlarŠ, which has excellent bullet proofing qualities and fragmentation powers.

Helmets match particular needs also. Military helmets identify the ranks of the wearers with symbolic visors and bars therein, whereas 'hard hats' of bicycle riders sport large ventilation slots.

Quality Standards

Bikers and parents of small children are in dilemma concerning the sudden fall in children's helmet prices. One must keep in mind that price is not a good quality indicator. In the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requires all helmets be certified. The certification is issued after stringent quality tests are carried out. There is another quality standard for helmets, too. Snell Memorial Foundation standards or 'Snells' as they are known are a bit extra stringent, albeit not compulsory by all types of helmet manufacturers to conform to. This fact should try to put at rest the apprehensions of consumers when they don't see Snells' label on helmets.

It is hard to think of a modern and adventurous sport without helmets being mandatory. Although helmets aren't absolutely safe, you can't think of cross country biking without them, especially if the riders are your little ones, helmets are a must!

Alan Ross is a regular article contributor on many topics. Be sure to visit his other websites Helmet Resources and One Stop Information.

Source: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=59953&ca=Automotive

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