Like many I have several helmets and have never ridden without. Too many bikers I've known or read about had an obit or are on life support: Rider was not wearing head protection. It's one thing to be gone and the spouse spending any insurance, but it's even worse if they have to sell everything to pay for permanent med care.
Lots of things to consider,,, I can live without an arm or a leg, but it would be a challenge to live without a head! (Athough I swear, some folks use 'em only as a hatrack! LOL!)
I wear one all the time, except for the occaisional 2 block trip on sidestreets to go fill up/return.
Helmets are hot, and Houston has heat/humidity almost the year 'round,,, That aspect is the toughest, but ventilation is a lot better now than it was,,,
Beyond 'crash' protection, one also needs to consider the benefits.
My eyes are 'dry' a lot of the time. Riding without a visor, even behind a full shield, makes it worse.
Eye/face protection (with visor), from both UV rays and those pesky flying projectiles. (REAL riding glasses work great for the eyes, but not so well for your face)
Road/wind noise reduction.
Great for helmet coms, but I still remember the 'peaceful' days before the wife and I got our com system! (Thanks goodness for MUTE!LOL!)
Stealth factor with tinted shield; Kinda neat to 'see without being seen' at times,,,
Added visibility with certain colors. I've used silver for the longest time to try and dodge heat/be seen. My Jcruise is white,,, same reasons. (Heavy black mesh jacket for winter. Lightweight Silver mesh for summer)
Some have nice colors/graphics,,, (Seems like a lot are geared towards 'sports' riders.)
My helmet is an extra large and after much frustration I found that by moving the audio cable in the left bag my XL Schuberth will fit if placed in the one and only position with the right face shield hinge in the widest part of the bag. It is a very tight fit but beats lugging the helmet along at every stop. It took over an hour of trying every possible position on both sides before the sweet spot was located.
I don't have my F6 yet, just got the OK from my spouse to trade up from my 10 year old 105,000 mile VTX so I will wait until spring. As for the helmet, I always wear one, had I not when I buried my GL1000 into the side of a Mercedes in Germany I would not be here. He pulled out of a blind drive right in front of me with oncoming traffic and no where to go, I jumped up off the bike just before impact and sailed, bounced, rolled, and slid down the road for 175 feet, helmet trashed, leathers scuffed up but only a sprained ankle. It took 3 German drivers to pull me off the A-hole.
I own An Arai, Shoei full face and a JHC half helmet. 99.9% of the time I wear a helmet. The lone exception is when I'm in Tombstone, AZ riding back and forth from Big Nose Kates to the hotel since there is not a helmet law in AZ. Other than that I normally wear a full face.
State law here in Mass. My regular helmet is a (legal) half-helmet, and I carry a fullface in the saddlebag (Nolan trilogy outlaw) for inclement weather. I'm 43, and when I was younger I would take the helmet off as soon as I got to a state that allowed it (ME,NH, RI) As I got a little older, I started wearing a helmet on the highway, but would then take it off once off the highway. Now, with two kids, and a little older, I usually always ride with one on. I'm certainly pro-choice when it comes to helmets, though.
from my 10 year old 105,000 mile VTX so I will wait until spring. As for the helmet, I always wear one, had I not when I buried my GL1000 into the side of a Mercedes in Germany I would not be here. He pulled out of a blind drive right in front of me with oncoming traffic and no where to go, I jumped up off the bike just before impact and sailed, bounced, rolled, and slid down the road for 175 feet, helmet trashed, leathers scuffed up but only a sprained ankle. It took 3 German drivers to pull me off the A-hole.
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