Finding The Right Motorcycle Helmet

by Matt D

A helmet is the most important piece of safety equipment that you’ll buy when riding a motorcycle. There is a wide range of helmets available today both in terms of style and more importantly cost. What style helmet you decide to buy and how much money you decide to spend is very much a personal choice, however depending on how much you value your head you should aim to spend as much as you can comfortably afford.

If you are tempted to buy your helmet from an auction site, make sure the helmet is brand new and has never been used. When you come to replace your helmet, don’t sell your old one on, for the same reasons.

open face helmet

If you are thinking about buying a helmet, time spend on a bit of research is definitely time well spent. You need to make sure you are getting the best helmet for your budget and also ensure you get the right type of helmet for your needs. There are a number of different types of helmet available today, the main ones being:

Open Face; they offer much less protection than other types of helmets however many manufacturers are producing some very fashionable designs, Most open faced helmets do not provide any eye protection (some do come with a handy flip down visor) so you should consider buying a decent pair of motorcycle sunglasses to protect your eyes from the elements.

Full Face; this type of helmet offers the most protection of all the other types. As the name suggests, these helmets provide protection for your face, not just your head.

Flip Front ; These helmets are great for touring. Effectively two helmets in one, they offer the flexibility of being able to wear them as an open face helmet or full face..

Off Road; Originally designed to motorcross and enduro riders, more and more of these helmets are coming on to the market with the rising popularity of super moto bikes. Most off road helmets provide no eye protection to you should look for a decent pair of off road goggles to go with your helmet.

full face scooter helmet

Other things to look out for to get the most out of your riding:

Noise - make sure the helmet provides good sound proofing. Wind noise can increase tiredness and make it more difficult to concentrate on the road. It could also leave you with permanent hearing damage. Whatever helmet you buy, the use of earplugs is always recommended to reduce potential damage to your hearing.

Removable lining

Ventilation - look out for big fins and bits poking out. While they look cool and futuristic they often disrupt the airflow around the helmet, increasing wind noise inside.

Anti fog visor

Easy to change visor - some visors are incredibly fiddly to change