There’s a need to wear a helmet while riding a Harley-Davidson or any other bike. Since your entire body is completely out in the open without any covering, you must provide the necessary protective gear. In addition, the head remains the most delicate part of the body that is susceptible to injuries during motorcycle crashes. Hence, riders must always protect their heads using a helmet.
Helmets come in different types, which include full face and half face ones. Then, in making your choice, you may wonder are full face helmets safer than half ones for Harley. Besides protecting your head, a full face helmet will also cover your entire face, chin, and jaw. Thus, you can’t receive impacts from crashes and accidents.
This article discusses the safety nature of both full face and half face helmets. Also, you will discover the advantages and shortfall that come with using full face and half face helmets. Keep reading.
Are Full Face Helmets Safer Than Half Face Ones For Harley?
Harley Davidson riders have their preferences when it comes to the type of helmet to wear during their rides. You may consider a full face helmet as a safer option due to its more coverage. In addition, it offers extended protection for its wearers using its chin bar. This protects the chin, jaw, and even part of the neck region.
But there have been some disagreements among Harley Davidson riders on which type of helmet to use. Some argue that a full face helmet is the best for Harley’s beauty and rugged nature, while some refute it.
Irrespective of the type of helmet you wear, you should understand some vital points about helmets in riding.
- Helmets will like cut down the death toll from motorcycle accidents by 38%.
- The use of helmets drops the risks associated with head injuries in crashes to about 69%.
- Riders without helmets have about a 40% chance of death from head injuries during a crash than those with helmets.
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are the major contributory factor to death from motorcycle accidents and crashes.
- The treatments for TBIs are 13 times costly than those of non-TBI cases.
- Though there may not be deaths, cases of traumatic brain injuries lead to costly rehabilitation for a lifetime.
Why Full Face Helmets?
The Harley riders that use the full face helmets have the opportunity of getting a covering for their entire face. The face shield of the helmet protects the face from excessive light rays and wind. This feature has to keep your eyes clear, giving you better visibility without any need for sunshades and other forms of glasses.
Also, the full face helmets help to keep environmental elements away from the rider’s face. Some of these elements include dust, dirt, debris, and other tiny rock particles that float in the air during your rides. Moreover, the complete facial covering from a full face helmet can serve as a disguise where there’s a need for that.
Why Half Face Helmets?
Conversely, a half face helmet doesn’t protect a complete covering for your face. It means that your face and chin are exposed such that they can get injuries from impact during crashes and accidents.
However, half face helmets are great for Harley riders who engage in long-distance riding during hot weather. This’s because they have their faces and chins free from any covering. In addition, it will reduce irritation that may occur from the sweat and hotness on a sunny day during their long rides.
Full Face Helmets For Harley
The ruggedness and high speed of Harley Davidson bikes demand that riders be adequately geared while riding. One of the best protective types of helmets to use is the full face helmets.
Full face helmets provide complete coverage for both your head and neck region. This means that you will also have your chin covered while using it. Thus, it remains the safest motorcycle helmets for protection against impact from crashes and accidents. In addition, the versatility of these helmets makes them a higher choice among Harley Davidson riders and others. So, you can select any full face helmet for Harley riders for protection during your rides.
Features of Full Face Helmets
- Chin bar – This is the major distinguishing feature of full face helmets from other helmet types. The chin bar covers and protects the chin and jaw from impacts in cases of accidents. From most reports and research, the chin is the most affected part of your face during crashes on your bike. Using a full face helmet reduces the possible risks associated with motorcycle accidents. The chin bar helps keep the helmet intact on your head and reduces the possibility of lifting during high speeds.
- EPS lining – With the upgrade in technology, recent manufacturers of full face helmets include a shock-absorbing EPS lining as part of the protective features. This helps to reduce the impacting energy from crashes on your head, face, chin, and neck.
- Ventilation – Since a full face helmet gives a complete covering for your head and face, the design feature a ventilation system that eliminates sweat through evaporation. This reduces the formation of fog around your visor and helps in maintaining clear visibility. Also, riding during hot days is no longer traumatic and tiring since the ventilation cools your head and face. Furthermore, you can conveniently close the ventilation during cold weather to shut out more airflows during your rides.
- Adjustable visors – The modern brands of full face helmets have adjustable visors that change according to the amount of sunlight. They offer you clearer visibility. Also, they are a great option for Harley sports riders because of those with visor angled opening capacity.
Full face helmets: Advantages
- Features chin bar for added protection for chin and jaw.
- Strengthened visor for added protection against harsh weather like snow and rain,
- Protects your face from dust, dirt, debris, and bugs.
- The visor keeps off excess sun rays from the eyes for increased visibility.
- Has the space to accommodate modern additions like Bluetooth speakers and others.
- Keeps off noise during your rides.
- Can serve as a disguise when you want to hide your identity from suspicious people.
Full face helmets: Disadvantages
- Inability to communicate with other riders due to the total coverage.
- May be hotter on sunny days, thereby causing slight discomfort for the rider.
Are full face helmets safe for Harley?
Full face helmets are the safest helmet both for Harley riders and others. The helmet provides full coverage and protection for your head, face, and chin. They are the only helmets that feature the chin bar. So, they are the best option for every motorcycle rider when your preference is safety other than any factor.
Half Face Helmets For Harley
The coverage and protection from a half face helmet are quite low and minimal. It covers only your head top and the region of your forefront up to your eyebrows level. Your entire face is completely open with a half face helmet though a few give coverage to your ear and back of the neck.
With half face helmets, riders get great airflow during their rides. Thus, it’s a convenient option for the riders that want to get the feel of fresh air hitting their faces while riding their bikes. However, the protective capacity of a half face helmet is remarkably low. Riders have high possibilities of chin and jaw injuries during collisions.
Features of Half Face Helmets
Half face helmets have few technological features that can support good protection when using them. For example, they don’t have a face shield or a visor for the face covering. Thus, riders using them will need to provide for themselves a means of eye protection by purchasing and using glasses for bike riding.
Furthermore, a half face helmet lacks other features such as a Bluetooth speaker since it lacks enough space. The only outstanding feature of half face helmets is the presence of EPS lining. Also, the lining is the impact absorber for the helmet in cases of accidents and collisions.
Half face helmets: Advantages
- Gives riders much airflow during their rides.
- Allows easy communication with other riders while you’re on the move.
- Provides wider angles of sight.
- You can refill at most gas stations without removing your headgear.
Half face helmets: Disadvantages
- Gives no protection for your face and chin during crashes.
- Has no visor for enhanced visibility.
- Exposes the face and eyes to unfavorable weather conditions like rain and snow,
- Offers no protection against environmental debris, dust, and bugs.
Are half face helmets safe for Harley Davidson?
Wearing a half face helmet can only provide minimal protection. This is because it leaves a greater part of your face, chin, and neck uncovered. This explains why most riders that use half face helmets get more chin injuries than those with full face.
Moreover, a half face helmet doesn’t protect your face from unfavorable weather conditions like snow, rain, and wind. On the contrary, it exposes you’re your face and eyes to smoke, dirt, dust, debris, bugs, and other objects flying in the air.
Inexperienced Harley Davidson riders should not wear half face helmets as they get the least protection from them. Also, riders should not use them during unfavorable weathers and on long-distance trips.
Conclusion
We hope that going through this article on are full face helmets safer than half ones for Harley has enlightened you about them. Full face helmets remain the safest type of helmet for every motorcycle rider. They are the only helmet that features a chin bar that protects your chin, jaw, and neck region during accidents and crashes.
Using a half face helmet will offer you coverage for the top and back of your head. Also, it may be more comfortable to use it during sunny days. However, your face will be completely exposed and vulnerable to injuries in cases of crashes. So, if your priority is more on safety than comfort, you should stick with a full face helmet.