I am writing this as follow up to an earlier posting on helmet options for my 2008 Harley-Davidson Sportster. There have been more than a few strong feelings expressed on the topic of helmets so I’m providing some feedback and a poll so others can weigh in.
I’ve ridden the Sportster XL1200 Custom for about a thousand miles with a half helmet and no windscreen. Overall it has been a lot of fun and is a true immersion into the experience of riding. There is really nothing out there to separate rider from the full experience, sites, sounds, smells, temperature. That said, I’ve never really felt comfortable riding with my face fully exposed, probably a result of starting on sportbikes.
A Harley windscreen was fitted to the Sportster in October and that has made long distance riding much more enjoyable. Behind the screen I feel I can ride all day, without the screen long rides became tiresome. With the windscreen I experienced some significant buffeting about the head, very noticeable with the smaller helmet. With the full face Arai the buffeting is hardly noticeable, another benefit.
I do find that visibility is much better with the smaller helmet, the Arai blocks some peripheral vision and make lane changes solely reliant on the mirrors. I’m going to look into other full face helmets and see if I can find something with a wider portal.
What do you think about helmets? Take the poll.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Motorcycle Helmets
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