Does the helmet have to match the bike ...
When I started talking to my buddies about buying a Harley the first thing nearly everyone said was, "you’re going to need a new helmet." The helmet they were all referring to is an Arai RX-7 Corsair, a damn fine and safe helmet. The reason they all thought I needed a new helmet was because the Arai does not match the image of the Harley-Davidson; rather, it is a helmet more fitting a sportbike including the Gary McCoy paint scheme.
Riding the Sportster home I got to thinking about the helmet. It was true that the kangaroo graphic paint scheme does not match the classic Vivid Black Sporty and the full face helmet does not match the “image” of the Harley rider. I got to thinking maybe I’d try something different. So what’s the right helmet? A three-quarters number with a face shield or maybe without? Maybe a half helmet?
I knew I didn’t want the “yamika” some riders prefer as I do believe that a good helmet is the best thing to have between your head and the highway in a worst-case scenario. I had a gift card for the local import motorcycle shop and went there hoping to find something interesting. What I ended up with is a black HJC CL-21M helmet that includes a handy zip-out ear flap. The HJC fits great and it turns out is super comfortable to wear.
At speed the open face helmet really changes the ride. I wouldn’t want to necessarily put a lot of miles on the Sportster Custom without a windscreen but it is a helluva rush to catch the wind at 70mph square in the face. Kind of like the 1925 Czech FN Motorcycle Poster, but without the yellow suit.
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