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History of Motorcycle Helmets
The first motorcycle was reported to have been invented by Gottlieb Daimler in 1885.With speed not being a factor, nobody really thought of motorcycle helmets. Between 1931 and 1953, the American race for the fastest motorcycle was run by two competitors – Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles.As the speed of motorcycles increased, so did the number of accident fatalities. Professor "Red" Lombard designed a motorcycle helmet to absorb the shock of an impact. Motorcycle helmets greatly reduce injuries and fatalities in motorcycle accidents.
Worldwide, many countries have defined their own sets of standards that are used to judge the effectiveness of a motorcycle helmet in an accident, and define the minimal acceptable standard thereof. The Snell Memorial Foundationhas developed stricter requirements and testing procedures for motorcycle helmets.Their testing focused on performance, rather than materials and design. They’re now recognized and respected as the world leader in helmet testing. Every good helmet has a Snell sticker in it.
Basic Types
There are four basic types of motorcycle helmets.
Full Face
A full face helmet covers the entire head, with a rear that covers the base of the skull, and a protective section over the front of the chin.
Off-Road/Motocross
The motocross and off-road helmet has clearly elongated chin and visor portions, a chin bar, and partially open face to give the rider extra protection while wearing goggles.
Open Face
This helmet's rear also covers the back of the skull, but lacks the lower chin armor of the full face helmet, as well as the face shield.
Half Helmet
The half helmet, also referred to as a "shorty", has essentially the same front design as an open face helmet but with a raised rear. The half helmet provides the minimum coverage generally allowed by law in the US.
Full Size or half size Helmet?
The answer is simple. Think of your head as the most important part of your body. Always ride with a full size helmet because half size helmets are dangerous. The half size helmet lhas no face shield so it leaves your face with no protection. The only protection is to the back of your head.
Should you wear a helmet? The statistics lean heavily towards saying “Yes”.
