Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Ackme

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery.

See Ackme with his 2005 Triumph Tiger. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

Modular Motorcycle Helmets - Types of Helmets, Part 3

Alright folks, it’s time for a quick post about Modular Motorcycle Helmets.  Modular Helmets are also known as flip up helmets, or hybrid helmets. Given that it’s Turkey Day I’m thinking a lot of you may have a long weekend to do some good riding, and if you’re looking for a new motorcycle helmet, you may find that a modular helmet is exactly what you’re looking for.  

Flip Up aka modular helmets are a relatively recent invention in the motorcycle helmet world.  These hybrid helmets first came onto the scene as an answer to the problem of riders wanting the protection of a full face helmet but the convenience of an open face helmet.  For this reason you’ll often see a lot of motorcycle cops wearing modular helmets.  It gives them the ability to lift up the face of their helmet to talk to their victims, ahem, motorists, when they pull someone over.

 The pros and cons of modular helmets are actually a great combo.  With a flip up helmet you do indeed get most of the protection of a full face helmet.  And on the “flip” side (ba dum, ching!) you get some of the pros of a half helmet (though not all of them).  Due to their relatively recent emergence onto the motorcycle scene, there aren’t a lot of crash statistics yet as to how, precisely, modular motorcycle helmets compare to their “official” full face cousins.  However, they do generally seem to offer most of the protection of their non flip-up kin.

Most of the major manufacturers now offer hybrid helmets in their product line. Shoei, hjc, and gmax all offer modular helmets, just to name a few. And, naturally (because it’s now the law), these are all DOT motorcycle helmets, safety approved.

The major downside of a modular helmet is what you would expect: price.  Flip up helmets are generally more expensive than normal full face helmets, so the convenience needs to be worth it to you.  However, if you are willing to shell out a few extra bucks, a modular motorcycle helmet may be a great way to get some of the best of both worlds.

Motorcycle Half Helmets | Types of Helmets - Part 2

Alright folks, today we’re gonna talk about motorcycle half helmets, especially the pros and cons.  I’ve gotta run out the door, so today’s entry is gonna be a short one.

By the way, the image shown is an hjc motorcycle helmet, the model is the CL-21 Reign Half Helmet.

PROS:

- Style.  Lots of riders like the look of motorcycle half helmets, and there’s a lot of truth to this.  When you’re cruising along the highway, there are few helmets that have as cool a “low rider” feel to them as half helmets.

- Visibility.  A half helmet doesn’t obstruct your peripheral vision as much as a full face helmet.  There have been a lot of advances in full face helmets with respect to visibility.  I know my Gmax helmet has great peripheral vision.  Nevertheless, a half helmet doesn’t have any material around your eyes, so again, you’ve got that real sense of unobstructed vision.

- Experience.  Riding a motorcycle is a lot about the experience of getting onto that bike and feeling connected with the road and the world around you.  A motorcycle half helmet lets you get that wind in your face without completely sacrificing safety and protection.

- Ease of putting it on.  Sometimes when you’re hopping on your bike for a quick ride, it can feel like a hassle to pull on a full face motorcycle helmet, even it is that pretty little Shoei helmet sitting on your table.

CONS:

- Safety.  This is the obvious number one con.  A half helmet simply doesn’t afford you nearly as much protection when you get on your motorcycle as a full face helmet does.  A huge percentage of motorcycle crashes involve impacts to the chin and mouth area, and a half helmet provides exactly zero protection.  So, not to be too graphic or anything, but if you’re unlucky enough to be involved in such a crash, you’re pretty much gonna get your mouth and jaw bashed in.  On the other hand, there are always risks to getting onto a motorcycle.  We should all know that and accept it.  So for many people, the risks involved in wearing a half helmet are simply an extension of the risks we all accept when we get onto that bike and ride away.

- Bugs and rocks.  There are few things as unpleasant as getting a fat ol’ bug in the mouth or eye when you’re cruising down the highway.  Unlike a full face helmet, a motorcycle half helmet ain’t gonna do a thing to stop this from happening.  The same can be said for rocks.  Broken cheek bones are not unheard of when a rider comes up beside a semi and gets a flung rock in the face.

- Cold weather.  Trust me on this one, if you live in a cold weather state, you do *not* want to wear a motorcycle half helmet during the winter months!!  It’s cold, and you can get frostbite in about two seconds flat.  (On the other hand, if you live in a hot climate, a half helmet may be a welcome relief from the sometimes stifling heat of a full face helmet).

Well folks, there ya have it.  The short and sweet overview of motorcycle half helmets.

Polar Bear Grand Tour - Port Jervis, NY Ride

Last weekend, the Polar Bear Grand Tour ride was to Port Jervis, NY. I was feeling a little under the weather so I opted to take the car instead. After this ride I drove to a special Thanksgiving party held by my GWRRA NJ-F (F-Troop) chapter at Old Man Rafferty's in Hillsborough, NJ.

I encountered few bikes on the road to Port Jervis as I passed through three states (NJ, PA, and NY) to get there. However, when I arrived, the parking lot was filled with bikes whose riders were waiting for the flight leaders to show up with the sign-in books.

Usually, I'm riding Jane's white trike in memory of her but the trike was in the shop getting two new U-joints installed. I plan to have it on the road for the run to Hopewell, NJ on November 23rd.

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Herb

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery.

See Herb with his 1997 Honda Gold Wing SE. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

Yamaha Motorcycle

Yamaha Motorcycle

Shoei Helmets

Many people tend to think of Shoei helmets as the best of the best.  To understand why, it’s important to explain a bit of the background of these motorcycle helmets.  Shoei is a small, quality Japanese helmet manufacturer that’s been making their helmets since 1958.  So the first thing Shoei helmets have going for them is a decently long-standing legacy.  Even more than history, however, is that fact that Shoei helmets have a reputation as being at the leading edge of motorcycle helmet innovation.

The main driving force behind the technological innovations you’ll often find in Shoei helmets is the fact that the company history is firmly rooted in motorcycle racing.  As is typically the case, intersections between the commercial and racing industries tend to trickle down to the consumer market in the form of highly advanced, over-engineered motorcycle helmets.  In other words, because most Shoei helmets were first designed for motorcycle racing, their features, shape, weight, etc all tend to be substantially more than what’s needed by most riders.

And, naturally, that’s exactly what many riders want.  And make no mistake: Shoei helmets are great helmets.  Hands down.  This little company makes a top-notch line of motorcycle helmets that can be a true joy to wear and behold.  The thing is, this isn’t without its price.  And the price is, well: price!  If you want a Shoei helmet, you’re gonna pay.  Shoei helmets often cost three, four, even five times as much as more economic alternatives.  If you’re one of those lucky people for whom price is no issue, then by all means, spend to your heart’s content.  

But for the rest of us mere mortals, there’s a critical point here you need to understand: just because Shoei helmets are more expensive doesn’t mean you’re getting better protection for your head.  These days, there is such an abundance of less-expensive, quality motorcycle helmets on the market that you simply don’t need to spend all that money on Shoei helmets if you don’t want to.  And it’s more than just competition too.  As I’ve discussed in other posts, and will continue to discuss in the future, finding the best motorcycle helmet for you isn’t a question of finding the most popular brand.  Rather, it’s a question of learning the unique characteristics of your own head, and then matching those to your own particular “best motorcycle helmet”.

So, yes, it’s true that Shoei helmets are great.  And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t drool over them sometimes.  But the simple fact of the matter is that as long as you’re dealing with DOT or SNELL approved motorcycle helmets, you’re not going to be getting much (or any) additional safety by simply buying a more expensive helmet.  In fact, if you spend more money but get a motorcycle helmet that’s ill-suited for your head, you may actually get *worse* protection than if you’d bought a less-expensive, better-fitting alternative.  So, for those of you who don’t have money to burn, I leave you with this.  Next time you’re at the store, walk right on by those pretty little Shoei helmets and find something uniquely best for you.

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Doug

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery.

See Doug with his 2007 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

2009 Motorcycles

I've just updated my Motorcycle Makes and Models feature to include the major 2009 motorcycle models. Take a look.

Polar Bear Grand Tour - Old Bridge Ride

I've been a little behind in posting Polar Bear Grand Tour rides.

The first was to Cape May, NJ on October 26. The members of GWRRA Chapter NJ-F (F-Troop) accompanied me and waited while I took pictures.

The second ride was to Lewes, DE on November 2. This was a 360 mile roundtrip for me. I took six videos in addition to the usual pictures.

Last weekend, the ride was to Old Bridge, NJ, a staggering 26 mile roundtrip for me. I decided to stay for the complete sign-in from 11:30 to 1:30. I took four videos.

These Polar Bear runs will be helping me greatly to get through this winter season without Janie. She was always with me on these runs. Back in 1992 when I first decided to join the Polar Bears, I really didn't think she'd be interested in riding a motorcycle in freezing weather. But as soon as I brought up the idea, she said, "I want to do that too!" Thus began 16 years of winter riding, meeting hundreds of new friends and encouraging others to join the ranks of the Polar Bears.

I have dedicated this season to Janie. I'll be riding her white trike and displaying information about her Jane Ann Kern Memorial Web site where her life is discussed and her charities listed along with donation links.

God Speed Jane Ann. She loved polar bears, in general, and the Polar Bear Grand Tour, in particular. I hope you have some time now in your new celestial position to watch out for all of us and help us to stay safe.

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Ed

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery.

See Ed with his 2003 Honda Gold Wing GL1800. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Jonquiers

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery.

See Jonquiers on his 2007 Yamaha YBR125. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.