Helmet Help

Let's get this out of the way up front: whether you wear a helmet is your choice – or not, depending on where you ride. You do the research, you decide. I never ride without one for three reasons: good or bad, I like my face the shape it is; wind in your hair and bugs in your teeth are seriously overrated; and I feel naked without one. If you've made it this far, you probably will be buying a new helmet sometime, and these are some of the considerations to keep in mind beforehand.

Style

I get to wear lots of different makes and types of helmets, but I always come back to the basic full-face models. It's the most practical all-round style for street riding, and it offers the best protection. Research shows that a typical impact between a rider's head and the deck is a glancing blow, and an open-front helmet won't save your good looks in a face plant. Flip-ups? They're more convenient (especially for photography), but I typically find they don't fit as snugly and they're noisier. If you choose one, make sure the latch will open with one hand. Some early models required two hands – never safe when you have to open it on the fly....