whats safer? full face or flip face?

[stalker]

buying my gear and even though I am going to get a full face helmet, just wondering if they are actually safer. considering that a flip face has moving parts, so to speak, so it might not be as resilient in a crash because it can move etc? as opposed to a full face which is basically one solid object.

so is the full face design safer?

[TurboR1]

Both designs pass Aust standards so by rights they will offer a level of protection that satisfies the government.

However I would chose a helmet that suits the type of riding that you do, long distance commuting with the missus on the back a flip face could be quite good, or if you needed it for work... instructors, police, couriers use open face so that they dont need to take the whole helmet off to talk their students, people they are going to fine or cute receptionists.

Go racing or sports bike riding it is a requirement to have a full face helmet.

In Singapore for a while they banned full face helmets due to possible stress placed on the neck if the rider slams face first into the road... personally I would prefer a stressed neck over a ground off face.

[Machast]

pro for flipface: helmet doesnt need to be removed to resuscitate you --> Less liklihood of further aggrivating spinal injury.

[Tenchi]

Pro for flipface: When doing breath tests, it's not very difficult to flip it up and do the breathalizer thing. Eating is easier.

Con for flipface: They've shown that under certain conditions in a crash, the flip face will come open and expose your face to the ground. Namely, doing a superman over the front bars and landing chin down (with the helmets that have the button on the chin).
This can be avoided by buying a helmet with 2 buttons, one either side of the helmet underneath where your jaw bone meets your skull.
Some of the flip face helmets cannot be put on without having the face part up. This can be a tad annoying.

Overall, the verdict I read up was that they're more convenient, albeit a little more noisy and not QUITE as safe. To put this in perspective, they were going well above the Australian Safety Standards in their testing, and tested a range of flip face helmets.

I too was very interested in getting one I thought they cost an arm and a leg too, but apparently HJC has one that's highly affordable (aka cheaper than my Shoei TZR)

pro for flipface: helmet doesnt need to be removed to resuscitate you --> Less liklihood of further aggrivating spinal injury.

Unfortunately most ambo's don't know how to flip it up so they still remove the helmet.

[Mr John]

Flip face helmets are heavier, that put me off them.

[Captain Starfish]

Ok

NO flip face has gotten a Snell rating, if that kind of thing is what you're after. There have been reports of the chin being ripped off on some older models too.

The hinge/latch mechanism is never going to be as strong as a solid construction.

So, in answer to your question - a full face helmet, all other things being equal, will be 'safer' than a flip lid.

Now, after saying that, I'll never buy another full face lid. The flips are good enough protection wise now. They're a little bit heavier and a little bit noiser. But so much more convenient and comfy.

The HJC Symax runs around $400-$470, the Shoei is about $800.

I bought a new Symax recently but they've stopped production and are bringing out a new model sometime in the next 6 months.

[Scoundrel]

I use a flip up helmet for commuting, and a full face for...other things.

The flip up lid (HJC Symax) is really convenient for commuting, especially if you need to talk to someone, abuse a cager or feel the wind in your face. The front bit latches on both sides - don't know how it will hold up in a crash and I'd rather not try to find out.

Downside to it is that it is wider than a normal helmet and with the hinges/openings on the front and sides, it is a fair bit noisier than a normal lid. The extra width and slight bulk of the hinges can give you a bit of head buffeting on windy days, especially at freeway speeds.

[D'Artagnan]

The other thing to consider is that flip lids tend to have less check padding and some (like my n102) have a tendency to 'lift' at higher speeds because of this. Might be just my head (a mate has the same helmet and I've seen him @ v. high speeds with no probs sooo...) but worth thinking about.

D'Art

[shmoo]

I tried out a friends Shoei Multi-Tec (or whatever they're called) flip lid and I thought it was excellent, it will be my next lid unless something even better comes out before then. Noise wise, its no worse than other full face lids, only slightly noiser than the absolute quietest of full faces.

[Infusi0n]

Hasn't the SNELL thing really gone out the window? With the fact their testing methods were shown to be absolutely crap? But enough debate over that i can see situations where flip face would be really useful but i personally prefer full face.

[Barfridge]

Hasn't the SNELL thing really gone out the window? With the fact their testing methods were shown to be absolutely crap? But enough debate over that i can see situations where flip face would be really useful but i personally prefer full face.

The main difference with Snell is to pass a helmet must stand up to multiple impacts in the same place on the halmet. Some say this forces the helmets to be heavier and the inner foam harder, reducing the overall effectivness in preventing g-force transmission into your noggin.

So if you have a crystal ball use it to see what type of accident you may have in the future, and decide based on that. Soft inner helmet for better impact protection, or harder helmet for better durability.

[FaceThePower]

The post is about which is safer - the answer is full-face helmet due to its structure - no joints to bust or butt into your face and the cheekpads can wrap more around your frontal area. For normal street use (vs racing) where the proability of brutal crashes is less, the flip-up is good enough and very convenient. See my review on the Italian-made Nolan N102 which can integrate with their bluetooth handsfree at decent price:
http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/foru...uetooth-38677/

I don't see Snell as the top benchmark anymore, after reading the Motorcyclist article on helmets. The Snell current standard assumes that all heads weighs the same(!), so the same weight is used to test all sizes, from XXS to XXL! They have finally seen the light (after the Motorcyclist magazine conducts its own independent test 2 years ago) and implements the change in the Snell 2009 specs.

[ranmar850]

I have a nolan N102, mostly for the convenience, ie, breathos, quick fuel ups, able to talk roadside or at lights, etc. They are generally heavier, and noisier(but no noisier than my old HJC CL-11) Safety angle has been done to death on overseas forums, you cant get the nolan face up without a pinching motion between thumb and forefinger,on two separate buttons.

Saw a thread where a guy saw his wife have her whole head run over off-road (two wheels) by a 4wd, Jeep something, wearing a HJC Symax flip up. Escaped with some minor bruising. Strength must have been OK in that situation

[Ryven]

I too was very interested in getting one I thought they cost an arm and a leg too, but apparently HJC has one that's highly affordable (aka cheaper than my Shoei TZR)

The assessors have the HJC flip faces and they are rather well padded/shaped. Haven't heard a complaint about them, very much unlike the full face helmets they'd been provided with prior.

My Nolan is excellent. The helmet itself is reasonable in terms of noise and very comfortable. The worst part of it for noise is the second visor - If I happen to have it up and ride at a certain angle (and speed) it has been known to whistle a little bit. But it's more so the kind of thing I've only noticed while moving my head, then tried to find that "spot". Not the kind of thing that'll bother you all day for the duration of your trip.

Another of the assessors who paid for his own lid uses the Shoei Multi-Tec. He couldn't praise it enough, when asked about it. Also nice and light.

[FaceThePower]

If you have the dosh, like 7-800 bucks, the BMW System V is apparently the quietest flip-up helmet around.

[Ryven]

If you have the dosh, like 7-800 bucks, the BMW System V is apparently the quietest flip-up helmet around.

Doesn't really look much like a flip face. Maybe consider it given the sheer colour range as I was probably going to end up having the Shoei painted anyway, but those little BMW symbols would have to go.

[Veefore]

Go racing or sports bike riding it is a requirement to have a full face helmet.

Can you please clarify this for me? Do you mean that you HAVE to have a full face helmet to be able to race?

[Machast]

Unfortunately most ambo's don't know how to flip it up so they still remove the helmet.

well that's just weak. should be lesson #1 for attending a motorcycle crash.

[Barfridge]

Can you please clarify this for me? Do you mean that you HAVE to have a full face helmet to be able to race?

yes, with MCRC at least. I don't know what rules the historics run, but I'd wager it's full face also.

[Captain Starfish]

Do flips count as full face - coz they offer chin protection when locked...