ATGATT

C

cmessenk

Joined
Nov 14, 2007
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Ever since my "Endo" (end-over-end) crash on my Combat back in '86 I've been a firm believer in wearing (at least) the minimum of safety gear. Helmet, armored gloves, thick leather jacket w/ inserts, and proper boots. My accident wasn't my fault....40 MPH minding my own business but aware...but the "classic" 80 yr. old lady turning in front of me into a hearing aid store....no time to react....except to exclaim "Jesus Christ" under my helmet. Makes me think of how many fellow "Nortoneers" go helmet-less?

Anyway, I've always been a fan of Bell helmets since the 70's...still have my original '70's Bell on a shelf in the garage painted "Kenny Roberts" black & yellow. I've been sporting an ugly green Bell for the past few years and have had my eye on the RS-1 series...waiting for a sale. Well the wait is over, finally a true sale....from the day-to-day price of $400 down to $249 with free shipping. Hope I'm not patting myself on the back, but this is what i"ll be sporting this winter riding season in Florida:

ATGATT
 
Imortality with a Bell Helmet . But theyre better on your head than elbow while you wear a pudding basin . :oops:
While we're on that note , I hate visors as the isolation from noise and airstream can be decieving , so have always worn googles no matter what the helmet ,
Think the extra perceptions worth it on track or road , if you dont hang about .
 
I was riding through London on a summers day a few years ago, I wear prescription glasses. Visor up, I see a tiny, airborne speck fast approaching and concentrate on it's flight path, expecting it to go whizzing by. The next sensation I feel is what I imagine to be similar to having a red hot needle repeatedly, and in quick succession, stuck into the part of my head just above my nose and directly in between my eyes. Very, very painful, much worse than having to shave once or twice a week.

Fast forward several years and I'm in Coventry - would you believe exactly the same scenario as above! So to avoid wasps getting stuck in between my head and the bridge of my glasses I now ride with visor down, or at the most ajar, if my speed is anything faster than walking pace.
 
Al:

Same thing happened to me while testing at MIRA, doing 100+ on the banked oval. It was a bumble bee, not a wasp, so I think it was dead before it could deploy its stinger.

I certainly learned not to sing while riding! Wouldn't want to swallow one of those. After I got the trial model of the spinning visor, it was less of an issue, as that covered just about all my face.
 
frankdamp said:
Al:

Same thing happened to me while testing at MIRA, doing 100+ on the banked oval. It was a bumble bee, not a wasp, so I think it was dead before it could deploy its stinger.

I certainly learned not to sing while riding! Wouldn't want to swallow one of those. After I got the trial model of the spinning visor, it was less of an issue, as that covered just about all my face.
Click to expand...

The spinning visor.....how come that never caught on?
 
I don't know, Al. It was a great idea (once they lengthened the spindle so it didn't rub the end of my nose!). About the only negative aspect (ans a relatively minor one) was the odd gyroscopic effect when you moved your head. I guess not enough folks rode regularly in the rain to make a viable customer base.
 
I make sure that I have my visor down at anything above 25mph. You can leave it cracked quite a bit but I try to get it below my nose. Been hit by way too much stuff to ever consider an open face helmet.
 
I believe it is illegal to have your visor open any amount (while moving) in some U S states.

I also had Bell's from 1976 to 1983 (Tourstar) ,the 1970's models were very heavy unlike today's helmets,try a carbon fibre helmet.
Arai all the way these days.
 
It's OK to have your visor cracked up a bit (in Florida anyway) as long as you have eye protection...even a pair of glasses will suffice. As far as weight, the early Bell helmets were like wearing a bronze 1800's diving helmet. The new designs weigh a shade over 3 lbs., so I don't know how that compares with the Arai designs, but the RS-1 series Bells are quiet....and that's the most important attribute I'm seeking....tired of coming home with a headache from 200+ mile days with ringing ears.
 
swooshdave said:
cmessenk said:
Helmet, armored gloves, thick leather jacket w/ inserts, and proper boots.
Click to expand...

And nothing to protect your legs or ass?
Click to expand...

Dave...my regular ridinng britches consist of jean cut-offs. 8)










Just kidding....leather all the time.
 
cmessenk said:
It's OK to have your visor cracked up a bit (in Florida anyway) as long as you have eye protection...even a pair of glasses will suffice. As far as weight, the early Bell helmets were like wearing a bronze 1800's diving helmet. The new designs weigh a shade over 3 lbs., so I don't know how that compares with the Arai designs, but the RS-1 series Bells are quiet....and that's the most important attribute I'm seeking....tired of coming home with a headache from 200+ mile days with ringing ears.
Click to expand...

They have this amazing new invention, ear plugs. I'll see if they even have photos of them on the internet to share. They might be too new for that. :mrgreen:
 
swooshdave said:
cmessenk said:
It's OK to have your visor cracked up a bit (in Florida anyway) as long as you have eye protection...even a pair of glasses will suffice. As far as weight, the early Bell helmets were like wearing a bronze 1800's diving helmet. The new designs weigh a shade over 3 lbs., so I don't know how that compares with the Arai designs, but the RS-1 series Bells are quiet....and that's the most important attribute I'm seeking....tired of coming home with a headache from 200+ mile days with ringing ears.
Click to expand...

They have this amazing new invention, ear plugs. I'll see if they even have photos of them on the internet to share. They might be too new for that. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Will never, ever, ever, resort to earplugs when I've got such a bitchn' cool helmet to protect my delicate eardrums. You're a styist, Dave....Black and Gold tricked Duntall Commando and you want me to wear earplugs insted of sporting that helmet?
 
cmessenk said:
You're a styist, Dave....
Click to expand...

Yes, a hair stylist even. I'd do your hair so hard! If you have any… :oops: :mrgreen:

You'll see a huge improvement with ear plugs even with the helmet, although I reserve ear plugs for freeways. At lower speeds I don't mind the noise but the droning of freeway speeds will get to you.
 
Yep no real control once riding careful or not, so expect the worst to be pleased no end when does hit its not so bad. Big hard ones or big soft ones, yuk. Its fairly routine for me to get some clawed or stinger'd insect trapped freaking out under helmet most often near ear opening they just naturally head for - ugh. I get about 3-4 good crashes per helmet before they don't latch shield down or cracked. Current Bell Revolver is my 4th since '99 - its on it 3rd count but got chin flip up hinges sprung back again.
 
I have a couple of animal/insect strike tales....
Tale 1
In the UK there are big flying beetle like things, I've always called them Maybugs, but I don't know if thats right, they are about 40 mm long and built like a brick. I copped one on my adams apple doing about 40mph, I thought I was going to die. After that I always wrapped some sort of scarf around my neck, even in Australia
Tale 2
Anyone in the UK will know that pheasants burst out of a hedgerow and fly across the road, when they are startled. I was whistling down a country lane at a smart pace when a pheasant burst out of the hedgerow, he timed it a bit late and I felt his tail feathers across my chest. Had I caught him half a length earlier it would have been a 2 lb bird in my chest.
Tale 3
Howling back from London at about 3am, doing about 90 to 100mph on a lovely wide swoopy bendy road, with no traffic, I suddenly saw a huge white thing right in front of me, just had time to duck my head, whatever it was bounced off my full face helmet, which filled with feathers. I wobbled to a stop, it took about 5 minutes before my hands stopped shaking so that I could light a calming cigarette. Later investigation showed that I had hit a Barn Owl, which are about 3 ft wing span
cheers
wakeup
 
Wasp in the eye at 60 with a open face had both eyes closed and no vision even prying one open .
The Stadium Googles pretty well full the eye hole in these things , smaller entry for creepy crawlies too .
ATGATT

"This is a Snell SA2010 rated Star Classic Helmet. It is an updated version of the original classic Bell Star helmet which has now been re-introduced using the most current safety standard (Snell SA2010) and modern composite materials and production techniques. The original Star was introduced in 1966 and was the world's very first full-face motorsports helmet exemplifying a quantum leap in helmet technologies. "
only 579.95 . :( http://wescoperformance.stores.yahoo.ne ... elmet.html

trying to find the weight of a original , not a lot , but %wise compared to some open face ones , were concerns of neck injuries from the weight . Hence the helmet restraints in NASCARs etc nowadays .
 
Al-otment said:
I was riding through London on a summers day a few years ago, I wear prescription glasses. Visor up, I see a tiny, airborne speck fast approaching and concentrate on it's flight path, expecting it to go whizzing by. The next sensation I feel is what I imagine to be similar to having a red hot needle repeatedly, and in quick succession, stuck into the part of my head just above my nose and directly in between my eyes. Very, very painful, much worse than having to shave once or twice a week.

Fast forward several years and I'm in Coventry - would you believe exactly the same scenario as above! So to avoid wasps getting stuck in between my head and the bridge of my glasses I now ride with visor down, or at the most ajar, if my speed is anything faster than walking pace.
Click to expand...
+1 I got a Morning Dove in the eyehole of the full face Simpson (visor up, behind the windshield of the GTR1000) at 40 mph. It was an anxious few seconds till I pulled it out
 
The UK market didn't have integrated helmet/visors or full-face protection back in the 1960s. Since I did a lot of cold-weather riding as part of the N-V job, I had a leather face mask. I used the RAF Mark 8 style goggles most of the time, but I really liked the spinning visor,

For those of you not familiar with it, it was similar in concept to a clear-view window on a ship. It was a circular Plexiglas (aka Perspex) disk with a part-spherical profile to clear your face. Around the outer half inch or so, it had molded-in vanes. It mounted on a spindle that was on a strap that went round the helmet. Airflow over the vanes caused rotation and the resulting centrifugal force sent any water or debris off the side. A speed of 10 mph or so was enough to get it working, at 90+ it was really spinning!

The ones I had were pre-production prototypes and I don't know if it made it into the market place.
 
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