question for you folks with white or light colored helmets....Are they really cooler? seeems like they would be..

Ive always worn a full face, except in my early teens (many many years ago), all of my helmets have been black or dark colored. It does get hot sometimes.

 

I doubt if the color would make a different on heat of a helmet. I could be wrong and if I'm wwrong that would be the first time in 10 years.

 

It is true that dark colors like black and blue absorb sunlight (heat), while light colors reflect sunlight. So it would only hold true that your melon would bake faster in a black helmet as oppossed to a white or silver helmet. I know when I play golf in the middle of summer I always wear a white of light colored shirt because I bake in a dark colored one.

 

When I took a safety course in August a few years ago they showed the difference between a white and a black helmet that had been sitting in the sun for about a half hour. I laid my hands on them and felt a bit of a difference. That being said....I wear black [8D]

 

the same insulation that protects your brains from the asphalt also acts as an insulating layer. The outside of a dark helmet is hotter, not the inside.

 

Just remember black is a faster color. You wear a white helmet, your bike will be slower.......

 

i seen a rainbow colored helmet yesterday....guy told me it was "hot as I am" [:-] i got on my scooter and hauled *** [:'(]

 

Several years ago on a 90 plus degree Texas summer day, my friend and I rode our R1s from Houston to San Marcos and back. We had the same Shoei full coverage helmets. Mine was white with blue graphics, his was black-you know, the faster color. When we got to the heat of the afternoon, he made a pit stop and he complained that he was feeling dizzy and nauseous. We did a roadside comparison setting both helmets on a bench in the sun. After 15 minutes; just long enough for him to regain his composure and his stomach, we checked the inside temp of the helmets and his was significantly hotter than mine. For the rest of the trip we had to stop every 45 minutes or so for him to cool off. We would stop at a convenience store and he would throw the helmet in the bag ice cooler, get a drink and soak his t-shirt. Then off we would go for another 45 minutes or until he started getting dizzy again. The simple fact is black absorbes heat and it transfers to the interior of the helmet. A black full coverage is going to be the worst. Half helmets are not going to be as bad because you are getting air circulation around your neck and face. A lot depends on your geographic area as well.
Just some food for thought from one that has been there....done that....got the helmet!

 

Heres mine

 

mines flat black, haven't used it on a warm day never had a helmet before this one