I have a 1/2 and a 3/4 helmet but have recently been thinking about getting a full face hemet. What are the pros/cons with a full face and what should I be looking for?
Your feedback is appreciated by me and by others who will read this post.
Thanks in advance and Ride Safe.

 

Personally, I use all three styles. It just depends on what I'm doing and more importantly, what the weather conditions are as I ride all year long in the Pacific Northwest.

 

I use my sons full face carbon fiber helment in cold weather,i love it ,very light

 

I have a Shoei 1100, I wear it mostly in winter, it has a chin flap that keeps the wind from entering underneath, and a small detente that allows you to barely open it to defog, and that's the biggest problem i have with it, keeping it defogged, felt a little claustrophobic initially, but that didn't last long. Good luck with your search

 

I have a 1/2 and a full face. Normally wear the 1/2, but depending on the weather (below 25degrees) I'll dig out the full face.

J

 

I ride with a fullface most of the time, if you have never used one the most common complaints that I hear is that people feel closed in or they can't see as well. A fullface helemt will fog up in the cold, open the shield pretty easy to fix that, hard to get your glasses on depending on the helemt. It's certaintly different than a 1/2 helmet or 3/4.

Pro
Safer (biggest plus to me)
Warm
Quieter
Dry

Cons
Hot
Heavier
Closed in
Visibility (turn your head to fix this problem)
You don't look cool

 

Now the two of us only ride with a full face. About a 1 1/2 years ago we were in a accident and if my wife would have had her 1/2 of 3/4 helmet on should would have lost part of her face. The chin guard was almost worn away. I have always worn a full face. Now what brand or type would be up to you. The best thing to do is find a place that has a good selection, allowing you to try on and wear for 15-20 minutes. Different head shapes and weight of helmets determine which would be appropriate for you. HTH

 

FAA, I also have all 3, and have been wearing my full face quite a bit lately. I would say #1 thing to do is find a shop near you that carries a wide range of brands/styles. Look for HJC, Bell, Arai, Scorpio, Suomy, etc. The more they carry, the better off you will be.

Go to the shop with a lot of time to kill. Try on a bunch of them, narrow it down to 2-3 that seem to fit best/easiest. Then wear each of those for a while, see if you develop hot spots or other fit issues. Also, if you normally wear gloves, take them with you and make sure you can open & close the various vents. Buy the one that fits you best, but be warned, they can get costly.

Now what to look for, after something that fits. I know others will disagree, but I don't think you need to worry about SNELL vs DOT. Some people think SNELL is a must have, but I have seen some opinions that say SNELL is not good. And the only other thing I was looking for was something light weight. But it seems like the lighter weight the helmet, the more it costs.

My impressions of the full face is they are comfortable enough, and do not hinder my riding ability. It does put more pressure (but not uncomfortably so) on my cheeks than the 3/4. It also is a bit harder to fasten than the 3/4, but it is still not that bad. I also think it is easier to ride the the face shield raised a little, and it rattles less. But I don't know if that is because of the helmet mfg or the type.

I am still learning to deal with fogging, and one of my recommendations is to get some 'anti-fog'. I have enough vents that I am able to stay cool on the warm days we have been having, and closing them keeps me warm on the cold mornings.

My lessons learned (although I am very happy with my helmet), next time bring my intercom headset in to check the fit with the speakers in. And bring my riding glasses (although they are not really needed) for the same reason.

One last thought, a lot of my riding buddies use a modular helmet, which is a full face where the visor and chin bar flip up giving you a quasi-3 quarter helmet. And they keep it flipped up when riding at slow speeds, then move it down for highways. I would probably include some of those in your evaluation.

 

Me too..i have all three styles....any colder and I'm going to the FF .......looking cool be damned let the youngsters show how badass they are, me I'm doing what suites me.

 

Quite, can be safer in certain accidents, quality ones like mine's shield flip up easily and become almost as good as bennies and maker provides different size interiors for fit. (mines XL but I run XXL cheek pads (they are thinner since the XL and XXL shell is the same.
I ride all winter and I can bundle my hoodie to stop up holes since the chin flap and nose flap make it a real pain to deal with.
Cons
Some what of a pain since I wear glasses and need to remove them to get it on. Really hot weather can be a pain. Real Harley people beat you up. (Especiall with Shoei on it. Interesting I have an HJC AC3 3/4 exactly like a friend but his says Harley Davidson. He beats me up for having the HJC also. Mine has 5 vent levers. However 1 notch up on visor fixes most fogging and until I get going over 35 when it below 45 degrees or so I start 1 up.

Both mine say Snell and Dot--not sure but I think to be Snell requires minimum of 3/4.. Need to try it on. However great deals on EBay. Got mine for 1/3. When dealer wants $400 more I cain't be loyal