New Helmet - going old school

[JP50515]

Hey guys, so I pulled the trigger on a new helmet yesterday. It's a biltwell Novelty 3/4 in flat black. I love the retro look of the open face with the bubble shield so i went ahead and ordered up a couple bubbles for it too. Smoked lens and Mirror.

Now I live and ride in Minnesota where there are no helmet laws, and after my last crash I've decided that when my time comes.....it comes and I'd prefer to be dead than a vegetable. With that being said I still wear my full face regularly, however this new one is not DOT approved....

Anyone have any experience with these biltwell novelty helmets?


Anyway here it is.

 

[CoastsideXS650]

Just get a dot approved version that they sell. I went down last year and my helmet saved my life. I'm a cripple in my right leg but it hasn't stopped me from riding or wrenching. Just think of your wife/gf/kids/friends/parents who will miss you when your head is unnecessarily crushed from an accident you could have walked away from.

 

[JP50515]

Every crash is different. My last crash, they said if I had had my helmet on I would be dead right now... it was the ONLY time i ever rode without it.

Look up the testing/requirements on DOT.....it really doesn't replicate real life scenarios at all.


If I truly let the thought of how many people would miss me if I died that way become a deciding factor for me, I would never get on a bike in the first place....much less drive a car. Seen more people die in car crashes than on bikes by a long shot.

Glad to hear a helmet did you justice though.

To each his own I guess

 

[CoastsideXS650]

Yeah just my 2 cents. The novelty and dot helmets from biltwell are so close that it hardly seems worth it for a hunk of soft plastic.

What kind of crash did you have where a lack of helmet saved you?

 

[mick71b]

Every crash is different. My last crash, they said if I had had my helmet on I would be dead right now...

Details? Not being morbid, just the first time I've ever heard that.

 

[jd750ace]

Curious about that one myself. How do helmets kill?

As to DOT testing, does not necessarily prove much, but I have 3 broken helmets, and despite how it looks, my head is intact. All 3, right in the face, so think about that plastic bubble being the only thing between your mug and the pavement, and think about this chart.

 

[h3llb3nt1]

I have the biltwell dot approved one. I dig it. Id hate to do a face plant with it though

 

[EvenmoreXS]

I wear a bell custom 500. DOT approved. I like the helmet. I hate the idea of having to use it.

 

[occam22]

I wonder if that helmet crash chart is based on a higher percentage of hi side falls... Face plant on anything but a full face helmet and you are having a bad day.

 

[jd750ace]

I wonder if that helmet crash chart is based on a higher percentage of hi side falls... Face plant on anything but a full face helmet and you are having a bad day.

I've been over the high side, the low side, and cut off by a chevy pickup and went down the side of it. Rear view mirror in the face on the last one. Right side cheek smacks ground at the same time as right shoulder, breaking chinbar, shield and collarbone on my massive 5 MPH high side (sounds silly, but try it!) and 50 MPH into the blacktop on the right side with right ear contact and subsequent roll left over right dragging chin bar on the ground.
Face plant sucks no matter what, but we lead with our heads. They are too big to put in a pocket!

 

[h3llb3nt1]

I've been over the high side, the low side, and cut off by a chevy pickup and went down the side of it. Rear view mirror in the face on the last one. Right side cheek smacks ground at the same time as right shoulder, breaking chinbar, shield and collarbone on my massive 5 MPH high side (sounds silly, but try it!) and 50 MPH into the blacktop on the right side with right ear contact and subsequent roll left over right dragging chin bar on the ground.
Face plant sucks no matter what, but we lead with our heads. They are too big to put in a pocket!

Holy shit man.

 

[I am Carbon]

jd after reading that I know why I wear fullface helmet.
I thought is was because its so hot a give me such a fine doo. that the chicks just digg soooo much
jp walmart sells a dot helmet like that

 

[mick71b]

+1 on full face. I've been using a modular (flip up) and love it.

 

[jd750ace]

Last one I busted was my original Symax. The Symax 2 and 3 are made in China, not South Korea like the original, and the quality has suffered greatly. I bought a new chin bar and am doing a custom job on paint on that one. Running a Nolan N43 Trilogy now and love it. Excellent fit and finish. Gotta get the bluetooth box though. Already have the stereo head set. It works OK at lower speeds but needs the bluetooth unit (or the intercom unit) and it's higher output to boost it up for higher speeds.

 

[EvenmoreXS]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bel...parel_Merchandise&hash=item35c4ce86fd&vxp=mtr


Check this one out. You can find it cheaper, but its old skool and full face.

Not new though.

 

[mick71b]

$385 for a Moto3? 20 bids?

 

[EvenmoreXS]

I know, right.

 

[JP50515]

Lol didn't check this for a day and it's sitting on top of the posts. Helmet threads always seem to get people riled up. Anyway, I DO own a full face modular HJC DOT approved helmet that I wear on a regular basis. This new helmet is something I wanted merely for pictures and as a backup. I like how they look, not how they protect which is why my primary is my full face.

To discuss my crash, an ambulance cut off two cars in front of me, I hit an audi A4 at 50 MPH and went flying. I saw sky, ground, sky and realized i was coming down on my head so I flipped and if you've ever done that thing on a trampoline where you jump up and dive down and see if you can flip right at the last second before landing on your head it was pretty much that except moving forward and coming down. I missed coming down on my head by fractions of an inch, came down on the top of my back/shoulder, immediately rolled and my arm pinned under me then kept sliding/rolling. I can tell you with certainty that a helmet would have caught the pavement when I flipped and snapped my neck. I walked away with nothing more than a small cut on my arm and some serious bruises thanks the my leathers and boots. There were 5 people who stopped, and the first thing they said was "I thought you were dead! I could have sworn you were coming down right on your head! 3 of them hung out and discussed what would have happened had I had my helmet on...according to them they think it would have been a much more gruesome scene.

I know how wacky my situation is, and i'm well aware of broken jaw statistics in crashes which is why I own and wear my full face regularly.


Like I said, every crash is different and DOT does not impress me enough to impact my decision. Call me arrogant if you want, but if and when my time comes....there's nothing me, or my gear, or a helmet is going to do to stop it if i'm on my bike.

 

[blackbetty]

novelty helmets LOL

That's a nice plastic hat sir

 

[retiredgentleman]

This thread has no worthwhile value. Anyone who will try to justify the stupidity of not wearing a helmet, has no respect for their own life, and no respect for the hardship and emotional issues it would cause their family.

It reminds me of the time when seat belts first came out for cars. There was always the story of the accident where the people were ejected from the vehicle, and the vehicle exploded/burned to the ground. Therefore the logic is that seat belts are dangerous and should not be used.

That same logic says, a helmet has a chance of snapping your neck, so best to not wear one.

Non DOT helmets should not be allowed to be sold. Buying a helmet so you can take pictures.................quite amusing!

OK , all the lads from the states without helmet laws, this is your chance to blast me.