Motorcycle helmets are a legal necessity for a rider. You cannot ride a motorcycle without wearing a protective helmet.
It has many advantages and mainly serves to protect your head in case of a crash. There are other factors as well.
Let’s go through the reasons.
Quick Summary
By the end of this article, we will go through:
- Why should one wear a motorcycle helmet when riding their motorcycle?
- How much should your motorcycle helmet weigh?
- How are helmets constructed?
Let’s take a look into it.
Why You Have to Wear a Helmet When Riding a Motorcycle?
As discussed above, helmets are a legal requirement. You can’t ride a motorcycle if you don’t have the proper helmet. You can get fined or worse, injured.
There are different reasons behind the requirement of a motorcycle helmet. The main priority is to ensure the rider’s safety. The helmet is also designed to maximize the rider’s safety.
Unlike a car, a motorcycle does not provide you with a structure that should protect you from the external environment.
Now, let’s have a look at the different reasons you have to wear your helmet:
It Can Save Your Life
The number one reason to wear a helmet is that it saves your life. Helmets are designed so that your head is safe at all times. They have multiple layers of protection for this.
There is crushed foam between these layers. These layers and the foam work together to absorb the impact. They also prevent any penetration of foreign material.
Additionally, the helmet protects your face from injury. You may face a lot of debris when you are on the road. This includes small pebbles, bugs, and mugs.
When you are at high speeds, minute debris can injure your face quite badly. Helmets are designed to keep all these from your face.
According to statistics produced by NHTSA, helmets reduce the risk of serious injury by 67 percent.
They Improve Your Focus on the Road
Helmets are designed to keep debris as well as unnecessary noise out. This can help you increase your focus when you’re on the road.
Moreover, Helmets also have sun shields. These reduce the rays of light that enter your eyes. This feature is helpful, particularly in the summers. Helmets are also designed to reduce the level of noise.
They have a clothed internal lining, which protects your head from chaffing. It also helps you reduce wind noise and turbulence. Hence, both your eyes and ears are safer in the long run.
Helps The Rider In Bad Weather
Helmets are also very useful in tough conditions. These include both extreme heat and cold. A helmet is an essential tool that keeps you protected from the elements.
In case of heat, it will protect you from sunburn. As discussed earlier, the sun shield also protects your eyes.
When it is cold, the internal lining can be helpful. In this case, you can also use scarves or balaclavas with the helmet.
How Much Should the Weight of a Helmet Vary?
Helmets protect your head in case of an accident. They are designed in such a way that the impact is spread around them. However, you have to get the right helmet for maximum safety.
For this, you need to consider the weight and size of the helmet. This will spread the weight around your neck and shoulders. You want to increase and maximize your comfort.
There are both heavy and light helmets. An uncomfortable helmet will be far from ideal for you.. Normally the weight of the helmet ranges between 1.5 lbs and 2.5 lbs.
What are the Reasons that the Weight Varies?
The weight is different due to the use of different materials. There are other factors too.
Let’s take a look at these factors:
Material Used
Different materials are used to make a motorcycle helmet. These range from plastics to kevlar. Normally, helmets are composite. That means that they have materials mixed with epoxies.
Usually, the more a material is used, the more the mass of the helmet. But they may have different densities. Also, some materials are tougher than others. So, you would have to look out for what kind of helmet you are getting.
Dimensions of the Helmet
The size and shape of the helmet also affect how much it will weigh. However, we recommend that you also focus on the comfort level. Usually, the more comfortably a helmet fits on your head, the more safety it will provide.
The shape of the helmet also matters. If your head is not round, you can get an oval-shaped helmet. Always remember that your comfort is an important variable.
Kind of Visor
Based on its design, your helmet can or cannot have a visor on it. There are mainly two kinds of helmets. Full-face helmets have a visor, while half-face helmets don’t. The quality of a visor matter. But its weight will have a minor effect on the helmet.
You can install different visors on your helmet. These may be both transparent or tinted. If you attach multiple visors to your helmet, it will weigh slightly more on the front.
Helmet Design
To maintain the level of safety, there are different kinds of materials that are used in a helmet. Helmets also have two different shells. These are the:
- Outer shell
- Inner shell
Why are the shells important?
The outer shell prevents abrasions and penetration of material while the inner shell absorbs the impact. The outer shell is designed so that the impact spreads throughout the helmet. The inner compresses and absorbs the impact. Its polystyrene lining makes the crushed foam.
As discussed earlier, the internal lining has soft padding between your head and the inner shell. This padding increases protection and also prevents chafing of your skin.
Do all helmets have the same padding?
Almost every helmet on the market has a similar kind of internal lining and padding. The material, however, is different from the external shell.
Padding may or may not be removable. This can help you when you wash your helmet. Helmet surfaces can also be customized to a degree.
If you want to know how motorcycle helmets actually work, CLICK HERE.
Wrapping Things Up…
Helmets are a legal requirement that you must have when you travel on a motorcycle. There are different reasons behind it, but the most important is your safety.
Helmets decrease your chances of a serious injury in case of a crash. With this, we reach the end of the article on “Why you should wear a helmet in case of a crash?”. CLICK HERE to find out more.
