I think I'll keep my full face helmet...

OldSkoolFool · 04-17-2007, 11:31 AM

The other day I was riding along 41 on a frontage road in Oshkosh and a hawk decided to leave a post in between the road and the freeway and come take a better look at my bike. The thing flew across the road an into my lane, it must have miscalculated my speed, and I got a nice look at its tail feathers and talons at eye level. At the last moment I ducked my head point it down to the point of my helmet hitting the tank otherwise the hawk would've hit me directly in the face, this wasn't a baby hawk either. My bud riding behind me thought the thing hit me, I'm sure glad it didn't. Right afterwards I couldn't stop laughing to myself... was a "holy shit" moment.

For moments like these, and many other reasons, I am fully convinced about wearing a full face helmet all the time. I've thought about getting an old school looking 3/4 type helmet then wearing goggles but that idea is out of the question.

If I were to hit the hawk face on, do you think the visor would've shattered? I was going quite a bit faster than the hawk was. Think the impact would cause one to lose control? Post up if you have a similar experience or have actually hit an animal (besides insects). I've seen a few pics and heard some stories and it usually doesn't seem to be pretty.

Murf99 · 04-17-2007, 11:46 AM

I agree - Full face helmets are the way to go.

I've never hit anything bigger than an insect, HOWEVER...

At the April Road America NESBA event last year, Andy Fausthaller and Sean Conrad (really fast WERA/AMA guys) came around me in the kettle bottoms. Sean was ahead of Andy, they were both pulling away from me, about 100ft ahead. Clear as day, Sean nails a turkey. Square in the head. At about 140. This was no small turkey, either.

Sean was okay (save a sore neck), no loss of control... it takes a LOT of force to turn a bike at that speed. He finished the lap, but his Aria was a total writeoff! Cracked visor and outer shell. Many scratches.

Even though we had the deep-friers ready, they left the turkey on the side of the track the rest of the day. Yeah, it was dead.

danch · 04-17-2007, 01:30 PM

1. Rain hurts at 40mph. Rocks at 60?
2. I don't like to shave with a razor. Asphalt? Don't think I wanna try

Jokertlr · 04-17-2007, 01:34 PM

Besides all the obvious safety factors, anything besides a full face helmet looks stupid. Even Brad Pitt can't pull off a half helmet without looking like a goon.

Teej · 04-17-2007, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danch

1. Rain hurts at 40mph. Rocks at 60?
2. I don't like to shave with a razor. Asphalt? Don't think I wanna try

Try skydiving in wet conditions.

Hitting the pointy end of the raindrops at ~ 100+ relative.

serotonin · 04-17-2007, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teej

Try skydiving in wet conditions.

Hitting the pointy end of the raindrops at ~ 100+ relative.

touche`

!!!

Anthonyd5189 · 04-17-2007, 11:23 PM

reminds me of this...

greekus5 · 04-17-2007, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthonyd5189

reminds me of this...

OWNED!

MustGoFast · 04-18-2007, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teej

Try skydiving in wet conditions.

Hitting the pointy end of the raindrops at ~ 100+ relative.

done it once... never really thought it was an issue.. our relative velocity isn't more than 40mph to them... about the same as a heavy rain on the ground... shit terminal in std belly down is only about 110.

OldSchlPunk · 04-18-2007, 01:01 AM

Have no idea what the damage would be, my guess would be the shield would break.

I had a close call late last summer with a turkey. My son, who was riding pillion, said one of the feet actually hit my helmet! About 5 years ago, I nearly collected a Sandhill Crane that jumped up from next to a culvert. I think that one scared me even more.

I'd never feel safe with anything less than a full-face helmet.

Teej · 04-18-2007, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MustGoFast

done it once... never really thought it was an issue.. our relative velocity isn't more than 40mph to them... about the same as a heavy rain on the ground... shit terminal in std belly down is only about 110.

Rain falls between 7-18mph.

So relative velocity is at least 90.

The "pointy end" was a joke (rain doesn't fall in teardrop shapes).

MustGoFast · 04-18-2007, 08:57 AM

I just didn't really find it to hurt is all... or more likely the adrenaline factor made me completly amune (sp?) to it.

MustGoFast · 04-18-2007, 09:00 AM

and I believe terminal of a large rain drop is all of 20mph and what we call "drizzle" falls at a mere 1.6mph (avg velocity).

damn they dont' have crap for terminal speed... figured i should do the research too.

Murf99 · 04-18-2007, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danch

1. Rain hurts at 40mph. Rocks at 60?
2. I don't like to shave. Asphalt? Don't think I wanna try

There, fixed that for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MustGoFast

terminal of a large rain drop is all of 20mph and what we call "drizzle" falls at a mere 1.6mph (avg velocity).

damn they dont' have crap for terminal speed...

That's odd, considering a fluid volume is allowed to obtain it's most aerodynamic shape.

generator · 04-18-2007, 03:31 PM

I dropped a bottle of Mt. Dew once from 3.5 meters. It made a mess pretty quickly. I would say the terminal velocity of my mt. dew was somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 mph, but the fact is I will always wear a full face helmet, even when drinking Mt, Dew-because you never know.....