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Flips vs. FF


moshe_levy

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Yes, I know it has been covered 1000x, but I want to see if I've got the basics down, because my Arai Quantum/f is now 5 years old and I want to replace it with something new.

 

Flips + - convenience

Flips - - More Noise, heavier

 

FF + - safest choice, quiet

FF - - not as convenient as a flip

 

Anyone have any real life experience to share? Otherwise, I'm just going to go buy another Arai. I love my old one!

 

-MKL

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russell_bynum

I've had both, and I think you pretty much covered the differences.

 

In the end, I found that I didn't actually use the "flip" feature of the flip front helmet that much. With the chinbar sticking up on top of the helmet, the aerodynamics were all screwed up, etc. I really only did it when I had to talk to someone who wasn't a rider. Non-riders seemed to like it better when the chinbar was raised.

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Rocket_Cowboy

What I like about my flip is that gas station clerks don't seem to freak out as much when I walk in all geared up with the chin bar raised. They didn't like me wearing my Arai with smoked shield so much. Saves a little time on the gas stops, plus makes it a little easier to get the camelbak bite valve in to drink when needed.

 

If I'm not touring on the bike, I generally where my Aria full face.

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I use an Arai RX-7 Corsair helmet becuase it fits my head shape better than any other Arai. I have tried both editions of the Schuberth open face helmet and come back to the Arai each time for the following reasons:

 

1) Headshape. Much better fit on the Arai.

2) Chinbar contact. When I can contact my chin with the chin bar of the helmet just by pushing on the chinbar, then the fit just isn't right. Both Schuberth helmets contact my chin with very light pressure.

3) Weight. Amazing how much better the neck feels after a day in crosswinds with a lighter, better areodynamic helmet. Again Arai is superior here.

 

To me, convenience is nice, but not if it significantly compromises the primary function of the helmet which is to protect my head in a crash.

For me, the Schuberth is an unacceptable compromise.

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Just to cover the other side of the <opinion> spectrum...I've ridden many many miles with both types, and still love my Nolan N100E. Easy on, easy off, no scrubbed ears, no noise (you DO wear earplugs right?) ditto on the not scaring the *rap out of citizens at gas stops. I rarely ride with the chin bar up, that defeats the whole purpose of a full face helmet anyway.

 

Just my 2 cents worth for the evening smirk.gif

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I find the flip-face helmets very convenient. As to their portection capabilities, in the latest Aerostich catalog, there's a helmet article with pictures of a guy who crashed after hitting a deer. (Click here and scroll to bottom.) Shows his Nolan N102 all beat and scraped up but still locked and intact. I wore out a Nolan N100 and recently replaced it with the N102...I like it.

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John Bentall

Buy an Arai - you know you'll love it!

 

...and I'll keep my BMW System 4 Carbon Fibre (nice and light) Elite flip-face..

 

... and we'll both be happy.

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I own both and I think you have the basic differences correct. Albeit on the noise part, I almost always wear either my Az Al ear plugs or my Ety ER6i's so I'm a less concerned about noise differences. I have a Shoei Syncrotech and thought the quality was so-so. I'd really inspect another Shoei before I purchased another. But I sure like the convenience.

 

Mike O

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I wore an HJC SY-MAX for almost 4 years while doing off-duty M/C escorts. The convenience was great, but we were also doing a lot of talking with non-riders, so it was a must. Fast forward to now, and I wear a Shoei X11 for touring. I do miss the convenience, for reasons mentioned by others already. For me, having to yell through the chin bar at a red light to riding pals is worth the advantages of less weight, better aerodynamics, and less noise. I never stressed over the safety of a flip, but it makes sense that in a bad getoff the ff would have more structural integrity than the flip. So I lean towards the ff, but not by a lot.

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Here's a first-hand account of an injury that was inflicted by the hinge hardware on a flip-up helmet:

 

clicky

 

excerpt:

"The head of the screw/bolt penetrated the inner lining of the helmet, which came in direct contact with his skull."

 

Here's a

photo of that helmet - it's the one on the left.

 

My thoughts: The rider was better off than if he had been wearing a half-helmet. A full-face helmet wouldn't have this brain-injuring hinge-hardware problem.

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A powerful story indeed. From the linked article "there is not one single modular helmet that can be recommended for any reason whatsoever".

I'm pleased that she purchased and tore apart every single modular helmet on the market to check whether the same hinge construction is used.

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