Helmets, goggles, etc. etc.

[hugh_]

I've just agreed to buy a Fury Fireblade which I'll be picking up in the next week or so.



Being somewhat tall, my eyes fall about 2 inches above the line of air deflection from the aeroscreen and I've got a 190mile drive home when I collect it. So I need some goggles or a helmet. The car is fitted with a helmet intercom system so at some stage I will get a couple of helmets, but buying the car and insurance is straining finances somewhat so if I can put off that expense for the time being it would be good. Are goggles practical in a car like this, and if not how much is sensible to spend on a helmet (I dont want to have to replace it because of a shortcoming in due course)?



Any advice on this or anything else gratefully received. And if anyone knows anything about fitting an LCD gear indicator that would be good

editted to add: It doesnt have an extinguisher in it at present, any recommendation for an suitable one would be good.

Edited by hugh_ on Sunday 4th November 17:51

[Steve_D]

I would start of with one of these


And some wrap round shades, ski goggles or best of all industrial safety goggles like these



The safety ones will save you if a stone comes over the top.

Steve

[hugh_]

I spotted these on ebay earlier
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

I presume they would be suitable?

Edited by hugh_ on Sunday 4th November 18:16

[Steve_D]

hugh_ said:

I spotted these on ebay earlier
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

I presume they would be suitable?

Edited by hugh_ on Sunday 4th November 18:16

They look the part and cheap too. The ones I found were DeWalt and about a tenner.

Steve

[Jubal]

Do yourself a favour and get a cheap 30-40 quid bike helmet. You need to protect your entire head from flying debris, not just your eyes. It isn't until you've driven a car like this on the road that you realise just how much crud gets thrown up.

[Steve Maund]

Go to

http://www.uksportseyewear.co.uk/

We sell a vast range of ballistic rated glasses that suit kit cars.

Steve

[Foolish Dave]

Steve Maund said:

Go to

http://www.uksportseyewear.co.uk/

We sell a vast range of ballistic rated glasses that suit kit cars.

Steve

That looks like a really good site! I'll look into getting some of those google things.

Very nice car!!

We're looking a leather coats with sheep on the inside, some kind of hat with similar properties, goggles, and a biggles scarf, but the car has an older look than that beatsy!

[FlatPack]

At this time of year I second the buy a cheap helmet option

Drove my Striker to and from SVA using ski goggles as I didn't have a helmet. Wasn't too bad until it started raining, then it became incredibly unpleasant! Rain drops really hurt at 50mph.

Tempted by some goggles for decent weather though as the helmet can be a bit of a pain.

[gingerprince]

Steve Maund said:

Go to

http://www.uksportseyewear.co.uk/

We sell a vast range of ballistic rated glasses that suit kit cars.

Steve

I have the BSG goggles (which I got from USA a couple of years ago). Very good product, but for 190 miles I'd still use a helmet! Otherwise you'll have a nose as red as Rowley Birkin QC by the time you get home

[chockymonster]

I have a pair of Wiley-X Blink sunglasses that I wear in the Vortx. I don't use them that much as I don't have a windscreen so wear a helmet all the time.

I really wouldn't drive a windscreenless car without a helmet as stones, water, flies etc really hurt at road speeds.

[Dave E]

Flying debris aside, it's not just protecting your eyes that's important. The other advantage of a helmet is giving your ears a bit of protection; don't underestimate just how loud the wind noise can be at constant motorway speeds, let alone the engine/gearbox noise.

[hugh_]

Dave E said:

Flying debris aside, it's not just protecting your eyes that's important. The other advantage of a helmet is giving your ears a bit of protection; don't underestimate just how loud the wind noise can be at constant motorway speeds, let alone the engine/gearbox noise.

That's an interesting point, I picked the car up from 20miles west of Gloucester on Saturday and drove the first 50miles or so (to Cirencester) without a lid, just hat, goggles and neck gator. Following a brief stop to see my sister there, I headed home to Kent. From Cirencester to Kent its virtually all dual carriageway or motorway; and now being after dark it was getting a mite chilly, so the helmet was on for the entire journey.

Having done the trip back, and about 200 miles since (must reduce the rate I'm using it, I only insured it for 3000miles per year!) mainly without a helmet I can say that I much prefer driving it without a helmet. This is mostly because of the extra windage on a helmet being ~40mm higher in the airline, and the massive increase in wind noise this causes. Admitedly I didn't try with helmet and earplugs!

I was hit by a stone just above my hairline this morning, and although it stung briefly at the time, I had completely forgotten about it until writing this! I think the thick hat took the worst of it, maybe I was lucky.

[Packman]

I've had a Tiger R6 now for 5 years (No Windscreen) and always wear an helmet. Don't buy a cheap helmet unless you have a cheap head! Buy the best you can afford.

I live in the South-East and comute on the M25 daily. During my 5 Years ownership I've had all sorts of things hit the car and of course my helmeted head. The worst being a lump of plywood about 0.3m x 0.3mm x 10mm. It was drafted up from the road surface by the car in front of me in outside lane of the M25 between junctions 3 and 2 anti-clockwise. It missed the car completly and hit the visor of my helmet. Once I saw it comming the adrenelin kicked in and as always things seemed to slow down. I seemed to have time to think: 1. Do I brake? 2. Do I swerve? or 3. Do I just keep going straight and do nothing? 3. was the right answer and although it must have been a split second between me seeing what was about to happen and it hitting I had made the right choice as chosing 1. or 2. I would probably be dead now along with some of the other car drivers that I would have taken out.

Once the action was over I expected to feel the lump of plywood embedded in my helmet and maybe my skull and expected to see blood soon trickleing into my eyes, however, after a quick feel around with my hand over my helment I could not find the piece of pltwood at all. I eventually pulled over on the hard shoulder and removed my helmet. It was unmarked. The visor had taken the full force of the impack and was badly damaged. It was replaced fourthwith. I often ponder what might have been that day.

The morale of this story is get a first rate helmet for your first rate head and use it every time no matter how short the journey.

Packman

[dern]

Packman said:

I've had a Tiger R6 now for 5 years (No Windscreen) and always wear an helmet. Don't buy a cheap helmet unless you have a cheap head! Buy the best you can afford.

All bike helmets are made to the same standards. They are all designed to withstand (to a certain degree) a full impact that you may get on a bike but you're unlikely to get in your car. Therefore, for the application you need it for, any lid will be fine. In my experience the difference between cheap and more expensive lids is down to the weight and the quality of the fittings. More expensive lids will have removeable liners which can be cleaned more easily (although you can clean any lid under the shower with baby bath stuff if you have enough time to let it dry), the lining will be of a better quality which won't compress quite so readily (although cleaning them puffs the lining up again) and will have better vents which may help stop the visor steaming up. Fit is the most important thing so get yourself to a shop and try some on. Personally I'd make sure I could get a dark visor for whatever lid I bought.

Universal digital gear indicators are available from ebay for about 50 quid.

[Davi]

hugh_ said:

Dave E said:

Flying debris aside, it's not just protecting your eyes that's important. The other advantage of a helmet is giving your ears a bit of protection; don't underestimate just how loud the wind noise can be at constant motorway speeds, let alone the engine/gearbox noise.

That's an interesting point, I picked the car up from 20miles west of Gloucester on Saturday and drove the first 50miles or so (to Cirencester) without a lid, just hat, goggles and neck gator. Following a brief stop to see my sister there, I headed home to Kent. From Cirencester to Kent its virtually all dual carriageway or motorway; and now being after dark it was getting a mite chilly, so the helmet was on for the entire journey.

Having done the trip back, and about 200 miles since (must reduce the rate I'm using it, I only insured it for 3000miles per year!) mainly without a helmet I can say that I much prefer driving it without a helmet. This is mostly because of the extra windage on a helmet being ~40mm higher in the airline, and the massive increase in wind noise this causes. Admitedly I didn't try with helmet and earplugs!

I was hit by a stone just above my hairline this morning, and although it stung briefly at the time, I had completely forgotten about it until writing this! I think the thick hat took the worst of it, maybe I was lucky.

have to say I think you were lucky if it only stung for a bit, and I agree wholeheartedly with those saying a helmet is a bit of a must in these types of cars. Had only a couple of very painful moments before I made the decision - of course it would only have taken one of those very painful moments to have been a tad worse and I wouldn't have had the option to change my mind...

[runt]

Thanks for all this info guys, during my eleven months with the Dax I've noticed the sound of plenty of stones etc thrown up from the road, I tended to drive my Chimaera 'roof on' a lot so wasn't aware of this hazard, I'm buying some goggles from Steve Maund as the eye protection is a must.

Paul/runt.

Edited by runt on Saturday 17th November 17:20

[dhutch]

Bit of an old thread, but might as well keep the information on one place.

Im currently looking to get a seven of some form (leaning towards and mk indy atm) and its clear from this thread, and time out on the track as a passenger in a 893 indy blade.

I've borrowed helmets so far, usally of the people giving me a spin out in there car, or from MK during there bruntinthorpe events.
- However not its looking like am deffonatly going get a car, if not stright away, it seams prudent to get my own helmet, which if nothing else can be used for passengering other peoples cars (several mates track tintops also, golfs/mr2s etc)

Im a student on a sandwich year, so earning £600 a month odd, but still trying to save as much as i can to put towards a second car, etc. So im just wondering how much i should be looking spend, what i should be looking for in a helmet, and where i should eb looking to buy from. Also if second hand is an option at all?

Also if i do get a car, i would proberbly be looking at geting a second helmet and having some form of intercom, wireless or otherwise, between the two.
- Can these be affectivly retro fitted (to my helmet long term, or a freinds for a one off ride) and whats avilable there. Brand names etc.


Cheers, Daniel.

[hugh_]

I'd dont know a huge amount about helmets but this is what I was advised when I got mine:

• Buy new, the liners shrink with age/use
• Buy the best you can afford (this is aimed more at bikers, I'll discuss below)
• The more you spend, the better the: field of view, weight, wind noise
• Get one that is a snug fit but also consider if you are going to use it with intercom speakers), you shouldn't be able to rotate it independently of your head.
• Anti-fog is a good idea in a kit car because of the reduces airflow compared with a bike

Regarding how much to spend, I took the attitude that if you roll a Fury/MK Indy etc. you have more to worry about than what is on your head; I use it simply to eliminate the risks of getting stones in the face, wind noise etc.

[dhutch]

Sounds fair enough.
- I thought buying new was proberbly the way in sadly.
- However point noted about weight, and partiuclarly noise and feild of view and i hadnt really thought about that being a variable.

[dern]

There's a J&S in Nottingham and there's no reason why a reasonably priced lid from there won't do you for a while. I wouldn't personally wear a 30 quid lid on a bike but would in a car if cost was an issue. I used FM lids for ages and they were pretty cheap but definitely not nasty. You don't get all the niceties you'd get with an expensive lid but you can wash the lining even if it can't be removed, noisy lids are easily made quieter with ear plugs and crap anti-fogging can be sorted with a breath guard. They'll probably be a bit heavier but you'll only be doing short sessions in a car rather than heading to the south of france on a bike.