OHV Helmets and Goggles

                                                         

 

Perhaps the single most essential and irreplacable piece of personal protective equipment for OHV riders are their helmets and goggles.  You can sometimes get away with wearing substitutes for other parts of your body armor, but there is nothing else that gives the protection your head needs.  Head injuries are often very serious and even fatal and, unfortunately, are among the most common injuries associated with motorcycle and other OHV accidents.

Helmets should  be properly rated to meet certain standards of protection.  There are four primary rating systems:  Snell, DOT, ECE and FIM.   Each one identifies the organization that established, maintains, and certifies helmets to their standards.  Snell is the Snell Memorial Foundation.  Its ratings are required by certain racing organizations. DOTis the United States Department of Transportation.  ECE is the Economic Commission for Europe.  Helmets that do not have at least one of these certifications stickers are considered to be novelty helmets and should never be considered safe.  FIM is another rating system by a global motorcycle organization for helmets for track use.

Snell is perhaps the oldest and best recognized rating, even being sometimes considered to be the gold standard for helmets.

Any helmet used for off road activities or highway motorcycle riding should meet at least one of the accepted standards.   If you have a helmet that does not meet any of these standards you should replace it with one that does as soon as possible -- before you actually need it protect your head in an accident.  You don't want to put your head in a $10 helmet unless you only have a $10 head!

Helmets will not prevent all head injuries, but they will mitigate many of them.  No matter how strong or safe a helmet is, the impact in any specific accident might exceed its level of protection.  However, one thing is absolutely certain:  NOT wearing an approved helmet will significantly increase your chances of serious or fatal head injuries in an OHV accident.

Certified helmets are not cheap.   But it can be said you should only use a $10 helmet if you have a $10 head!  The medical cost of any head injury will quickly exceed the price of a good helmet, without even counting loss of work income or pain and suffering.

Helmets come in open-face and full-face versions.   Open face helmets are usually worn by riders on street bikes.  Most off-road riders wear full-face helmets.  Helmets are available with and without face shields.  Even when I have had face shields I wear goggles for better eye protection.  Street riders preference for open-face helmets may be due to a need for a greater range of vision in street traffic and off-road riders need the extra protection of the chin guard of full-face helmets.  All I had was an open-face street helmet for my first couple of dirt bike rides, but I soon switched to a full-face helmet and I have always been glad I did.  Many years ago I watched a rider air-lifted from a remote forest service campground after he caught a low hanging branch in the face wearing an open face helmet.  It nearly ripped his jaw off!  To his credit, he was back on the trails the very next day but it was a very painful, traumatic, and expensive incident.

Many helmets and almost all off-road helmets come with a visor.   If your helmet does not have one it may be possible to obtain an after-market visor to fit it.  Visors are really helpful when riding toward the rising or setting sun and sometimes help keep the rain off, at least when you aren't moving forward fast!

Many helmets include face shields.  However, a face shield is not an adequate or appropriate substitute for goggles.  A face shield will block much of the wind and deflect some debris but does not provide the complete eye protection you get from wearing the right googles.  Plan on wearing goggles even if your helmet does have face shield.  Regularly check your face shield to make sure the mounting bolts are properly tightened.   Vibration can cause the bolts to work loose and you could lose your face shield out on the road or the trail.  If it blows off it will most always be damaged beyond repair for further use.  The distraction could cause you to lose control of your machine.

Helmets are pretty much only good for one hard crash.  Once they have done their job they should be replaced.  Even if the helmet isn't cracked or doesn't appear damaged, the shock absorbing material inside is likely to have been crushed.  And while it has done its job absorbing the shock and protecting your head once, it won't be able to do it again.  It is designed to be crushed to absorb the impact.  It doesn't rebound.  Unfortunately there is no non-destructive way to test a helmet to determine if it has been compromised.  Better to replace it if it has been hit hard.  When purchasing used helmets look for deep scratches or scuffing or dings that might indicate it has been hit.  Ask the seller about the helmet's history, but be cautious because they might tend to downplay any problems in order to try to sell it.  If possible, buy only from someone you know and can trust or only buy new helmets.

You will see people with add-on decorations for their helmets, such as bristles, decals, paint, braids or pigtails, mohawks, and even cat ears.  There are some restrictions you’ll need to consider, of course, including what decorations are road legal and which, if any, will weaken your helmet.  Exercise caution whenever you modify your helmet so you don't affect the integrity or proper function of your helmet.  Customization can make it easier for other riders to identify on the trail or on the track.  Be aware that some paints and adhesives could degrade not only the finish but the strength of the helmet shell.  According to DOT standards, anything that protrudes more than 2/10 of an inch from the helmet's surface is unsafe. If your helmet has decorations or accessories like spikes and mohawks that stick up inches from the helmet, it's likely not a proper DOT motorcycle helmet.    These regulations are far more likely to be applied and enforced for street riding than for off-road use but even without law enforcement reminders, you should adhere to the standards for your own safety and protection.  Having some protrusion on your helmet get caught going under a tree branch could be very painful, perhaps even fatal!

Some helmets are equipped with ear phones and even microphones for use with radios.  If yours is not so equipped you can purchase headsets that fit inside the helmet to provide the same capabilities.  Finding the commercially available motorcycle two-way radio systems too expensive I adapted standard hand-held walkie-talkies using an earphone with an attached microphone.  I slipped the radio into a pocket on my Camel-bak hydration pack.  I have tried voice activated microphones but found that often the noise of the motorcycle caused them to turn on randomly so I normally use a setup with a push-to-talk switch.

Helmets are usually designed to be reasonably comfortable in all kinds of weather.  The close fit usually keeps your head and ears warm in colder weather but there is normally enough ventilation to keep them cool enough in hot weather.  You may need a face mask to keep your nose and cheeks warm in cold weather.   You can use an ordinary ski mask but you will probably be more comfortable with thinner nylon face mask designed for use with helmets.  The only downside I've found to face masks is that they let my breath fog my goggles.  You might need to experiment a little with different styles to find the one that works best for you.  Anti-fog compounds can help keep your goggles clear.

Goggles are next on the list.  Why?  Well, eyes are very fragile and you only have one pair of them.  If they get damaged you will likely be blind or have diminished vision the rest of your life.  Some riders like the fashionable appearance of sunglasses over goggles but sunglasses, even safety glasses, do not provide the same level of protection as goggles.  Sunglasses allow air flow around the edges, which can deliver damaging bits of debris into your eyes.  Properly fitted goggles block that air flow.  There is a foam covered gap between the inner and outer frames.  The gap allows air to flow to reduce fogging while foam filters out dust and debris that could injure your eyes.  When riding in bright sunlight it is helpful to wear sunglasses under your goggles if they will fit or wear tinted goggles.  Avoid wearing tinted goggles or sunglasses in late evening.  Auto-darkening lenses are available so you can wear the same goggles in bright sunlight, with darkened lenses, and after dark with clear lenses.  However, darkening lenses tend to darken fairly quickly (usually only a few seconds) but can take several minutes to return to clear.  Wearing them out on the trail they should adjust to diminishing light as you need it but they won't lighten up quickly if you enter a darkened space like a tunnel or under a bridge.

Goggles are prone to fog up during cool, damp weather.   There are anti-fog compounds you can apply to  reduce fogging.  The best one I have found is called Cat Crap.  Don't let the name turn you away.  It really does work!  Lacking an anti-fog compound you can sometimes get some relief using and old diver's trick:  clean the inside of your goggles with spit!  Sounds kind of disgusting, but it does help reduce fogging and unless you are seriously dehydrated you always have some available, even out on a remote trail.

Goggles and face shields are prone to get scratched.   You will want to do all you can to prevent that.  Helmets usually come with a nice storage bag that can protect the face shield when you aren't wearing your helmet.  Be sure to use it!  Goggles often have cloth storage pouches too.  If you lose yours or don't have one, use an old (clean) soft sock.  Both goggles and face shields can be cleaned with plastic polish to remove light scratches and restore clarity.  I use a 3-step product from Novus.  One bottle is for heavy scratches and contains fairly coarse granules.  The second step has finer granules, and the final step has really fine granules to polish the surface.  Goggles and face shields can also fog up on cold, humid days.  Anti-fog preparations can help reduce fogging.  The best one I've seen is called Cat Crap and it comes in both spray and cream forms.  Sometimes, in a pinch out on the trail, you might try the old diver's trick of spitting on the inside of your googles to help reduce fogging.  I have also seen Youtube videos suggesting using dish washing detergent on eye classes to prevent fogging and it might be worth trying.  Use a drop on each side of each lens and polish until dry.  Do not add any water.

If your OHV PPE budget is limited, focus first on a good helmet and goggle system.  Substituting ordinary work boots and gloves for riding boots and gloves increases your risk of injury in an accident and may not be comfortable,  But the risks of injury are no where near as much as not having proper, certified head and eye protection.

Heads up!