supermoto helmet or dirt bike helmet w/ goggles? (on road)

Is there any kind of rule of thumb for using a supermoto helmet or dirt bike helmet w/ goggles for riding on the road/highway? aussuming about 60/40 city highway?

The Arai XD3 is made for both worlds. You can use it with goggles, too. I don't think there is any rule of thumb.

A duel sport helment with give you more wind buffeting, helmet lift and wind pressure at anything over 55 MPH, even with the peak taken off.

I use an MX lid with goggles, haven't had any issues. Even in cold weather.

my main concern is fogging up

it's all personal preference, I own both styles and I've never had an issue with fogging up other than having to leave the street style visor opened a crack sometimes at lower speeds.

if it's too cold or raining I use a full face, if not it's the dirt helmet

SheWolf wrote:

I use an MX lid with goggles, haven't had any issues. Even in cold weather.

But what about when it snows on your nose?!?!?! It was doing that this afternoon at higher elevations above Moab, UT.

Someday, I'll spring for a Shoei Hornet DS. It fits my ginormous, egg shaped noggin very well.

In the meantime, I wear dirt helmet & goggles riding trails, but I can't say I'm particularly fond of the setup. Street riding I wear my street helmet.

I have a balaclava I wear when it gets like that. It can hit me all it wants and I'm fine. No foggies either, which is cool. Mind you, vented goggles work wonders.

click me

Just keep trying on helmets until you find one that's snug and comfortable. Try to worry less about the style. Eventually, you will own several.

On the weekday commute, I wear my HJC IS-16 because it's white (and just as comfortable as my black Shoei TR-Z). I also wear a fluorescent green Olympia AST jacket because I'm all about conspicuity on the mean streets.

The gear is the same whether I'm riding my V-Strom or the WRR.

On the weekends, riding the WRR, it's a completely different set of gear, including the MX style helmet with goggles. The MX helmet vents a lot more and thus is noisier (yes I always wear earplugs). The visor catching the wind thing don't bother me none. It's kind of like sticking your hand out the car window, fun for a while, then you just till your head down and stop playing with it.

As for fogging - I wear glasses, so they're my first line of foggyness.

ATGATT

I was using an HJC CLX6 with goggles for a short bit, but the wind buffeting was crazy at high speed. I just got a Shoei DS Hornet and am very happy so far.

There's several threads on this. I still maintain ANY visor will catch wind and usually much more than the manufacturer claims and people admit. I figure the wind tugging at the visor at street speeds doesn't bother some guys.

Not me. MX/Goggles when mostly dirt. Street Helmet/Face shield if mostly street.

gatorfan wrote:

There's several threads on this. I still maintain ANY visor will catch wind and usually much more than the manufacturer claims and people admit. I figure the wind tugging at the visor at street speeds doesn't bother some guys.

Not me. MX/Goggles when mostly dirt. Street Helmet/Face shield if mostly street.

+1 My Hornet is a PITA with the visor on at anything over 55mph. It helps if I contemplate my crouch. With the visor off and the shield up it whistles at anything over 30mph.

Just talked to somone who made a really good point:

If you crash on the highway with a dirt bike helmet would it hold up? (say an HJC)
And are dirt helmets even street legal? Like would an insurance company use it to get out of a claim?

A street and a dirt helmet is the best option IMO, the dual sport helmets are always to heavy

Quote bren5279: Just talked to somone who made a really good point:

If you crash on the highway with a dirt bike helmet would it hold up? (say an HJC)
And are dirt helmets even street legal? Like would an insurance company use it to get out of a claim?


Here in Europe, if you ride on street, your lid MUST have an E symbol, followed by some numbers including '05'. Pretty much all lids available locally online or in-store, are road legal - I have yet to see one that isn't.... So, MX lids with E marking are legal on street, BUT goggles must also have an E symbol, indicating they are shatter proof as per EU directives. In addition, many lids have an 'ACU Gold' standard marking, meaning they are recognised (at least in the UK), as good for track use. Finally, there is the UK government 'Sharp' scheme, which gives lids a star rating from 1 to 5, which is based on object penetration etc. I can only assume North America has similar lid rules......

combo wrote:

A street and a dirt helmet is the best option IMO, the dual sport helmets are always to heavy

Combo, you really need to get your facts straight before you them on the forum. A Shoei Hornet ,xl, weighs 1542 gr, which is lighter then most street helmets.

mordicai wrote:

combo wrote:

A street and a dirt helmet is the best option IMO, the dual sport helmets are always to heavy

Combo, you really need to get your facts straight before you them on the forum. A Shoei Hornet ,xl, weighs 1542 gr, which is lighter then most street helmets.

Fine. I have the Shoei Hornet but it is only a "dual sport" helmet in a limited sense. Goggles will sit nicely with the face shield up but at speeds over 30 mph - and the face shield up - there is crazy, crazy, mind bending noise.

The visor, like all visors catch wind at high road speeds - period.

So I took my visor off and carry tinted goggles for DS runs. Pop the goggles on in the woods and pull them off and drop the shield for the road. You can, if you don't want to stop, drop the face shield over the goggles.

+1 The Hornet is a big PITA ! Whistles like mad over 30 mph with the shield up and the visor off, and acts like a airplane wing with the visor on over 55-60 mph. The problem for me is if it's not real cold or rainy I like to ride the road with the shield up. Goggles only would work, but then why spend all that money for the darn thing?

I was looking more into the fulmer ds one. But Id rather have a normal MX helmet if theyre legal

Dual sport helmets suck anywhere but the street. Even there they are extremely loud. I'll take my cheap Fox V2 (DOT, Snell, ECE) with tinted goggles for street and dirt duty all day long.

I've been using my Ski-doo modular sled helmet. In the cold, sometimes wet weather, it's been working great.

When I said I was very happy with the Hornet, I meant relatively speaking compared to the MX helmet. Still get wind buffeting at speed but not so much I can't handle it. If anything, I get a good neck and shoulder workout on the freeway lol

mordicai wrote:

combo wrote:

A street and a dirt helmet is the best option IMO, the dual sport helmets are always to heavy

Combo, you really need to get your facts straight before you them on the forum. A Shoei Hornet ,xl, weighs 1542 gr, which is lighter then most street helmets.

You're a laugh mordicai, you preach facts but cherry pick the lightest dual sport helmet then compare it to the "average" street helmet

now lets make a fair comparison:
one of the lighter full face helmets I know of is the Nexx xR1R L is 1219gr and its common to find MX helmets around that weight for a reasonable price, and off road is when you need the light weight,
I can buy 3 1/2 M2R MX 1250gr helmets for the price of a Hornet and yes 1542gr is to heavy

the human neck is only designed to carry the weight of the head and I ain't going to put any more weight than needed off road riding