Open Face Motorcycle Helmets

If riding your motorcycle isn’t complete without feeling the wind in your face (and tasting the occasional bug), we’ve got your open face helmet. An open face helmet covers the top, back and sides of your head but leaves your face exposed. This coverage is halfway between what a half helmet and a full face helmet provides, which is why an open face is sometimes called a ¾ helmet. Obviously, without a chin bar an open face won’t provide the level of protection you get with a full face helmet, but for a lot of riders the many advantages of an open face make the risk worth it.

First, there’s that classic open face style that’s just right for so many rides, whether it’s paired with some shades aboard a chromed-out cruiser or combined with goggles and a bandanna carving corners on a café bike. With an open face you’re part of the environment, the riding experience, not isolated in a claustrophobic dome. When compared to a full face helmet, with an open face you can enjoy lighter weight; see better and hear what’s going on around you; be cooler on a hot day; easily make yourself understood and hear what others are saying in a conversation; and be able to grab a drink and a snack or have a smoke without having to take your helmet off.

An open face is the most traditional type of helmet, and while we can supply you with your choice of retro models that are the essence of this iconic design, look over our selection and you’ll quickly see that we can also offer you much more. As it was long considered a “basic” helmet, at one time open face helmets weren’t offered with the number and type of features found on full face helmets, but that’s all changed. With the availability of removable peaks, pivoting face shields, ventilation, drop down visors, goggle and mask combos, Bluetooth communications compatibility, and more, there may be more variety among open face helmets than any other type. In our open face helmet collection, we’ve got many innovative shell shapes to choose from, and they come in a rainbow of gloss and matte solid colors, camo, distinctive multi-color and stripe patterns, and unique graphic displays. All are DOT (Department of Transportation) certified and completely legal for use on U.S. highways, and some have ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) certification and/or Snell Memorial Foundation approval.

An open face helmet is constructed with a thermoplastic, fiberglass, or composite shell designed to spread an impact over a broad area, an energy absorbing EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) foam liner, and interior padding. Most less expensive helmets are made of thermoplastics like ABS or polycarbonate. These helmets are strong and perfectly safe, but with this construction they must be made heavier with thicker EPS to achieve the proper level of safety. Fiberglass and fiberglass composite are stronger and very good at distributing force upon impact and therefore fiberglass helmets can be made lighter. Top of the line Kevlar and carbon fiber composite helmets are extremely strong and can be made even lighter in weight, but they’re generally the most expensive. Helmets constructed with any of these materials will provide protection in the unfortunate event of a crash, but a lighter helmet will put much less strain on your neck and be more comfortable to wear than a heavier one, especially on long rides.

A customary addition to an open face helmet is a peak, or visor, to keep the sun out of your eyes. We have classic open face helmets with traditionally-styled snap-on peaks and modern helmets with more elaborate peaks that are also removable. Some basic helmets come equipped with snaps so you can add a peak later on. Face shields that are hinged and pivot at the sides used to be exclusive to full face helmets, but you’ll find these useful scratch and UV resistant barriers on many of our open face helmets. Accessory shields are available for most open face helmets in tints to suit riding conditions, including dark shields that protect your eyes from glare in bright sun and amber that will enhance contrast and definition on overcast days, and these come in pivoting versions as well as snap-on, flip-up visor shields. However, you’ll find that a number of our open face helmets feature a convenient lever-operated internal sun visor that can be dropped down to cover your eyes when needed, eliminating the need to carry another face shield.

Here on our digital shelves you’ll also find select open face helmets that allow you to cover the helmet opening in ways other than with just a face shield. We offer open face helmets that come with goggles and a mask that together provide eye and face protection and a distinctive style alternative at the same time. These helmets give you the option of configuring the helmet in several ways – as an open face, with just the goggles or the mask, or with both goggles and mask. Another brand’s open face variation is a unique take on the modular helmet concept, an open face helmet with a removable peak, face shield, and chin bar that provides 6 possible configurations.

The open face design is naturally cooler in hot weather than a full face helmet, but although you can feel fresh cooling air on your face the rest of your head can still get uncomfortably warm in a basic open face lid. That’s why we also offer open face helmets with built-in intake and exhaust vents to provide cooling flow-through ventilation. These vents can usually be opened and closed for temperature control. The helmet’s comfort liner, the padded layer that contacts your head, is made of open cell foam covered with fabric. Some helmet liner fabrics are moisture wicking to increase your comfort level and some liners are antimicrobial to keep odors at bay. However, any fabric that’s continually exposed to perspiration and the oils from your hair and skin is going to get funky after a while, and a helmet with a removable, washable liner makes getting rid of dirt and odors easy.

Talk with other riders in your group and your passenger instead of using hand signals, make calls, rock out with your favorite tunes, and get directions; Bluetooth communicators make it happen and a number of our open face helmets make it easy for you to get connected. Several of our brands have worked with well-known communications systems providers and configured their helmets to make installation of their systems simple and straightforward. There are provisions for the installation of the speakers and microphone, and even a recess for the controller. Other brands have taken a more universal approach and provided features like integrated speaker and microphone pockets so you can install your choice of communications device.