Harley Davidson Motorcycle Helmet

Many motorcycle manufacturers have introduced their own ranges of clothing etc. in recent years, and perhaps at the forefront of this phenomenon is Harley Davidson, with a vast range of apparel including Harley Davidson motorcycle helmets.

Crash helmets were hardly ever worn on public roads until the 1960's, and are now compulsory by law in most Western countries as the amount of road traffic, not to mention the power of the modern motorcycle, has grown sharply.

Harley Davidson motorcycle helmets come in almost any style to fit any image you want to create.

Perhaps the oldest type of design is what was once called the "pudding basin" helmet. These are what are now referred to as "half helmets" Years ago these were often covered in leather, with leather straps that covered the ears to keep them warm and offer some sort of protection.

Harley Davidson motorcycle helmets include the "Hybrid Ultra Light Classic" for men, and the "Miss Enthusiast" for women, half helmets. Available in gloss black, these helmets feature removable liners for washing purposes and D rings for fastening them securely. The men's helmet is constructed of a combination of fibreglass and Aramid, giving it a 17% weight advantage over pure fibreglass. Tinted visors and "shortie" visors are available for these models.

Next up comes the "open face" helmet. These are also often referred to as the ¾ helmet as they are the same as full face helmets but without the chin guard.

Harley offer a men's ¾ helmet, the outer shell constructed of polycarbonate and with what they call the "Advanced Channelling System" for airflow over one's head inside the helmet. This Harley Davidson motorcycle helmet also features a retractable sunshield that is operated simply by one touch.

Women are also catered for with a ¾ helmet called the "Bling Skyline", which has the same features as the male counterpart, but also has a pony tail notch at the back of the helmet to facilitate a pony tail and leave more room in the helmet.

Both these helmets have "Silvercool", which is an anti microbial treated liner to help absorb moisture and remove odours, and is removable and washable.

Finally, perhaps the most common type of helmet generally, but maybe not amongst Harley riders, are full face helmets.

Full face Harley Davidson motorcycle helmets offer the most protection in that like all full face helmets they incorporate a chin guard.

Harley Davidson has a number of different models, including, for men, the Modular helmet with retractable sun shield. Constructed of Polycarbonate, and using Harley Davidson's Advanced Channelling Ventilation system, this helmet has removable liner and a one touch retractable sun shield, the visor is 95% UV resistant and has an anti fog and anti scratch coating.

Women are also catered for with the Harley Davidson motorcycle helmet which includes the women's Skyline helmet, which is made of fibreglass, and incorporates all the features from the Bling helmet, above.

Whatever helmet you buy, it should always be treated with care, and replaced after every few years. It should also be replaced if it suffers a heavy knock as this weakens the structure, even though it may not look as if it is damaged. Remember, this item protects your head and should be looked upon as a vital piece of protection rather than something the government tells you to wear!

Also check that any helmet complies with minimum safety standards in the country in which you live.

In the US the standards are DOT and Snell, in the UK they are BS and ACU, and in Europe they are ECE, and any helmet should carry these markings.

Always be certain that any helmet fits properly. Make sure you get help from a member of staff where you buy it from, as in ill fitting helmet will offer far less protection than one that fits correctly.

Finally, never buy a second hand helmet no matter how good it looks. Damage is not always visible, and you do not know its history.