There are different types of motorcycle helmets available in the market. And if you are in search of a new helmet then I know you must be wondering about a lot of questions, like:

• What style of motorcycle helmet should I get?
• Which kind of helmet is the safest one?
• Should I go for full face helmets or half face helmets?
• Which helmet type comes with the highest motorcycle helmet safety rating?

And the list goes on. But don’t worry, you have come to the right place. In this article, I will tell you about all the types and styles of helmets that are there in the market. Not only this, but I will also tell you about their pros and cons. So that you can make an informed decision and buy the right kind of motorcycle helmet for yourself.

So without any further ado, let’s get started!

Different Types Of Motorcycle Helmets

There are basically two types of motorcycle helmets, one that protects your full face and the other that protects half of your face. However, nowadays helmets are further subdivided into multiple types. And as a result, we have a total of 6 different types of motorcycle helmets available in the market. These 6 styles of motorcycle helmets are:

1. Full face helmets
2. Half face helmets
3. Open face helmets
4. Off-road helmets
5. Modular helmets
6. Dual sport helmets

Let us look at each style of motorcycle helmet one by one. Because the benefits of wearing a helmet while riding are different for different types.

Open Face Motorcycle Helmets

Open face motorcycle helmets as the name suggests keep your face open to dust and wind. It only covers the top of your head, and a little bit of your ears and neck.

These types of motorcycle helmets provide you with the least amount of safety. You must have seen some Royal Enfield or scooter users wearing these types of helmets.

However, they are very lightweight, and sometimes you will not even feel like you are wearing a helmet. These types of helmets are good for people that feel claustrophobic after wearing a helmet. Open face helmet gives you all the room and does not hamper your field of vision at all.

Another thing that I liked about these helmets is that they even let you eat or drink without taking the helmet off. You will really appreciate this benefit on hot summer days when you have to take multiple breaks to drink water or fluids during your ride. And you will also appreciate open-face helmets if you are a smoker and like to smoke while riding.

Having said that, in case of rain or snow, you will not at all like these helmets. Because of their open face nature, they don’t protect you from external environmental factors like dust, rain, debris, snow, wind, etc.

You also face the maximum wind blast in these types of helmets. As a result, you will not be able to cruise at higher speeds by wearing an open face motorcycle helmet.

Half Face Motorcycle Helmets

Half face motorcycle helmets are a little advanced version of open-face helmets. As their name suggests, they protect half of your face. You must have seen all the girl scooter riders wearing this style of motorcycle helmet.

Like the open face helmets, they protect the top of your head, your ears, and neck. However, you will find some half face style motorcycle helmets in the market that only protect the top of your head and leave your ears and neck open.

Unlike open face helmets, half face helmets have a visor in the front to protect your face from wind, rain, debris, etc. There are some half face helmets in the market that even come with big visors to protect your whole face.

Moreover, like open face helmets, half face motorcycle helmets do not have a chin bar, And they leave your chin and jaw exposed in case of an accident. Having said that, these types of motorcycle helmets offer slightly greater protection as compared to open face helmets. And you can maintain slightly higher cruising speed by wearing them.

They are also lightweight and offer great ventilation.

Full Face Motorcycle Helmet

As the name suggests, Full face motorcycle helmets protect your whole face. And they are the safest type of motorcycle helmet available in the market today.

Full face helmets are the popular choice among all Moto GP and professional riders around the world. Unlike open and half face helmets, full face helmets come with a chin bar to provide maximum safety possible. They protect your whole face, the top of your head, your ears, and even your neck.

The biggest benefit of full face helmets according to me is that you can maintain high speeds with them. And they also offer amazing noise insulation at high speeds.

These types of helmets come with a visor that protects your face and eyes from the external environment. Therefore it does not matter whether it is raining or snowing outside, you can enjoy your rides with these helmets.

However, since they snuggly fit around your head and face therefore some people might feel claustrophobic after wearing them. Also, on hot summer days, these helmets do not offer the best ventilation. As a result, wearing them for long hours can become really difficult.

Modular Motorcycle Helmets

Full and half face helmets have their own pros and cons. Some will like half face helmets while others will like full face helmets. However, if you want best of the both worlds then there is a type of motorcycle helmet for you. It is called a Modular motorcycle helmet.

Modular helmets are also called flip-up motorcycle helmets. I know you must be wondering why they are called flip-ups, right?

Well, a modular helmet comes with a chin bar like full-face helmets but this chin bar can be flipped up to convert it to a half face helmet. Pretty cool, right?

Whenever you want to do high speeds then you can use the modular helmet like a full face helmet. And whenever you want more ventilation then you can use it like a half-face helmet.

When it comes to safety, then modular helmets are safer than open and half face helmets. However, they are not as safer as full face helmets.

Also, the added mechanism to make them convertible makes them one of the heaviest helmets available in the market. Therefore wearing them for long hours will not be a pleasant experience.

Off-Road Motorcycle Helmets

As the name suggests, these types of motorcycle helmets are made to be used off-road. They can be largely categorized into full face helmets.

Doing off road in summer can be really challenging, especially in the deserts. You want maximum protection while going off the road but you also want good air ventilation so that you can wear the helmet for long hours. An off-road motorcycle helmet seems to offer this.

It comes with a chin bar like a full-face helmet to offer maximum protection. However, its chin bar is pointed a little outwards. This makes room between the rider’s chin and the helmet, which further results in greater air ventilation.

Off road helmets generally do not come with a visor to protect the eyes. But you will find many off-road helmets that come with an inbuilt visor these days.

Since they don’t fit as snuggly as full-face helmets therefore you cannot really maintain high speeds while wearing them.

Dual Sport Motorcycle Helmets

Dual sport motorcycle helmets as the name suggests are for people that like to race at high speeds and also want to enjoy off-road. These kinds of motorcycle helmets are a combination of full-face and off-road helmets.

They can be used while going off-road because they come with a little pointed chin bar, but not as pointed as an off-road helmet. And since they don’t have a pointy chin bar, therefore, they also provide stability at high speeds.

Dual sport helmets provide protection to your full face, head, ears, and neck. They also offer good ventilation as compared to a full-face helmet.

These styles of motorcycle helmets also come with a visor to provide eye protection from wind, rain, and dirt.

What Style Of Motorcycle Helmet Is Best?

Full face motorcycle helmets are the best because they offer the maximum safety and protection possible in case of an accident.

Well, we have looked at all the styles of motorcycle helmets that are available in the market today. But you might still be wondering about questions like:

• What type of motorcycle helmet should I get?
• Which type of helmet is the best?
• What type of helmet is the safest? And so on, right?

Let me help you out. If you want the safest kind of helmet then you should definitely go for a full-face motorcycle helmet without any doubt. They offer the maximum safety out of all styles of motorcycle helmets out there.

You can get good entry-level full-face helmets under 2000 in India. And if you can increase your budget by a little bit then you can get full face helmets under 5000 from reputable brands.

However, if you ride your bike at normal speed and ride it at high speeds occasionally then you should go for modular helmets. They offer the best of both half and full face helmets. In city traffics, you can use them as half face helmets, and while doing high speeds, you can use them as full face helmets.

If you mainly go off road with your motorcycle then you should definitely go for off-road helmets. And if you only like to do off road sometimes then you can go for a dual sport helmet as well.

Having said that, I will never recommend going for half or open face helmets. They might offer better comfort as compared to other helmets but they also offer the least amount of protection as well. And the main purpose of a helmet is to provide protection, not comfort.

FAQs

Which Helmet Is Better Open Face Or Full Face?

Full face helmets are any day better than half face helmets in terms of safety.

Which Is Better Full Face Helmet Or Modular Helmet?

Full face helmet provides greater safety as compared to modular helmet. They are also lightweight in comparison.

Which Type Of Helmet Is Safest?

Full face helmets are the safest type of motorcycle helmet.

What Kind Of Motorcycle Helmets Are There?

There are basically 6 kinds of motorcycle helmets. Open face, half face, full face, modular, off road, and dual sport helmets.

Which Type Of Motorcycle Helmet Is Best?

Full face helmet is the best out of all kinds of motorcycle helmets.