Quad helmet??

[bearheart]

Getting my first quad tomorrow:mrgreen: She who must be obeyed says I must wear a helmet? Any thing special to look out for, or will just any old motorcycle helmet do? Thanks!

[Cami]

I would wear one with an open face so i can still jump off and shoot and not have to take it of every time.

[SPEYMAN]

DOT approved

[r106]

Your first quad definitely were a helmet. I would get a motocross style helmet. Good for anything. Some say a open face style helmet lets them shoot with it on but I find it still gets in the way. It only takes a second to pop it off. I personally don't were a helmet 80% of the time while hunting. But I know the limitations of myself and machine. And have years of experience racing motocross. Also it's really easy to were it on the main roads and when your putting down a side road just pop it off and bungy it on a rack

[Sleep Robber]

I've worn both full faced and open faced helmets when on my quad and personally I would go with the full face one simply because of protection, too many times there have been branches and crap that have slapped the beejezus outta me and it smarts. i always think i can get outta the way in time or brush them away with my arm but it just doesn't work that way.

On the other hand I love my open face too because it's easier to get off in a hurry and to tell ya the truth i feel I can see more {if that makes sense}, and it's less restricting as well.

Don't go cheap, remember it's your head we're talking about, no matter how messed up it is already.:mrgreen: {jk}

[capper911]

A simple HJC Helmet, something dirt bike style. Mines saved my coconut a few times! it don't take much to flop your quad on it's side and bounce your noodle off the ground! I even wear mine when loading and unloading the quad outta my truck, shit happens!!
Happy riding!!

[North Star]

Buy a full face with a flip up face guard. Best of both worlds.

[bearheart]

I was thinking of going bu Trev Deeley's, the Harley Store when I get to vancouver tomorrow. I would think they would have helmets? Some place better?

[Ozone]

Try to stay away from the Hardley and BMW shops, unless you want to pay more for something. Full face motocross helmet gets my vote.

[squamishhunter]

Full face, DOT approved. You WILL crash, or flip. It's just a matter of time. Ride safe!

[North Star]

Burnaby Kawasaki, Carter Honda, Honda Center, North Shore Suzuki.

[psyclops]

we've found that snowboarding helmets work good, you can shoot with them on..

[oldnotdead]

As a paramedic I have transported post quad accidents. The head injuries from not wearing helmets have been from lacerations ,to eye injuries some with eyeball ruptures, to closed head injuries, to brain matter show. Some fatals from banks either sliding off or drowning when the quad has pinned them. Back in the day it used to be fractured bones in the limbs torn calf muscles from the three wheelers. The need for speed with the higher horspower contribute to the majority of hospital admissions. Of course alcohol induced errors have always been a cause of life limb injuries. I wear a helmet when going to and from my hunting spot. Sun glasses when there and qauding at a slow speed. In my opinion if you are thinking about a helmet buy dot. Common opinions I didn't think it would happen to me, what was I thinking, why did it happen to him he had a four wheeler for years. Mistakes and accidents occur all the time. If you can jump off your 4 wheeler at x amount of speed and not get hurt then a helmet not needed. If you cannot then.......... I cannot imagine drooling out my mouth peeing and shifting into bags in a bed or wheelchair. Food for thought. Be safe and take care.

[bearheart]

I'm never in a hurry anymore,so speed won't be an issue. Thanks for the input. I don't like to do business with orthopedic surgeons, been there, done that, hated it!

[SPEYMAN]

JFYI, 80% of ATV accidents happen when unloading or loading atv. Liability insurance is required to operate on a FSR,if you are not wearing a helmet your insurance is void.

[E.V.B.H.]

I'm pleasantly surprised at the pro helmet attitude. I always wear my motocross helmet, have to take it off to shoot but can use binos with it on. Wouldn't recommend ski helmets though, they don't have a rating system like dot so there is a wide variety of protection and no way to tell if they are good or not.

[Marc]

Your first few trips you'll be in aww. Not paying attention to excited about the bike. I was paying attention to a cliff on the right and almost drove into a 6 foot ditch on the left! I also got smoked in the head by a hanging tree from sun in my eyes. Probably would have poked an eye out without a helmet and goggles on.

I bought the full face helmet, not to concerned about jumping off the quad and trying to shoot something.

[Drillbit]

Been riding ATV's since 1984 with a ball-cap and sunglasses. No hurry, no worry.

If you want a helmet, good for you. I'd suggest a DOT beanie with a brim for the sun. The snowboarding ones with the brim look good too.

If you want to give'er, get a real helmet with full face coverage.

[Mephizto]

I would wear full face dot approved helmet. Also make sure its a snug fit so it doesn't move around on you

[Sofa King]

good on ya for thinking safety.
we had an encounter with a quad accident one year.
dad had camp set up at windy lake, he had been there for the week.
another hunter was camped there also, and they'd chat every morning and evening over the days.
the day I got out there, I was surprised to find dad still at camp, he was still sleeping.
turns out he got no sleep the night before.
the other fellow hadn't come back yet when he turned in for the night.
then he was awoken in the middle of the night by people knocking on the door and shouting.
two youngsters found a quad back on one of the roads, wiped out.
they looked around and found the guy laying a ways away, pretty messed up.
they don't know how long he had been there, but probably most the day.
they loaded him up, and he was coherent enough to tell them where he was camped and he was worried about where his dog was.
his dog rides with him on the back of the quad, he had a special setup for the dog, it was a larger sized dog.
the kids had already run him out to meet the ambulance, then came back to the camp and told dad what had happened.
he went and got the guys quad and brought it back to camp, and his family had come out and gotten his stuff and had left before I showed up.
we spent a lot of our trip looking for the dog everywhere, but never found him.
i'm thinking he might have been scared off when the kids showed up, but then followed their car when they loaded the guy up and drove him out.
judging by the guys tracks, he was going a bit too fast on the road and lost it on a bend in the road on the soft gravel.
he had hit his head on a rock and was pretty hurt.
I never did hear any more on the story, and never did see any sign of the dog, even though I kept looking every time I went out there.

[Singleshotneeded]

Get a full face helmet and goggles, I've got a clear pair of goggles for cloudy days and darkening ones for sunny days.
The helmet should be DOT and SNELL approved if possible, SNELL is a tougher standard.

[J_T]

i agree with Marc, Id separate hunting and riding the quad. safety first, dont worry about being able to shoot with it on.

[papahank]

Totally agree, separate the two, riding is riding and hunting is hunting! Get in safe and get out safe.

I have a full face helmet, DOT approved, with googles. Taking it off is pretty easy if you see something.

[Gun Dog]

I have an open face with a flip up visor. Pros - easy to flip up and down as needed, easy to wipe rain off, you can drink from a water bottle without taking it off. Cons - it'll fog up in certain conditions like cool weather. If you're out shopping take your sunglasses or glasses. They don't all fit under a helmet. Most friends don't use goggles; just riding glasses. You want a clear pair for night and a tinted pair for sunny weather. Some safety glasses work to keep the rain and wind off. Cheap and effective.

[Singleshotneeded]

I have an open face with a flip up visor. Pros - easy to flip up and down as needed, easy to wipe rain off, you can drink from a water bottle without taking it off. Cons - it'll fog up in certain conditions like cool weather. If you're out shopping take your sunglasses or glasses. They don't all fit under a helmet. Most friends don't use goggles; just riding glasses. You want a clear pair for night and a tinted pair for sunny weather. Some safety glasses work to keep the rain and wind off. Cheap and effective.The advantage to goggles over glasses is they can absorb an impact from a branch, for instance, that would slam glasses into your eye sockets. They also stay in place better if you run into some brush because they're strapped in. The advantage to a motocross helmet is the lower part protects the lower part of your face if you get into an accident...I've heard of incidents where jaws were broken, teeth knocked out, and reconstructive surgery was needed...the dirt bike or quadders were wearing open face helmets. I've quadded slowly into a known area while hunting, and just worn my leather mad trapper hat and polycarbonate shooting glasses, but that's only in places I know and slow riding...and only so I can get my rifle into action fast if I needed to. A motocross helmet and goggles are the safest way to go for normal riding, with photochromic lenses that adjust for sun and then going into darker trails on sunny days, and clear lenses for cloudy days or night rides. :-) If you can get a helmet that's both DOT and SNELL approved, you'll definitely have a good quality helmet. Snell is a tougher standard, but it doesn't mean a Snell approved helmet is going to cost you double or anything.

[Sofa King]

Been riding ATV's since 1984 with a ball-cap and sunglasses. No hurry, no worry.

If you want a helmet, good for you. I'd suggest a DOT beanie with a brim for the sun. The snowboarding ones with the brim look good too.

If you want to give'er, get a real helmet with full face coverage.
i'm like you.
I ride my quad like I 4x4, just putting slowly through the trails.
personally I have never worn a helmet and probably won't start now.

[Ozone]

That explains a few things

[SPEYMAN]

You cannot have a loaded firearm on an ATV.The time it takes to remove your helmet is less than it takes to load your firearm.Still cannot figure out this objection to wearing a helmet on an ATV..Hunters on motorcycles,snowmachines are required to wear helmets on FSRs.

[Sofa King]

That explains a few things
and whats that? that some of you can do nothing but insult? i said i dont wear a helmet, i drive accordingly. if i rode aggresively, id wear one. got any more shit comments to add?

[Sofa King]

You cannot have a loaded firearm on an ATV.The time it takes to remove your helmet is less than it takes to load your firearm.Still cannot figure out this objection to wearing a helmet on an ATV..Hunters on motorcycles,snowmachines are required to wear helmets on FSRs.
on fsrs maybe, but not on the trails. people are required by law to wear a helmet when riding their bicycle to, and barely a fraction do. and that law is bogus anyway, whos enforcing it?

[Walksalot]

i'm like you.
I ride my quad like I 4x4, just putting slowly through the trails.
personally I have never worn a helmet and probably won't start now.

Having tipped the age meter at over sixty my days of driving like a raped ape are long over. Having said that it was a innocent ride puttering down a skid trail,attention focused on what turned out to be a stump and having my front tire catch a rock which flipped my quad. Had I not been wearing a helmet it would have been a mess.

[allan]

My brother and I were only riding down the driveway, a puttering ride turned into A quick race...
he spent two weeks in hospital with an added airlift ride to a bigger hospital because they thought he had head injuries. Turns out we were lucky and it was only a 6 hour surgery with a follow up skin graft to fix his badly broken leg. ( that was 15 Years ago and he still limps after a high impact run, activity. Better a bit now that they did a second surgery to remove the plate in his shin!)
Wear a helmet all the time!!!! You never know when your gonna wreck.
Full face is better. In the winter when it's cold a skidoo helmet is nice to keep your face warm.