Modular or "Flip-up"helmets
Modular or "Flip-up"helmets
A hybrid between full face and open face helmets for street use is the modular or "flip-up" helmet, also sometimes termed "convertible" or "flip-face". When fully assembled and closed, they resemble full face helmets by bearing a chin bar for absorbing face impacts. Its chin bar may be pivoted upwards (or, in some cases, may be removed) by a special lever to allow access to most of the face, as in an open face helmet. The rider may thus eat, drink or have a conversation without unfastening the chinstrap and removing the helmet, making them popular among motor officers.
Many modular helmets are designed to be worn only in the closed
position for riding, as the movable chin bar is designed as a
convenience feature, useful while not actively riding. The curved shape
of an open chin bar and face shield section can cause increased wind
drag during riding, as air will not flow around an open modular helmet
in the same way as a three-quarters helmet. Since the chin bar section
also protrudes further from the forehead than a three-quarters visor,
riding with the helmet in the open position may pose increased risk of
neck injury in a crash. Some modular helmets are dual certified as full
face and open face helmet. The chin bar of those helmets offer real
protection and they can be used in the "open" position while riding. An
example of such an helmet would be the Shark Evoline.
As of 2008, there have not been wide scientific studies of modular
helmets to assess how protective the pivoting or removable chin bars
are. Observation and unofficial testing suggest that significantly
greater protection exists beyond that for an open face helmet, and may
be enough to pass full-face helmet standardized tests, but the extent of protection is not fully established by all standards bodies.
The DOT
standard does not require chin bar testing. The Snell Memorial
Foundation recently certified a flip-up helmet for the first time. ECE 22.05 allows certification of modular helmets with or without chin bar tests, distinguished by -P (protective lower face cover) and -NP (non-protective) suffixes to the certification number, and additional warning text for non-certified chin bars.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar