Helmet help for an old guy with "issues"

[Rumpelhardt]

I have a helmet that I bought for drag racing. Its a little heavy but for 1/4 mile at a time it's fine, extended use is a problem though.
I have arthritis in the vertebra in my neck so weight is an issue I'm also very claustrophobic and can't do full face helmets. I've tried several times. Each time bordering on full fledge panic. So I need recommendations for a good, light weight open face helmet. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[drewpy]

can you wear a neck brace?

might save your life if you already have spine issues.

in the UK Davida are the market leader, I have a Box open face made by Oxford products, again UK based.

 

[lemonhead]

I just use a '70's open face mx helmet with an equally vintage face guard. That combo might be a little more appealing to you with the claustrophobia. You can just peel the face mask off if it becomes an inconvenience and wear plain mx goggles, but then you'll lose the tooth saver part of it.

Here's my setup:

I don't know if it would be any weight savings, but it might be a useful combo to consider.

 

[Rumpelhardt]

I've pretty much settled on a Shoei RJ Platinum-R Open Face Helmet. I just have to decide what color now.

 

[16VGTIDave]

I'm not going to harp on the open face helmet thing, other than to mention that the chin area is the most common impact area of a motorcycle helmet. 19.4%. If you're interested, search for "Icon Airframe crash statistics" for a visual example. Have you considered a flip face helmet? I know that the light ones are expensive. Schuberth comes to mind immediately.

With regard to color, white is highly visible and cool in the sunshine. Black is the exact opposite. Silver is ok, but can appear to be "pavement grey" under certain conditions which would make you less visible. Matte finishes don't stand out, are easily scuffed and scratched, difficult to keep clean and virtually impossible to recondition (polish out scuffs or scratches). Not offered in that Shoei helmet, Hi-Vis yellow (a favorite of mine) is extremely visible, as are reflective tapes and contrasting graphics. Also not offered, Safety Orange is less effective these days as it is everywhere and doesn't stand out anymore.

That helmet is SNELL M2015 certified, which is almost as good as being ECE certified, but that is a separate debate. DOT certification is irrelevant with regards to safety (some say the next lower standard would be no helmet at all).

Dave

 

[Rumpelhardt]

Well it's open face or no helmet at all which isn't an option for me. Gloss white is what I've decided on partially
because of your recommendation which makes a lot of sense.