Scratch That Itch!

I have read many posts recently from motorcyclists who, due to injury, vacation, work, or other interruption, have to take time off of riding. They frequently lament the fact that riding is a crucial part of their lives -- one that is sorely missed when absent. I wholeheartedly agree! I find that if more than three days go by without riding, I start really missing it. I am a motorcycle addict.

But scratching the riding itch is not the intended subject of today's post. I refer instead to the most horrific condition known to the motorcyclist: the itchy nose. A herd of deer bounding into the road? Bah. Potholes the size of lunar craters? Who cares. The psych ward at Bellevue driving hummers and talking on three cellphones at once? A mere triviality. Going 65 MPH on the freeway and having an itch flare up on ones proboscis? Epic, monumental, tragedy.

I have tried all manner of solutions. The "jam fingers up the chin gap and waggle them around" technique is spotty at best, and impossible if you have a well-sealing helmet. The "throw open the visor, violently poke the itchy spot, and close the visor before angry bees or chunks of road hit you in the eye" approach often leads to temporary loss of eyesight -- and worse, the itch remains. "Letting go of the itch in a zen-like meditative state wherein you accept that suffering is a natural part of life" only seems to anger the itchy gods. And the whole idea of just "pulling over and properly dealing with the situation" is, of course, absurd.

So my helmet's off to those who wear the hard plastic yarmulke! They may be missing the front of their face when they have an unplanned dismount, but their nose will not itch.

Schuberth C3 Helmet

Forgive me, for I am about to gush...

I have owned an Arai Corsair RX-7 helmet for eight years. It has been a great helmet during that time -- perfect fit, excellent comfort, two visors (smoke and clear), and light weight. But as any helmet manufacturer will tell you, these things should be replaced every 5-7 years. Something about the protective foam breaking down over time, or profit margins or something. So in honor of my FJR, I decided it was time to replace the Arai.

I first looked at a new Arai. After getting over the shock of the increase in sticker to $800, I realized that it was not significantly different from my original. I also realized that I was very tired of changing shields over and over. It was a guarantee that whenever I wanted to ride, I had the wrong shield on. A flip-down sun visor would be awesome.

I was not looking for a modular (or flip-up) helmet at all. But it seems that with very few exceptions (like the HJC IS-16), getting the flip-down sun visor means getting a modular helmet. In reading all the reviews (special shout out goes to WebBikeWorld for their excellent helmet reviews), I realized that one helmet stood out above the rest: the Shuberth C3. The main downside: it isn't available in the United States.

I deliberated a ton on this one. Buying a helmet without being able to try it on is a Bad Idea. What if it doesn't fit? I don't want to have to return the thing across the pond. Argh. In the end, I decided to have my wife very carefully measure my skull and take my chances. A twice-checked measurement yielded a skullsize of 58.25cm. Schuberth's Large is for 58-59cm heads. I chose silver for high visibility and pressed the order button from Bikers Direct UK.

To my astonishment, the helmet -- ordered Thursday -- arrived on Monday! Score one for Biker's Direct. I pulled it carefully out of the cloth bag, and gingerly tried to put it on my head. And tried again. My eight-year-old helpfully suggests that maybe it would be a good helmet for her. Then I realized: it is a modular helmet. Lift the chin! And the helmet fit perfectly. Absolutely perfectly.

I had to ride in this morning on my naked 850. Slipping the C3 on, I sped off to work. My first impression was the panoramic view; it was like a theater buff experiencing IMAX for the first time. Huge visibility and crystal clear distortion-free visor. I flipped the switch on the left side to lower the sun visor, and did a virtual dance of happiness. Light and glare were instantly cut to manageable levels. All with the flick of a switch. The C3 also includes a Pinlock anti-fog insert. The entire ride I kept my face shield closed, and had zero fogging.

The second thing that I noticed as I eased up to 60MPH on the freeway was that I literally felt that I was already wearing earplugs. The helmet was so quiet it was actually eerie. I found myself in a state of calm as I negotiated the morning's traffic. I cannot overstate how quiet this helmet is.

So that's my tale. I hope it was helpful. And sure, the C3 is not endowed with the mystical DOT seal of approval, but I am willing to bet that the Europeans value their lives as much as us Americans.