Helmet / Bug horror stories

[oneyunguy]

I thought it would be neat to start a thread to hear the stories of folks and the bugs and crap they encounter with their helmets.

I will start. First off, I find it real hard on a full face to keep the visor down, just isn't me. Rather have the shades on and feel the wind. So this particular day I was riding my 89 Yammy Virago 920 down the highway doing about 140kms and a wasp came flying right into my helmet on the left side. BUGGER!!!!! Amazingly I never got stung once, never mind a few times, before I could slow down safely and pull over and let the f*&^r out!

[patrick_777]

Ever think about buying a new helmet? Your visor should stay down no matter the speed.

[dannylightning]

Ever think about buying a new helmet? Your visor should stay down no matter the speed.

i think he means he does not like the visor to be down.. a full face helmet with the visor down is kind of hot in the summer. i only like a full face helmet when it is cold. even a half helmet with a face shield snapped on it feels a bit hot and steamy in the summer


you are lucky you did not get stung. it's bad enough getting hit in the face by a big bug.

[GZ250]

i always use visor even when i wear eye glasses, its comfortable and lots of bugs hit my visor and disintegrate making a splash and at dusk very tiny bugs are all over the visor. so imagine if i have no visor they are all over my face and i don't like exotic meat.

note: in summer (when day light is longer) i use dark visor and in winter (4pm sun down) i use the clear visor. never use dark in dark as it is not safe.

[alanmcorcoran]

About two to three weeks into riding the GZ, a hummingbird bounced off the side of my (full face.) Startled the crap out of me, but I managed to stay upright.

There's far too much crap bouncing off the back of trucks, flying up from tires and simply "blowing in the wind" out here, for me to ride at speed without face protection. I've also had numerous large insects of various kinds hit me in the neck. So far I have avoided any stings/bites/whatever, but it's probably just a matter of time til one of those winged bastards takes me down.

There has been considerably fewer collisions with my face shield since I got windshields.

[oneyunguy]

I dunno, personal preference. I feel that I cant hear or see just the way I can with the visor down. I also own a half-helmet and love it. As for the quick, painless (but sometimes quite the shock) hits of bumblebees (which btw in Canada can be huge) and the sorts, at least my eyes are protected. I can deal with a gash or scratch on my cheeks. Ive been "hit" more times than I can count on two hands...and counting, lol

I have also been in a cage, window rolled down halfway, rock comes up from semi, makes its way into rain visor, and WHAM!!, against the side of my face. Honestly, that could have been worse than any hit I received in the facial area on two wheels than four. I was waaay too surprised that a rock made its way into the car sideways and hit my cheek. Maybe I just expect it on two wheels and not four... who knows.

Windshields can create a nice "bubble" around you for most stuff thats flying around, but not all, especially birds that fly sideways!

oh ya...wasps can sting more than just once. I had one sting me in the head possibly a couple times as it got stuck in my hoody in a wooden area when I was younger, and within minutes I was suffering from the most terrible headache I can imagine. That SUCKED!

[music man]

I had one sting me in the head possibly a couple times as it got stuck in my hoody in a wooden area when I was younger, and within minutes I was suffering from the most terrible headache I can imagine. That SUCKED!


Try having a hornet sting you on your head about 10 minutes after you shave it :curse: :curse:, the back of my head looked like I had a golf ball under my skin.

[adrianinflorida]

Ahhh, just read a story in the local paper yesterday, it's that infamous time of year in Florida again......LOVEBUG Season!!!!!!
Nasty little bastards will eat right into the clearcoat on a paint job, if you let them sit for a day or two.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebug

[Easy Rider]

Nasty little bastards will eat right into the clearcoat on a paint job, if you let them sit for a day or two.

And they will plug up your radiator in a heart beat too.

[Sarris]

They stink really bad too when they're on your face shield. I wear my 3/4 helmet and wash the bike after every ride in lovebug season. Sometimes a quickie wash at rest stops too. I really love my HD fairing in LB season.

I once took a 2 lb. bumble bee (yellow w/ black stripes) in the left armpit at 65 mph on the chopper. Bastard got me twice before I could get him. My pals laughed thier asses off watching me try and haul the bike down, get off, and get my shirt (and bee) off. They gave me a 9.2 out of 10.0 for form.

If you ever get one in the shirt, DON'T SWAT. You'll get stung for sure. Grab it & crush it inside your shirt (try not to vomit). It's better than getting stung.

:)

[adrianinflorida]

They stink really bad too when they're on your face shield. I wear my 3/4 helmet and wash the bike after every ride in lovebug season. Sometimes a quickie wash at rest stops too. I really love my HD fairing in LB season.

I once took a 2 lb. bumble bee (yellow w/ black stripes) in the left armpit at 65 mph on the chopper. Bastard got me twice before I could get him. My pals laughed thier asses off watching me try and haul the bike down, get off, and get my shirt (and bee) off. They gave me a 9.2 out of 10.0 for form.

If you ever get one in the shirt, DON'T SWAT. You'll get stung for sure. Grab it & crush it inside your shirt (try not to vomit). It's better than getting stung.

:)Hell the impact of that bastard had to almost knock you off the back of the bike. :)

[oneyunguy]

Bumblebees...ahhh. Ive hit hundreds of them and we got BIGGUNs up here in the north. Ive seen many 2lb'ers in my lifetime!\
Our wasps can get that damn big too. Never been stung by a bumble, but i have by wasps and a honeybee once. I dont fear the sting as our neighbour owned hives and I used to pick them up from the plants in the yard and actually pet them if u can believe it, when I was young.

Anyone else with stories of riding and bugs?

[dannylightning]

Bumblebees...ahhh. Ive hit hundreds of them and we got BIGGUNs up here in the north. Ive seen many 2lb'ers in my lifetime!\
Our wasps can get that damn big too. Never been stung by a bumble, but i have by wasps and a honeybee once. I dont fear the sting as our neighbour owned hives and I used to pick them up from the plants in the yard and actually pet them if u can believe it, when I was young.

Anyone else with stories of riding and bugs?

so you are saying bumble bees are friendly and make good pets O_o

the other night termites were swarming all over the place (thats what my uncle said they were).. i was hit in the face by hundreds of them, i started to get kind of pissed as i was riding down he road it just did not stop one after a nother.

[Water Warrior 2]

Sounds like a mighty good reason for a full face helmet.

[dannylightning]

Sounds like a mighty good reason for a full face helmet.

well that is a rare occurrence, i was told they do that once a year to start a new colony.. people came and sprayed for termites about 2 days before that happend, guess that was a good thing.