What to wear under a motorcycle helmet?

what to wear under a motorcycle helmet

A helmet reduces the risk of serious injuries to your head, neck, nose, eyes, teeth, and other parts of your face. The likelihood of a fatal accident rises by 30% when you ride a motorcycle instead of a car, but the probability of a fatal injury rises by more than 60% if you don’t wear a helmet. Therefore, knowing these facts will make you think twice before riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

Most of the world’s countries have made it a legal requirement to wear a helmet while riding, so most riders wear them. But still, most of the riders do not wear anything under their helmet. They tend to ignore these necessary things either by choice or they do not know about these garments.

In this article, we will discuss a few garments that you can wear under your helmet when going out for a long trip or journey with your friends. So next time you plan to go out, try these garments.

Balaclava

Balaclava is also called bally in the UK, balaclava in other parts of the world, and alongside balaclava, it is also called ski mask in the US. It is a fitted garment that covers the entire head, the neck, and other parts of the face. The parts of the face that are covered by balaclava are the nose, mouth, and eyes.

Following are some of the advantages of balaclava

Protection from Weather

The foremost advantage of wearing a balaclava under your helmet is that it protects you from high UV lights, and cold weather like snow, dirt, and harsh winds. It helps in maintaining the temperature inside your helmet. When the temperature is high it helps in reducing it and vice versa. Similarly, it reduces the risk of UV lights that are directly coming from the sun.

Dirt and dust

It also helps in protecting the mouth and nose from dirt and dust that are hitting your mouth and nose while you ride.

Hair

Almost all the girls and some boys have long hair and it keeps irritating them while they ride. Sometimes can even be thrust into your eyes and may cause some accidents. So by wearing a balaclava, the hair is kept where it should be. It would not bother you again.

Washable

Many of the helmet pads are filthy due to the sweat and the dust. They cannot be washed or replaced. But you can wash your balaclava anytime thus you would not need to replace your helmet. You would just need to wash the balaclava and place it again under the helmet.

Types of balaclava

There are different types of balaclava specially designed with different features and for different functions.

Hard front balaclava

These are specially designed for those people who are irritated by the fabric of balaclava coming to their mouths. They are made of solid material which is fitted for your mouth and nose. You would not feel suffocating in it because there is a special system in it that does not let the breath become moisture or foggy in your helmet.

Convertible balaclava

As the name suggests, these balaclavas function as versatile balaclavas. They can be converted into a half-face balaclava or they can be converted into a neck warmer or can be used as a hoodie as well.

Neck warmer

If you do not like your mouth and nose to be covered then you should try the neck warmer balaclava. These are particularly designed only to keep your neck warm. But it becomes very difficult in the cold breezing to maintain it on your neck because the air may take it with itself.

Hoodless balaclavas

In such types of balaclavas, the whole head is not covered. Only the area under your ears i.e. mouth and nose are covered. The balaclava is placed around your ears.

Conclusion

As we know that helmets are essential for motorcyclists because they reduce the risk of injury, similarly, balaclavas also serve this purpose. Balaclavas have a number of advantages. In addition to protecting you from ultraviolet rays, it also protects you from dust and dirt. It also helps in regulating the temperature under your helmet and from the irritation of hair caused during the riding.

So next time you do wear a balaclava under the helmet. it will help you with a lot of things.

Joost Smith

A Perpetual motorcycle rider with the sound experience & knowledge to analyze and write about motorcycle helmets. You would get to read the most practical reviews, honest opinions, and best possible recommendations through my review articles.