As riders, we’re well aware of how expensive our safety gear can be, especially our helmets. So, it’s no surprise that some of us, the new riders, in particular, are hesitant to simply leave our helmets on our bikes when we park somewhere.
It’s perfectly reasonable, I’m still hesitant to just leave my gear just standing around in an unfamiliar environment, so don’t feel bad.
Below, I cover some crucial tips on how to safely carry your helmet, and keep it secure, wherever you go.
What this article covers:
- Where to Put Your Motorcycle Helmet
- Is it Safe to Leave Your Helmet Unlocked?
- Your Helmet as Carry-on Luggage
- Riding off Into the Sunset
Where to Put Your Motorcycle Helmet
In some cases, you can leave your helmet with your bike when you’ll only be gone for a minute or so, and it’s fine when you have a lock for your helmet. This doesn’t always guarantee your helmet’s safety but in most scenarios, it’s going to be fine.
To add to that little voice in our heads, there’s also the possibility for insects to crawl in and get cozy in your helmet when you’ve parked outside. I’ll confess, my voice did reach a new pitch when a spider crawled onto my visor once.
Oh, and the weather, of course — nothing like a bit of rain to get the inner lining of your helmet nice and moist, right? Most of us are mindful enough of our environment to just use common sense. The clouds don’t look too friendly at the moment, I’ll just carry my helmet with me.
Where to Place Your Helmet on Your Bike
Leaving your helmet on your bike then? All right. A great way to leave your helmet with your bike is to put it over your mirror. It’s easy enough, just open your visor and thread the mirror through your helmet.
For a riding partner, you ought to have a spare helmet. There are a few ways to carry a spare helmet on a motorcycle. What most people do is use a helmet lock to secure the spare helmet to the chassis of the bike above the license plate.
I don’t recommend putting your helmet on your mirror because it could damage your helmet’s interior. By threading the mirror through the visor, you can avoid any damage and your helmet will be safe.
This method also prevents your helmet from being knocked over by the wind, or someone who accidentally bumps into it.
Grocery Shopping
Let’s say you’re going to the shops for a quick snack and you don’t know what to do with your helmet. Your helmet can also double as a small basket to carry things like fruits, vegetables, and a few snacks.
It’s an underrated function of our helmets, really, and I’ve always found open-face helmets to work great for this kind of application. Once you’re done with the shopping you can transfer your items to your bike storage compartments or backpack.
Is it Safe to Leave Your Helmet Unlocked?
In short, it’s never really safe to simply leave your helmet unlocked and unattended on your bike. It’s the sad reality we’re faced with, unfortunately.
The safest place your helmet can be is with you, most of the time. The times when you can leave your helmet unlocked are when you’re with another rider or in a group.
Riders look out for each other and their equipment. Travelling in a group tends to discourage someone from stealing your helmet.
Another way of keeping your helmet safe is to always have it and your bike within your line of sight. If the shop or cafe where you’re stopped has a bunch of windows, be sure to make use of them to keep an eye on your bike and helmet.
You could always play it safe, too. When you have to run into the shop for something small and you want to leave your helmet behind, be sure to spend no more than 10 minutes away from your bike.
Using a Lock for Your Motorcycle Helmet
It’s better to be safe than sorry, right? As they say, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Personally, I’d rather have a helmet lock than none.
It’s the best kind of safety feature for your helmet. Having it secured to your bike also means avoiding the possibility that you could put your helmet down and forget it in the shop and before you know it, someone already ran off with it.
The usual way to use a motorcycle helmet lock is to have it secured to the motorcycle, allowing you some freedom to walk around without having to worry about carrying the helmet the entire time.
A standard cable lock with keys should do the trick most of the time, plus you can add the lock key to your motorcycle keys.
As with all things regarding safety, try not to be cheap about a helmet lock. A proper cable lock isn’t a budget-buster and it’s guaranteed to provide a lot of safety and convenience for you.
Trust me, with loads of helmets going for $300 or just above that, I wouldn’t use a cheap helmet lock. Instead, I’d put down the cash to own one of the best motorcycle helmet locks.
Your Helmet as Carry-On Luggage
When you’ve seen enough of the hills and landscapes in your own backyard, then you’ve more than likely already thought about travelling to new pastures.
Travelling abroad is an awesome experience that I recommend to any rider. Flying is a big part of moto-touring, as well as renting a new bike — but what happens to your helmet?
At this point, you’ll have to find out whether your helmet can be taken onboard the flight with you. You can, as long you use either a helmet or a grip bag that fits carry-on specifications.
You can’t always be sure that either bag is going to work, which is why I recommend that you get ahold of an airport representative ahead of time just to be sure. An email might work better since you can show the physical conversation to any airport employee who might have an issue with the helmet bag.
Packing Your Helmet
When packing your helmet, and you don’t have a helmet bag, use a small grip bag. It should be of a size that can be easily rolled up and strapped to your pack when you’re not using it.
Remember to take out all of the pads from your riding gear, as well as call ahead if you use metal pads — some airports don’t allow it on board the plane, so just make sure to get clearance beforehand. Once you’ve done that, you should try to fit as many of the pads into your helmet.
For added cushioning, you can use your jacket to wrap around the grip bag, placing your helmet in the middle of the bag. Any pads that you can’t fit into your helmet can be wrapped up with clothing like underwear and socks.
Now that your helmet is packed all nice and snug, you’re now officially ready to board the plane. Also, there’s no need to worry about your motorcycle boots, since you can still wear them.
Riding off Into the Sunset
There’s nothing like travelling across the country, or around the world, on two wheels and the power of a few hundred horses beneath your seat. A healthy sense of adventure never hurt anybody, especially when you’re wearing a fine, high-quality helmet and protective gear to go along with it.
Whenever you’re in need of more safety equipment, you can be sure that Moto1 is the place to visit. Priding themselves on providing their customers with only the highest-quality motorcycling gear, they’ll never disappoint.
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- Why Are Motorcycle Helmets So Big
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- How to Wear Goggles with Motorcycle Helmet
- How to Choose a Motorcycle Helmet?
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