Riding To Work From July 5th To The 7th

We had a beautiful week for riding motorcycles here in Omaha, so I took advantage of it as often as possible.

I missed riding to work on the 4th of July due to the fact that it was a holiday weekend and I figured there'd be more than the usual amount of idiots on the road - especially when I was riding home at 11:20 at night. So the first time I rode this week was the 5th - Sunday.

Awesome day. Sky was clear, not too hot, not a lot of traffic. I took my time and enjoyed it.

The ride home was especially nice. Almost nobody on the road, so I could relax and enjoy the ride more without having to match speeds with traffic.

Same riding atmosphere for Monday the 6th of July - a little more traffic, but that meant I could change lanes a bit more. The Road King Classic is riding like a Cadillac. It doesn't have much in the way of lean, but it's as stable as anything I've ever ridden.

I was a bit more rushed on the 7th. I intended to try out my other helmet - a 3/4 Harley Davidson Jet II helmet that I'd bought a while back from Holstein's Harley.

After I was all suited up and ready to go, I put on the Jet II and rode to work.

A few things I liked about the Jet II:

• It feels like it would protect better if the bike goes down
• It cuts down wind noise
• The face shield protects against bugs and rocks
• It would be great in the rain

Yeah, it feels more solid than the 1/2 helmet that I have. Right after I got on the interstate, I was hit by a small rock or a large bug - right in the face. If I hadn't had the faceshield, it might have hurt a bit. As it was, I just saw it, it hit, and then it was gone. No harm, no foul.

The wind noise was very different while I had the Jet II on. I hit 75 miles per hour without even blinking twice, and it felt like I was moving along at about 40 miles per hour. About a 30 mile per hour difference there.

A few things I didn't like about the Harley Davidson Jet II:

• It cuts my hearing down by at least 60-70 percent
• You can't feel the ride as much

Wearing the Jet II made me feel like I had a pair of earmuffs over my ears, it cut down the noise so much. It wouldn't be so bad if there were maybe...earholes...or something. Like a football helmet. My wife says that would look really, really silly, but she has a white and turquoise half-helmet that looks like it came out of a Barbie catalog, so what does she know?

After riding with the Jet 2 helmet, I didn't think it cut down my vision at all, but I did feel like I wasn't part of the ride. There was a definite disconnect between me and the road that I didn't like at all.

I'll be sticking with the half-helmet in the future, unless the rain is coming down.

Jet II 3/4 Helmets for sale on eBay: