I got my first bike when I was a mere 18 years old. I loved my Honda 550 Four 1977 model with its beefed up engine and its custom dual chrome exhaust. My older brother was also into motorcycles at the same time as me but he had a brand new Yamaha. Right off the bat I was conflicted as to whether or not to use a full face shield or an open helmet with riding classes. The helmet my brother had came with a full face shield while my helmet only had a half one.

On the one hand, I could buy a new helmet and riding glasses – and take my chances with bugs – or I could buy a new helmet with a full face shield. I haggled back and forth trying to make up my mind. The helmet I had with the half shield was not something I was happy with because they were usually for older people.

Yet at the time I didn’t have the money to lay out for a new helmet which, in those days, was still a couple hundred dollars for quality model. However, thankfully my brother made the choice easy for me.

He had purchased a full front fairing to make his ride from Fort Hood, Texas to our house in New York a little bit easier. Luckily for me he decided to get rid of it after being home for a couple of months. So, he took it off his bike and put it on mine. Even though it may not be manly, I absolutely loved it!

What it did was to ensure I stayed warm when the temperature started to drop and it also helped out with my dilemma. I no longer had to worry about bugs because the upper part of the fairing took care of this but it did not stop me feeling the wind in my hair so that was great.

What I did with my helmet was to remove the half shield and just bought a pair of cool riding glasses. I still have those riding glasses 28 years later! Can you imagine that from a pair of riding glasses?

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