Isn’t it scary to hear about vehicle accidents every day around the globe?
It’s time to worry about your and your family’s safety while on the road or tracks.
The helmet is an essential part of a safe riding experience. Its primary purpose is to protect your head from an impact. But, it also completes your aesthetic look and helps you stand out in a crowd.
Helmets are pretty essential for both motorbike riders and snowmobile riders. Now, the question arises, are they the same or different?
Let us try to know.
Snowmobile Helmets vs. Motorcycle Helmets
Snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets play the same role in protecting riders from serious accidents.
The primary purpose of snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets is to shield the head from any significant injury like brain damage and hemorrhage, which may change your world and turn your life upside down.
Aside from snowmobile jackets, they can also protect the rider from rain, wind, snow, surface debris, and tree limbs that can suddenly appear on your way.
Snowmobile helmets & motorbike helmets are both different from each other in some ways that are listed below.
Weight
Between snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets, snowmobile helmets are designed to keep in view two critical points; the safety of the rider and keeping the rider warm in such harsh climates.
They are light in weight in comparison to motorbike helmets. It helps the rider turn around their head effortlessly since the snowmobiles don’t have a rearview mirror.
The snowmobile helmet weighs around 300-600 grams as the rider is expected to fall repeatedly.
Thus it is necessary to be lighter in weight to prevent an “additional toll” on your neck.
Comparatively, motorbike helmets weigh around 1000-2000 grams as they are expected to experience a more significant impact on the head area.
Type of Shield
When we talk about snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets, the latter ones have a single pane shield that is harder, which is essential to prevent more significant impact, while the snowmobile helmets are devoid of that.
They will not work in the cold winter temperatures, and the impact of accidents in snowmobile riding is less than in motorbike riding.
The snowmobile helmets have double-pane shields. This helps reduce the fog build-up due to cold temperatures.
The panes are separated by a thin layer of gas, which prevents the transfer of heat, thus creating the process of condensation.
This is one of the major differences between snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets that sets them apart.
Insulation
The snowmobile helmets are adequately insulated as they are popular in colder regions and less needed in areas with higher temperatures.
They help in retaining heat to keep you warm. These are absent in motorbike helmets as they are used in all weather conditions.
Breath Deflectors
These are installed in the snowmobile helmets to prevent fogging of the lenses while breathing. They are also known as breath guards.
Your face and nose are sealed tightly to deflect your breath down the helmet. As the breath is diverted, the condensation is prevented.
This helps prevent fogging. These are absent in motorbike helmets since they have no use in them.
Ventilators
The snowmobile helmets possess adjustable vents that help clear the helmet’s moisture that can build up due to the rider’s breath. This also helps in airflow through the helmet.
Framed vs. Frameless
The snowmobile helmets are generally frameless or have plastic frames to seal the two panes.
Generally, frameless is prioritized as it gives a clearer and more aesthetic appearance.
The motorbike helmets are usually framed to prevent dust particles from entering the eye and also to give a more unobstructed view.
Heated Electric Field
With respect to snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets, snowmobile helmets have a heated shield with electric heating elements.
This helps in the complete prevention of fogging. These are generally absent in motorbikes as they are not very essential to them.
Motorbike helmets are used in all kinds of weather, so installing a heated electric field is unnecessary.
Also, these helmets are designed in such a way that a gap remains between the helmet and the face for the passage of air to breathe.
You now know the significant differences between snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets from the points mentioned above.
The riders use the snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets interchangeably even after knowing the differences between them.
Can You Use Snowmobile Helmets on Motorcycle?
The answer is simple and a complete “NO.”Snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets are structurally and functionally far apart.
They have a lot of differences which make them be used in the kind of weather or place they are expected to be used.
Snowmobile helmets are lighter in weight than motorbike helmets.
If motorbike helmets are worn during snowmobiling, then there is an excellent chance that you may experience injuries to your neck as you are expected to fall repeatedly.
Also, it would be a real tough job around your head while riding.
The snowmobile helmets cannot be used while motorbiking as a significant impact on the head cannot be protected by them.
The snowmobile helmets have insulators attached to them to keep you warm; thus, these can not be used by motorbike riders as they have to ride in all kinds of weather, which may cause discomfort.
Also, motorbike helmets cannot be used by snowmobile riders as they are devoid of insulators, which may cause freezing of the face of the rider.
Final Words
Thus, it is advised that between using snowmobile helmets & motorcycle helmets, sticking to their original purpose is advisable.
This may help you prevent many significant accidents and serious injuries.
Suppose you want to exchange the helmets and use them according to your convenience to save some money.
In that case, you can use them by adding the necessary accessories to the motorbike helmet, like the breath deflectors, electric shield, etc., and get it approved by the safety ratings.
If you use snowmobile helmets as motorbike helmets, you can remove the unnecessary requirements of the helmet, and then you are ready to go.
I hope now you have an idea about the different helmets and the places where they should be used. Don’t forget to still follow safety tips for snowmobiling and motorcycling for a safe and fun ride.
