[Mike]

Riding a bike and having the rock hit your faceshield
(or sunglasses if open face)...how bad is it? What's the
largest to hit you or your bike?

 

[allwalk]

I've been fortunate not to have a rock hit in the face. I have had a few come at me and I was able to see them coming and I managed to get my head down fast enough for them to bounce off the top of my helmet. Now Insect strikes is another story......I've lots of those and they smart.

 

[JD]

Rocks aren't so bad, as long as you have the face shield. They really hurt without it. The biggest thing I have ever had hit my face was a crow. I had my helmet on, but it still rocked me pretty hard. Luckilly I was only going about 35 mph at the time. Made an awful mess on my sheild though

 

[Rubble]

It all depends on the size of the rock the speed etc. I once had a semi throw up a 3/4" rock that punched a hole right through the sheet metal on the front of my VW van. If that one had hit me anywhere on the body when I was on a bike I would have been down! If it had hit me in a face shield or glasses I probably wouldn't be here.

 

[pauljo]

I've heard some pretty serious "thwacks" against my helmet and faceshield. Can't really say if it was a pebble kicked up by another vehicle, or a large hard shell beetle. But it happens a few times each riding season. Always glad to have the helmet & shield when it happens. I've never had a face shield crack - they are pretty sturdy.

Have you ever considered what it would feel like to be caught in a hailstorm when moving at 50 or 60 mph? :?

 

[Randy]

pauljo wrote

Have you ever considered what it would feel like to be caught in a hailstorm when moving at 50 or 60 mph?

Not as bad as you may think, after the first 30 seconds you probably won't feel anything

I have not been hit in the face shield -yet - but that's one of the things the windshield is suppose to prevent
I have been slapped-up-side the helmet by an owl -I made it he didn't -

 

[ClassicGeek]

One time I was driving a cage from Nanaimo to Victoria on Vancouver Island, and this Harley guy with a woman on the back went flying by in the fast lane. Not too long afterwards, some large raindrops started hitting the windshield. Then they turned to hail, and there's the Harley guy, parked at the side of the highway, getting pelted by the hail.

I guess it was bad enough to stop for.

Especially with sunglasses and a skull cap.

Simon

 

[billmeek]

Have you ever considered what it would feel like to be caught in a hailstorm when moving at 50 or 60 mph? :?

Done that. Wasn't bad at all on the Burgman wearing leather gloves, the Joe Rocket jacket and a full shield on the 3/4 helmet.

 

[JD]

Try riding in hail, on a 49cc scooter, running about 50, at night, only protection was my windbreaker jacket. OUCH!!!!!! The first and only time I forgot my helmet, jacket, and gloves.

 

[Timothy Ma]

The worst thing to be hit with something that doesn't die, lands inside your full face helmet and starts to use its stinger on your face. Been there and survived a couple of times.

 

[Mike]

Ouchie. Painted the picture exactly.

 

[JD]

I'd rather take a rock to the face than deal with any kind of bee. If I got stung, probably wouldn't make it to the hospital in time Just thinking about one of those little buggers getting inside my helmet makes me sick. But I did have a spider inside my helmet last fall that bit me, that really sucks too.

 

[Speedy650]

While going about 70 MPH on the freeway, a car in front of me threw a small rock straight into my shield. Don't know how big or small the rock was, but saw it coming at me and I couldn't do anything about it before it struck. It made one hellacious "crack" sound in my helmet and bounced off. On inspecting the helmet shield, I saw that it had gouged a small part of the plastic off but otherwise seemed ok but I replaced the shield with a new one just in case of hidden damage. The rock just missed the top of my Burgman's windshield and struck the top of my face shield. If I didn't have the full face helmet/shield, it probably would have hit me in the forehead.... ouch!

 

[Monterey10]

Bird

My friend "Bob" and I were riding our bikes across the central valley in the early 1970s. There were clouds of black birds flying around. I was following behind Bob when, I saw a black bird swoop down onto his helmet.

I saw the impact jerk his head back an inch, a cloud of feather and a red mist blew around his head.

Bob slowed his battered Honda 350 4 cyl and pulled off the shoulder.
I pulled up next to him on my Orange 72 Honda 450 twin.

I saw the black birds beak perfectly impaled on Bob's face shield. (just like a cartoon or something) Bob flipped his face shield up, the bird flopped over the top of his helmet. He exclaimed "I couldn't see there for a minute!. I laughed a bit at the sight and told him that he did great getting off the road.
He replied "Yeah, loosing your vision all of a sudden, all I could do is slow it down real carefully" You did great Bob.