I've been wearing the HJC flip ups for almost nine years. I'm thinking of going to the new one with the integral sun shade. They fit my big melon better than other brands. Forty years ago I started wearing the Bell Star but disliked having to remove my glasses to put it on and take it off.

The modular design makes it easy to scratch your nose when you want while also keeping the bugs out of your teeth. Mine is fairly quiet, but then again, my bike has TORs rather than really loud pipes. Wind noise is minimal behind the Memphis Fat and noticeable without a windshield but not distracting.

A few years ago I learned an interesting lesson riding from Prescott AZ to Los Angeles. When it's 115 fahrenheit it's better to have your face completely enclosed. At that temperature having your face exposed to the wind is like putting your face in a convection oven.

We all like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists. But when push comes to shove most of us are sheep who do what we are told. Worst of all, a lot of us become unpaid agents of whoever is controlling the agenda by enforcing the current dogma on the few rugged individualists who actually exist.