What color helmet should I get for my motorbike? This is a pretty common question among the bikers looking to get their first head safety gear. Color is crucial and affects many things from safety to style. The color for motorcycle helmets can determine the helmet temperatures and visibility on the road.
So, what is the best color for my motorbike helmet? The ideal helmet color should keep you safe on the road and make you look good. As the most visible color, a white helmet is considered the best option with excellent visibility. Studies have shown that white has the lowest risk compared to dark colors.
While you can choose colors like yellow, lime green, cream, and beige, a white motorcycle helmet is the most visible and doesn’t absorb much heat.
Let’s dive in and see the right helmet colors and what can help you set your personal preferences the best.
What Color Helmet Should I Get?
While helmet functionality is important, visibility with helmets on the road also plays a hefty role. Helmet color is one-factor motorists tend to ignore whereas a hi-viz helmet could save your life. You’ll see both road bike helmets and mountain bike helmets come in white and reflective bright colors.
A study in New Zealand showed that white helmets have the highest visibility on the road. The study involved 1223 riders and tested various aspects of gear safety. Results showed that persons using black helmets have a 24% chance of crushing. On the other hand, persons using white helmets have a 19% chance of crushing.
The WHO suggests the same, they showed that white helmets reduce visibility-related collisions by 45%.
Generally, you need to choose light-colored helmets for safety and comfort on the road. White-colored helmets have a strong contrast between the background and the helmet exterior. This gives them the highest visibility on the road.
A light-colored helmet is recommended because it makes the rider conspicuous to the other riders on the road. This ensures riders are highly visible, even from long distances. A dark helmet won’t give you that facility.
There is a reduced risk of crashing when wearing light-colored motorcycle helmets. Look at the level of visibility the colors offer under different conditions. While white is the best, that might not be the case if you live in snowy areas like Canada.
The ideal option is to choose a color for visibility before aesthetics. No matter how expensive helmets you get, if you have a color that doesn’t stand out, won’t be as safe as you expect it to be.
Let’s show you how bike helmet color makes a huge difference.
Does Helmet Color Make a Difference?
Without a doubt, helmet color plays a crucial role when riding. It can mean the difference between life and death. Helmet colors matter a lot and can greatly enhance your safety on the road.
In general, motorists are less likely to get into accidents. A conspicuous color makes riders easy to spot on the road. Compared to car drivers, motorists are at a higher risk of fatal accidents and death.
To some extent, helmet color does make a big difference while on the road. However, the same study advises that this should be combined with other safety gears. For example, wearing a reflective safety vest further enhances your safety.
If you wear a camo helmet or a brown helmet on the road, you’ll be less visible on headgear, especially in low light. The same goes for a blue helmet that blends into the surroundings, compared to a bright color helmet.
In simple terms: White is by far the best color choice in a bike helmet while a dark-colored helmet scores the worst.
Different Helmet Colors
There are varieties of helmet colors in the market. Different colors might be suited in different conditions. Let’s see the common types of helmet colors and their advantages and disadvantages.
1. Red and Orange Helmet Colors
Red and orange are bright colors that greatly enhance visibility. These two colors make a bright helmet that works best in rainy conditions. These colors can easily be seen in rainy and foggy conditions.
In addition, red and orange colors are great and look great on riders. They also tend to match with most gears making riders look great. The bright orange and red colors also absorb very minimal heat. You can ride in a hot, sunny area without any issues.
The red color tends to absorb more heat than orange. However, the absorption rate cannot be compared to black color helmets. In addition, there are different kinds of red to consider. For example, dark red is considered a great choice when riding at night. It keeps you highly visible to other riders.
Orange helmets are pretty decent and associated with warnings. Wearing orange on the road indicates a safety mark. It is a pretty versatile color that works in almost all weather conditions. Additionally, orange does not absorb as much heat as red.
However, red and orange helmets tend to show dirt faster. You need to clean them regularly. These colors are also not the most beautiful.
2. White Color Helmet
The white color helmet is one of the best with excellent visibility. A white helmet tops with the highest visibility index. In addition, white colors don’t absorb much heat. Riders can enjoy a cool ride without heat accumulating in the helmet.
White is also neutral and will match with most gears. However, this does not mean white helmets work everywhere. If you’re riding in snowy places, white color blends you with the ground and surroundings.
Additionally, it’s rare to find motorcycle gears and parts that are white. Overall, white is less impressive when it comes to aesthetics.
3. Yellow Color Helmets
Yellow is the least colored helmet and one that can be a huge risk on the road. The color is not visible and can greatly increase accident risks. The only advantage of the yellow helmet is the minimal heat absorption.
While you can use the helmet during the day on a sunny day, it is not ideal for night use. If you have to use a yellow helmet, then consider adding some back stripes to make it more visible.
4. Blue & Green Helmets
Both blue and green are great colors that appear great on you. The colors absorb very minimal heat and help keep riders cool. Bright green and blue are much better than dark green and dark blue.
Darker forms of these helmets are not ideal for use during the night. Light blue and green-blue colors are much better and can be seen at night.
5. Purple
Purple is excellent color and one that will definitely look great on you. However, purple does not offer great visibility. Additionally, it absorbs a lot and can keep riders feeling hot and sweaty.
6. Black Helmet
Lastly, we have the black color helmets which are quite pretty when it comes to aesthetics and style. However, the black motorcycle helmet is considered the worst color on the road in terms of safety. It has very low visibility and can lead to high risks of accidents.
Black color will rarely be seen in the dark. On hot sunny days, black helmets absorb a lot of heat and can leave riders sweating. However, black stands as the best color that blends with most motorcycle designs and gears.
Overall, when it comes to choosing black helmets, it is more of deciding between beauty and safety.
Bottom Line
Well, there you have it! The color of helmet you should get.
To recap, the best helmet color to choose for your motorcycle is one that enhances your safety on the road. Consider helmets with bright colors that can easily be seen by other motorists. White stands out as the best color while black is the worst.
When choosing the ideal helmet color, make sure you consider the weather conditions and time of riding. We’ve already seen how white is not ideal in snowy conditions.