Skull,

I have both an open face and a full face. I normally use the open face around town and the full face on longer rides. A few times lately I've gone on a long ride with the open face and I usually regret it. You can't beat the full face at high speeds, especially if there's a bit of rain or as is normally the case freakin bugs. Nothing sucks like getting a bug in the face at 120kph.

Maaaate!

Just completed a ride to the rock and bought a full face Shoei Multitec which has the best of both worlds. Open face for putting through town and shut for cruising the highways. Best purchase I've ever made. Expensive at $799 but worth it in my books.

http://www.mcleodaccessories.com.au/CA2571B700170C18/page/Listing-News-SHOEI+MULTITEC+flip+up+helmets

The guy that came with me on the ride had the open face and he now looks like a racoon with skin peeling from his face not to mention he froze his arse off in the cold Alice mornings. Even his lips are peeling.

Stops the bugs, rain, cold etc. Do yourself a favour.

Do what I do, ask my mother she tells me what helmet to wear, its not hard cos I'm a big boy and I do what my mum tells me.
I have 4 open face and 3 close face and my dad has a semi trailer.

In the wind...

+1, In the wind. And wear earplugs and a mask on the longer trips if you want a bit more protection.

I wear a shorty and a face mask , Cant go wrong with a open face the bugs have lots of vitamins

But at the end of the day it 's your choice

Personally even when I rode jappers I didn't much like the full face helmet.

In all the years I've ridden with open face I've copped all sorts of bugs and shit in the moosh but i've never been injured and I'm still just as handsome as ever.....

I have a mask but I only use it in the really really fucking cold weather - I just don't like it for the same reason I don't like a full face - too restrictive for me.

To each their own though.

Bandana is my choice for longer rides

I have both and used to wear the full face on long trips, especially in the cooler months.
Other than that I wear the open face with bandana (not for the evil look, but sun protection)
Now I have the RoadKing and I'm a screen convert, the open face is all you need.
It's comforting when you are riding along at 5.30am in a slight drizzle, at 120km/hr and you stick your head up above the screen to remember what it was like. Bloody, loud wind noise, pressure and colder.

My advice with the Sporster, open face, ear plugs and bandana or wetsuit material bandana.

Put the openface on , take a ride to the nearest bin and dump the fullface in it and Harden up.

If you put a full face on around the blokes I ride with then you are giving your mates an open invitation to give it to you for the next 100 years. We did a really wet 17 hour day in winter about 5 years ago and a mate of mine made one appear out of nowhere at about the 10 hour mark and we have been giving it to him ever since. He claims that the last 7 hours made it worth all the shit we give him but you just know that he is only saying that because it's his only option. I admit that on that day it was looking like a good option but the pain of the rain and cold was over once the 1st rum was in my hand and his pain continues........

At the end of the day wear what you want and whatever you feel safe in. If the wind pressure is an issue consider a screen, it will take the pressure off your neck no matter what type of helmet you wear.

I've only had a skull cap helmet for the last 15 years and have done a mainland trip from tassie yearly with it. I've brought my first legal helmet in Brisbane a month ago but it's an openface with a shield attachement, didn't want to get booked. Now that I'm back home It's back to the skullcap.

ppffffttttttt - 200Km that's just a short stint around the block.... in fact it doen't even get me to Dazzas meet points..

Open face unless it is really pissing down... on nice sunny days don't foreget the suncream

I nearly drowned whent RT and I rode up to cairns to meet Bobtail. Heavy rain and a cloth bandana didn't work. Ended up pulling it down and riding with my left hand over my face. Bought myself one of the wetsuit material face masks. Fan-bloody-tastic, could breathe and no rain drop pain.