If you usually need to park your motorcycle to run some errands, you must have faced the horrible feeling of being afraid that you might not find your helmet when you get back to your motorcycle. Also, if you hate carrying it around wherever you go, I’ll help you know how to safely leave the helmet on the motorcycle with no worries.
If this is your case, then this article is for you. You’ll find some pieces of information on how to handle your helmet when you park your motorcycle. I’ll also tell you the advantages and disadvantages of each method, so you can decide the one that suits you.
Here Are Three Things You Can Do With Your Motorcycle Helmet When Parked
1. Take it With You
Some people prefer taking their helmet with them whenever they park their motorcycle because it puts their minds at peace knowing that no one can steal it or harm it in any way. This might be the safest option, but it’s not the most convenient.
As with everything in the world, this option has its pros and cons. Since I’ve stated the pros above, let’s delve a bit into its disadvantages. If the helmet is bulky or heavy, you’ll have a hard time carrying it around wherever you go. And if you need to use both hands when shopping, for example, you’ll have to leave it somewhere.
So, I advise you to take it with you only if you’ll park your motorcycle in some unfamiliar neighborhood where you’ll feel afraid about your helmet getting stolen. And also, if you’ll be away from the bike for a long time.
2. Leave it in a Bag
This is the safest option for me. By doing so, you’ll always be sure that your helmet is safe and at the same time, you’ll be able to use both hands. You can either use a backpack or the one specially made for helmets. Such bags give you enough space to put your food, water, books, headphones, or any other items you may need.
3. Leave it on the Motorcycle
If nothing of the above sounds convenient to you, you can leave your helmet on the motorcycle. And if you’re worried it might get stolen, you can use a lock and fasten it to your bike.
However, does having a lock guarantee the helmet stays safe? Sadly, no. Locks are great in the sense that they prevent thieves from stealing them quickly. Instead, they will need to have the right tools in order to cut off the strap or take out some parts of the motorcycle.
This means that you can only lock your helmet to your motorcycle if you are in a restaurant, for example, so you don’t leave it unwatched for a long time. It’s also advisable to do this if you’ll run some errands and get back to your bike quickly. This way, thieves won’t have enough time to unlock your helmet.
Yet, if you want to lock your helmet to your motorcycle during the night, you might wake up to a catastrophe. If you’re okay with parking your bike in the street at night, at least take your helmet at home. It’s more likely for thieves to steal a helmet than a bike.
If You Leave Your Helmet on a Motorcycle, Where is the Best Place to Put It?
You shouldn’t simply throw your helmet anywhere on your bike, and that’s it. Instead, I advise you to put it on the mirror. Yet, don’t place it on the top and leave. This way, you’ll be risking that the helmet falls if someone bumps into it while walking by your motorcycle. The safest way is to thread the rearview mirror through the helmet visor. This also helps maintain the inner padding and liner of your helmet.
What is the Best Way of Locking Your Helmet to Your Motorcycle
Many people use a D-ring attachment to tie their helmets to their motorcycles, but this is my least preferable approach because thieves can very easily cut the D-ring and steal the helmet.
Instead, I use a gun lock or a cable lock through the visor and the passenger peg. This prevents thieves from stealing my helmet because the only way to do this is to use a cable cutter or a bolt cutter.
And of course, using these tools will take them a lot of time, and that’s again another reason why I don’t recommend leaving your helmet on your motorcycle if it’s going to be out of your sight for a long time.
Can You Bring it With You if You’re Flying
Yes, you probably won’t have any problems having it on the plane with you. You can either consider it as something you take on the plane with you or a carry-on bag. Yet, note that you probably won’t be able to store it below your seat, so you’ll keep it in the overhead storage.
In case you consider it a carry-on, you will be risking losing it due to any inconveniences that usually happen when suitcases get lost. And of course, you don’t want this to happen to your precious helmet.
Whichever way you decide on, remember that you must always keep it in a backpack; otherwise, it might get scratched.
Final Thoughts
Now you know three options regarding keeping your helmet safe if you’re not riding your motorcycle. You can either take it with you, put in a backpack, or leave it sitting on the bike: locked or unlocked.
Of course, I prefer that you take it with you whenever possible because it’s way safer than leaving it on the bike even when locked.