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I have a lot of the same reactions when I wear a full helmet after a summer of 3/4 helmet use. I even took a 5 mile ride one glorious cool summer evening with only a baseball hat on! (horrors!). Really, I am fully in favor of always using a helmet, and at highway speeds, the wind is too much for going without, but that once was nice.

Anyway, the reason you are hearing some new noises is because the helmet, even though somewhat sealed at the bottom, is a collector of noise from below. When you are using your usual setup, you get noise from about everywhere, and even if it seems quiet, it is still a lot of background and wind noise that is masking what is there anyway. If you ride with a 3/4 with a full shield, it may be even worse, my Nolan N-42 is probably noisier in this respect than my open face 3/4 I wear in summer.

As for the fogging, if you can keep your vision somewhat clear with the shield just slightly open, at some point, the heat inside the helmet may overcome the cold and let you close it. I find that on many days, eventually I can close the shield once it warms up some.

Anti-fog coatings can help some, but start out by making sure the shield is as clean as possible, the more stuff on it, the more it will fog up. Sometimes you don't even know it has anything on it, but it does. Keep it as clean as you would eyeglasses when you REALLY need to see!

That out-of-sync feeling comes from the changes in sound, and maybe even from the extra weight on your head. I find the wind buffets my Nolan more than the older open 3/4 helmet I have. Maybe it is the same, but it feels different because the noise level is changed.

One bit of advice on noise, get a set of good earplugs like these:

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/profmusearpl1.html

These are just $11, and will let you hear everything, but just softer. If you ever get tired of the wind noise, especially on really windy days, a set of these will make your day a lot nicer. They have several types at this store (earplugstore) and I have found they are about the best price, not really worth spending a lot of time looking around. Don't even mess with those foam plugs that you roll up and stick in your ear. They kill so much sound you won't be safe when riding. The ones I mention, you can wear at rest stops and still carry on a conversation, you just have to get used to the sound level so you don't yell at everyone! Also they are great to take to concerts where the sound levels get too high.

Don

Love the idea about sticking out your lip and forcing air down by breathing through your mouth. Very inventive and I will try it today when I try to get out while it is near 40 here in Cent. IL.

KCroadrocket, where did you get that?

Don

Got to try that face mask I got at IMS> Went out with the 3/4 Nolan N-42 with the full shield. Normally, my neck, chin and cheeks get gold, even if I have a scarf on. With this new face mask, kind of like the pick of the leather one above, but a fairly thin cloth, I was toasty warm for a ride of over an hour at highway speeds with temps between 35 and 37 and some wind. Chill factor was around 30 according to the news.

I am super happy with this mask, and will use it anytime there is a chill in the air till it really warms up.

Don