personally, I never ride without a lid unless im just test riding, in which case i am riding right down the street from my house when no cars are coming. trust me, i live on a back road, its flat, nothing but farms around, when i say no cars are coming, none are coming. when leaving the vicinity of my house, i always rock a lid. this is due in part to the fact that i was involved in a small accident with my first mb. I was rocking a lid at the time as well and was not seriously injured, and have not been involved in any more wrecks since then, but still why take the chance. the lid i rock now is a dirtbike lid that i traded a full face lid for. dirtbike helmets are light and comfortable while still providing adequate protection. in fact, my lid does have a dot sticker. what i really want to say is this. chatreed, dont get a helmet because your mom suggested it. get a helmet because you are concerned for your own safety. nothing wrong with rocking a used lid, probably save you some money. check craigslist, check parts places, motorcycle shops and garages. they may have a used lid laying around. i once went to a garage and got a used lid for free. the guy told me to try it on and it fit so he said take it. you never know. but get a lid that you are comfortable rocking.