Helmet shopping

[BentRod]

k, looking to buy myself a helmet now.

I'm definately looking for a full, or may be an open face (better visibility)
I've been searching though, and I'm looking for some onions on different helmet makes. what is the difference between a Zamp, or AFG and a Shoei?

 

[cberkeley]

Fit and finish my friend. Went helmet shopping in October during my NJ trip and ended up with a Shoei RF-1000 ...the fit and finish is absolutely superb. Tried on a lot of helmets in the store before finalizing. Bear in mind that a new helmet (whatever the make) should fit as tight as possible on your head as the protective liner does by design conform to the unique curves of your head. Too many people buy helmets that slide around on their head. When I was at the store the Shoei factory rep happened to be there that day and he ensured that I went away with exactly what I wanted: Max protection, comfort and style.
I've used Shoei before in offshore boat racing and during my Kart Racing years and always was satisfied, only actually relied in it once when I dumped out of the Kart on a raceday.

 

[Grandpa]

First of all, get a full face helmet. Five years ago today I hit a deer and killed her, and it almost killed me. 10 days in the hospital with collapsed lung, broken ribs, broken collarbone and shoulder blade. No damage to my handsome face, though, thanks to the full-face Shoei I had on.

The scratches on the chin part of the helmet are deep and tell the story of what may have happened if I'd been wearing a 3/4 helmet instead. I would've been headed for reconstructive surgery as well.

I replaced that Shoei, an RFR, with another Shoei, an RF-200 I bought on eBay, brand new, for $80. This fall I replaced the RF-200 with a discontinued Shoei model, an RF-105, which I also bought new on eBay. These prices included shipping, by the way.

I get Shoei simply because it's a good brand, and I know that my head is well fitted by an XL-sized Shoei. That's how I can safely get one on line, since I know my size, and this is pretty well standardized within the Shoei brand.

Before my first Shoei I had an AGV full face, which I wore for 7 years. Good helmet also. Shop around and get the one that fits you. Pay attention to the previous post, detailing the importance of a snug fit.

Most importantly, get a full face. Believe me, a full-face helmet does not interfere with visibility.

 

[UncleMike]

Go full face.

 

[dardoonk]

cberkley hit it right on the head "fit & finish my friend". There are a lot of great helmets out there and a lot of lousy ones, too. I have two flip-ups, an HJC Sy-Max & a Nolan N102. Both fit well, both have similar features, etc... but the Nolan is hands down a better product. Yes, I paid a lot more for it.

My wife wears a Scorpion full face, which, had I known about them earlier, I would be wearing too. For around $150 bucks, it's a fine helmet that stacks up against many higher priced helmets.

Personally, I don't worry about Snell approval. There's plenty of debate out there to support Snell or not, but bear in mind that manufacturers have to submit & pay to get that Snell rating, so often times it is a business decision whether they need the helmet Snell rated to increase sales. Others mfrs are content with DOT approaval and it doesn't necesarily mean their helmet is not of as of high quality without being tested by Snell.

That said, make absolutely the helmet is at least DOT approved (those of you in Europe have your own standard).

Make sure you try on any helmet you are considering. Different manufacturers use a different "standard" head shape, so one helment may be more oval inside while another is designed for a more round head.

 

[gsgeezer]

I agree, go full face. There is a dead deer on my road today. I could have been the one to contact it.

Like tires, I go with the best helmet I can get.
I have an Arai full face. It cost me almost $400, but it is cool in summer, quiet, as far as road noise, the shield can be changed in seconds, with my gloves on. Try it on, it must fit snugly, otherwise even the best helmet will fail. Even if you get one mail order, try it on at a dealer, first. Try a friend's helmet on, if they have one you might think you would buy. Ask them about wind noise, even some expensive helmets are noisey and it is a pain to change the face shield on some.

Good luck and take your time finding the one that is best for YOU!!

 

[Nessism]

Yes, the better helmets are made better. But don't equate expensive helmets with better protection for your head. It's simply not true.

 

[8trackmind]

Yes, the better helmets are made better. But don't equate expensive helmets with better protection for your head. It's simply not true.

Z1R comes to mind.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/
I like mine.

 

[andrewclaycomb]

That is an incredible article. I also find it interesting how Snell is appearantly trying to cover everything up and discredit the testing. Even a non profit business is still a business.

 

[Guest]

I agree with all the above. Full face only. Go to your local bike shop and try on several brands. An XL in one brand may not fit in another brand. Then go online and shop for the one you want. You can usually always buy a helmet online cheaper than in the bike shop.

 

[Mr. Jiggles]

Helmet weight and noise are a couple of other things to consider. But I think that proper fit is the most important. You won't know for sure about fit until you've worn it for a couple of rides so try to buy it from a place that allows returns.

For reviews check out

http://www.motorcyclegearreview.com/products.php?catID=2&heading=Helmets&catname=Full Face

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/motorcycle-helmets.htm

 

[pozzi]

i went with an Icon Alliance (rubatone) from newenough.com
$55 +s/h

the price is great and after reading reviews on it vs. some of the other sub-$250 helmets out there, i went with the Icon.
the finish is a cool rubberized finish that looks like it will handle any day to day abuse.
it fits well and has a lot of features that work decent (most of the reviews i read says the interior adj. chin vents are not adjustable, but more of an on/off but i haven't really played with them cus their a bit of a pain to get to).
not super light because its a poly/ABS shell but it's much lighter than some of the other non composite glass/fiber full face helmets i've tried on.

for auto racing and karting i have a SA rated Bieffe that i have been really
pleased with over the years. it was about $600 new, but i got mine for about $200 becuase it's a Dinez(sp?) replica, and he changed his design so i got it on clearance at the end of the season.
it is a composite helmet which is very light and fits well to my personal head shape. I also like where the cheek padding lands. it's comfortable for long wear times.
if it was DOT/M approved for use on the motorcycle i'd use it for the street. but alas, it is not so I picked up the Icon.

 

[dardoonk]

Go full face.

I got to agree with you there. When I was about 10, some guy crashed his HD in front of my house. (Not good for 10 year old to see). Anyway, he was wearing a skid lid and although he was going slow when he went over the bars, & his face caught the edge of the wind shield. Pretty much scalped the right side of his face from the chin to his hair line.
I was scared to death of motorcycles until I was mature enough to realize the guy was a screw up. I'll never forget seeing it though.
Guess what I wear?

 

[Dave8338]

I got to agree with you there. When I was about 10, some guy crashed his HD in front of my house. (Not good for 10 year old to see). Anyway, he was wearing a skid lid and although he was going slow when he went over the bars, & his face caught the edge of the wind shield. Pretty much scalped the right side of his face from the chin to his hair line.
I was scared to death of motorcycles until I was mature enough to realize the guy was a screw up. I'll never forget seeing it though.
Guess what I wear?

Was a witness at 16, to a fatality right in front of me. Gramps pulled out in fornt of me, I hit the breaks and the bike behind me made a move to the left lane to pass. He hit gramps in the front driver side, flew over the hood and hit the street marker sign (it bent nearly to the ground)...Dead!

Never trust a caged driver !!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!

 

[denydog]

Buying a helmet was the one time I decided right at the start, to spend as much $$$ as I wanted to. I tried on mostly Shoei's, and Arai's, but some Scorpions and a few others as well.

The Arai's offered at least three models to fit different head shapes, round, oval, and long oval. I spent a number of days visiting different shops to try on helmets. I think the wide variety of shapes that Arai offers really helped me in my search. It wasn't until I tried on the Arai Profile (long oval) that I finally said Ahhhh. I'm sure there must be cheaper options that would work just as well. Different brands, and different models in each brand can offer different shapes, but my head is very happy with the profile.

I will just echo some of the other people in this thread, that I think it's critical to try on different helmets until you find one that feels almost too snug at first, but has no uncomfortable spots that develop after wearing it for fifteen minutes or so.

The cheek pads in my Arai are still a little too tight, but not painful at all. I've been giving them a chance to break in for a while. Arai sells several different thickness's of cheek pads as replacements, and I may end up swapping mine for a thinner set.

 

[BentRod]

Well screw the open face helmets. and by the sounds of it, we need a horror stories thread.

tried on my buddies full face helmet, a HJC, it seemed ok. but when I turn around he punched me in the back of the head, just about knocked me over. Well, I can tell you the helmet works! I'll be in the shops in January trying helmets on. Full face helmets only.

Thank you all for your input, but i have one more concern.
I have been told that fullface helmets can break collar bones. Is this true? should i be worried and get some padding? or is this just a rare case?

Thank you all again!

BentRod

 

[bwringer]

Expensive or cheap, full face helmets all offer quite similar levels of protection. In the opinion of many, including me, it is not worth even considering anything less than a full-face helmet.

The price differences are with the finish and comfort details. More expensive helmets tend to be made from lighter materials, and are often more quiet inside. They might also do a better job with venting, and offer amenities such as antifog coatings, etc.

Putting on an Arai is like sitting down in a Rolls-Royce. Very comfortable, very quiet, and it even smells expensive. However, $600 for a helmet would require some unacceptable financial compromises for me (like riding in flip flops and a Goodwill t-shirt), so I've always been quite happy with HJC's top of the line helmet (I'm currently using an AC-11, but their current top of the line is the AC-12). I got my AC-11 from NewEnough.com on clearance very inexpensively because the helmet doesn't photograph well. It looks really ugly in pictures, but the colors look really cool in person.

For me, the HJCs are 95% as comfortable, and I don't care about a wee bit more wind noise because I wear ear plugs. HJC's shape happens to fit me fine and they're available everywhere.

Your first priority, regardless of price, is to find a helmet that you can wear comfortably day after day. This can be pretty difficult to judge at first, since new helmets should be rather tight. Every brand is slightly different in the way it fits. This requires trying on a lot of helmets, and I think it's most ethical to buy at least your first helmet from the local shop where you've been trying them on. Once you know what brand(s) work for you, you can go online to get much better prices and fresher helmets that haven't been tried on over and over.

A couple of points:

Convertible helmets do not offer the same level of protection as a "real" one-piece full face helmet. If you decide to buy one of these, you're likely aware that you are giving up a certain amount of strength in the chinbar.

More dangerous and less well known is the large hinge mechanism hidden on each side of the helmet. Instead of EPS foam that crushes at a controlled rate and shields you from impact, you have a large hard plastic and metal mechanism under the shell that transmits force directly to your brain via the thinnest part of your skull, the temples.

The choice is yours to make -- a convertible helmet is still far better than a biker beanie or no helmet at all, but you do need to consider the fact that you're giving up almost all impact protection in a very vulnerable place that receives some kind of impact in almost every type of fall or crash. Most riders and salespeople see the shiny shell of the helmet and don't consider that what's under it is what determines whether you get up and walk away or get fitted for diapers. The shell makes virtually no difference to impact protection -- the layer of rigid foam inside the helmet is what protects you.

Again, the choice is up to you -- I know and respect several experienced riders who have decided the added convenience of a convertible helmet is worth the trade-off. Just be aware that you are giving up far more protection than it appears at first.


Also, I'm always surprised by how many people don't wear earplugs when riding. Whether they're cheap disposables or custom-fitted, ear plugs are the secret to fighting off fatigue and maintaining your concentration while riding. Experiment with different kinds until you find a style that blocks out wind roar while allowing you to hear your engine, horns, etc.

 

[bwringer]

Here's a site with some great, thoughtful reviews of helmets and lots of other motorcycle goodies as well. Even if you're not looking at the specific models tested, the reviews will give a great idea of what to look for.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/

 

[BentRod]

Thank you!

 

[dardoonk]

I have been told that fullface helmets can break collar bones. Is this true? should i be worried and get some padding? or is this just a rare case?

BentRod

If your head snaps over so fast to break you collar bone, imagine the impact to your face that you just had, or are about to have. Your collar bone will be your last worry.