Helmet shopping

[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.

[Grandpa]

I agree with bwringer about use of earplugs. I always wear earplugs, (have for many years). Earplugs, along with my full face lid, remove all the extraneous noise that is bothersome and fatiguing.

I get mine at the sporting goods department of my local Walmart. Cheap and they work very well. They're orange in color -- I forget the brand.

The earplugs also allow me to not care whether my antiquated Shoei RF-105 is or is not a "quiet" helmet.

All that road noise, mechanical clatter on top of the air-cooled engine, the wind, all that is taken care of by my WallyMart earplugs. I have no problem hearing vehicle horns, sirens, the basic sound of the engine, or any other necessary sounds.

Never heard of full-face helmets breaking a person's collarbone. Sounds like an urban legend to me...

[Tarbash 27]

Dont ever buy a Z1R helmet whatever you do!! I have one and it falls apart. I called the manufacturer to send me replacement side pieces and screws. They broke too. If i turn my head while riding, the visor flips up. Very bad design.

[8trackmind]

Dont ever buy a Z1R helmet whatever you do!! I have one and it falls apart. I called the manufacturer to send me replacement side pieces and screws. They broke too. If i turn my head while riding, the visor flips up. Very bad design.

Did you notice it's made with HJC parts?

[Stevie D]

BentRod,


When you decide what helmet you want, make sure you visit........

http://www.newenough.com/product_department_helmets.htm They've got good prices on new stuff, and offer great customer service. I got two of these last year............

http://www.newenough.com/hjc_clmax_solid_helmet_page.htm

I went with a "flip front" because I wear eyeglasses. Plus I've got to talk to a lot of people each night when I use my GS for delivering court docs. Not having to take off my helmet to talk to 'em is a real bonus.

Stevie D

[Guyver]

Get a Scorpion Helmet

I have bought four Scorpion Helmets, two for my Katana (EXO-400 Octane with silver graphic design) and two for my GS1100E (EXO-700 Raider with red graphic design). They have excellent quality, excellent fit and finish and low noise. They also have great ventilation, a removable and washable liner and built-in anti-fog in the face shield. The face shield can be changed in 10 to 20 seconds without tools and they even have a light sensitive face shield that goes from light to dark depending on the amount of environmental light. Go down and try one on, their top of the is $200.00 and is comparable to models by Shoei and Arai that cost twice that amount and more. I got my Scorpion Raider helmets from metricbikes.com for $471.00 with two optional dark smoke face shields, which were $34.95 each. Shipping was free and there was no tax either. Here are pics of the models I bought and below are two other models that they have. They have more as well.




Scorpion Website:

http://www.scorpionusa.com/

Scorpion EXO-400 Octane:

http://www.metricbikes-superstore.com/index.php?cPath=1631

Scorpion EXO-700 Raider:

http://www.metricbikes-superstore.com/index.php?cPath=1623

Sandhills is also a great place to shop and has great prices...

http://www.sandhillspowersports.com/sandhills/OnlineStore.do?

[BentRod]

I think at this point, I need to just go in and try on a ton of helmets, walk around the store, may be borrow a couple and stick my head out the window on a side road somewhere...

I've done some reading up on DOT Only, and Snell, and the European one (can't remember the name) and I'll have to debate the merrits of each my self, and just how much it really matters.

I'm probably not going to be hitting up many online stores for the actual purchase. one, i dont; trust them. I like to inspect that ACTUAL product i am buying, not one just like it, before i hand over my cash, 2, I usualy pay out the A$$ for shipping (which is both costly and annoying), and 3) if i ever want to buy anything else from my local store, after spending time walking aroun in their helmets, i should probably buy form them.. well, from one of them I suppose.

Thank you all again!

[bwringer]

...I bought an HJC AC 12 Carbon Fiber...

The AC12 Carbon Fiber is truly drool-worthy:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/hjc/carbon/

[BentRod]

as nice as some of these helmets are, I would like to have SOME money left over for stuff like, ya know, food, untilities, RENT, emergency domes and the like.

a few extra ounces of weight, or ugly grafix, or non important garbage like that really doesn't matter to me. And sadly, the fact of the matter is I am on a budget, and I cannot afford high end stuff. Ie, thats why i attempted to turn my own brake disks on my dad's lathe. (which by the way, if you ever try, MAKE sure you're not trying to turn an 11in disk on a 10 inch lathe... 3 hours of sanding later.....)

So I am looking more at helmets like the CL and CS models. and the KBC VR-1