| Author | Message | ||
     Dannyzuko |
I'm looking to get my first helmet. I kinda like the modular helmets that are full face, but you can lift the chin guard up. Anyone have any problems with those types of helmets? The one I was looking at was Nolan N-100E. Let me know what you think. Would I be wasting my money?  Anyone have this helmet? | ||
| Jlnance |
The liftable chinguards are nice if you wear glasses. I use an HJC CL-MAX. It's a bit over $100. I'm going to try a Scorpion helmet soon. I've heard good things about them. They don't seem to have the liftable guard, so I'll loose that. Make sure you get one that fits! | ||
| Edstevens |
Danny Goto http://www.webBikeWorld (the Best motorcycle review and information site I have found) and click on the helmet link located on the left side of the screen. There are lots of reviews all the different helmet styles. I own the Jarrow MONO X2 (now called the Caberg Justissimo). It is a Flip front modular with great safety certifications. What makes this helmet different is it's internal flip-down sun shield that you can wear glasses behind - AND - the flip front jaw piece is removable and converts to a regular openface helmet (all conversion parts are included, not extra cost). I ride mainly in West Virginia and have an ongoing battle with dark shade going to bright sunlight and with a quick thumb flick the sunshade is instantly flipped down or back up. The Caberg Justissimo is 100% waterproof and has three thickness's of cheekpads for a propper fit(comes with medium, you will have to purchase either thin of thick pads if medium are not your best fit. Jnance the previous poster and I have ridden quite a few miles together and I value his opinion. Would I reccomend a Caberg Justissimo for your consideration? YES. With the quick-snap chin strap I find it to be very easy to live with. | ||
| Diablobrian |
The most important criteria for picking a helmet isn't the style. It has to fit your head. Sounds simple, but people sometimes skip right over that in favor of a pretty design. Find a place that has several brands / models in stock and try them on. You want it to fit snug, without any pressure spots on your forehead or sides of your head. It SHOULD press in on your cheeks. The helmet will loosen up a little with wear. The least expensive helmets on the market are also usually the cheapest on the market. Features like removable liners, working vents, and wind tunnel design to reduce noise inside the helmet get left out of these cheap helmets. If these things aren't important to your, then the choice of which helmet to buy is much easier. For the record, some hjc models have been banned by Loudon's racing club due to head injuries. Also, Icon has been getting some very poor reviews by Badwebbers, at least for their helmets. | ||
| Teddagreek |
I wouldn't own a helmet that wasn't snell rated!!! Once a Marine always a Marine! | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
I recently when helmet shopping, and looked at several flip up helmets. The nolan seemed well made, but I did not/have not seen any flip up helmets that were snell 2000 rated. Just something to think about. From what I have heard the locking mechanism is the weak link. I wear glass, so helmet comfort with glasses was my top priority. I tried most all of the major brands (HJC, ICON, kbc, shoei, etc...) Most seems to place eyeglass consideration quite low on the scale. Shoei was not bad, but I have an oval head, not round. After I talked to an Arai rep, I was a little skeptical about spending so much on a lid, but I tried one. Long story short. A new 2006 Profile (brand new design) in black frost (matches my cityx kick ash) came home. Even though it was nearly $600 (I ordered optional pads - 20mm instead of 30mm) I really couldn't be happier. My glasses fit great, and this lid is very quiet with great airflow. I would highly recommend finding a dealer that really knows arai's and try one on. | ||
| Jlnance |
Ed - I like that helmet. I found it on the web. It appears to be european. Is it DOT certified? | ||
| Ncbeachguy |
I had a Nolan N100 - actually, I still have it if you want it! I couldn't deal with the constant wind noise. Anything above 50mph was miserable. Looking at the helmet, it appears inherent in the design of the flip face to have extra turbulence and noise. I'll also chime in on 2 things in the post - FIT is by far the most important thing and close behind is Snell certification. Remember, this thing keeps your brains on the inside of your head - don't try to save bucks here! I now ride with an Icon Alliance - great balance of fit and price. The whole lineup is pretty good. The Scorpion is nice too - great balance there. Of course, Arai, Suomy, etc. all have the quality, but you pay for those cool repli-racer graphics! A real biker doesn't care WHAT you ride, but THAT you ride!! | ||
| Aldaytona |
FIRST, read Motorcyclist Mags "Blowing the lid off" June 2005 or online. Become informed, FACT is better than fiction. Ask 100 people their opinion and get 100 different answers/opinions.  | ||
| Bomber |
Justissimo is a great lid -- however, like any helmet, it'll be a PITA if it doesn't fit -- I ordered one and it fit great, except my chin solidly contacted the chin bar and the shades wanted to trim my nose (which has been aftermarket modified once or thrice ;-} ) try em on, find one that fits, no other advice is worth too much, IMO | ||
| Joele |
Schuberth Concept helm - the best you can get, seriously. After you own one of these helmets, everything else will seem inferior and lacking in features. | ||
| Sailfish |
how about this Caberg ; Rhyno. it fits well not too much noise, a build in sunscreen and a streetfighter look (if that's what you like)  (Message edited by sailfish on May 23, 2006) | ||
| Vaneo1 |
The most important criteria for picking a helmet isn't the style. It has to fit your head. Sounds simple, but people sometimes skip right over that in favor of a pretty design. Agreed, I just bought KBC's Force Airborne helmet because I thought the desing was awesome. But as soon as I tried it on it felt like a cheap crappy helmet. After I took it for a ride my ideology of the helmet was reinforced. Needless to say I went back to the Scorpion helmet and am happy and feel SECURE on the road. Go with what you feel most protected in, after all were only talking about your head.  } | ||
| Bomber |
agreed on schuberths -- I'm on my third -- spendy, but worth it to me | ||
| Hans |
I am wearing glasses on my dolichocephal head and my Schuberth flip-up helmet fits fine. It is a silent helm without buffeting at high speed: Even not when you turn your head around. No damp when rainy. Build in sunscreen, removable when riding. (It seems me that the BMW flip up helmet is made also by Schubert: Almost identical) Hans | ||
| Swordsman |
I wanted a flip up also, but after digging around, I couldn't find *any* good reviews of flip up helmets... the locking mechanisms seem to break easily across the board. That, of course, means that if your chin strikes a hard surface, you might as well be wearing an open face helmet. Closed face are a hassle, but definitely the safe route. I have a Scorpion Exo-700... perfect fit for me, with a Snell rated Kevlar/Fiberglass shell for less than $200. You'll definitely need to try one on, because their sizes seem to run differently than all the others (small). Did I mention they're nigh impossible to fog, even in 40 degree weather? | ||
| Bomber |
hans -- right you are -- Sch DOES make the BMW helmets | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Flip up helmets do not and will never meet snell requirements. Articulations on a helmet just don't cut it in their eyes, too much room for injury is my guess. Obviously fit is very important, once again I say for the money go Scorpion, it's got both DOT and Snell ratings, multiple position visor, which is also very easy to remove if you have a tinted visor you'd like to use in the daytime, the liner is removable and washable and it has many different colors and designs. try www.scorpionusa.com | ||
| Whodom |
As mentioned previously, http://www.webBikeWorld has some very good helmet info. They even have a section discussing different shaped heads and which helmet types/brands fit which shaped heads best. Another point worth noting is the more expensive helmets have replaceable cheek pads available in different thicknesses to help custom tailor the helmet to fit you. For example, I bought a Shoei XL sized helmet last year but put cheek pads in it which were several sizes smaller than standard to get a good fit. You can also make minor adjustments to a helmet that's a little too tight by SLIGHTLY indenting or grinding the styrofoam liner. Keep trying different brands and sizes until you find what fits best. If you can find a salesman that knows what he's doing, that's a big help too. When you think you've got the right one, leave it on as long as you can and see if you get a headache. A new helmet should fit slightly too tight, as it will loosen up a little after you wear it. It can be hard to know how tight it should be; be patient and take your time. Good luck. | ||
| Whodom |
Flip up helmets do not and will never meet snell requirements. Articulations on a helmet just don't cut it in their eyes, too much room for injury is my guess. Angelwild, that is an incorrect statement. Here's what Snell says about flip up helmets on their website: "Why won't Snell certify some types of helmets like flip up front designs? Snell does not dismiss out of hand any helmet design that strays from the conventional. Snell does not point out any design specifications other than general requirements in our standards. We are however, always concerned with innovations and new designs that may effect the helmet's ability to protect the wearer, or in some cases the helmets potential to cause injury. At present the Foundation has not had the opportunity to test any of the flip up front type helmets for certification. We do not find any fault with these designs as long as they are used according to the manufacturers instructions and meet all of the requirements of the standard. We will also certify any size of helmet as long as it meets the same requirements as any other Snell certified helmet." That said, these helmets have been around several years and I haven't seen a Snell-certified one yet, so maybe there is a fundamental reason they won't pass Snell testing. It certainly seems hard to believe they haven't had the opportunity to test any of them in the last ~5 years. | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Whodom, Thanks for the info...I wasn't sure why they didn't certify the flip helmets, I was just guessing. Yes, you're right, 5 years does seem like an awefully long time to wait, especially since newer helmet manufacturers have been on the scene less than 5 years and are already Snell rated...who knows. I just bought the book "proficient motorcycling" and they have a breakdown with a helmet diagram (from the Hurt report), showing the most struck areas on helmets and the chin seems to have the highest percentage of impact.  | ||
| Steve_mackay |
I'll add another vote for Scorpion helmets. Awesome bang for the buck. Fit like an Arai Quantum at 1/3 the price. Swordsman, my experience with The anti-fog shield is quite opposite than yours. It's nothing more than a gimmik IMHO. It *WILL* fog up just as easy as any other I've tried. An application of "Cat Crap" before a ride will help...(yes it's a brand name of anti-fog treatment, not real "Cat Crap"  ). http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet-visor-anti-fog/ Shield changes are the easiest I've EVER seen. | ||
| Diablobrian |
They only test helmets that are officially submitted for rating. No manufacturer submits a helmet that they are not sure will pass the test. with the high percentages of chin bar impacts it's easy to guess where a good number of test impacts will take place. No one wants word to get out that their "Hot new design" failed the Snell tests. That's why they choose not to submit them. | ||
| Teddagreek |
Very true no company has submitted a modualar helmet yet for testing... Makes you wonder.. DOT Testing is a joke.... I have a Shoei and a HJC.... I don't know is this a moto urban legend? Shoei and one other manufaturer are two companys to have a helmet to be able to go through the snell testing twice in a row with the same helmet with out failure.. Once a Marine always a Marine! | ||
| Jlnance |
it certainly seems hard to believe they haven't had the opportunity to test any of them in the last ~5 years. Whodom - Here is my guess. Certifing a flip up helmet would require developing specifications and tests for the chinbar locks. That of course costs money. I suspect that Snell will not test flip up helmets until AFTER someone pays them to develop the tests. | ||
| Dannyzuko |
Thanks to everyone for there suggestions. I think I will try to go to all the different places around here to try and find one that fits and I like. If I cant find anything there I will at least know what size I should to get. I really like the look of the Cabergs. Hope I can find them at a store around here. | ||
| Scott_in_nh |
anybody know what the real difference is between snell 2000 and the new snell m2005? | ||
| G234146 |
How about a ROOF helmet??? Never owned one but I want! http://www.designerhelmets.com/proddetail.php?art_no=523452&prod=R05+Boxer&cat=R oof | ||
| Dannyzuko |
That roof helmet looks crazy! Have you ever seen 1 in person? | ||
| Cb7 |
Arai makes a great helmet, but you're going to pay for it. Comfort, safety, fit are all important. A lot of riders, including me, find that Arai helmets go through the air a little easier than some other hats. This keeps your neck muscles a little more relaxed on longer rides, and minimizes wind noise a little. I can honestly say that my newest Arai helmet is better than my previous Shoei hats and HJCs that I've worn. Different Arai helmets are meant for different shaped skulls. Roof makes a very good helmet according to riders I know in Germany, but they're hard to find around here. I would be skeptical about buying any helmet until I put it on. Roof meet very stringent EU specs, but I think they're not Snell, if that matters to you. Not that Snell is the be-all, end-all of certifications. Also, check out Caberg helmets. I've heard some good things from BMW riders about these. My Arai Quantum is due for replacement, and I'll almost certainly get another Arai, especially since they've revamped the shield mechanism. |
