| Author | Message | ||
     Zane |
After following Firebolt32's thread about laying down his bike (glad it wasn't worse Firebolt) I got to thinking. I don't know jack squat about helmets. What should I look for in a helmet? Not just full face vs. 3/4 or 1/2 helmet. I had decided long ago to wear a full face helmet or walk. I'm more interested in what to look for to ensure a good fit and what, if any quantitative measurements should I look for. Is there some standard of impact resistance or shock absorption? Can anybody enlighten me on the subject? | ||
| Xl1200r |
no measurement need to be taken. Wear it for 30 minutes or so, if it's still comfortable, then it fits right. Helmets have all different shapes among brands and product lines, so different helmets of the same size will fit differently. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a full-face helmet that isn't DOT. DOT makes it legal. If it's not DOT, you may as well not wear one at all because it isn't going to protect you and you can get the same ticket. Other ratings are for Snell or the British stamp of approval. I prefer the British one because it's better suited to bikes, but both are good and something to look for. While not ALL FF helmets have more than DOT, MOST will have some extra rating. It's not a bad idea to get that as well. The most import thing in comfort. For everyone it's fit, for some it's low noise, some it's low weight. I like good fit and light weight. | ||
| Rainman |
There are all sorts of tests out there that tell you some important things, such as a) Snell is better than DOT and b) DOT is better than Snell and c) Snell and DOT are about the same but I prefer to go with d) Both protect my head. I have $400 Snell-approved Shoei that I absolutely love and wear in the cold and on the highway and a $65 (on sale) AFX because its pretty. Find one that fits. The expensive helmets tend to be more comfortable, have better venting hardware and the like while the cheaper ones are, well, less expensive. Get the best you can afford. You can always buy up when you get the money. You can't have too many helmets. | ||
| Kyrocket |
You can't have too many helmets. Well, yeah kinda. I must've had too many because my brother came around asking, "do you wear that helmet anymore? Can I have it?" Beware the freeloader! That's O.K. though I feel better knowing he's wearing it at least, at least I think he's wearing it. | ||
| Azxb9r |
Helmets have all different shapes among brands and product lines, so different helmets of the same size will fit differently That would be the key. You need to try different helmets to find which one best fits YOUR head. My egg shaped skull likes the Shoei X-11 better than the RF-1000. Same manufacturer, but very different helmet shapes. Noise, weight, ventilation, and ease of visor removal are all considerations that come after fit. Just about any name brand helmet is going to be DOT or SNELL approved, so this is not something you really have to LOOK for. | ||
| Zane |
Well, I do like my comfort. Yeah, I got told about a place south of me in St. Petersburg called Cycle Craft. It's supposed to be a big accessories place with good prices. Gonna go down there and see what they have. What kind of price should I expect? I'd like to keep it under $250 if I can. But better to spend what I need to I guess. Don't want the $99 helmet at Walmart for this one... lol | ||
| Vortec57 |
ECE22 is pretty much the top helmet ranking out at the moment. I feel more comfortable with it than just DOT or DOT/SNELL. You can do some research online and learn all about the propper fitament/safety certifications. You can get a VERY nice helmet for under $200. In my mind the only reason you should ever spend more than $200 on a helmet is if you really like it's fit or something else. I just picked up a Sparx brand helmet, ECE 22 approved, DOT approved, nice ventint abilities, even has the nifty little eyebrow vents, clear and tinted shield, earplugs and it really seals out wind noise. They retail for around $150 | ||
| Zane |
$150. That's not bad at all. Even some one as cheap as I am can handle that. | ||
| Birdy |
I buy the best helmet that fits my noggin I can find. NOT the one that cost the most. If it doesn't fit right you might as well not waste you cash IMHO. Because you wont wear it and it if it doesn't fit right it wont protect right. I'd rather have fit and comfort than a flashy paint job. That said I will not buy a cheap no name bucket either...if ya got a $5.00 head buy a $5.00 helmet! | ||
| Zane |
My soon to be ex wife might say I have a $5.00 head but that's beside the point. | ||
| P47b |
The Wal-Mart Bell is not that bad of a helmet. But then again I am really like Bell helmets. The only complaints that I had with the helmet is the noise is generated by the angle of the helmet. If you ride a Sport Bike the noise was really bad. On a cruiser it was not that bad. The other complaint was the chin guard set on my chin the whole time I had the helmet. The comfort level was as close to a HGC or AVG helmet. But that’s my opinion. | ||
| Danny_h__jesternut |
It is recomended that racers use a Glass/Composit type shell. Cheaper plastic shells are NOT recomended even if they are Snell/DOT rated. Must be a reason for this? In fact at NHIS, Loudon Road Race Series will not let you on the track to race with a plastic shelled helmet. Safety Director has good reasons for this . Works for me. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
I love my new Shark RSX. I like the taller chin guard on the shark, i think it would have better face/ chin protection. also, the shark rsx and better helmets have a 3mm visor vs the std 2mm. Formula 1 specs call for 3mm visor. it's also very comfortable, pretty quiet and very cool looking.   | ||
| Firebolt32 |
Thanks Zane...Even at 5mph, if it wasn't for the helmet I'd have no teeth and probably a broken face. I was wearing a Harley modular full face. If I can get the pic to resize correctly, I will post a pic of the damage at such a low speed. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
I realized one thing about fit after I bought my last helmet. If a helmet has "adjustable fit" find out exactly what how it's adjustable. My Icon helmet has different size side/cheek pads available. If I had realized this I might have gotten a different particular helmet that fit perfect at the top but was too tight on the cheeks. Get a helmet that fits as snug as possible without giving you a headache. Don't buy until you've tried on several brands and models. | ||
| Aesquire |
Chipmunk cheeks are ok, hot spots on temples, forehead, etc. are not. I run a HJC Symax modular, ( with the flip up chin guard ) not bad at all, a little noisy, good fit, for ME. Also have a Suomy Spec 1-R, ( bostrom replica ) real expensive, noisy, but fit is perfect ( for Me ) and it's a feather light lid. Earplugs are a must with some lids. You only have one head & set of inner ears, so try & keep both for a long time. Constant ringing for years with exposure to loud sounds, sucks. Ask me how I know. Speak slowly & clearly. Fit fit fit. http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/mot orcycle-helmets.htm | ||
| Dtx |
Badlionsfan, That is a great graphic on your helmet. I like it a lot! | ||
| Xb12rene |
Most helmets sold have DOT, or Snell, or ECE22 approval(or more as one). Most important for me is the fit and the comfort level then driving. "Test-Driving" the helmet is important, as the noise level can make a helmet unwearable under YOUR usual driving conditions, even others have no problem at all. For example I have a Simpson helmet from which many people say it is very loud (which is true), but it muffled the lower frequencies and didn't give my headaches as my more quiet KBC after hours of driving. Now after some asphalt measuring I changed to a Shark RSI and even it is the quietest helmet I had, it produces a faint high-pitched sound (wind close to the ears), which could be annoying to some (thankfully not me). Beside that I can only recommend the Shark helmets, superb quality and well though out design. My checklist would be: Sticker o.k.-> Fit o.k.-> noise-level o.k.-> buy it and have fun riding | ||
| Firebolt32 |
Zane...check out http://extremesupply.com/ . They have a closeout section with tons of deals. I picked up my girl's helmet there and will be buying my new one today from there as well. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
First thing to remember, a properly fitted helmet will feel too tight at first. You need to go to a decent helmet shop, staffed with folks that know what they are doing. You will most likely find you will end up with a smaller helmet than you originally selected. Padding will compress as it ages. We all have our preferences as to helmet brands, but for my money I like Arai. After having an arai fitted to me (semi custom internals) everything thing else feels uncomfortable. | ||
| Igneroid |
I have an extremley large cranium(have one moon and own weather system)and live in a small town in northern BC Canada. There is not much to choose from up here. When I got my M2 last August, I had to order a XXXL from Edmonton Alberta before I could even ride the thing. I bought a modular as I like the flip thing but after reading here, mebey they arnt so great. The one I got still kinda hurts on the "corners"..heh Question...if I measured my noggin with, like biggass calipers, as in length, width, etc, do you think I could order a good quality full faced helmet online that would fit?? | ||
| Firebolt32 |
I wear fitted hats, so I go by that when buying a helmet. I pulled this chart off extreme supply for you. http://www.extremesupply.com/helmetsizing/sizing.h tm | ||
| Igneroid |
Thanks Firebolt. Most excellent! | ||
| Zane |
Thanks, Firebolt. I'll check them out. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Ign - if you must buy online, helmet sizes are measured by circumference, so a tape measure would work fine. The only time I ever did this was to veridy my own findings (I'm usually a small, but Suomy runs a little tight so I wanted to make sure I wansn't imagining things when the medium felt better to me). |
