waveriders

New Member
I'm just curious what brand helmets people are wearing. I need to replace my Shoei, and in doing some research, I found that Scorpion has one that is both DOT and Snell 2015 rated that is just over $200. Since it's rated the same as the more expensive helmets, I'm debating on whether to try it out rather than dropping $500+ on another Shoei or Arai.
 

DCMoney

Member
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I've been wearing Arai's since `07, someone would have to pay me to switch. Weight and airflow are phenomenal on my corsair V's, currently have 2 of them, a vector 1 and a vector 2. I like the distance the chin bar is from my face on the corsairs over my shoes that felt like it was a foot away. When I switched from my vector 1 to my corsair V I couldn't believe the airflow difference, felt like I was given air conditioning in my helmet. Dont notice much noise but 99% of the time I have earplugs in.

My first "expensive" helmet was a Shoei RF1000 great helmet, no complaints.

You'll find helmet snobs that tell you only to wear the most expensive helmets on the market. What's most important is finding a helmet fits your head best. My Corsair v's are a Medium shell with large pads in them to give me the best possible fit.

Ratings to me are not a great identifier of the quality of the helmet. Just means they were able to meet that standard, find a helmet that goes beyond the minimum.

I had a friend that crash with a signet Q on, hit a metal sign post with his head so hard it cracked the helmet and ripped off the front of it. He lived.

11174581_10202923019955838_9047617238220477036_o.jpg


Helmets are a disposable item.
 

mr-fabricator

New Member
I realy like my Bell but im.saving for a arai corsair , we all have different shapes heads so go with a good brand and one that fits properly .

I have had a few AGV but the new range will not fit , would love a valentino carbon but alas it does not fit my head , bell are good , shark also , not tried a shoumi ( spelling ) for a few years but thought they were great a few years back .

Im racing now and need a high end helmet ; Shoei good , arai just that bit better fit and thats what i will be going for..

Last one to mention was an old OGK helmet that was also great Aeroblade modle , back in early 2000's they have renamed to kybota i beleive .

try everything u can and one will.stand out , try not to look at price tags . Afterall when your lay in hospital with brain damage youd happily pay someone $100000 to give u back the use of your legs , 500 bucks.for a helmet is cheap insurance .
 

Treachery

Moderator
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+1 on fit being the main variable. Comfort is probably a subset of fit. I've worn both Shoei and Arai, and find the build quality and "plushness" of those to be a step above the rest. Arai has kind of moved away from the rounder profiles, and they're even more expen$ive than Shoei, so I doubt I'll consider one next time. The nicer Scorpions (higher model numbers) look pretty good. One other variable that's a make/break thing for me is that i really want a dark smoke shield, especially for the track. A flip-down sunshade is okay, but I still want a full shield most of the time. HTH.
 

ToraTora

Member
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How to choose a lid

This is one of those questions that comes up regularly on the moto forums. This video is one of the bests I've seen on helmet fit--which is probably the most important factor when choosing a helmet since most helmets made to day meet pretty high standards.

I've had a bunch of helmets over the hears. I really like the new Bells. Some folks wont touch them because they are made in China (like everything these days). I was in a pretty rough crash face first into the pavement (thanks to a woman driving a Honda Civic). The Bell Star that I was wearing saved my face. :D I replaced it with another Bell Star of course. I also have a Rossi AVG. I like it but the fit isn't quite as nice as the Bell so I don't wear it much. Get a good fitting helmet that's comfortable to wear, and wear it every time you ride. :)

[video=youtube;F8v4qzB5HLY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8v4qzB5HLY[/video]​
 

waveriders

New Member
So I went yesterday and looked at helmets. I ended up buying a Shoei. After trying a bunch on, I immediately noticed the fit of the Shoei on me was better than the other brands I tried on. Not that the other helmets were inferior quality, it's just the Shoei fit me better. I liked the helmets with the flip down "sunglasses" visor inside the helmet, but I found the lever to flip down the visor was on top of the helmet, and really didn't care for that. Also, even though the helmet I bought didn't come with this feature, one of the Shoei models came with a removable liner that is held in by plastic snaps, which I thought would be nice to have here in Florida. So bottom line is that I went in not looking at price as the first criteria. Once I found a couple helmets that fit, and I thought would keep me safe, etc., I then compared features of the helmet to the asking price. I probably overanalyzed things a bit, and the shop guy probably thought I was nuts, but that's the way it goes.:cool:
 

DCMoney

Member
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So I went yesterday and looked at helmets. I ended up buying a Shoei. After trying a bunch on, I immediately noticed the fit of the Shoei on me was better than the other brands I tried on. Not that the other helmets were inferior quality, it's just the Shoei fit me better. I liked the helmets with the flip down "sunglasses" visor inside the helmet, but I found the lever to flip down the visor was on top of the helmet, and really didn't care for that. Also, even though the helmet I bought didn't come with this feature, one of the Shoei models came with a removable liner that is held in by plastic snaps, which I thought would be nice to have here in Florida. So bottom line is that I went in not looking at price as the first criteria. Once I found a couple helmets that fit, and I thought would keep me safe, etc., I then compared features of the helmet to the asking price. I probably overanalyzed things a bit, and the shop guy probably thought I was nuts, but that's the way it goes.:cool:

Very nice!
 

Bagwell

Member
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Arais most of my motorcycling life, HJC RPHA a couple of years ago and it was great but the fit wasnt as good as the Arai. Bell Star Carbon last year and the fit and finish seems GREAT so far. I got the Bell on a deal around the holidays, so I took a chance on trying it out.
 
I trust Arai. I changed from a Profile to the RX-Q. I have ran with Suomy Vandal and like it a lot. If I had the head shape, Shoei would be another choice that I'd use. Have been saved by Arai 3 times in the last 2 years in the heat of the battle.
 

reenmachine

Member
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I have a Shoei RF-1100 because it fits my head like it was custom made for me, which, as everyone else has already said, is the primary concern. I'd recommend a $200 helmet that fits perfectly over a $500 one that doesn't anyday, as they all meet a pretty high safety standard but they will only do their job if they stay put and in the proper position on your head.
 
If you are going to be using your helmet at track days or racing...you have to consider the size of the eye port. I bought a RF series Shoei and was disappointed when I had to sit up to see out of the eye port. Put the helmet on, drop your head forward to where you would be if 'tucked' and if you only see the inner liner of the helmet...the eye port is too small. I went with a SHARK helmet because the eye port was bigger and I could see. The Shoei is now my street riding helmet only. parillaguy
 

reenmachine

Member
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If you are going to be using your helmet at track days or racing...you have to consider the size of the eye port. I bought a RF series Shoei and was disappointed when I had to sit up to see out of the eye port. Put the helmet on, drop your head forward to where you would be if 'tucked' and if you only see the inner liner of the helmet...the eye port is too small. I went with a SHARK helmet because the eye port was bigger and I could see. The Shoei is now my street riding helmet only. parillaguy

That's a really good point. All of our heads are different and each helmet will fit everyone differently. All the more reason to go try them on and choose based on fit & function. I like to shop for helmets and other things where "in position" fit is critical (e.g. helmets, boots) at a shop that sells bikes as well as gear and will let you sit on stuff to try it out. One "Mega" store around here won't let you take stuff out of the gear area to the bikes area to try in position. They lost my business because of it -- one of the rare cases where I don't feel bad trying something on in the store and then going home and buying it online.
 

KBear

Member
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I've had several different brands over the years, several Bells and Shoei. I currently have 2 Shoei GT-Airs (1) 2015 and (1) 2018, (1) 2018 Arai Corsair-X KTM Series, and (1) 2019 AGV K-3 SV Balega . I've been giving some thought to another AGV a K5 S Hurricane 2.0. Like others have stated it's really a personal preference but there's no reason not to obtain the best helmet you can afford. The ol' saying "What is your life worth? And "You get what you pay for."

I really like the AGV K-3 SV for the air flow capabilities but it is made of thermoplastic whereas the K-5 S is made of carbon-fiber glass mix.

It really comes down to your personal preference I guess.
 

Botts

Member
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I ride with a Shoei GT-Air on the street. I love the drop down sun visor, and the helmet is comfortable, light, relatively quiet, and comes with a good pinlock. Previously I had a Shark Evo One 2, which I really liked, but I would question the longevity of their build quality.

On track, I ride with an AGV K-1. For track, I don't need the bells and whistles, so I went with the cheapest AGV I could find with a solid SHARP score. I figured since I'm relatively likely to have a few get-offs, I'd rather kill a $200 helmet than a $500+ helmet. I also know that I'm far more likely to replace a $200 helmet than think, "Hmmm, it's probably fine." like I would if I tapped a $500+ helmet on track.
 
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