What's your experience of different types of helmet?

[TCFA]

*fnar fnar*

Joking aside, I've had my Shoei (Raid II) for coming on 8 years now and I fancy a bit of a change of scene. It's getting a bit tatty inside and out.

Before that I had a budget nitro and before that some I-don't-know-what cheap tat

I used to be of the understanding that Shoei and Arai were the only ways to go for proper safety and performance but I know that's b*llox now. Lots to choose from, all with full safety ratings and at good prices

What's your experience of other brands in terms of weight, noise, comfort, durability (even crash protection if you'r unlucky enough for first hand experience)

Also, do all the ones with 5* ratings also have the little gold sticker that means you can go on track or is that a different thing to look out for?

Thanks, as ever, for your input
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Then: Kawasaki ZZR250 > Suzuki Across 250 > Suzuki SV650 > Honda CB750
Now: Honda CBR600F and Triumph Tiger 800 XRT

[SM.Morgan]

Currently have a BELL Le Mans edition lid. Best one I've owned for everything.

I've owned a suomy, which was quite windy, and the visor mech broke.

Arai corsair. light, comfortable and good for noise, always felt the chin guard was too close, but any later size and it didn't fit.

Had a SIXSIXONE mx helmet, very light, very windy, very painful in rain.

Arai (the one from longwayround) quality bit of kit, would recommend to anyone with a bike that matches that style.

Rst: first helmet I owned, crashed and landed on my face, held up really well for a budget £100 lid.

AGV: shit.
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Harley XR1200

[TCFA]

cool thanks for that. I'd forgotten about Bell, they make some really nice looking lids

Why do you say that about AGV? I'd actually been considering the Guy Martin rep for a bit of fun!
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Then: Kawasaki ZZR250 > Suzuki Across 250 > Suzuki SV650 > Honda CB750
Now: Honda CBR600F and Triumph Tiger 800 XRT

[G]

Go for fit first, I'd say.

Shoei always seem to fit me well, so given the choice I'll go with them.

[TCFA]

probably a daft question (but I haven't tried on another lid in 8 yrs) - what should I look for in fit. You see the motogp lads with their cheeks all squished up which seems too tight for me. I reckon my Shoei probably has a bit too much give now after these yrs, esp at the top, though that said sometimes the bit nr my ear needs my finger in there to move it round and get it right and when the gps speaker is in there it puts too much pressure on my ear.
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Then: Kawasaki ZZR250 > Suzuki Across 250 > Suzuki SV650 > Honda CB750
Now: Honda CBR600F and Triumph Tiger 800 XRT

[TCFA]

also can you recommend a good place in UK (better till London) with a wide selection? I was thinking probably Infinity motorcycles
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Then: Kawasaki ZZR250 > Suzuki Across 250 > Suzuki SV650 > Honda CB750
Now: Honda CBR600F and Triumph Tiger 800 XRT

[Beehive Bedlam]

LS2 > Shite.

Shoei raid > Very nice fit, comfy, and quite.

Shox bullet flip up > OK but heavy and no where near as comfy as the Shoei also awkward to switch visors.

Shox Assault > Again OK for the money but not the greatest if you ride every day.

Shoei raid > Current the only thing I don't like about this helmet is the chin strap which can be fiddly especially when you can't feel your fingers.

I intend on sticking to Shoei helmets only in the future because they fit my skull very well and are comfortable.

[Polarbear]

I find HJC helmets fit me best.

I've had a few others, Shark, was a bout the best but I've always reverted to HJC.

I didn't rate Arai at all for the money.
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Victory Cross Country American tractor.

[Llama-Farmer]

5* Sharp rating does not (necessarily) equal ACU Gold sticker, and vice versa.

My Caberg Konda has 5* but not ACU Gold.
My AGV something had 3* but was ACU Gold.




My current helmet is a Shoei NXR and it is most definitely worth the money compared to cheaper helmets I've had. Really nice and light, and also feels a lot smaller on your head... e.g. when you turn your head you're not fighting against the wind so much to keep your head up.

The Caberg was very good, although eventually got tired and needed replacing so got an LS2 flip as well and thats good value, but can tell it won't last too long either.

The AGV I had was at the budget end of their range, and it was alright, fitted well but the non-essentials were not built very well (i.e. the chin flap thing fell out and got lost) and the visor seal didn't make quite a good enough seal.


The Shoei was 3 times as much, but I'd say it's at least 4 times better overall. But then the NXR currently is at the more expensive end of Shoeis range, something slightly cheaper is might be even better value.
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Current Bike: 1999 Honda CB600 FX Hornet
Next Bike: I want a CBR-RR. And I want an F800 GS-A. And a VFR 800. Can I have all 3?
Dream Bikes: Honda VFR750R RC30, Honda NSR500, Ducati 996 R

[Moo.]

In order of when i got them..

KBC XP13 - Meh, first helmet, crap graphics but fit alright.

HJC IS16 - Fit crap at first had to cut some foam off the removeable liner to stop pressure, but bedded in nicely, average all round from noise to build quality. Its usually the helmet i keep going back to for reliability.. Liked the sun visor.

HJC RHPA Max Flippy thing - Nice helmet, quieter than the IS16 or KBC, build quality is good, nice having a flip for talking to people, view port feels small though..

Nexx XR1X. Viewport is MASSIVE, the chin bar is very close to my face though.. Fairly quiet, comes with pads to slightly customize fit. The visor quick fit plastic clips break easily..

Arai Freeway 2 - Best fitting helmet out of them all, quality feels superb. On the Is16 all the trimmings eventually fell off and i had to re-glue them. On the arai the quality is obviously alot higher. Its open face though so could get chinned.

For reference i'd say most of these helmets fit neutral to slightly narrow, as opposed to a round head.


Fit wise, you want chipmunk cheeks, when wearing the helmet. If you try to rotate it you want your skin to follow the direction your pulling. Make sure you cant fit a finger up the forehead or back of the helmet. Also wear it for a while to see if any major pressure points occur, slight pressure is alright as the helmet will give.

Make sure it feels like you've got full contact on the top of your head and that its not sitting on the top of your forehead and the back of your head for example. Usually means the helmets the wrong shape.
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A2 Passed 18/6/10

[DrSnoosnoo]

I've had 2. 1st was a Nitro one with flip down sun visor for £60. Was budget but lasted me well for a few months and was very comfortable.

Then I heard about sharp ratings and saw it was only a 3*. My birthday arrived and people said, I'll give you some pennies, so I put it towards my 5* (sharp) AGV SV 3 (I think).

AGV has more comfortable lining better "quality feel" but that could just be because I knew I paid £135 so should feel better than my half price earlier lid. Visor mechanisms feel very strong and after 3 years it's all working as it should. The vents though have always been hard to work, very stiff to move and don't seem to make any difference open or closed.

The biggest for the AGV is the WINDNOISE!!!!! Bloody hell, anything over 30mph and there's a whistle. Horrible.

The mini skirt at the chin is starting to tear and it has been worn daily for 2 years so I'm revving up to buy a new one and REALLY want one less noisy.
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I'm Sam; Northern, Ginger, Lover
Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[P.addy]

[RedPanda]

[Rogerborg]

[Matt B]

[recman]

I live in my Qwest, my Raid is a back up for when the Qwest is having a scrub.
I think the Raid may be sightly quieter and lighter, its certainly a more snug fit but only because it gets less use.
I wasn't really happy with either the fit, feel or price of any other make tbh.

[Monkeypony]

I've used most different brands of lid over the years, but the Shark Rave Pro-R I've got at the moment is easily the nicest thing I've ever squeezed my head into.

Ticks all the boxes safety wise, but what I really love about it is how light it is. REALLY light. The fixtures and fittings have a nice premium feel to them and the fit is great. The (as standard) anti fog visors are the mutts nuts too.

The only thing I'll be replacing it with is another Race Pro.
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Current bike - 2018 H2-SX, 2004 SV1000s, 2016 Aprilia RSV4 RF, 2017 Sherco SERF 300, 2003 Suzuki DRZ400 (stolen - AY53 JUU)

[BravoCharlie]

I've only owned three since i've started, but i've been trying a few on lately as I'm going for my next one soon.

AGV - current lid. I actually am really happy with it. It's a K3 i've got at the minute and i've been doing 80mile motorway trips to uni with it, never really found the windnoise an issue.

HJC - bought it for myself, ended up giving it to my missus. Really nice fit i found, similar to the AGV. Not the most expensive of lids but i don't believe that cost is everything.

Duchini - first lid. I bought a D619 flip front the same day i bought my Marauder. they don't supply them anymore i don't think, but for a first lid It done me well. bit windy at points but nonetheless decent. I crashed in it and went sliding down the road, it protected my face pretty well.


Recently, I've been looking at a replacement, and so far I'm really keen on a Reevu helmet - comes with a built in rear view mirror as a bonus. tried it on, it felt like a really good, comfortable fit. The other contender is one of the Shark Lids. I really like the vancore (yes yes, fashion statement etc.), but may go for a flip front this time.

Arai didn't like the shape of my head so much.
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Current: Kawasaki ZL600 Eliminator
Past: Suzuki GZ125, Kawasaki GT550, Kawasaki GPX600R, Honda vrx400,Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Suzuki SV650 K5
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.

[bladeblaster]

Helmets I have owned:-

Bieffe PF Chili replica - Not sure you can even get Bieffe helmets any more, was a very good lid though.

AGV - Don't know what model, it was a racer replica, can;t remember who but it had a grim reaper on the back, and cost about £300 back in the early 2000's was a lovely helmet, very quiet.

AGV - Again don;t know what model, but it was a cheap one about £100, worst helmet I have ever owned, noisy as hell, and became loose fittin, and threadbare inside after only a year.

Nitro - Cheap £80 when they were still fairly new out, very good helmet for the price, comfy and quiet, lasted about 3 years, and was still ok when I crashed and scuffed it up.

Shoei - Cheating a bit here because it actually belong to my ex but I wore it a few times as we have same size heads. It fitted ok but was wrong shape for my head and became painful to wear after about 30 mins.

Arai - RX7 Corsair, best helmet every by a million miles and then some. Lasted 8 years before really starting to be a bit sloppy fit, even then the lining still in good condition, and I do quite a few miles in all weathers.

Arai - Couldn;t afford another RX7 so went for a Quantum V, still a great helmet, lovely and comfy, light, and quiet. Only had it since Nov and not ridden that much this winter, but so far so good.

[RedPanda]

[chris-red]

I've owned many, I stick to Shoei and Arai, I found the others I had (HJC/AGV) didn't last long.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[ReadySalted]

Well I had a HJC helmet as a learner and that was fine, but was pretty heavy and felt bulky. I quickly learned after passing my test that it was too loose.

Next I had got myself an arai chaser v with a snazzy blue pattern to match my bike and it's great. It's got a nice round shape to it and feels small and snug on my head. Wind noise is okay but not brilliant, and wearing headphones is a pain because the tight foam drags them out of your ears as you put the helmet on.

I recently found an ex display shoei xr1100 in crystal white and while the shape of it is more elongated and it feels bulkier to wear than the arai, it's noticeably the lightest. The peripheral vision it allows is also way better than any others I've used and it's by far the quietest. I also fitted some speakers into the ear area on the helmet as the foam had little recesses to allow for this which is a nice feature. Hopefully the speakers will be loud enough for me to hear music over the ambient and wind noise.

I tend to think that for normal riding I'll stick to the shoei from now on.

[Rogerborg]

[talkToTheHat]

HJC:

IS-16, sunvisor is nice to have, springloaded mechanism is annoying but didn't smack me in the nose. Chin vent is flimsy and doesn't work well. Top vents mostly just whistle if open and are very hard to use. Now reborn as TR1 with different strap. I don't thing i got the fit quite right. Would not buy again.

FG-15, light, inexpensive, came with 50% tint daytime approved visor and a clear visor. Vents work but are fragile. Doesn't seal very well compared to any other helmet I've owned. Fit is on the narrow side and perfect for me. Would buy again if i was a sumer/daytime only rider or for summer/daytime use if i was keeping two active helmets. Quiet compared to IS-16. Works well tucked in. Visots scratch easily and are quite thin. Under £30 to replace visors is pretty good, and visor changes can be done with the helmet still on. Same visor system as IS-16.

IS-17, vastly improved vents over both fg-15 and IS-16, nearly bought one, but fit is too round.

Shark Speed-R: Really light, carbon even more so. Sunvisor does not smack me in the nose. Fit is on the narrow side, vents work really well and don't make extra noise when open. Quietest helmet I have used in a cruiser/upright riding position, is noisier tucked in on a sportsbike but is perfect for naked bikes. Visor is open or locked closed, and is hard to open with winter gloves. With a foggy mask to keep breath off my glasses and snot off the visor and a maxvision pinlock (included in later production runs) I just leave the visor locked. The visor is thick and doesn't scratch up easily. Good luck finding a replacement for less than £65 though. Sunvisor mechanism is sommoth, silent, and easy to operate. Best mechanism of all the sunvisor lids I've tried. I would not hesitate to buy another one of these (even the £329 carbon) if i had to replace mine.

Shark S900 sunvisor is awkward to operate and smacks me in the nose hard. Instant dealbreaker.

AGV: tend to fit my headshape. Adoption of pinlock has been slow, and thus have never found a helmet that meets my requirements when I have been shopping for one. I like the angular exterior styling and the helmet ratchets that do fully open, open an tiny bit, closed and the idea of the interchangeable ratchets (open/closed and traditional steps all the way). Do not like the model I tried with the chin vent control on the inside where I'd stick my foggy mask.

Scorpion: Tried a few, really nice feel to the linings. Liked the fit, sunvisor and pinlock of the exo1000, but it was very heavy and i'm not sure about this air pump business.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[G]

Quite a few bits fell off my top of the range (RX7) Arai - not very impressed. Was getting on for half price at £275 too.