Helmets.. ?

[carlperkins00...]

at the moment i have a Large AGV longway flip front. And to be honest.. it is absoloute shite! its a size too big and lets so much wind into it, i cant stand it anymore...

im looking to get a new one now ive got some cash. Price range of about £150-£175.

the only decent helmets ive seen are AGV S4, Stealth and K4.

Shoei and Arai are rediculously expensive..

HJC, Marashuin and RST i dont like. they are cheap and cheerfull i think.

Caberg are ok but they only make decent flip fronts, their full face ones look pretty shite in my opinion.

Am i missing any brands or is this it?
if it is.. either im being really picky or there is only one decent mid-range brand, AGV?

[angryjonny]

OK - let's get the usual spiel out of the way first:

There is no better helmet than one that fits you properly.

Ok, there we go. I said it.

Moving on... I would put HJC and RST close to AGV in terms of perceived quality. A cut above Nitro, Box and Takachi at least. I'd probably put them above Caberg too, in my own psycological helmet pecking-order. I'm Arai-faithful... love them.

You haven't mentioned Nolan, X-Lite, Shark and Suomy - I'd put all of them towards the mid-upper end of the scale too.

[bmwsport]

Yea you gotta try loads on... i've got a Shoei Raid II which i absolutely love, as light at the carbon caberg i looked at, fits great and is of great quality, plus pinlock, and was a little over £200.

[angryjonny]

I'm happy to pay top dollar for some things, a helmet being one of them. As Mr Rolls (or was it Mr Royce) once said... the quality remains long after the cost is forgotten.

Never could get an HJC to fit - tried one on the other day when my friend was helmet shopping and it gave me a headache after 30 seconds... odd shape.

[JP7]

I went into my local Hein Gericke with an open mind, intending to buy the helmet that fitted me the best. Having had a HJC that I thought fitted well and actually didn't, I wanted to make sure I got the right one.

I wanted to look at AGVs, higher spec HJCs and the like, but after trying on over 10 helmets, bought an Arai Viper GT, the only one in the damn shop that fitted properly! Cost me over £300, but 6 months interest free rocks!

[That_Hornet]

Find the one you want, then go to a bike show. I went to nec and got a helmet for 1/2 price. 120 down to 60 not bad. Going back this year to see if I can get a simular deal. Think ill go for a expencive one this time. Some good quality

[Kennypa4]

As the saying goes mate you get what you pay for .
This is the one area I did go for a good make shoei.
I have a multitec.
Also have a caberg flip front as well bought it when i was doing my cbt but once i passed my das and was on the road you get to thinking you want the best for your head.
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Kenny
RBLS Riders
Scottishbikers Forum

[carlperkins00...]

hmm.. yeah the only thing that puts me off shoei or arai is the price tag. ill go to hein gericke and a few other places and see what happens, if i like the expensive ones ill just save up abit longer.

i though my helmet fit good when i bought it, the pads must have squashed, or my head shrunk, haha

cheers for peoples advice

[dodger]

Shameless photo whoring time here but Hein Gericke have a summer sale on atm which includes several helmets including the top range AGV GP-Tech.

I happen to have an AGV shaped head so I couldn't resist...

https://lh4.ggpht.com/_ibRsBqUgDKc/SnRSlkph2TI/AAAAAAAAASc/56hOsjPg1xQ/s640/IMG_0101.JPG

https://lh5.ggpht.com/_ibRsBqUgDKc/SnRSi5v9xxI/AAAAAAAAASU/swcAo8MpKz4/s512/IMG_0100.JPG

It's slightly over your budget but an amazing lid for the money
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My Bikes: Piaggio NRG| Aprilia RS 125| Suzuki GSX-R 600|Yamaha Fazer Ducati 848
Europe 2008

[plugger147]

I've got a HJC, it was the most comfortable fit at the time and it had DD fasteners which I like better than the seatbelt type, it does get a bit noisy in there sometimes and I've lost one of the vent openers, think I paid about £60 for it a few years ago. I'm gonna be looking for a new one soon and won't be ruling out getting another if it's the best about at the time.
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Tristan the wrote: just whipped off my trousers to find a big bruise on my arse, caused by matt rear ending me...

[Mord]

I've got damaged Nolan N84.. it saved my head.. I don't feel tempted to try something else (i.e. Arai). I want a new N84.. it fits my head perfectly, it's not noisy, double visor, n-com.. cost £150ish

After 70mph crash I don't want anything else (maybe I hit my head too hard after all )

[kitty kat]

I tried on loads of lids on Saturday, I ended up with a Shark as it was the only one that fitted me. I don't have an Arai or Shoei shaped head. I even tried on the top of the range Bell and that didn't fit. Goes to show that sometimes the dearest is not always the best.
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Enjoy everyday, tell those you love everyday you love them
Life is too short to fall out with people

[mooserx]

I've got a marushin nx999 its a cracker, sooooo comfy and a perfect fit, the only downside its a bit noisy for a full face, earplugs sort this easy, i used to have a caberg trip which was ok but iwoldn't have another, as a flip front i found it that bit to loud and the chin bar rested on my chin.
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TL1000r-handful.

[carlperkins00...]

yeah flipfronts are crap in my opinion, i hate mine now! with a vengance.

went to hein gericke and tried on some. AGV S4 in red and white with a mirror'd race visor in medium is the one for me..

should cost about £200 all together. And at the moment I have £70.

ill post some pics of it with the mirror visor as soon as i get it, i think it will look the tits.

[Drax]

Used to have an HJC - cheap & cheerful.

Just bought an Arai Viper GT -

Fits perfectly. All day comfortable & looks excellent (Banda Black paintjob)

Expensive but worth every penny IMO

[Kickstart]

Hi

As said above, fit is most important.

Currently I have a Shoei lid (several in a row), which are about the best I have found for me so far.

Few years back I tried a couple of HJC lids on. Shape wise they were good for me, better than the Shoeis. Trouble was that I appear to be between 2 of their sizes, with one size being very loose and the next size down being painfully tight (but painfully tight all over).

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[daesimps]

I used to have an AGV S4. Ended up ditching it because it was so damn loud. I swear it would have been quieter with my head in a wheelie bin. That was with ear plugs too.

I now have a Schuberth S1 Pro and think it's a fantastic lid. Quiet, comfy, good fit, well ventilated, pinlock and sun visor. Will definitely by another when this one's ready for replacement. It wasn't cheap, but just feels so well made and put together. I paid £400 last year and then took a mate to the NEC, where he picked it up for £330!
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If it ain't broke, fix it till it is!

[Dr. DaveJPS]

[Clanger]

Suomy fits me better than ANY other make of helmet, and because I have XS head, they are usually rather cheap to buy, £59.00 last time!!!
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[deanoet]

I find the S4 okay for wind noise, even for short motorway stints but i am comparing it to the caberg V2 i had before which was shockingly loud.

Only complaint with the S4 would be the metal mesh at the front for vents does rust if you ride in all weathers
Easily sorted with sprays (WD40 doing the trick at the mo) but on a £175 helmet not the sort of quality you expect
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CBT Passed 18th July 2007 : Previous Bikes> CG125 : Current Bike> Hornet 600 : PASSED DAS 30th Oct 2007
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[carlperkins00...]

^^^ now that's a useful bit of info! cheers Deanoet.
when i get mine i think i might mask up the helmet so i dont damage it and spray some clear laquer on the metal mesh, thatll stop the rust.

cheers mate

[dodger]

[deanoet]

[carlperkins00...]

got enough money now for the AGV S4. went into the shop and tried it on and all that and the guy came over and said do i want him to help me out and stuff..
turns out it was a crappy fit for my head.

he suggested a few and one of them was an Arai Viper.
I used to think arai and shoei were just expensive brand names but it fit like a glove. absoloutly perfect!
ill be saving up for another 2 weeks then im going to buy a black one for £350. abit more than what i wanted to pay.
but i get it customised for free to make the pads fit perfect.

cannot wait... it makes my helmet feel like a hollowed out melon.

[tutton]

Ive got a arai viper gt.
Nice lids, speed on runways over around 80 is very loud i feel, but then ive got nothing to compare it to really
Pinlocks excellant in winter, and a medium is a good fit on my head.
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Past: '05 Peugeot XPS '99 Aprillia RS125 '94 FZR600R
Current: '02 ZX636 A1P '51 CCM R30