Helmets........need your opinion

Discussion in 'Gear & Accessories' started by duccmann, Jul 23, 2014.

  1. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    OK so need everyone to participate in this. I know the old adage if you have a $10 a head you buy a $10 helmet.. on that I don't want to go crazy spending a lot of money but want something in the middle. Light and quiet is what I'm looking for.
    Any and all opinions are welcome.
    Oh and if you have any info on the supplier that would be great.
    Thanks guys

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  2. mofo

    mofo New Member

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    The one that best fits your head.
    I've had quite a few. Last year I was shopping for a helmet and looked at several brands in every price range, Shoei, Shubert, Joe Rocket, Bell, Icon, HJC and quite a few more. I was never truly happy with the helmets I've had, they all were noisy and/or heavy and some gave me sore spots after 200 miles ridden.
    This time I end up with an scorpion EXO 500. Perhaps not the lightest, quietest or safer of the helmets out there, but I have ridden 3 days in a row of 500 miles, plus an 865 miles day and I have yet to feel any discomfort. The best helmet I've had so far.
    The last helmet I crash-tested was a shoei RF-1000 and I vouch for them. It did its job.
     
  3. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    I have the Schuberth C3 modular and for a modular it is quiet, in fact it is quieter than my Shoei RF -1100 that has been replaced with the Shoei GT-Air. Regardless of noise level without earplugs, anything over 45 MPH IMO, requires earplugs, it's just the nature of the beast. As far as I know, Schuberth is the only helmet that gives db ratings and claim to have the quietest helmets, I can say that my C3 is quiet, but is quieter than a comparable Shoei, HJC, Nolan, etc.?

    Check out Revzilla and Sportbike Track Gear helmet reviews, both places do a great job of describing what they like, don't like and any niceties about the helmet. As always, try it on first, nothing worse than finding out the helmet you mail ordered doesn't fit well or is too uncomfortable even for short periods of wear.

    Cheers
     
  4. Newera

    Newera New Member

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    The next Helmet I'll be buying is a Shoei GT Air. Great design with lots of ventilation available and a built-in tinted screen. Ideal so it can be used in bright sunshine or at night.
    The basic model in say Silver or white is cheaper than other more graphically oriented GT Air designs. Worth looking into...
     
  5. Arnzinator

    Arnzinator New Member

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    Webbikeworld is worth checking out, reviews on anything & everthing to do with motorcycles. They've reviewed just about every helmet on the market. Most recent helmet I've purchased was an AGV Skyline. Excellent fit & finish, on par with the Arai it replaced. Love the internal visor. Biggest draw back its a little noisy. Top vents whistle at certain speeds. Also a tight fit (xl) in OEM hardbags.
     
  6. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    I also went for the Schuberth C3 Flip front recently. The obvious downside is the ferocious price - but it does deliver a premium quality helmet. You can also be confident that you will have swift access to spares and back up parts worldwide throughout its life - again at a price! After an opening very high speed run across Europe (autobahns are fun!) I can confirm it is quiet - really quiet. Especially compared with all my previous helmets. Its also light - really light! My own weigh scales suggest it is a fair bit lighter than the official weight range shown on the shell - so no complaints on that score either.

    They offer a brilliant but again ferociously expensive Bluetooth upgrade which also works like a treat with TomTom and iPhone inputs, and can deliver rider to pillion or bike to bike coms with other similarly equipped Schuberth helmets. The Bluetooth module replaces the whole neck area skirt inside the helmet with everything including all the controls located neatly inside the shell. Once you learn their location they are instinctively accessible to a gloved hand. This means there are no extra holes (aka weak-spots) in the shell and nothing protruding through the shell - ensuring that in an impact the shell is best able to skid across a surface rather than have protruding controls snag and potentially snap your neck. Schuberth sizing seems smaller than other helmets I have tried. Their Medium size feels a fair bit tighter than medium helmets from other brands. So perhaps the main message is, that whatever helmet you opt for, make sure you try the helmet on for fit before committing to buy.


    SkiMad
     
  7. fatshoutybloke

    fatshoutybloke New Member

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    Just bought the Shark Speed-R. Similar fit to Shoei and close to their quality at a considerably lower price.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. PawnBoy

    PawnBoy New Member

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    As long as it's full face and DOT approved you probably can't go wrong. But like most others here, the helmet that fits you is the one you want to buy. My first helmet was a $100 Bell Sprint, and it was a nice cheap, simple, quiet helmet, but there was a seam on the forehead pad that gave me an icecream style headache after riding for close to an hour. Next I had some kind of Gmax helmet, which was alarmingly loud compared to the Bell, and also had an annoying visor release mechanism, but was the most comfortable helmet I've used yet. Now I'm on an HJC IS-16, which is fairly quiet, fairly comfortable, fairly well ventilated and has a retractable sun shield, all for around $150. My only complaint with the HJC is that the factory visor didn't last 6 months getting cleaned the same way I cleaned my Gmax visor for 3 years, was a web of scratches by the end, so I ended up replacing it with a Pinlock visor, which seems to be holding up fine.
     
  9. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    I went with the all white version and then added some black reflective tape to give a little bit of a "design" to it. One note, the GT-Air in comparison to my RF-1100 has less airflow, but as a side effect to that, it is quieter than the RF-1100.

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  10. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    You guys are awesome. Thanks for all the input...D..I really like yur C3 and want to go try one on....but spending ..what.. $800..1000 on a helmet......thats alot of scratch....
    So Ill check out that wed site that does all the write ups and see what I can find. Really leaning towards a flip up...I think Scorpion makes one now also......

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  11. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    BTW, most BMW motorcycle shops carry Schuberth helmets. There are a few places in LA/OC that carry them as well, just check Schubert's website for dealers. Depending on which model you're looking at, and whether you opt for the SRC comm system, you are looking at $700.00 - $1K. I got lucky and had the company pay for mine, as I use my bike for work transportation and having the SRC system allows me to be "available" if I need to be reached via cell phone. I've heard that the Scorpion modular can be a bit loud, so check out the Shoei Neo-Tech, it has very similar features to the Schuberth, is a little less expensive but is supposed to be fairly quiet as well. To be honest, the fit and feel of the Neo-Tech is really nice and if it would have been around at the same time I was looking for a helmet, I probably would have bought the Shoei. One, Shoei helmets fit me very well, two I had never really seen too many Schuberth helmets and new little about them and three it is a bit less $.

    Cheers!
     
  12. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    I wonder if that discount would apply to dudes wearing a Shuberth in a cage going to work and back? Or maybe on a bicycle?

    BMW dealers have carried Shuberths for aboot thirty years.
     
  13. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    D...I gather the Shoei is a modular helmet?.... I will go a try one on.

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  14. cinelliguy

    cinelliguy New Member

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    I have Schuberth (3 yrs) and Shoei GT Air (6 mo). Like the Schuberth, it's a great modular, but love the GT Air, just fits my head better, good visibility and well vented. The other thing about the GT is that it is very stable when you turn your head, at speed, to do a over the shoulder check. The GT Air is not as quiet as the Shuberth, but for both I wear earplugs (Moldex Comets). I highly recommend looking at Revzilla and their return policy, maybe buy both, try them on and keep them on for some good amount of time so you can play with them, A-B test. Just a thought. Good luck with your purchase!
     
  15. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    Cenelliguy...great Idea...bought my last pair of boots from them..great service and very helpfull... with specially buying boots that you don't even try on.. they fit perfect
    Thanks again

    Sent from my SGH-T679 using Tapatalk 2
     
  16. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    I love the Schuberth helmets, I've owned 2 of them and would own the new C-3 if it were a more reasonable price. I've had several Shoei modulars over the years and would probably look seriously at a Neo-Tech if it were reasonably priced. At the present time I'm wearing a Nolan N-103, good fit and finish, but relatively heavy and noisy. But just can't force myself to fork over $600-$700 for the Shoei or Schuberth. Maybe at some point, when the new models come out and they cut the price a bit. I usually change helmets every 3-5 years and just can't see dropping that kind of change for a consumer object. But that's just me.

    I've worn modular helmets for the last couple decades and don't have any interest in going back to a full face. Just wish they offered something other than black, white, and gray, or it seems that way anyway.
     
  17. John451

    John451 Member

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    I'm thinking of replacing my Shoei RF -1100 with the Shoei GT-Air, does anyone know how well the Sunvisor in the down position work with prescription eye glasses ?
     
  18. Scubalong

    Scubalong Official Greeter?

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    The sunvisor will go down almost to your nose. It will cover your precription glasses.
     
  19. Scubalong

    Scubalong Official Greeter?

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    Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuucma
    I have drewling over the Schuberth abd the Neotec for year. And this is what I got :whoo:
    [​IMG]
    My :moonie: still hurt
     
  20. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    $$$$$ ?????. Sweet.

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