Helmets

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ilovequo

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Whats everyone wearing?
I've stuck to Arais so far but finding my current one pretty noisy...
Thinking of changing to a Shoei Gt Air...
Any suggestions?
 

Debaser

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My suggestion is try a few on and pick the best one you can afford

Helmets are always going to be noisy but I always wore earplugs anyway

Fit, comfort and peripheral visibility were always far more important factors IMO

My last lid was a Shoei X-Spirit, absolutely loved it
 

DriftnSlide

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Different shells for different heads, I've a Shoei head as Arai feels like a bucket on me. As said above try a few different brands and buy the best fit. I always hated ear plugs and preferred the induction, engine and wind noise, though that's why i'm half deaf now probably. lol
 

Apis

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Eh, whatyasay? I've a shark flip which is handy but a bit noisy. Electric screen on my bike solves the problem, though.
Have had a Shoei which was great and wifey has a HJC RPHA10 which is very nice for the price, a couple of years ago. So light as well.
 

genman

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few if any helmets are truly quiet...if you want them to vent then air has to get in...catch 22.
get whatever fits and feels best and then do the same for earplugs
 

Ryan L

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I've got an old AGV grid which is a decent fit but noisy. I had to go up the price range slightly with AGV for my first helmet as the entry level models were really uncomfortable.

I recently bought a Bell Star Carbon, good fit for the noggin and it's really light but even worse for noise. I doubt you could wear it without earplugs.
 

mike150

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Before I start, wear earplugs! Anything over 50mph is doing damage to your hearing no matter what helmet you have. Shoei are one of the quieter ones too.

I always have had Shoei for the last 26 years, up until I bought a GT Air, great helmet as long as I didn't wear it for more than an hour. I found this out on a Scotland road trip at around Loch Lomond! It seemed to push my ear plugs into my ear drums, over the next few days I tried pulling the ear liners out, nothing worked, I just had to ride with no earplugs. I came home and sold the helmet and bought an HJC IS17 second hand, loved it, so I bought an HJC Rapha ST, loved it so I bought an HJC Rapha 10+ to go along with the Rapha ST.

I know I have mental issues! I still have my Shoei XR1000 which is brilliant (I would sell it! Medium red/white conqueror) but I never use it now.

Shoei's just got to be too expensive IMO and Arais have always been too expensive though they have the best paint and design and I always used Arai MX helmets.

A GT air Shoei is a great helmet but for some reason it was not comfortable for me or others that have had them and I have had lots of Shoei helmets.
 

Debaser

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Shoei's just got to be too expensive IMO and Arais have always been too expensive though they have the best paint and design and I always used Arai MX helmets.

I've never understood anyone who says this
What price do you put on permanent brain damage, or your life?
 

mike150

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I've never understood anyone who says this
What price do you put on permanent brain damage, or your life?

Just because they cost more does not mean they are better, you are very narrow minded. I don't understand anyone that thinks 'it costs more so must be better'

Read the SHARP tests and you will find that a £140 HJC IS17 scores 5 stars, better than a £470 Shoei GT Air with 3 stars and and a £600 Arai RX7GP with 4 stars.

I have always bought what I thought to be the best helmet. How many MX riders spend £400 on an Arai? I never had a problem with it.

SHARP Helmets - THE HELMET SAFETY SCHEME
 
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Apis

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Costs reflect the advertising and sponsorship too.
Not denying that Arai make lovely helmets though.
 

VEN©M

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I ran HJC helmets back when i started out, really liked them for the money. Then i moved up to Suomy and fell in love with their Spec 1 R which i'm not sure they even make any more. i wish i'd kept a few of my old helmets instead of flogging them on to make a few $ back.
 

ilovequo

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ilovequo
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Have to disagree with some comments - there definitely is a noticeable difference in wind noise depending on helmet...
An old Nolan I had was massively quieter than my current Arai!
Will obviously be trying a few on but you never know what they're like until you have it out on the road!
At which stage, it's bought...
 

Debaser

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Just because they cost more does not mean they are better, you very narrow minded. I don't understand anyone that thinks 'it costs more so must be better'

Read the SHARP tests and you will find that a £140 HJC IS17 scores 5 stars, better than a £470 Shoei GT Air with 3 stars and and a £600 Arai RX7GP with 4 stars.

I have always bought what I thought to be the best helmet. How many MX riders spend £400 on an Arai? I never had a problem with it.

SHARP Helmets - THE HELMET SAFETY SCHEME

I've never put much stock in the SHARP test. No helmet test is ever going to replicate the thousands of different scenarios any potential collision can throw up
The fact is the likes of Arai, Shoei, AGV, Shark put millions into R&D and that is reflected in the cost of their lids

My first lid was a HJC which I thought was ok, but only when I changed to the Shoei I realised the difference was night and day
I ended up 'testing' the Shoei properly and I'm still here to tell the tale, so I know where I'd put my money
 

VEN©M

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Your point is well taken about the huge variation in real world scenarios, but then you base your current choice and future choices on a single 'test' of your shoei and the fact that you're telling the tale, essentially placing your confidence in an anecdotal experience whilst dismissing an established scientific testing method (and i'm not arguing it is infallible).

You can't base the performance of a helmet on whether or not you or your mate got brain damage from a crash, thats why some type of unified testing exists.

My advice is to start with a major brand with an industry- and sport-accepted track record (Shoei, Arai, HJC) and try them on, at some point it comes down to preference on comfort/materials and fit due to the shape of your head as there just simply is no reliable way to distinguish between real-world crash performance.

edit: budget, while important, shouldn't be top of the list. As a bike rider, the two worst things you can skimp on are tyres and helmet. Buy smart on both of these.

And for what its worth i've replaced quite a few helmets up to this point too.
 

NotKG

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i'v a shoei cost me over £600 and i'd pay it again for another. which will be soon as it's coming 6yrs old.
i don't give a flying **** about the sharp test, but a little pellet hitting it does not reflect safety i.m.o.
there is a £40 oxford helmet is the same sharp rating as my lid. that really says "i might as well ride around with a old oil can on my head".
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since i started riding i'v tried a few lids for noise, but cheap is airy and weak, and the closest to race top spec you can get of the shelf is quieter, but dam hard to breathe in. evidently because of its safer, there;'s less holes drilled in it. holes and noise to me spell "weak points" .
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here is the son's 2 week old cheap helmet he bought, new SHARP 4 STAR
it disintegrated inside & served little to no protection , it also split at the chin strap and this was in a low speed spill.
- 2015-09-24 23.11.41.jpg 2015-09-24 23.11.31.jpg

done enough brain damage to put him off the road for 6mts too
a few mph more or a different ompact might have rendered a different end result to his head.
 

mike150

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All helmets are just a polystyrene mould with a hard shell over it, the shell is the bit that differentiats the price.
 

NotKG

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bit like brains in a skull.....
you need the shell to keep the polystyrene in and not splatter everywhere.
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watched a wee video once and it showed the technology in the expensive lids, if the poly is too hard it's dangerous too, and can cause lids splitting like the cheap one my son used.
too "over my head" literally! lol
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Ls2 sell a 1star helmet for £39, and a 4star for £49. a whole tenners worth, why didn't they blow another £2.50 to get it up to 5star
 

Apis

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Roughly speaking, I always go for a fibreglass one rather than polycarbonate, but obviously there's more to it than that.
 

endofreak

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Currently wearing a HJC RPHA 10 and really love it. Sound levels are reasonable, certainly better than my previous AGV and Arai. I wouldn't ride without earplugs though. I use Pinlock earplugs which reduce noise levels to a comfortable level but still allow me to hear my Intercom clearly.

Go try on as many helmets as you can. I've made the mistake of buying helmets on a whim that matched my head measurements and initially felt comfortable but after an hour on the bike I noticed quite a bit of pressure on my forehead which was very distracting. Helmets come in a variety of shapes aswell as sizes. My head is longer front to back and slightly narrow so I need more oval shaped internals.

My next helmet would be the RPHA 11.
 

fabiostar

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iv been using a Shark speed R the last few years. pretty quiet and shows no signs of stone chips after 4 years. but what fits one person might be like a bucket on the next person...price wise. a lot of helmet makers just playing on there brand name, they all have to pass the same tests to be allowed on the road.
 

Paddy_R

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I've only ever used Shark lids. Currently have a Race R Pro (Randy Du Puniet replica) and rate it highly. It is noisy, though I always wear ear plugs so that's not an issue for me with. Well I say wear, wore would be a better word as I'm currently between bikes.

For me comfort, fit and if it had a gold sticker on the back (though I'll never race but it's a good judgement) were important and I honestly couldn't tell you what the Sharp test score is but I'd be surprised if it wasn't 5 star. In future I think I'd look at the Sharp test score but only to weed out the crap ones. I've read way to many articles in the motorcycle press about how flawed the Sharp testing system is to take it to seriously though I would avoid lower star lids as if they can't pass what many deem as an easy test then they really won't perform when needed. I think the problem many experts have is that it's too easy to get 5 stars so it's hard to judge what's actually a better lid.
 
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