[Catiken]

So I have to buy all my gear when I get my bike.. havent been on a bike like 5+ years..

Do exspensive helmets really have better protection? beside all the fancy stuff on the helmet..

If the helmet is DOT, snell, etc rated.. dont that mean its good to go?


I really like the Shoei GT Air Wanderer Helmet... also like the sunvisor thing inside.. Do you guys thinks its worth the money? I also see shark makes some simular helmets... would you guys choose shoei over shark or shark over shoei?

What do you guys think which color looks good with the 899? I like the one with white strips and the one with the red strips... but also want a color that would match other bikes or say a color scheme that would look good on any bike..

 

[Alex-B]

Buy whatever fits your head best, don't just choose by design and colour.

 

[jarelj]

/\ /\ /\ That is great advice, choose a helmet for fit above all else! In my opinion, the helmet is the most important part of your safety gear setup and you should get the absolute best quality helmet you can afford. Every other part of your body will heal, but if you get a severe head injury you may never be the same again. Over 10 years of running track days, I've witnessed a lot of helmets hitting the ground at speed and seeing what happens afterward. I don't keep statistics on it, so this is just anecdotal evidence, but I firmly believe those who crash in a properly-fitting Arai helmet suffer fewer head injuries than anyone else. Arai offers different shell shapes so you are likely to be able to find one that fits you perfectly, which is something that no other brand of helmet offers. That doesn't mean there aren't other great quality helmets out there as well, just make sure you stick with a reputable brand (Arai, Shoei, AGV, etc.) and again, make sure it fits you perfectly. Find a local store who offers professional helmet fitting, which any authorized Arai dealer should, and get yourself fitted. You won't regret it!

I always tell people in our store who are shopping for helmets my story about high siding at 90mph, landing on my head twice on the track, and I vividly remember both times my head hit the ground. That was with an Arai Corsair V helmet. That's about the strongest testament that I can offer to a helmet, I should have been unconscious with as hard as it hit, but instead I didn't even have a headache, my knee and shoulder hurt but not my head. People ask if I regret trashing a $900 helmet, and the answer is absolutely not, I feel like I paid $900 to avoid a head injury, if I could do it again I would pay $9000 or $90,000, whatever it takes, because that can ruin your life!

 

[Catiken]

I had to drop my bike once.. and I remeber the first thing that hit the ground was my head.. I had a shoei helmet at that time.. I know helmets are important.. but recently I took the helmet out and cleaned it.. thinking about getting a bike this year.. and I pulled out the lining... it just ripped out..LOL.. I thought I could take it out to wash..haha

but after taking it out I looked inside.. and it was just foam...I had a friend who showed me inside his $100 helmet.. and it looked simular.. thats what got me to think.. Does a high price helmet really better or not..

but your are absolutely right.. I wouldnt really want to buy any cheap gear..

 

[Evolution]

I actually went in a totally different direction for a helmet than I had been thinking. I have never seriously considered an HJC helmet before, and I've been wearing an Arai Corsair V since 2009 and I loved it. When shopping for a new helmet, I decided to try on everything, and the HJC RPHA 10 fit so well, I decided to try it. It's lightweight, matches the bike pretty well (I got the Ben Spies replica from when he was riding for Duc), the pinlock visor is awesome, and the venting is nice too. It's quiet, and has the features I liked about the Arai like removable and replaceable cheekpads, and linings. The visor change system is nice too. It's usually a 500 ish dollar helmet, but revzilla is clearancing the Spies ones out right now for 350. It was too good of a deal to pass up, and I am really blown away by it so far. And hey, Lorenzo and Spies have gone down VERY hard in theirs, and it seems to hold up just fine. This really is a massive step forward for HJC.

HJC RPHA 10 Ben Spies III Replica Helmet - RevZilla

 

[T-wizzle]

It needs to comply with the law where you live, I know here in the states it should be snell approved, the GT air isn't snell approved. I think it has something to do with the visor

 

[T-wizzle]

I take that back, it doesn't have to do anything with the law, I was thinking of trackdays. Some trackdays require snell approved helmets to be used, or others of the same standards. Don't want to give the wrong info.

 

[Assasskin]

... fit so well, I decided to try it. It's lightweight, matches the bike pretty well (I got the Ben Spies replica from when he was riding for Duc), the pinlock visor is awesome, and the venting is nice too. It's quiet, and has the features I liked about the Arai like removable and replaceable cheekpads, and linings. The visor change system is nice too...

Evo has a great point.Obviously fit and safety features are the principle considerations when looking at helmets. After that it's bonus features. I would say that ventilation is pretty close to a safety feature, as being blinded when your visors fogs is more than an inconvenience. Pinlock visors, tear away visor protectors, audio/comms, noise damping, are all great, but add cost, and add to the profile and weight as well.

Two things caught me out on my current helmet. Although the Nolan fit great, is safe, and has a boatload of features, it turns out that it is also a giant helmet. I feel like a Spaceball when I'm wearing it. More features sometimes translates to more buffeting, weight, and ultimately, neck fatigue. Some helmets may seem overpriced for less features, but if you look, they may be using more expensive materials (carbon fiber, whatever) to reduce profile and weight.

Also consider the bottom cut/profile of the helmet. This helmet was fine in the upright riding position of my 1983 Kawasaki kz550ltd, but the angle of the bottom of the helmet, at the back of the neck in particular, limits my ability to turn my head and look when I am proned out on the 899 sportbike. I need to look over my shoulder for lane changes, since the mirrors pretty much just show me my shoulders. If you can, try the helmet on, and move your head up/down/all around to see how it will interfere with head movement while riding.

 

[lumy]

Don't go with the visor, weaker shells.

 

[Mick]

I think most people have covered it but I'll throw my 2 cents in from my experience. When people ask me why I would spend $1100 on a helmet I always respond "how much is your brain worth?"

When it comes to buying a helmet like most things you get what you pay for.....up to a point.


Once a helmet reaches a certain pre-requisite standard prices start to increase for things like added features, material specifications like carbon, replica designs etc.

The hardest part for me is narrowing down what fits your head shape best, then I go from there. While you might not want to fork out extra money for a fancy looking lid you might consider spending extra money for features.

I have found, venting, noise protection and weight to be some of the most critical and unfortunately these aren't always immediately apparent in a store, it's only when you're doing 100 on the highway that you might notice. I compared my helmet to my mates cheaper one when we went for a ride so we could see the difference and I can tell you this, straight away you will notice how much wind noise or how loud a helmet is, how hot it gets and how much heavier it is. Even a few hundred grams can make a difference after you've been supporting it with your neck all day.

Needless to say he bought another more expensive helmet and the cheaper one he bought first time around sits in the cupboard.

 

[jarelj]

If you want to see the differences between a really good helmet and one that looks the same but may not in reality offer the same level of protection, give this a read (The links to each page are on the left):
THE ARAI DIFFERENCE

 

[rjjr]

One of the big differences in helmets is the outer shell material and how it transmits energy to the riders head. A very hard rigid shell will transmit energy at the point of impact directly to the head. A strong more flexible shell surface will transmit that energy over a larger area.

 

[mcouper99]

Another consideration is venting and wind noise. The cheaper helmets seem to offer too little of the former and too much of the latter. Also, some of the more expensive helmets are designed for higher speeds and help with neck strain. Weight can also be a huge differentiator.

 

[hidden_dragon]

If you want to see the differences between a really good helmet and one that looks the same but may not in reality offer the same level of protection, give this a read (The links to each page are on the left):
THE ARAI DIFFERENCE

Hi Jarel, the high-end Arai (Ducati-branded) helmets have a clear outer visor. It says on your website that it comes with an inner visor of our color choosing (light or dark). However, I don't see where one can choose which color...other than the optional tinted visors costing $55 and up. Would you please help clarify?

Thanks!

 

[hidden_dragon]

Hi Jarel, the high-end Arai (Ducati-branded) helmets have a clear outer visor. It says on your website that it comes with an inner visor of our color choosing (light or dark). However, I don't see where one can choose which color...other than the optional tinted visors costing $55 and up. Would you please help clarify?

Thanks!

NM, I think I figured it out...only the top of the line versions come with 2 visors.

 

[jarelj]

It's confusing, sorry. All of the Ducati-branded Arai helmets come with a clear shield on the helmet, as well as a tinted shield in the box. We also sell as an optional accessory the "Pin Lock" Arai visor which allows you to switch out the inner anti-fog insert with different tint options as well. So what you're seeing on our site that you can buy in addition to the helmet is the "Pin Lock" visor. If you don't need an anti-fog visor then the normal Arai clear and tinted visors that come with the helmet should be sufficient.

 

[krissrock]

I've only owned an HJC, and a scorpion helmet. I think the HJC was about $150, and the Scorpion was about $200. Now they were a couple years apart in manufacturing... but the biggest difference I noticed in the Scorpion was great venting.

I've never had a real expensive helmet, but if you look at the constructions, many are the same. It's all the bells n whistles that change the price. What's interesting is that what we may consider cheap, like a Bell, something you used to be able to buy at pep boys.... is now seen on championship racers... So I don't doubt that you can get good protection from names other than Shoei and Arai.

As mentioned earlier, fit is paramount. I've found that far too few manufactures make a high enough neck line on the helmets that won't hit the back of your neck at a full tuck. So far I've only seen this implemented well on the AGV pista, and the Schubert RS 1(I think it was called).

So definitely go to a store, try on the helmets with the gear that you would be wearing and hop on bike to make sure it's comfortable.

 

[warlord]

As long as they pass certification they'll protect your noggin. Research (and asking) will help you figure out which certs to care about and why. The more expensive helmets are loaded with more features, better materials, R&D, and craftsmanship which make then lighter, fit better, more aerodynamic, etc. What you buy with the extra money is features, not extra safety. What hasn't been said is that the trusted brands are likely to exceed the minimum standards set for certification so stick to the proven brands.

 

[jarelj]

As long as they pass certification they'll protect your noggin. Research (and asking) will help you figure out which certs to care about and why. The more expensive helmets are loaded with more features, better materials, R&D, and craftsmanship which make then lighter, fit better, more aerodynamic, etc. What you buy with the extra money is features, not extra safety. What hasn't been said is that the trusted brands are likely to exceed the minimum standards set for certification so stick to the proven brands.

I would disagree with that statement in this respect: What the certification guarantees you is that a helmet has met the MINIMUM standards for safety. It does not mean that any helmet that meets the standard offers the SAME level of protection. It is true that more expensive helmets generally have more comfort features, better fit and finish, etc. that you're paying for but it doesn't mean they ALSO don't offer more protection.

 

[warlord]

I would disagree with that statement in this respect: What the certification guarantees you is that a helmet has met the MINIMUM standards for safety. It does not mean that any helmet that meets the standard offers the SAME level of protection. It is true that more expensive helmets generally have more comfort features, better fit and finish, etc. that you're paying for but it doesn't mean they ALSO don't offer more protection.

I did say minimum so you're not actually disagreeing with me. But also that's exactly what it means, it's an assumption to hope the more expensive helmet offers better protection.

Let me put it this way, if you bought two helmets from Shoei, both with the same cert (snell) and one was $250 (polycarbonate) and the other was $800 (carbon fiber) which one would protect your head better? You can't truthfilly say...

Now if you're comparing a no name $70 ebay special with the same cert (snell) to either of the Shoei helmets I bet we could all reasonably guess which would protect better.

If the more expensive helmet ADDS a more rigorous cert method (e.g. certain ece) then that tells you something.

Now consider again what I said about the importance of buying proven brands.