dimmers

hats off to you, these are hard dogs to own, so full of energy ALL the time!!!

so i went down to helmetcity in Chichester at the weekend, great little shop with almost every helmet brand you would want to try, and nice and friendly staff, who just let me get on with trying out loads of different helmets. They also didn't mind my son running riot round the rest of the shop, and getting his grubby little mitts on all of the helmet visors within his reach! anyway, it would be a bit pointless me reviewing all the lids i tried on as everyone's head shape is different, so a bad fitting helmet to me, might fit your head 'like a glove'. But what i will say, is that the quality of the Arai's and Shoei's are just still so much better that the rest. Honestly, i tried on every brand of helmet in that shop, and i just couldn't get a better fit/feel/comfort that the Arai and Shoei. The X lite 802r was a nice lid, felt light, but just didn't feel as secure on my head (i prefer a helmet to fit on my head like a glove on a hand). The Bell M5X was a nice looking lid, and i had my eye on it prior to turning up, but again, it just didn't feel right, no matter what size i tried on. shame, i really liked this lid. Shark speed r - i wanted to love this helmet, as it looked great, has an internal sun visor, and comes in some great graphics. Put it on, and it felt awkward, like i was constantly waiting for it to sit right. Schuberth SR1 - great looking lid, lots of features, again, wanted to like it, but put it on and there is this instant pressure against my forehead, and i just knew that after 30 mins of riding i'd have a stabbing headache. Shoei XR1100 - wow, what a great fit, feels like this lid was made just for me. and so light as well. Great visor on it with the max pinlock insert included. I was basically sold, but the colour scheme/style i wanted was full price (over £400) and i'm not paying that much... (sad times) Arai Chaser - again, fit really well, but that was to be expected as i currently ride in an arai. Funny thing was the Arai Chaser V didn't fit as well, and the padding didn't feel as good once i put it on, not as fitting. So i'm currently deciding between an old Arai chaser, as they have some cheap on certain websites (getting rid of old stock), or if i can get past the dodgy colour schemes then some of the older style Shoei xr1100s are a lot cheaper than the current models (a LOT cheaper), so i may go down that route. But yeah, for people asking on here about helmets, or just buying online without trying them on, do yourself a favour and get down to a shop and try as many on as you can... spend at least an hour trying out all the different models/sizes to see which fits best. Then when you find the one you like and it fits nicely, spend some time in the shop with it on just to see how it feels after a few minutes or so.

a proper upgrade would be to get an Android device!

These would do that they have a stealth mode that uses a frequency invisible to the naked eye or there is a boosted mode the uses red leds that are visible Ok, now i'm worried as to why you want these!!

I can't believe it's still going now... what with being able to get most things from a supermarket, or even a petrol station these days.

now we're moving on to that classic Arnie film... 'Predator'

they just remind me of that scene in Silence of the lambs!!!

thanks for all the replies, i think i might go down the matt route, looks so good imo

awesome, thanks very much for letting me know!!

i did ask this quesiton in the 'tried and tested' section, where someone has actually done a review of a matt black helmet, but no reply as of yet, and the post is quite old (i did pm the op as well). Just wondering if anyone has got a matt coloured helmet, and if so, how's it holding up over time? I love the look, i just worry that the paint job won't hold up as well as the normal shiny helmets (ooo errrr if they end up looking 10 years old after only 1 years worth of use, then i will steer clear. cheers

that looks really odd with the chin bit flipped over like that. i like the idea of a flip lid, but i just worry about how safe they are. Perhaps i'll try a few on this weekend as well nice write up, thanks

thought i'd give an update on this helmet after a quite a bit of use. good points are still - nice and stable at speeds - comfortable, can wear it all day no probs. - doesn't leak in the rain (always a good thing) - put a pinlock insert in and you're fog free not so good points - the padding is not removable - padding is getting a bit 'old and tired' now after nearly 2 years use - foam padding just behind the mouth vent is pulling away and has broken, but this may be due to how i carry the lid when off the bike anyway, Arai now have the Axcess 2 out, which apparently improves upon the Axcess in quite a few areas.

First time I read this I saw "Not many wearing purple bell helmets". My eyes aren't what they used to be... Nice looking lid - I appreciate the review as I could do with a new one. Cheers Mr Tango! well that's probably true as well, as i don't think Bell currently do a purple helmet but yeah, it's a really nice looking lid, and helmetcity . co. uk are doing some at the moment with a bit of a reduction. i'm taking a trip down to their Chichester branch at the weekend (unfortunately not on the bike).

hey, just a quick question to the op, how is the paint job holding up on your matt black helmet (if i asked that question anywhere other than a motorbike forum, i'd get some seriously strange looks)... thinking of going down the matt black route, but heard mixed reviews of how the paint job holds up. cheers

love the look of this helmet! going to try a few on this weekend i think. Not many people wearing Bell helmets, in fact, i don't think i've seen anyone wearing a Bell helmet. They look so good though, and the quality seems to be right up there. Hope it fits my head nicely

well said!

you've got to be kidding me... i get pi55ed off if i get a few fly's squashed on my visor! i wouldn't be able to concentrate with all that cr4p in view, no way at all. Not for me.

yes http://www.infinitymotorcycles.com/ and you'll notice that some products are listed as 'online price only', or 'Camberley store only price'

yep, i'm well pleased! couldn't believe the price tag when i looked at it. matching jacket was reduced from £350 to £250... if it had been £89.99, i would have bought that as well.

it's not often i will come on here and say how good a shop is, but honestly, i've really got to mention Infinity motorcycles in Camberley... first time i'd been there since it opened in January this year, and what a great place. First off, it's just a massive warehouse filled with bike gear, and second, most of it is at a really good price, third, some of it is at a fantastic price. and now for the best bit... i managed to pick up a pair of Held gore tex trousers (size small) on sale from £299.00 to £89.99. I couldn't believe it, i had to double check with the girl on the till before trying them on... even come with a 5 year guarantee. Been after a pair of gore tex trousers for ages now, but was not willing to pay £300+ for them! No more wet pants when i arrive at work in the morning (from the rain, not from wee'ing myself anyway, worth a look if you can get down there, they've got lots of Rukka gear on sale as well, and it's not often you get a shop with 3 large changing rooms. The girl in the shop also kept an eye on my little boy whilst he was running riot around the shop

yep, i put one on last winter and had to kick myself for not buying one sooner... absolutely no misting on the inside of my visor, period!

Knee armour in textile trousers are really not worth much, like you've found out they move around too much. Do yourself a favour and get some strap on armour and ditch the current knee armour that's in your trousers!

check out these guys, they sell the very best security locks/chains/ ground anchors in my opinion... The 'Protector' chains are awesome, i own one and it is very solid (and an 'untouchable' lock) www. elitesecuritysupplies.com

nice budget for all your gear, you can get a lot for that! if possible, get yourself down to Hein gericke for some good kit, gore-tex jacket and trousers easily affordable with your budget. boots, look at TCX and Sidi, they are really good, i own a pair of each. back protectors (and other additional strap on armour), in my opinion, look no further than forcefield. Their back protectors are some of the best, and are very comfortable. The pro sub 4 is my back protector of choice, and i fully recommend it. Something else to consider if you go for textil trousers is some strap on knee armour. The knee armour that is supplied as standard within textile trousers will always be CE approved, but that won't make much of a difference if when you come off your bike (hopefully you never do) the armour moves around and isn't in the correct position. With strap on knee armour, it will stay in place, and actually protect your knee in the event of an off. This isn't as big a problem with race style leather trousers, as they are much tighter fitting, and keep the armour where it should be much better. helmets, have to agree with the previous post, go for a good brand if you can afford it, Arai are my choice, but make sure the fit of the helmet is right for you, this is VERY important. Shark/Agv do some good helmets at good prices if you wanted to keep your budget down. Saying that, the Arai Axcess helmet is around the £200 mark, and a very good entry level Arai (it's the one i own). gloves... you could take a risk and order these online, but do yourself a favour (much like all the other gear you buy) get yourself in to a shop and try it on first, and then keep it on for a few minutes. See how it feels, open and close your hands a lot, walk around for a bit. If they feel uncomfortable in the shop after a few minutes, they will cause you a lot of pain on the bike after 15/30 mins of riding, trust me, i've been there! Plenty of good gloves can be bought for around the £50/60 mark, it just depends if you want them to be waterproof or not, then the price can sneak up to £100 for gore-tex, but if you're riding all year round then it's well worth it. Saying that, the shelltech gloves are good as well, and stay pretty dry. RST are a good value brand in my opinion, and have lasted me over 3 years now for leather and textiles, and held up well in a low speed slide. If you can, check out a Ride magazine, and take a look at what they recommend, they usually have a section at the back which covers the majority of gear and what they think is good/bad. i think that's enough from me for now... enjoy your shopping! i know i would with a £1000 budget

Every little helps... oh hang on, that's Tesco, what's Asda again?