Helmet makes

[levante]

I have just taken receipt of my new Bandit 600 having passed my test in Nov.I need to upgrade all of my gear and want to start with a helmet.My plan is to go to a dealer,try on a few makes and then order from the net as I don't have much to spend.Thinking of an AGV as there are a few in my price bracket but a friend of mine said KBC helmets are good and not too expensive,any thoughts?

[Bonniebird]

One of the most important aspects is that the helmet fits correctly because even a well made lid won't protect your head if the fir is wrong and can also become uncomfortable on long journeys. You often hear people find that certain makes fit the shape of their heads better. Some makes I'm between sizes and can't find a lid that's right for instance.

Some people on here may dispute this advice but I do consider the Sharp safety rating when buying helmets:

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelmetli ... ontinued=1

They test helmets for impact from various directions including visors and give them a 1 to 5 star rating

KBC, on the whole, seem to have pretty poor ratings

Cheaper makes with good rating include some AGVs, Duchinis and Cabergs amongst others so you don't have to spend a fortune. have a look at the website because some manufacturers have lids some of which score well and other's not so good so it isn't just down to the manufacturer.

[levante]

Thanks Mandy

[mattycoops43]

Please don't take this personally, but I have to say, people going to try stuff in shops and then buying online are the reason the shops are all shutting.

Where will you go to try on a helmet when there are no bike shops left?

I know some are rip off merchants, but some are quite good and compete with internet prices, I am not saying pay over the odds, but find somewhere with reasonable prices and go there. Do some internet research on what prices are available BEFORE you go to the shop, then if you can find things at a fair price you can buy there, and if they are twice the net price, you can tell them and see if they will come down.

[Tiggie]

next helmet I get will be from my local(ish) shop, I dont mind paying a difference of £10 - £20 to support his business

[Joeman]

Please don't take this personally, but I have to say, people going to try stuff in shops and then buying online are the reason the shops are all shutting.

Where will you go to try on a helmet when there are no bike shops left?

I know some are rip off merchants, but some are quite good and compete with internet prices, I am not saying pay over the odds, but find somewhere with reasonable prices and go there. Do some internet research on what prices are available BEFORE you go to the shop, then if you can find things at a fair price you can buy there, and if they are twice the net price, you can tell them and see if they will come down.

 

I bought a full set of biking gear from the web, had to send it all back because none fitted, went to a shop, tried on a load of stuff, bought it, and got all the same stuff Cheaper than internet prices just for being a little cheeky and asking if they had any discounts on at the time..

So, my advice, do your research on prices, then buy all your stuff in one hit and haggle a discount. Bike shops need all the business they can get!!

[Mrbarry]

Yeah I'm also kinda cheeky, I ask for 'poor persons discount', get a funny look and always a few quid off lol.

[techno]

Not so much to support the shop i just prefer to buy what ive tried on and know fits especially helmets, i once tried too supposed same make size style and both fit dufferent.

[Ninereeds]

I agree with all thats been said in here. Local shops are normally pretty happy to do a deal with you if youre buying a fair bit all at once. I had to get kit for kickboxing last week so went into the shop (as i needed it to fit so buying online wasnt an option) picked a load of stuff and asked "willing to do a discount if i buy it all together?" he said if you pay cash im sure we can work something out and i saved about 20quid.

same advice for making sure the helmet "fits", if youve got your heart set on the £800 arai race replica lid from some motogp rider, you'll probably be disappointed when it doesnt fit well and its uncomfortable to wear. Dont build up any preconceptions about brands before you go out (unless its based on the sharp rating, like Bonniebird said) and try on all the helmets you can. if you see one that doesnt feel right, sorry but no matter what cool design it has on the side, its not going to treat you or protect you well. walk away from that one and try another.

[levante]

Please don't take this personally, but I have to say, people going to try stuff in shops and then buying online are the reason the shops are all shutting.

Where will you go to try on a helmet when there are no bike shops left?

I know some are rip off merchants, but some are quite good and compete with internet prices, I am not saying pay over the odds, but find somewhere with reasonable prices and go there. Do some internet research on what prices are available BEFORE you go to the shop, then if you can find things at a fair price you can buy there, and if they are twice the net price, you can tell them and see if they will come down.

 

I understand what you are saying and you have a fair point.I have a friend who worked for a leading motorcyle accessories chain who have now gone out of business.He stated that one of the reasons was because of high mark ups on products.My priority is the safety of myself and my daughter who will be on the back of my bike on occasion.With the cashflow restrictions I have,I can not afford a quality helmet unless I buy online.Where I live there are two motorcycle dealers who sell accessories and both are out of my price bracket.

[Joeman]

Please don't take this personally, but I have to say, people going to try stuff in shops and then buying online are the reason the shops are all shutting.

Where will you go to try on a helmet when there are no bike shops left?

I know some are rip off merchants, but some are quite good and compete with internet prices, I am not saying pay over the odds, but find somewhere with reasonable prices and go there. Do some internet research on what prices are available BEFORE you go to the shop, then if you can find things at a fair price you can buy there, and if they are twice the net price, you can tell them and see if they will come down.

 

I understand what you are saying and you have a fair point.I have a friend who worked for a leading motorcyle accessories chain who have now gone out of business.He stated that one of the reasons was because of high mark ups on products.My priority is the safety of myself and my daughter who will be on the back of my bike on occasion.With the cashflow restrictions I have,I can not afford a quality helmet unless I buy online.Where I live there are two motorcycle dealers who sell accessories and both are out of my price bracket.

 

What sort of price range, and what sort of helmet are you looking for??

[levante]

I'm looking at spending £140 ish on two helmets.KBC's are quite reasonable on ebay as are AGV's.

[Joeman]

I'm looking at spending £140 ish on two helmets.KBC's are quite reasonable on ebay as are AGV's.

 

Do you really need to buy two helmets right away? if the 2nd one is for your daughter, you's be better off getting some riding hours in before taking her out on the back - you dont want her to think her dad is useless at riding bikes!!

So spend the full £140 on a good helmet for yourself, and in the summer, if you feel up to taking your daughter for a ride, take her into a shop and get her a helmet professionally fitted... bad fitting helmets will not only ruin the experience for her, but could also be very dangerous in the event of an accident..

Theres an old saying - "you put a 50quid helmet on a 50quid head..." Now, i've never met her, but im pretty sure your daughter's head is worth more than that!!

[luke_1785]

I've got this helmet. It cost me £64.99 from Clay Cross Kawasaki.

Its actually a good helmet and has a 5* SHARP rating

Has a pretty good paintjob on it to, not like the black one in the picture.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/mt-revenge

[Ali in Austria]

People using the shops to try before they buy elsewhere are a pain but it won't last forever. Soon the shops will be gone.

When trying a helmet and it feels comfortable, keep it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Any little discomfort during that time should ring alarm bells as it will be very painful after an hour or so.

If you decide that is the helmet for you, make sure you also try on the one they give you in the box as a demo can be well broken in.

[Lumor_uk]

When trying a helmet and it feels comfortable, keep it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Any little discomfort during that time should ring alarm bells as it will be very painful after an hour or so.

 

My helmet is fine for 20 minutes riding but on 1hr + it kills on the top of my head

[OhJay]

My helmet is fine for 20 minutes riding but on 1hr + it kills on the top of my head

My first helmet was fine in the shop

It was fine when I was having my lessons

When I went for my first big ride out after about 1¼ I got the most evil pressing headache across my forehead.

Talk to the shop about this. When I got my current helmet they said to take it home, wear it while watching tele all night and if it had the same problem after an hour or so then take it back the following day and they'd change it.

Wore it, feeling like a complete tit, all that evening but it felt absolutely fine.

[Lumor_uk]

I don't know if its a case of doing it up so tight to make sure it doesn't come off, in an off. Is it two fingers or something?

[dfrbrowne]

I bought my first Helmet which was a Nolan X-lite from m Local Heine Gericke, the guy was brilliant and made sure I got the right fit with no pressure to sell to me.

The Nolan I ended up with was end of range design and reduced from about £250 to £175 so I consider was a real bargain. Not only that but I now have to replace it as it has two big dimples on the top front, I consider it saved me from serious injury after head butting the road at considerable speed. I know now it was worth every penny.

I will now go back to a dealer to replace it, my local Heine Gericke is now closed, nearest is Manchester, I know the exact size for My Nolan but will still go to the shop to get one fitted rather than go to the internet.

As is said if we don't buy from our high street we will soon not have one.

PS: If anyone Knows what happened to Steve at Chester Heine Gericke, I would travel to any store to get him to fit my new helmet.

[Donnie Brasco]

Another handy tip is to look at shark's website for safety ratings of each helmet

[Guest]

I too am a firm believer buying from the dealer and not online especially bwhen it comes to clothing and especially a safty item such as helmets. I still find it hard to believe that it is still legal and something should be done to stop Internet sales of helmets.

Your probably wondering why? The truth is that once a helmet bought you are actually unable to return it for a refund unless it has a warranty issue then it'll just be replaced.

Now how do you know that helmet you've just purchased isn't a lid that someone else has bought warn and dropped on the kitchen floor making it completely redundant only to send it back saying it doesn't fit!

I sell helmets in my clothing and accessories shop but above is the reason why I won't sell them on my website.

[Joeman]

Your probably wondering why? The truth is that once a helmet bought you are actually unable to return it for a refund unless it has a warranty issue then it'll just be replaced.

 

NOT TRUE. If bought on the internet, helmets are covered by the same Distance Sellers Regulation that any other items purchased online are covered by.

There is no clause in the Distance Sellers Regulations that states helmets cannot be returned, so if buying online, just buy one of each size and send back the ones that dont fit - by law the seller has to refund you..

[Guest]

Your probably wondering why? The truth is that once a helmet bought you are actually unable to return it for a refund unless it has a warranty issue then it'll just be replaced.

 

NOT TRUE. If bought on the internet, helmets are covered by the same Distance Sellers Regulation that any other items purchased online are covered by.

There is no clause in the Distance Sellers Regulations that states helmets cannot be returned, so if buying online, just buy one of each size and send back the ones that dont fit - by law the seller has to refund you..

 

Exactly my point that the law should be changed regarding the online sales of helmets. Also I am right to say that once a helmet has been bought and left the premisses of the shop it then cannot be resold as anything could have happened yo it in the mean time.

[Joeman]

Your probably wondering why? The truth is that once a helmet bought you are actually unable to return it for a refund unless it has a warranty issue then it'll just be replaced.

 

NOT TRUE. If bought on the internet, helmets are covered by the same Distance Sellers Regulation that any other items purchased online are covered by.

There is no clause in the Distance Sellers Regulations that states helmets cannot be returned, so if buying online, just buy one of each size and send back the ones that dont fit - by law the seller has to refund you..

 

Exactly my point that the law should be changed regarding the online sales of helmets. Also I am right to say that once a helmet has been bought and left the premisses of the shop it then cannot be resold as anything could have happened yo it in the mean time.

 

There is no restriction preventing a retailer selling a helmet thats been returned.

We've had the whole "Dropped Lid" debate many times. Personally, until someone proves that an empty helmet thats been dropped from less than 1m is actually dangerous, i reckon there is a large amount of urban myth surrounding the subject, and its not really in the manufacturers interest to prove otherwise as they would loose sales.

A lid thats been fitted properly in a shop but dropped off the handlebars of a parked bike a few times is still going to be safer than a badly fitting lid thats never been dropped.

I'll always buy from retailers as i believe you get better service, better fitting product, better advice and often a better price than the faceless internet, but i dont think there should be any laws preventing the sale of helmets over the internet/mail order.

[Lumor_uk]

by law the seller has to refund you..

 

true, but you have to cover the return postage unless they are all faulty that would be costly.