Helmets

[magzelliott48]

I have read much about helmets. Shoei and Arai mainly but now I have been reading on here about the Nexx. I do not have any gear at all as haven't got my bike yet. When I was out with a school recently, I didn't like the fact that my visor (full face helmet) kept steaming up inside. It was a COLD day. I do not know what make it was. I wear varifocals with transitional lenses and female with quite a small head and face.

Does paying double the amount get you double the protection?

I was watching Emergency Bikers on TV the other evening and a bloke had a tremendous crunch from a car who just didn't see him. It was all captured on CCTV. His helmet and back guard saved him from what could have been an awful crash. The face guard had deep gouges across the chin/nose area. Had he been wearing an old fashioned 'Lombard' style, like I used to wear in my youth - Half his face would have gone!

I know comfort has to pay a part. Also, I noticed when I was wearing the schools' lid, I found it very restrictive doing my life savers. Perhaps that will be better if/when I choose my own model.

I would appreciate any views on this,

Cheers.

[Ian W]

I've been looking at these also, specifically the Nexx XR1R Carbon.

After checking numerous reviews, I'm gonna get a better brand like an Arai, Shoei or a HJC.

The reason? Well, it would seem that the features are excellent, would appear very good value for money but the execution is poor and they wear really, really quickly.

I've seen reports of visor mechanisms failing, collars and inserts wearing particularly fast and the plastics / finishing touches being cheap and fragile.

I could be wrong, but for my £300-400 I'd rather not take a chance.

Ian

[Joeman]

Only put a cheap head in a cheap helmet..

I've always bought shoei. They fit me well, they last well, wind noise is not bad, Pinlock visor never steams up.

Few hundred quid for a lid - well worth it IMO.

[magzelliott48]

Hello Ian and Joeman

Thanks for your input. I had already sort of decided on a Shoei or Arai. I believe the helmet in question that I saw on the TV was a Shoei. My daughter used to go out with a biker and he always wore Shoei. His favourite quote, (not about lids) was

"Do you know how long skins lasts at 30mph?" with reference to people who rode in inappropriate clothing.

Cheers

[Stuno1]

Moved from arai viper gt to nexx xr1r carbon as I tried it on and loved it. As i stated in another thread it is a bit let down by quality of things like chin straps and vent mechanisms but it is an epic lid for the price and what it offers.

Try on the ones you like and go from there. Ill by both arai and nexx again in the future. Also worth considering use. I am a fair weather/track day rider so the nexx offers more of what I need.

Stu

[timmy164]

Check out this official gov web page for helmet 'safety'

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/

You'll be surprised how good and how bad some helmets score!

(I got a Box BX1 for my daughter, aged 12, for £35, it scores four stars for safety. Her relatively low usage of the helmet makes this a great buy)

However, if your ALSO after quality and longevity in a helmet then yes Shoei and Arai are excellent brands.

It's safe to assume a longer and more comfortable life from these 'famous' names, but NOT necessarily better safety.

[OhJay]

Get the one that fits. A well fitting £70 lid will give you much better protection than an ill fitting £400 Arai. Go to the shop, try them all. If it doesn't fit it's off the list.

All lids sold have to meet a certain standard. Check the sharp site for further info, you'd be surprised how some cheaper helmets can still get 5* ratings.

Not to say don't get Arai or Shoei, if they fit then they offer the best longevity, noise reduction etc, just don't write off all the others.

To stop misting I swear by a Pinlock insert. Most of the big names have them already but you can always get one for whatever lid you get

Fingers crossed you never need it

[Joeman]

Safety wise, yes, a 100quid lid will probably do the same as a 500quid lid, but hopefully you never need it to do its job, which is why comfort and build quality should be the deciding factors.

100quid or 500quid, its still a large investment, so make sure it fits well, isnt too heavy, and feels well constructed.

try some of these:

Most important - make sure it fits properly! snug, but not too tight to give you a headache!

Pull it up and down to see how it moves about - you dont want it lifting at high speed.

Try opening and closing the visor a few times, does it look like it seals properly?

Take it apart to see how the visor comes on and off.

Try the strap to make sure it does up easily (and undoes!)

See if it has removable padding so you can wash the inside when it gets stinky!

Check the air vents are easy to open when wearing gloves,

Make sure you can wear (sun)glasses underneath,

See if there is room for earphones for intercom... etc etc..

Basically the more expensive lids do tend to be better quality, but if you're only a recreational biker, the cheaper lids may well be ideally suited to weekend rides, wheres the Shoei's will be better for daily use as they are better constructed IMO.

[magzelliott48]

Hi guys

Well, What a lot of information to digest. Thank you all so much.

I must have spent over two hours checking helmets against the SHARP index.

What I am after is a helmet with ALL the boxes ticked but mainly 4 GOOD - green results on the Sharp tests.

Does anybody know if there is a website that you can enter your requirements, tick box style and it will pull together the results?

I started off comparing all the 5 star helmets and surprisingly enough, many did not have the 4 x green SHARP spots.

Please can somebody explain the difference between Full Face and System helmets? Thanks.

I wear varifocal - transitional specs but would like a pull down Sun visor, Anti scratch, anti mist, removable liners and cheek pads, possibly bluetooth option, multiple shells (I am assuming that gives better protection)

I am not too certain if the Quick release visor is a necessity and is the Double D ring closure butter than a one-click release?

Quesions, questions, questions. Some of the Shoei helmets don't have all the options with 4 x green SHARP test results.

Cheers

Margaret

[Tango]

Hi Magz.......Full Face is the.....well.....basically a full face helmet......whereas the System helmets are the flip front type helmet where the chin guard is hinged and can be moved upwards to save taking the helmet off if you're wanting to talk to someone when stationary......not the best explanation......but the best I could come up with at the moment.......

The most important thing with crash helmets is the fit.....you need to find a lid that fits comfortably but snug.....so it's less likely to come off in an accident.

I prefer Double-D ring type straps....but it's just personal preference....

So.....I'd say get to a decent bike shop and try as many lids on as you can to find one that's comfy....but will also do the job it's intended for.......

I like the Bell lid I currently use......it's light, good ventilation, good vision, thick visor that very rarely steams up and fits me perfectly.....I can wear it for hours with no problems.....

[Jixerman]

I like the Bell lid I currently use......it's light, good ventilation, good vision, thick visor that very rarely steams up and fits me perfectly.....I can wear it for hours with no problems.....

 

On that note its a good idea to wear any you like for a while to see if it stays comfortable

[Joeman]

New lids are tight. I have a motocross lid that gave me a headache when I first got it until it moulded to my head. Now its a nice snug fit that I can wear for hours with no problems.

Never got a headache from a shoei though

[timmy164]

Hi Margaret,

Shark helmets seem to fit most (if not all) of your criteria.

They score well on the SHARP tests, and accommodate spectacles, blue tooth etc.

As stated by other posters,

THE most important thing is fitting corectly, AND remember to fasten the bloody thing!

[ManInASuitcase]

Bought my first Shark helmet about 18 months back,tried it on in the shop and the fit for me was top notch.

One thing you can't test though is the noise level and even with earplugs used it is an extremly noisy lid.

Accommodates spectacle wearers but on motorway runs the wind noise grinds you down.

Not a big problem on other roads.

Helmet model is the Vision.

[littlecat]

go to a shop first and try on as many brands as you can, like others have said...you will find some may not fit you at all....so narrow it down to the ones that do , and then research which of those fit your requirements.

you may find you have a headshape that only really suits one particular fit , and that will be the one you buy.

[magzelliott48]

Hi guys

Thank you very much for all that info. I will take it on board when I visit the shop and do as everybody has suggested. Thank you all for your input.

[magzelliott48]

helloooo this bee- autiful Saturday. What a day for a bike ride. Shame I haven't got one!!

I have taken everything everybody has said on board and once I have been out and actually got all my gear and my bike I will report back.

Cheers everybody,

Be Safe and enjoy the sun.