Budget helmets and safety

[NE150N80]

Hi all. New to biking and doing CBT next week!

 

Myself and my wife have bought our motorcycle gear and spent a decent amount of money at SportsBikeShop. However the helmet we both got was the HJC C70 which we chose because of the SHARP 5* rating and integrated sun-visor. 

 

I've joined couple of biking Facebook groups, and there was a very active post today on how much you spend on a helmet.

 

I thought that, although our helmets were not too expensive at £125, they must be safe if they’re SHARP 5*? However a lot of people on the group were quite scathing of anything below £350-£400.

 

So, I just wanted to gather opinions in here as I’m now a little worried that I should be investing more in the helmet.

 

I’m new - please be gentle!

 

Thanks 

Edited April 27, 2021 by NE150N80

[NeilM]

Nothing wrong with hjc at all.

Be careful what fb groups you join....lol

[onesea]

I cannot say group but I can say my opinion.

 

Sadly the attitude is how much you pay man's how good stuff is is going to destroy biking.

 

As you say Sharp 5 rated and fits well. 

 

Are the other helmets really 3 or 4v tones better?  Will that depends how much disposable income you have and how much of s snob you are.

 

The people who was on about only buy the best, etc are only lining the pockets of the manufacturers. Who will then put the prices up more 

 

If you want to see the end result, look at sailing gear, £600 for a water proof jacket. That's not even insulated and has no armour...

[Bender]

Although sharp is not the best way to test helmets it's better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick and gives an indication, the ones who will Diss sharp and cheap helmets the most are ones with expensive ones with a crap rating  

[peatear]

Did you join an Arai or Shoei group by chance?

 

Helmet is fine. Great brand, great price. Has an internal sun visor which is great, AND fully removable lining for

washing ya sweaty mugs outpourings. Sounds good! ;D 

Did it come with a pinlock insert too?

 

In a year or something you'll probably want an 'upgrade' or just a new look.
So at least it won't hurt as much spending more on another helmet. ;D

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I have Caberg Duke helmets, the last Duke 2 I bought from SBS was less than your HJC. I wouldn't listen to anything on FB, it seems to attract those who believe their opinion matters because they can see it on a screen.

[Steve_M]

I can only echo what has been said before. HJC lids are fine. My good lady had one for some while and there’s no way I would allow her (or would she accept) to have anything unsafe or substandard. 

[jedibiker]

Facebook groups seems to have a mix of genuine people with good advice and people just out to wind everyone up.

I watched a video by fortnine and he tested a $20 helmet and it failed badly but that's no surprise. most other brands sold by decent suppliers and tested by sharp are great.

Sometimes with the top end brands its not just extra safety you pay for, some ventilate better, may weigh less, fit better etc. But Ive only had £150 and £180 helmets and £75 for the one to do my test and all  fit great and had a high rating. Yes 1 was noisy but ear plugs solve that.

 

You nearly always get a much better answer here, sometimes varied but thats healthy.

[Fish]

The main thing I've been told is make sure it fits properly and is comfortable. 

[husoi]

As @Fish says plus weight if you do long journeys, noise.

Most modern helmets have removable padding to allow washing.

[daveinlim]

Nothing wrong with hjc as a brand. They make good, safe helmets without sky high prices. 

The most important thing is that it's the right shape and size to fit your head.

 

The C70 is a decent helmet with a removable liner and a sun visor. I've had the hjc is17 (precursor to C70) and it's been great for commuting. I wouldn't buy a lid without a sun visor now. Makes commuting much easier. 

 

More expensive helmets will likely weigh less, may be quieter, better ventilated or other features but for a starting point hjc isn't bad at all. 

[fullscreenaging]

You’ve done your research and made the right choice. 
The only difference in the more expensive lids will be possibly better internals that may feel comfier, lighter and have a replica paint job. 
 

Biking is an expensive hobby and 
everyone has a different sized budget. 
If you can, avoid the budget gear though. It’ll fail very quickly and you’ll end up paying twice. 
Avoid clothing that states it’s waterproof if you know you’ll be riding in anything that will be more than a very light shower. 
if you want waterproof gear then you need to be looking for the word Gortex.
Gortex clothing is 100% waterproof. 

It’s a bit more expensive, but it’s a sound investment. The Gortex has a lifetime warranty and the garment material will have at least a 5 year warranty. 
 

Welcome to the biking world!
 

[NE150N80]

Hi All. What can I say other than "Thank you!" and you've renewed my faith

 

The Facebook discussion was heavily dominated by comments akin to "so you only value your life at £125", which not only causes a new rider a significant level of fear, it also makes me feels like I've made a really foolish purchase, when I thought I'd done well on my research etc.

 

All of your comments have been fantastic and confirmed my suspicions that when you want a thoughtful, measured set of opinions, this forum is exactly the place to come as opposed to listening the through-away comments of randoms on Facebook.

 

Really appreciate your positive feedback on the C70. As I first purchased the lid in September (COVID ruined the CBT plans for 7months!), this morning I re-checked SportsBikeShop and when searching for full-face helmets that are SHARP 5* rated, the three top rated helmets were:

 

Arai RX-7V - £669
Shoei X-Spirit 3 - £489
HJC C70 - £125 (and as mentioned by @daveinlim this is the only one to have an integrated sun visor) 

 

I'm sure that the like of Arai and Shoei are worth their money and fantastic helmets but as someone who hasn't even done his CBT, I'm going to have to build up to the likes of them (submit for budgetary approval with wife ). For now, safety is my primary concern.

 

@fullscreenaging Thank you for validating my reasons for spending more on jackets etc.

 

I ended up going for:

 

Richa Cyclone Gore-Tex Textile Jacket
Richa Cyclone Gore-Tex Jeans
Richa Hurricane Gore-Tex Gloves
RST Paragon 2 Boots (although I'm thinking of swapping them for RST Tractech Evo 3 CE)

 

Guys - once again, really appreciate your honest and measured feedback. Another example of an awesome forum demonstrating the biking community spirit that everyone keeps telling me about!

 

Cheers!

 

 

[NeilM]

2 minutes ago, NE150N80 said:

Hi All. What can I say other than "Thank you!" and you've renewed my faith

 

The Facebook discussion was heavily dominated by comments akin to "so you only value your life at £125", which not only causes a new rider a significant level of fear, it also makes me feels like I've made a really foolish purchase, when I thought I'd done well on my research etc.

 

All of your comments have been fantastic and confirmed my suspicions that when you want a thoughtful, measured set of opinions, this forum is exactly the place to come as opposed to listening the through-away comments of randoms on Facebook.

 

Really appreciate your positive feedback on the C70. As I first purchased the lid in September (COVID ruined the CBT plans for 7months!), this morning I re-checked SportsBikeShop and when searching for full-face helmets that are SHARP 5* rated, the three top rated helmets were:

 

Arai RX-7V - £669
Shoei X-Spirit 3 - £489
HJC C70 - £125 (and as mentioned by @daveinlim this is the only one to have an integrated sun visor) 

 

I'm sure that the like of Arai and Shoei are worth their money and fantastic helmets but as someone who hasn't even done his CBT, I'm going to have to build up to the likes of them (submit for budgetary approval with wife ). For now, safety is my primary concern.

 

@fullscreenaging Thank you for validating my reasons for spending more on jackets etc.

 

I ended up going for:

 

Richa Cyclone Gore-Tex Textile Jacket
Richa Cyclone Gore-Tex Jeans
Richa Hurricane Gore-Tex Gloves
RST Paragon 2 Boots (although I'm thinking of swapping them for RST Tractech Evo 3 CE)

 

Guys - once again, really appreciate your honest and measured feedback. Another example of an awesome forum demonstrating the biking community spirit that everyone keeps telling me about!

 

Cheers!

 

 

For a little more re assurance. 

My everyday helmet is a hjc. Different model to yours but it's still hjc (had 3 of them).

I chose it over an Arai as I prefer it.

[SometimesSansEngine]

9 minutes ago, NE150N80 said:

The Facebook discussion was heavily dominated by comments akin to "so you only value your life at £125", which not only causes a new rider a significant level of fear, it also makes me feels like I've made a really foolish purchase, when I thought I'd done well on my research etc.

 

All of your comments have been fantastic and confirmed my suspicions that when you want a thoughtful, measured set of opinions, this forum is exactly the place to come as opposed to listening the through-away comments of randoms on Facebook.

 

You'll find plenty of divergent opinions on a forum, this included.

 

But for what it's worth I generally avoid motorbike related groups on facebook for similar reasons to what you state, as well as some others.

[NeilM]

53 minutes ago, SometimesSansEngine said:

 

You'll find plenty of divergent opinions on a forum, this included.

 

But for what it's worth I generally avoid motorbike related groups on facebook for similar reasons to what you state, as well as some others.

Difference on here is, underneath all the wittering we all semi decent human beings. 

Even @Six30

[JackieOWheels]

 

2 hours ago, NE150N80 said:

Hi All. What can I say other than "Thank you!" and you've renewed my faith

 

The Facebook discussion was heavily dominated by comments akin to "so you only value your life at £125", which not only causes a new rider a significant level of fear, it also makes me feels like I've made a really foolish purchase, when I thought I'd done well on my research etc.

 

All of your comments have been fantastic and confirmed my suspicions that when you want a thoughtful, measured set of opinions, this forum is exactly the place to come as opposed to listening the through-away comments of randoms on Facebook.

 

Really appreciate your positive feedback on the C70. As I first purchased the lid in September (COVID ruined the CBT plans for 7months!), this morning I re-checked SportsBikeShop and when searching for full-face helmets that are SHARP 5* rated, the three top rated helmets were:

 

Arai RX-7V - £669
Shoei X-Spirit 3 - £489
HJC C70 - £125 (and as mentioned by @daveinlim this is the only one to have an integrated sun visor) 

 

I'm sure that the like of Arai and Shoei are worth their money and fantastic helmets but as someone who hasn't even done his CBT, I'm going to have to build up to the likes of them (submit for budgetary approval with wife ). For now, safety is my primary concern.

 

@fullscreenaging Thank you for validating my reasons for spending more on jackets etc.

 

I ended up going for:

 

Richa Cyclone Gore-Tex Textile Jacket
Richa Cyclone Gore-Tex Jeans
Richa Hurricane Gore-Tex Gloves
RST Paragon 2 Boots (although I'm thinking of swapping them for RST Tractech Evo 3 CE)

 

Guys - once again, really appreciate your honest and measured feedback. Another example of an awesome forum demonstrating the biking community spirit that everyone keeps telling me about!

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

Yeah, the Richa Cyclone collection are decent gear for the price. Great to start off with as they should last you for a while before you need to start looking for anything else.

 

[peatear]

3 hours ago, NE150N80 said:

 

Arai RX-7V - £669
Shoei X-Spirit 3 - £489
HJC C70 - £125 (and as mentioned by @daveinlim this is the only one to have an integrated sun visor) 

 

I'm sure that the like of Arai and Shoei are worth their money and fantastic helmets but as someone who hasn't even done his CBT, I'm going to have to build up to the likes of them (submit for budgetary approval with wife ). For now, safety is my primary concern.

 

Exactly how I felt with my first helmet(s). My first was about £100. Can't remember the name but it felt good to wear etc.
I then decided I wanted a modular about 6  months later, so I bought a Caberg Duke 2. I don't like it, it fogs up even with pinlock thing  in.
It was a silly impulse buy and the shop was being pushy, so live and learn I guess. That was a waste of about £150-ish (at the time).

It is sat doing nothing in its box after being worn twice, as theres not really a 2nd hand market for helmets.
So back to the first helmet until I pass my test and get a big bike. Then i'll invest in a nicer helmet.

[Six30]

HJC are ok , got one at the moment and nearly bought another the other day it was £143 ... i've never give more than £250 for a lid 

 

facebook....

 

 

 

[Six30]

2 hours ago, NeilM said:

Difference on here is, underneath all the wittering we all semi decent human beings. 

Even @Six30

i know what your after @Neil M

 

[onesea]

Lids I have a light weight one but TBO I cannot tell the difference. other than on my HTC I can replace for twice the price of a replacement visor on my shark.  I would rather pay twice as much and have cheaper replacement lid than an expensive new visor.
 

I Have to agree re Gortex and waterproof, it does seem annoyingly to be the only durable and breathable material out there.

 

None breathable is waterproof but you sweat instead, sailing that don’t bother me biking it does.

 

The gear snobberies appearing in biking is a little sad. When it comes to slide protection armour  I cannot help but feel that you can pay allot more for little extra protection.   Although I do have preference for D3O for comfort.
 

I have friend who got on the road bike (bandit 600) and new gear £1000 biking is only as expensive as you want to make it.

 

Edit to add with comment regarding armour, I would still check armour inserts and see the quality they are as @jedibiker (in later post) highlights back armour is often poor..

However i am not one for spending £100’s more to get particular protection. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by onesea
Later comment about armour..

[daveinlim]

The forum is quite good, it seems a good mix of young and young at heart, experienced and new riders. 

 

When it comes to buying kit, look at reviews on the shop site and on places like YouTube. You'll get a better idea of you have a few different options. 

 

More money doesn't necessarily mean better. Like normal clothes sizing varies so trying on different brands is worth the trouble. Gloves is a big one for that. Palm sizes, finger sizes etc vary. 

 

I think the only absolute that people will agree on is gortex is the best thing for breathable waterproof clothing. 

 

 

[jedibiker]

On another note, after watching a video about a guy who was sat in traffic and rear ended by a range rover, he was protected due to his level 2 back protector. So i binned the one in my jacket which didnt cost much and bought a decent level 2.

Its better peace of mind for the sake of £25-40. Your kit sounds better to start with so may have it anyway.

[NE150N80]

Thanks all!!

 

Yeah I completely agree with GoreTex suggestions, I know it can be a bit pricier but it’s so good at what it does, and thankfully the Cyclone trouser and jacket come with D3O armour. However, @jedibiker - your comments on the back armour are sensible, so I need to check that and see what level that is, and maybe look to get a higher level.

 

Also @daveinlim couldn’t agree more about going into a shop - as sizing can be so different per brand!!

 

SportsBikeShop in Boston were awesome! I ended up trying about 6 jackets on (although there were 3 straight away that I preferred the look of - including the Richa Cyclone). When I put it on, it was such a good fit, that the decision was made there and then! Similar story with gloves!

 

Oh and I ended up going for the RST TracTech Evo 3’s. The Paragons are on their way back to SBS tomorrow.

 

CBT next week - can’t wait!!!

Edited April 29, 2021 by NE150N80

[jedibiker]

with your choice of jacket your probably already ok.. really good kit

 

did my theory in Grantham, nice little place.