Buying a flip front lid. (noob question!)

[lughole]

Hello.
im getting back on the bike after 25 years! Things have moved on somewhat and i could use some advice on helmets, i read the sticky post about fit etc. and reckon i can fit myself ok, as not a total newbie along those lines but, i was gonna list my needs and some lids ive already found. As i said, things have really moved on, so im a bit lost.
If anyone here has tried one of the ones im listing and loves them or hates them (-more importantly?) , please tell me so and why!

 

im on a tight budget, as buying bike and all the gear, insurance all at once...

 

Looking for a front flip lid.

£175 to £220

so far narrowed it down to;

Caberg Duke or droid

2HJC C80

Roof desmo or boxer

scorpion ADX-1

any yays, naes or alternatives very welcome.

 

cheers in advance

[Fish]

The best advice I can give is to get down the bike shop and try on as many as you can/want to, keeping a note of which ones feel the best. Once you've tried the bulk on and got the list of those you preferred, put those on for 10-15 mins each and see which is the most comfortable, which leaves pressure marks on your head.

[Gerontious]

I have a Caberg and its fine for its price point. But, you really do need to wear ear plugs with it at speed as it does tend to be noisy, which is pretty much what you would expect given the price.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Caberg Duke & Duke 2 here. As @Gerontious says, you need ear plugs at speed as they aren't the quietest. They are very similar but the Duke 2 has a slightly different shaped visor so the pinlock insert is different between them. You get a pinlock included which for the price makes them pretty damn good.

 

Fit is an individual matter so you'd need to check.

 

Likes - price, for the money they are terrific value. Comfort - I regularly ride 200+ miles a day and they are fine. Ventilation - very good. They both have a drop down sun visor which is great if you want to play at Top Gun - personally I never use it. Flip front - locks in place so can be ridden open if you're round town. Maintenance - nothing has ever broken or gone wrong. The lining is easily removable for washing. I scatched a visor and replacements aren't that expensive.

 

Dislikes - not quiet at speed. There is noticable wind roar. I wear ear plugs and don't find that a problem. I have mates with helmets three or four times the price who also need ear plugs. 

 

I bought my last one from SBS and it was ridiculously cheap. Arrived the next day. But then I knew it would fit because I'd had one before.

[Bender]

I've had Duke 2 as well and to be honest until your upto NSL it's not that much worse than the shoei GT air,  the wife prefers the caberg over the hjc and the GT air. 

 

You need to try them though and see what fits and feels best  

[husoi]

I can't fault my Nolan, bought at helmet city

https://www.helmetcity.co.uk/sale/?hc_helmet_style_all=1282&hc_product_type=3007&manufacturer=281

 

[Tiggie]

I had a caberg and couldn't fault it. In fact when driving in my car I really miss the flip down sunvisor 

[S-Westerly]

I've a flip lid but it's a Schuberth C3 Pro which is going to be shortly replaced by the C5 so there may be some bargains around. Its a comfy helmet with a drop down sun screen which I use a lot especially when the sun is low like now. Its quiet (I believe) but I wear ear plugs all the time regardless.

[Bender]

1 hour ago, S-Westerly said:

I've a flip lid but it's a Schuberth C3 Pro which is going to be shortly replaced by the C5 so there may be some bargains around. Its a comfy helmet with a drop down sun screen which I use a lot especially when the sun is low like now. Its quiet (I believe) but I wear ear plugs all the time regardless.

https://www.motolegends.com/reviews/Schuberth-C5-helmet-review

[S-Westerly]

1 hour ago, Bender said:

https://www.motolegends.com/reviews/Schuberth-C5-helmet-review

Get their emails and I'll probably be swapping for a C5 if I like it when I try it on. Otherwise  I'll give the Neotec 2 a whirl.

[fullscreenaging]

8 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Get their emails and I'll probably be swapping for a C5 if I like it when I try it on. Otherwise  I'll give the Neotec 2 a whirl.

I would look at the Neotec too. 
I really wasn’t impressed with the 2 when it came for me to get a new lid last year. 
The 2 is heavier and didn’t feel as good quality.  I’m sure there might be some 1st gen kicking around at a discounted price. 
I went with the AGV Sport Modular. Love it! 

[S-Westerly]

Tried the AGV and was physically impossible to fit to my head.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

13 hours ago, Bender said:

https://www.motolegends.com/reviews/Schuberth-C5-helmet-review

Damn - that looks tempting. I looked at the C3 Pro when I bought my last helmet. It's a lot more expensive and wasn't rated P/J which the Dukes are. I don't ride much with the front up but in the city traffic I find it useful, especially in hot weather. The other issue then was we were in the middle of lockdown so going to try on lids wasn't possible and I knew the Duke fitted as I've got two of them.

 

One thing for @lughole to bear in mind is that most helmets create noise from air flowing around the neck area. I find wearing a buff that deflects the airflow around the neck goes a long way to reducing wind noise. That's where the budget Caberg leaves gaps.

[Tiggie]

1 hour ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

One thing for @lughole to bear in mind is that most helmets create noise from air flowing around the neck area. I find wearing a buff that deflects the airflow around the neck goes a long way to reducing wind noise. That's where the budget Caberg leaves gaps.

 

 

Ahem 

 

 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

36 minutes ago, Tiggie said:

 

 

Ahem 

 

 

As it happens I find that the TMBF buff actually works better at reducing wind noise than some of my more expensive genuine Buff buffs. It's a slightly different material and size and seems to scrunch up better to make a seal around the bottom of the helmet.

[Mickly]

Really pertinent topic for me.

I absolutely love my ancient Arai Quantum, but it’s now 10 years old & needs replacing and I’m considering a flip front lid, especially as now I have to wear glasses when riding.

[billy sugger]

My tuppence worth is this: flip up lids are heavy and not very aerodynamic. 

I have a Nolan flip up, and at 60mph on a naked, (my 500), it nearly takes my head off

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

36 minutes ago, billy sugger said:

My tuppence worth is this: flip up lids are heavy and not very aerodynamic. 

I have a Nolan flip up, and at 60mph on a naked, (my 500), it nearly takes my head off

Both my bikes are naked. I can ride at 70mph no problem. Maybe there's something in the setup on your bike that is directing airflow at just the wrong height for where your head is?

 

I know guys who fitted screens that actually made the helmet area more prone to airflow turbulence. It was something I was careful about when fitting a Dart screen to the Bobber as guys who fitted the smaller Piranha screen found it created a blast of air just where their head is. I went with the Classic screen and it's fine. 

[husoi]

2 hours ago, Mickly said:

Really pertinent topic for me.

I absolutely love my ancient Arai Quantum, but it’s now 10 years old & needs replacing and I’m considering a flip front lid, especially as now I have to wear glasses when riding.

Keep in mind that some flip helmets have less space on the sides than full face ones.

[S-Westerly]

Have to say I definitely prefer flip lids to the full face type and wouldn't go back to a full face under any circumstances. 

[fullscreenaging]

2 hours ago, billy sugger said:

My tuppence worth is this: flip up lids are heavy and not very aerodynamic. 

I have a Nolan flip up, and at 60mph on a naked, (my 500), it nearly takes my head off

 

My AGV sportmodular carbon in small comes in at 1295g 

That’s pretty light and one of main the reasons I chose it. 
 

[Bender]

1 hour ago, fullscreenaging said:

 

My AGV sportmodular carbon in small comes in at 1295g 

That’s pretty light and one of main the reasons I chose it. 
 

C5 is only 1340 ish, I can loose 50g having a shave  

[onesea]

Don’t over look Givi & HJC 

 

I have had both and would happily buy either again…

 

Make sure you get a Pinlock as they all but stop misting.

 

Againgontry as many on as possible.

[lughole]

Much appreciate for everyone's input, lots to consider. A trip to the bright city lights of Glasgow next week to try some on. 

Thanks again. 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

18 minutes ago, lughole said:

Much appreciate for everyone's input, lots to consider. A trip to the bright city lights of Glasgow next week to try some on. 

Thanks again. 

I love Glasgow, it's full of lovely people.