Let's argue about helmets....

[GNBRETT]

If you like the RF-1100 you won't like the Corsair V (at least I don't) you're probably a Signet Q head like myself.

wat exactly don't u like about the corsair V? I was contemplating gettn one but I keep hearing they hav too much wind noise. dealt with enough wind noise on by Bell Star. plus I'm lookn to buy a sena setup and therefore I don't want a windy helmet cause I wanna listen to tunes from iPhone.

was lookn at the shoei for year but can't decide.... I really don't giv a crap how much it cost. I was entertaining the GT air due to the internal tint visor but I'm also lookn for somethn really light weight.

 

[RedBusarider]

Since we are on the topic of helmets, What I would like to know is are there any helmets that are cut a little
higher up so as to give you a better window of view when tucked down? OR are they all the same?

Also Who thinks they know which helmet is the quietest? Wind noise is pretty high in my EXO-700.

Now there is another subject that no one has touched on as a reason to wear a helmet, right?
With NO helmet the wind noise and exhaust noise MUST be louder then with any full face helmet, right?

 

[GsxrBots]

I am not such a believer of the more expensive, the more it protects your head idea. As long as they have the same certifications, one helmet is not more protective just because it cost $500 vs $300.

It all boils down to comfort for me.. If they are both Snell rated I'll pick the more comfortable one. And for me that's an Arai every time. I hate the "clicks" of a shield after owning an Arai, and I've yet to find another helmet that vents my sweaty head as well. :down:

But I've been known to be a helmet snob.

I own and wear plenty of cheap helmets though, my most recent cheapy was a $39 HCJ closeout at Dennis Kirk. Snell approved, and perfect for a beater safe helmet.

 

[Tiller]

It all boils down to comfort for me.. If they are both Snell rated I'll pick the more comfortable one.

Agreed. I get that an Arai may be the only one that fits your confortably, in which case that's the route you should take. I just don't like hearing someone tell me to get an expensive helmet as if they are more protective. If they are Snell rated, they will crash the same. So, if a Scorpion or HJC fit my head but cost less money, my head is still just as safe and I have a few extra $ in my pocket...

But again for anyone looking, I am a big fan of my Scorpion's. I lusted after the RPM red EXO-1000 for a good while and snagged one when they went on closeout. Great purchase!!

 

[GsxrBots]

I have a helmet "problem" Tiller..

I could probably have a second bike for all the money I've spent on helmets over the last 5 years.

 

[Flicka]

wat exactly don't u like about the corsair V? I was contemplating gettn one but I keep hearing they hav too much wind noise. dealt with enough wind noise on by Bell Star. plus I'm lookn to buy a sena setup and therefore I don't want a windy helmet cause I wanna listen to tunes from iPhone.

was lookn at the shoei for year but can't decide.... I really don't giv a crap how much it cost. I was entertaining the GT air due to the internal tint visor but I'm also lookn for somethn really light weight.

My Corsair V is far and away the quietest helmet I've ever worn. It's definitely worth checking out.

 

[Tiller]

I have a helmet "problem" Tiller..

I could probably have a second bike for all the money I've spent on helmets over the last 5 years.

Yes, you do!! It's crazy the amount of money people (i.e YOU) spend on helmets. I mean how many do you really need? Maybe If I would if I had your kinda money, but I have SO many other things to spend it (what little I have) on...

But to your original topic, I have NEVER been without a helmet (TN requires them) and NEVER will be without one. I honestly can't ride my bike down my neighborhood street at 20 mph without my eyes watering up and can't see. How ANYONE rides without a helmet, I will never know..

 

[Flicka]

As far as the Snell, DOT, ECE ratings are concerned, I've always viewed those as nothing more than bars for a helmet to clear. Just because two helmets have a certain certification doesn't necessarily mean that they are of equal quality, only that they are both at least as good as a certain standard. Some helmets are obviously not of the same material or construction quality, even if they do have the same certifications.
Admittedly, I have not done the research on this. Just going by my own impressions. Thoughts?

 

[kromdom]

Is it legal to filter through traffic on a bike in the US?

Asd already pointed out, only CALIFORNIA allows bikes to split lanes/....... a big reason why I chose to live here (inspite of its faults)

Also Who thinks they know which helmet is the quietest?

My honest answer when this question was asked in the past: a cheap pair of ear plugs makes ANY helmet the "quietest". I wear earplugs without fail regardless of which of my helmets I wear: ARAI Profile, Shoe RF-1100, Scorpion, Icon, G-MAX, etc.

 

[Pecan Pouch]

I live in a state that if your over 18 it is your choice whether you wear a helmet or not. Under 18 is required. I used to ride without a helmet most of the time. But in the past few years I try to make myself wear one. In the summer it is cooler to go without...but then I remind myself of what can happen when you don't wear one.

This happened about two years ago. I was at work and I was just going to go down the street. One of my helmet's and jackets were sitting in my office. I was going under 20 mph when it happened. Seven staples in my head. Sutures, tape and gauze to the bottom of my forearm which you can not see in the pic.

 

[Flicka]

I live in a state that if your over 18 it is your choice whether you wear a helmet or not. Under 18 is required. I used to ride without a helmet most of the time. But in the past few years I try to make myself wear one. In the summer it is cooler to go without...but then I remind myself of what can happen when you don't wear one.

This happened about two years ago. I was at work and I was just going to go down the street. One of my helmet's and jackets were sitting in my office. I was going under 20 mph when it happened. Seven staples in my head. Sutures, tape and gauze to the bottom of my forearm which you can not see in the pic.

That's a hard lesson. Thanks for sharing.

 

[methodicreign]

Snell and DOT certifications are pretty low. how high can they be when "beanie" helmets can get a DOT pass, The price differences speak to how much above the those criteria the helmets are, with in reason. of course you do spend more for some crazy graphics for the same helmet over a single solid color. Arai for example uses a completely different shell then any other manufacturer. the high density foam on the inside is much softer. reason being the foam is used to decelerate your head gradually instead of a hard foam that transfers all the impact directly to your skull rather then absorbing as much as possible. Personally is rather have a gradual deceleration over a rock hard hit.

The same can be said about lids with sunglasses built in. all that does is create an air gap in the top of the helmet that cannot absorb impact energy and decrease the overall protection of the helmet. Ultimately it is personal choice and what you can afford when it comes to helmet selection. I choose arai because I did my research extensively and when I found a proper fitting Arai I could afford I jumped on the deal. That being said I have had HJC and another lesser known brand I can't even remember right now, hands down the comfort and quiet of the Arai is unsurpassed.

 

[Fastfrog007]

Who cares? Honestly, if someone wants to go ride around without and die or be severely injured because they didn't have a helmet, more power to them. I just hope some of the bike is left so we can all get cheap parts.

I know people will argue insurance rates and the financial side, but let's be honest, those systems are completely broken anyway so 1 or 2 more veggies in the ICU crisper won't really matter. With any luck, the hospital will need to hire more staff in all areas to care for them, thusly improving out economy.

We can all agree there are WAY too many dumb people running around because we've circumvented evolution by idiot proofing the planet.

 

[red1100cc]

I find a flip-up works well for me.
I hate having to wrestle a helmet off and on every time I get gas, want a smoke or want to talk to someone.

I really like my Scorpion.
although I am really interested in the Skully helmets with the heads up display in the visor, and Olympic skeleton helmets.
they looked very nice when I was watching the Olympics. it looked like the field of view was huge on the Olympic helmets.



HELMET FEATURES ? Skully Helmets

 

[Excursion05]

As far as the Snell, DOT, ECE ratings are concerned, I've always viewed those as nothing more than bars for a helmet to clear. Just because two helmets have a certain certification doesn't necessarily mean that they are of equal quality, only that they are both at least as good as a certain standard. Some helmets are obviously not of the same material or construction quality, even if they do have the same certifications.
Admittedly, I have not done the research on this. Just going by my own impressions. Thoughts?

I saw a show on the discovery channel (I think) one time about how helmets are made. They went through the minimum certification requirements quickly at the beginning of the show and you're right, they are just a bar that has to be reached. They did a test similar to the watermelon test with helmets from two manufacturers, both certified by one or all of the governing bodies. One helmet cracked the outer shell but the inner lining remained intact. The other helmet showed no noticeable damage beyond a good scuff to the finish. Both would have kept my head from getting crushed, but at the end of the day if I knew of those results when I went shopping I'd buy helmet 2 over helmet 1 all day long if it fit worth a flip.

Years ago my wife had a no speed accident when she was just learning. Was getting ready to turn left from a stop, confused brake and clutch while starting to roll the throttle and the bike more or less threw her straight down to the ground when it went over. Her head bounced on the pavement but the only injury she had was some rash / bruise on her elbow because she had gotten hot and taken off her leather coat. DOH!

I had a similar no speed accident (mine was just carelessness) getting my previous bike, a Harley Sportster 883 out of the garage. The driveway out of the garage went down immediately and pretty steeply. I had pulled in sideways behind my wife's car, the front tire was up by the outside wall and when I started to back up I cut the wheel and leaned out and down the driveway in anticipation of the front end of the bike coming around. Problem was I hadn't cleared the garage door track yet so the front of the bike wasn't going anywhere and I ended up losing my balance and falling over backwards. The bike fell over but not much of it was on me and it wasn't enough to hurt me. But, the back of my head bounced on the concrete driveway (3 little bounces to be exact). If I hadn't already put on my helmet I have no doubt I would have been in the hospital, or the morgue.

I live in Missouri which is a helmet state, but I wouldn't ride without one even if it wasn't.

 

[red1100cc]

as far as the debate goes....
I worry about ME. not anyone else. I don't go poking my nose into the way anyone else chooses to live their life. im not going to call them organ donors on murdercycles. I wont argue insurance rates/rats. it dosent matter. insurance is a scam/gamble anyway.
you always have a million close calls and actual wrecks are pretty rare.
and in the end, they happen to YOU. some random stranger sliding down the road on the dragon does very little to nothing to me and my life.




it reminds me of a joke .

 

[Excursion05]

I find a flip-up works well for me.
I hate having to wrestle a helmet off and on every time I get gas, want a smoke or want to talk to someone.

I really like my Scorpion.
although I am really interested in the Skully helmets with the heads up display in the visor, and Olympic skeleton helmets.
they looked very nice when I was watching the Olympics. it looked like the field of view was huge on the Olympic helmets.



HELMET FEATURES ? Skully Helmets

I have a Scorpion flip up too and have been very satisfied with it. And, I'm also very interested in the Skully helmet. I look forward to them coming out in beta so we can get some real world reviews. Or even better, coming out in mass production so I can try one on at my local cycle shop.

 

[okie44]

. The HJC lids seemed like significantly lower quality than the others, but I never crashed in them.

May I suggest HJC's RPHA 10.

Great lid (for my head atleast) & incredibly light weight.

 

[goalie31]

I have to admit to owning about a dozen or so helmets. Arai's, Bell, HJC, Suomy and Scorpion. Arai is my favorite, but they cost mucho. The Bell Star Carbon I just picked up is nice, got it for a steal at $280.00. I won't ride 10 feet without one. Brain tissue doesn't regenerate. When I think I'll ride without one I just think of what it would be like to smack my head on pavement. Personal choice but even a $100 helmet gives you a better chance of survival. Ever get hit by a rock or bug going 60 MPH? imagine what that would feel like in the face. My $.02.

Bill

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

What argument? ATGATT FTW!