High End Helmets a waste of money?

[BentValve]

I'll keep my Arai , thanks.

( and looking for another too

)

There is no doubt in my mind that there are some good cheap helmets out there but still you get
what you pay for, wear an Arai for a month then try on some cheap helmets , the differences will
be obvious to you.

 

[jetset]

I have An Arai Quantum and 05 Arai RX-7,and a Shoie RF-800 but it wasn't always that way.Iused to buy what I could afford back in the day there were no snell ratings on low end helmets.There were either no ratings or DOT on high end products.
The good thing is how we've progressed in the industry.If you are a begginner or simply can't afford a high end helmet,your not forced to wear inferior products that endanger your well being.
Now you can have a quality helmet at a affordable price IMHO thats really what counts.These days you can get affordable riding gear due to technology.
Ride what you like.
Wear what you like.



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[JINKSTER]

How about this?...How about all the squids out there that won't wear a helmet cause the first cheap $hit they bought is heavy, uncomfortable and noisy?...To me?..My helmet is my cockpit...and the quieter and more comfortable it is greatly influences just how much enjoyment I'll get out of riding my motorcycle and..."The Quality Of That Ride"..in other words...an ill performing lid can make a day spent on the worlds best motorcycle a miserable experience and you'll be itching to get back home...but don a lid that fits great and is perfectly comfy and quiet?...and you'll be itching to ride more...cause if my head ain't happy neither is the rest of me.

L8R, Bill.

 

[thunder]

I have Bought, Worn, Sold personal, Sold retail A lot of Helmets over the years. The first priority is that if the bucket isn't comfortable you won't wear it. For a personal example I had a Shoei RF900 it fit good except for the cheek pads, It sat a lot until I sold It. A Roof Boxer 500.00 helmet. Wore it on My triumph Daytona and loved it, Wore it on the Busa felt like my head was coming off (sold It). Right now I own not one but Two Fulmer helmets, a Nolan N-100 flip face and a Lazer Dragon fly. The fulmers are both snell rated and more comfortable (for Me) than the 450.00 Shoei. I wear the nolan touring on the Trophy cause it works for that. I wear the dragon fly around town on both bikes. I wear a Helmet more for the use of keeping bugs, gravel, and other road junk out of my face and forhead than for worrying about a crash. I have hit the pavement once in 38 years and never got near My head.

 

[Ononewheel]

I just read that article today. Definitely intersting, and motorcyclist does present a good case. That said, regaurdless of the reults I still feel better in a high end helmet. I doubt motorcyclist put in the same amount of time research and money that the helmet manufacturers did to decide on best helmet design. So even if the cheap helmets are safer, the expensive helmets will be made much nicer, with better components.

 

[paineless4u]

I'll stay with mine....

 

[paineless4u]

pretty good ventilation too

 

[tedbiele]

Love that helmet Painless!

I wiped out at 140 at Sears Point years ago. A Shoei helmet saved my head and probably my life. I wear Shoei because of that fact.

The article also said that many manufacturers did not send them helmets to test. Such as Shoei and Arai.

 

[FAKK2]

Plastic/Fiberglass and what about Carbon Fiber Helmet like this Vemar VSRC pure carbon fiber

??

 

[Glyn]

I believe the Snell tests are a litle more biased towards protecting you from the big hit. A DOT helmet will probably do about as good a job. If you knew what kind of crash you were going to have, you could select the best performing unit for that job

What is not mentioned in the article, is the quality of fit, finish, and quietness of the premium lids. The top of the line helmets seem to perform better in these areas.

There are very good cheaper and DOT only lids out there, that should work just fine if you need their crash protection. Just because a manufacturer does not apply and pay for the Snell certification, does not automaticly mean that that helmet is a POS.

My thought, buy the best fitting helmet that you can.

Wear it EVERY time you ride, cuz even the best helmet in the world can't help you when it is on the shelf