Helmet upgrade questions...

[LERecords]

so.. I know that it should have been replaced last year (or the year before) but my helmet is from 05 and its probably time to replace.. its a Scorpion EXO-400 and it has served me well... never tested, but fit was great..

some complaints:
wind noise - maybe its only because i have only worn this helmet, but its not very quiet.. i ride sometimes with an ipod and its not that i have to crank it, but it takes an hour or soo for my hearing to come back after like 5 hours of use..

upward air in the face - i ride with cut sunglass's (broken oakly eyejackets) and one of those wind stopper chin peices from scorpion, but it still sometimes feels like my face is getting blasted.. on hot days its not an issue..

other than those two complaints, its a good helmet and I'm thinking about just buying another one of the same.. just wanted to see what everyone else thought about it and if anyone had recomendations.. thanks all :thumbup:

 

[Humperdinkel]

I have just started using an OGK FF5 & gouldnt be happier :thumbup: Here are the 1st impressions & a full review http://www.600riders.com/forum/safety-equipment/37776-my-new-ogk-lid.html

 

[aziebell]

My helmet experience is limited to a budget Fulmer helmet and a Shoei RF-1100, so I don't have much advice to offer you. However, when it comes to wind noise, I recommend ear plugs It also reduces fatigue a bit after a long ride. I have a reusable pair that I carry on the bike so I never leave home without them. I usually just wear them outside the city where speeds are higher.

 

[red06]

if you like scorpion get a higher end one the exo700 is good

 

[Amorousnerdium]

I'm really dgging my HJC RPS-10 Patriot... Plenty of air flow that can be cut off if it gets cold... Pin lock faceplate, really comfortable interior, and extremely lightweight.

 

[Motogiro]

I guess a lot will have to do with what will fit you properly. All of our heads are different.
I have the Shoei RF-1100. I also have a Scorpion EXO-1000 and an HJC. The Scorpion is pretty heavy compared to the HJC and the RF-1100.

I love the Shoei. Get some earplugs. When we play out back we get incredible wind noise. Goop and I were in the mountains and desert today and although I forget sometimes I was pretty good about keeping my earplugs in.

 

[agf]

the rf-1100 is called the XR-1100 here in Aust. I have just had mine for a week after a noisy KBC VR-2 which was comfy but wind noise plus.
I had a Shoei 30 odd years ago and was really happy with it then and had no qualms about buying another, its light, good peripheral vision great venting, still some noise but way quieter and no whistle unless I pop the visor. Made me realise how noisy the old helmet really was!
I tried the recent Arai and AGV lids, the Arai was ok but not perfect and the AGV was the same as it was when I tried my dad's on years ago--- just horrible on my scone.
Peter Stevens here in Melbourne are keen that you wear the helmets for a while around the shop, so I went in every day for a week trying on something different for 20 minutes or so to see if I could stand it or not, as I said the AGV was shocking and took only a minute to know it, The Shoei felt like it was perfect, as had the KBC, only $400 between the two-just saved hard for a few extra weeks, the lighter lid is a good investment in my book

 

[DownrangeFuture]

I like my RF-1100. It's lighter than my Scorpion EXO-1000 and much quieter, even with chin curtian removed and all the vents opened. I thought I'd miss the flip down sun shade, but visors swap so easy in the RF-1100 and the helmet plays so much better with sunglasses, I don't miss it at all. And when you feel like being a hooligan, it's nice that the helmet won't lift on you or whip around in the wind. Even at an indicated 130MPH. Hey, it was a closed road. Nevermind the fact that I wasn't supposed to be on it either.

My year old EXO is now my spare.

And yeah, wear earplugs if you plan on riding longer than 45 minutes in a 24hour period. Hearing loss is permenant.

 

[Randomchaos]

I have an exo 700, exo 900, and had a vega altura as well as am HJC cl-sp. The vega was nice. Cheap, looked good, fit good, still have it as a spare. The HJC was my next helmet. It was enormous, lots of buffeting. Interstate riding was near impossible. It was also noisy and felt heavy. Had a minor accident with it where my head barely touched the pavement, and ended up with a mild concusion. Next I had an exo-700. It was a great helmet. Nice snug race style fit. Lightweight, lots of venting, no buffeting, and fairly quiet. Had a crash with it on doing 50-60mph, landed almost headfirst, helmet was destroyed. No head injuries at all. Next up is the exo-900. Nice concept helmet, but way too bulky and heavy. A fair bit of buffeting as well. Fit was nice, was fairly loud, but flowed air well. Now I am back to another exo-700. I personnally like the scorpions.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[Gothenburg]

Shoei makes one called the Qwest. I did a bit of research before getting it. Fits perfect, looks great, and it gets great reviews too. Also less than the 1100 and others.

Getting it in solid colors saves like $100. I got the black one and LOVE it. Easy off visor and lots of adjustments.

DOT and SNELL approved too.

Shoei Qwest Review - webBikeworld

 

[LERecords]

sometimes i wear ear plugs, sometimes i wear ipod earphones, sometimes i just go with nothing.. i just want something a little quieter... been eyeing the exo-700, good to hear its not a bad one..

 

[Evitzee]

I've always used Shoei and Arai lids, but you have to make sure your head shape fits their model (Round or Oval), there is a difference between models in their own lines. I now wear an HJC FS-15 in carbon fiber, great construction, very light, and a steal price wise if you shop around. I always wear disposable ear plugs, it cuts back the high frequency clatter that high reving four cylinder engines produce along with the wind noise. A 10-15 dB reduction in noise makes a big difference in comfort and fatique.

 

[The Dude]

I have a white HJC IS-16 helmet. It's nice, but now that I have prescription sunglasses, I don't use the internal visor much. I plan to keep it through the fall, then look for a deal on a Scorpion EXO-700 high-vis model. That's about the only thing I can find that offers better visibility than my current lid, and the reviews I've read have been quite positive.

I figure it'll offer the most benefit in the cooler/grayer months when the days are shorter and people aren't used to seeing motorcycles on the roads in the northeast.

Scorpion EXO-700 Neon - webBikeWorld

 

[Spideyrex]

Scorpion now has the exo-500 which has an internal sun shade, and meets the DOT and ECE standards (softer than Snell 05). I have the 400 and am also thinking of upgrading. I wish they made it in the above hi-viz though.

 

[novaks47]

Scorpion now has the exo-500 which has an internal sun shade, and meets the DOT and ECE standards (softer than Snell 05). I have the 400 and am also thinking of upgrading. I wish they made it in the above hi-viz though.

That's probably going to be my next helmet. Wish they'd offer it more solid colors though, like hi-vis, maybe a bright red, or even orange would be cool. Looks like a nice blend of the 700 and 1000 series helmets. I really like the simple looking design, and the pull down tinted screen. The lack of stick on vents makes it look pretty quiet too.

I've got an EXO-700 right now. It's my first and only street helmet, so I have nothing to compare it to. I think I've had it for two years, maybe three? I'll have to find the receipt. lol

It's very comfortable. If you ride in cold weather a lot though, the shield will fog up, and the only way to tame the fogging, is to open it one click. The problem with that is, is it opens a little too much, and when it's cold, the last thing you want is that freezing air right on your face. lol Also, I've bought two shields for it, one tinted, one mirrored/tinted. So counting the clear one that came with it, I have 3. And all 3 fit differently. The clear one fits almost perfectly, but has a slight gap on the bottom. The tinted fits slightly worse, with a larger gap on the bottom. No noticeable increase in noise though. The mirrored fits the worst, and is noticeably louder than the other two. So Scorpion has some work to do with QC. I now just use for commuting the clear one, with a tint strip. Also, they really should just include the chin skirt, as it really helps in cold weather, and really cuts down on the noise. Wind noise seems excessive to me, but I wear ear plugs which help a little. Wind noise still seems too loud, and boomy to me, but my Puig screen could be contributing to that. Those are my only complaints. Some more pros : It vents just fine in the summer, and is nice and warm in the winter. The fabric really does wick away sweat as advertised, which is really nice in the summer. My head never feels wet, like you'd get with a bicycle helmet(just using that type of helmet experience for reference). I also pulled off that "S" logo on the front, which makes the helmet look much better, IMO. Then again, I like my helmets plain and simple looking.

All in all, I'd say despite it's niggles, I still really like this helmet. For the money, I'd say they're good helmets. I believe I paid $170 for it at the time. Looks like they've gone up a bit, but still not overpriced IMO. Hope this helps!

 

[greg]

schuberth make the quietest lids

the noise problem can be solved with earplugs (though i find it's too quiet and i can't hear my engine properly, so it may be a case of finding the right ones)

the wind can be a mixed blessing, too little draught and you'll get condensation issues (especially in winter)

 

[OKstate311]

I am a loyal Shark buyer. I think they make the best lids on the planet... I have a pair of RSR2s (discontinued but you can sometimes find them on closeout) and 1 RSI. After using KBC, HJC, and Scorpion at times, I'm not sure I'll ever buy another brand, although I'd like to give Arai and AGV a shot. Maybe in a few years when these have served their sentence!

 

[QuietEagle]

I've never tried the Scorpion, but I had to get a Shark RSi because of the head shape. WebBikeWorld lists helmets by shape....

If you ride with your ipod frequently, I think you would be really pleased with Etymotic Er6i ear phones. They are in ear monitors and basically act as ear plugs with speakers. They are small enough that they don't cause any discomfort under the helmet and will really save your hearing...if it is taking you 5 hours to regain normal hearing, it is being damaged.

I don't really ride with music anymore, but when I did, I also had an iJet remote...that was very nice :cheer:

 

[Grainbelt]

Shoei makes one called the Qwest. I did a bit of research before getting it. Fits perfect, looks great, and it gets great reviews too. Also less than the 1100 and others.

Getting it in solid colors saves like $100. I got the black one and LOVE it. Easy off visor and lots of adjustments.

DOT and SNELL approved too.

Shoei Qwest Review - webBikeworld

The Qwest was apparently designed in a wind tunnel with the rider in an upright position, not a sportbike crouch, specifically for the sport-touring and standard rider. First time Shoei has done this and it has gotten rave reviews for being supremely quiet.

I need to retire my Nolan N102 and the Qwest will be my new lid. :thumb

 

[callmegandhi]

I have an Icon speedmetal helmet. Good ventalation and pretty light for long rides. I don't have a bad thing to say about riding with a helmet. Just make sure you are wearing one!