Time For a New Helmet

[aziebell]

Thanks to this forum, I will soon be armed with proper riding boots and pants. So, I figure it is also time to pick up a quality helmet.

Currently, I am still wearing my first helmet, a Fulmer Evil Spell. Whenever I got it, I knew nothing about helmets, and just went with whatever looked cool. Well, I have determined that my helmet is not so great. First the red snap on the chin strap broke within a few months. Then the mounting tab on the clear visor snapped off, so I had to get a new shield. The helmet is also very hard to open when on the bike, due to the tab for opening being very small and useless. There was also a high pitched whistle at high speeds. I do wear ear plugs, so it never really bothered me however. After buying, I also found out that they don't sell the helmets or visors online. Just another inconvenience. Overall, it was a cheap helmet, and while I am sure it would protect my head in a crash, all the other features are crap.

After a bunch of searching, and a bunch of videos of revzilla, I think the Shoei Quest may work well for me. With the popularity of Shoei, I figure I can't go wrong. From the reviews, it looks to be designed for a more upright riding position, so that works well for me. Closest dealer to carry Shoei is an hour away, so whenever we get a nice day here, I may ride out there to check them out.

Oh, I also found this Arai RX-Q Urban helmet which I wanted to get, but given the price tag, I think I will go with the Shoei.

 

[Kenward]

Personally, I like the Quest FAR better than the Urban, it's just not doin it for me. Hope you love the new lid!

 

[red06]

id take the rf1100 over qwest its way better

 

[Chupacabra]

The RF1100 is a better helmet if you are less upright, but the amount of noise in the Qwest is far less. I would give the RF1100 a look if you want a little more aggressive helmet.

I had this same dilemma for replacing my current Arai, but I spoiled myself and decided to purchase the RX-Q in Diamond White. I wanted to keep it plain because graphics for a Franklin? No way Jose.

I will post a thread once I get my helmet in to show more details between an Arai that is almost twice as much as a Shoei, so wait another week and you might decide to spoil yourself and your head and get an Arai.

 

[Rice_Rocket]

Although I'm new to streetbikes (2 years) I've toyed with helmets for car racing etc over the years... mostly all I needed was a 3/4 helmet that was SNELL approved for racing.. full faced helmets don't offer much help inside a car.

What I've found through all my readings is really: $$$ does not mean the best helmet. There are a few articles by sharp I think it was, that showed that many helmets that are "cheap" can out perform the big dogs.

I've often wondered what the big deal is, and most of my friends say I don't ride enough. Okay so maybe I don't ride as long and as often as them.. but I would say 90% of them are "snobs" that say Arai or Shoei and that you "can't put a price on your head" with these articles I say it contradicts exactly what they say.

So.. I've owned many different brands over the years, and I can say for sure that the "no-name" brands as you mention have harder to get parts, and pieces seem to break faster.

My last set of helmets I got these 2 years on the bike have been: KBC helmet (got it at season end for 85% off) boy.. for $40.00 plus shipping this helmet was niice! Okay, so it had almost all the same features as the rest of the helmets, but it was CERTAINLY harder to take apart to wash the liner than say... my Arai Quantum helmet.

Now to me, everyone gushes over the Arai helmet. Yes, I got lucky and got another super clearance $278 for the helmet. Okay.. was it worth 7 times more? Nope.. but okay it is quieter. But.. the helmet snap itself is HARD to flick open compared to my KBC, and the stupid button on the strap that I use to carry the helmet when I'm not wearing it, it pops off so easily, my poor helmet has tumbled on the ground. The liner is of a nicer softer material, and it's definitely formed better for my head. The KBC had a narrower opening, but once on my head it was great.

One thing that grinded my gears, was that the Arai's visor was not "fog resistant" and my KBC helmet was.. sheesh!

I also had a chance to borrow an HJC full carbon fiber helmet for a week. Wow, this helmet is cool... but it didn't fit my noggin well.

Do some reading if you can, there are specs on weight etc that you can find. eg. the KBC is actually lighter than my arai by a lot.

So.. you might get lucky and for $40 it's still a nice helmet.. for $278 yes I can say the Arai is nicer.. but say regular price is around $400.. nope, I can't say that it's worth 100X the cost... unless you have the spare money and like the look/fit.

 

[aziebell]

Thanks for the post. Helmets are a pretty common item, so dealers around here should actually have them in stock, unlike the pants/boots I wanted. Maybe I will just make a list of some helmets from a few different brands and check them out in person. After all, a helmet that doesn't fit my head right does me no good.

Another area of concern is also the graphics available on certain helmets. I have looked at other helmet brands, but felt the graphics were all ugly for the models I liked. So, to me, paying a bit more for a helmet with good features, that also looks really good, is worth it. However, I am going to keep looking at various brands to see what all I can come up with. But in the Shoei line, these are the ones I am liking:

RF1100 Top. Qwest Bottom

 

[ShadowChillaGin]

Check out the Scorpion Helments...They just came out with a new model as well..the Exo-900...very nice helmets in my eyes..I have not rode with one yet but the Exo-900 which is a full face modular (chin section flips up) or 1000 will be my next helmet! I love the internal flip down dark lense! Check em out!

Just my .02!!

 

[discgolfdude]

I have the rf100 and I love mine, it is almost 2 years old. I'll give it another year then I'm going to upgrade to rf1100 or get me a Nolan n90. Check out the reviews on both the quest, rf1100 and the arai rx-q, and other helmets on webBikeWorld.

 

[aziebell]

I checked out a bunch of reviews for everything I was looking at. Based on everything, I ended up ordering a Shoei RF1100 Monolith at Cycle Gear. I have never been on their site before, but they offer free shipping over $69, and with helmets, they have a special return policy in which they will pay the cost to return the item, as well as ship out another for free as long as you are only exchanging for a different size. And to sweeten the deal, Cycle Gear has it on sale for 33% percent off, way cheaper than anywhere else that I could find. Ordered yesterday, and will be at my door tomorrow afternoon. Sizing wise, I was at the high end of the medium, and the large was a tad too large at the lowest end, so I went with a medium. Hopefully I made the right call, but if not, the exchange will be free and easy!