Zack
Junior Member
I know, this theme is beaten to death with no real results many times.
Here is how I see it. All helmets are DOT and SNELL approved so that takes care about safety factor (USA, Canada). So what is there remained and is so important? Here is my priority list and I will explain later:
1. Quietest helmet possible (Schuberth)
2. Active visor (Akuma) or at least built in sun visor (many helmets)
3. Chin mini spoiler (Arai)
4. Built-in intercom, music and phone support, Bluetooth does it all (Element)
So perfect helmet should be combination of all of the above.
Reasoning:
1. All helmets looks nice, attractive colors, adjustable vents, good straps, replaceable visors. For every decent helmet you can buy replaceable cheek pads to get good fit. Last comfort factor remained is really, really important one. How quiet or loud helmet is!? While riding faster that 40-50 miles (70-90 km/h) I can't hear engine any more. It is just unbearable whoosh around my ears, no matter how I position head. Horrible. To add more I learned that prolonged exposure to that noise also affects persons hearing, permanently.
I am sure not alone prioritizing over that problem. My son just came home after almost whole day of riding with friends. First thing he said after parking the bike was:" I have to find some better helmet, this noise is killing me..."
He has Scorpion 400 and I have Scorpion 700. I don't think those helmets are any better or worse in noise department than the other ones. It must be something better out there. So far by reading reviews Schubert helmet tends to be quietest helmet there is. At this moment nobody is importing it to USA (it is made in Germany). If they can do it why others can't?
2. During day driving I need either tinted visor or clear visor + sunglasses. At evening you actually want to replace the visor or take off the sunglasses. Sunglasses also get squeezed by helmet and hurt ears. Perfect solution actually exists. I saw Akuma helmet active visor tests. At flick at the switch you get either dark or clear visor. There is also visor that change tint factor by itself, no power needed. Last I heard about that is that they pulled them from stores because they didn't perform well. I am, not aware if electrically activated visor is being sold. It sure does sound like wonderful idea. It's instant! Flick the switch and built-in LCD turns it dark. Flick it again and it's clear. Battery powered.
Going back to what is on the shelf today, helmet with retractible sun visor pulled down by small lever can be purchased easily.
3. At bit higher speeds wind blows on my chin and neck. At really high speeds wind wants to lift up the helmet. Anyway, it is bothersome. Some Arai helmets have small retractible spoilers that can be pulled down to prevent that. Didn't try it myself but sounds like cure. I don't know why all or many helmets don't have something like that?
4. That is a really cool and useful feature. Listen the music, answer a phone and talk to your riding buddy on the same or near by motorcycle. It is all built into the helmet together with batteries and handy switches.
Element helmets have that and surprisingly enough it is not overly expensive (about 300 bucks). I would gladly pay for helmet like that.
However there is a small problem. While reading about it, in reviews some riders reported that helmet itself is very noisy, even at low speeds (!?). Even that Bluetooth works perfectly that kind of snag kills the purpose of the whole thing.
That's it. Enough from me, now I would like to hear from you. If somebody can name helmet that fits description I am buying it ... now.
Here is how I see it. All helmets are DOT and SNELL approved so that takes care about safety factor (USA, Canada). So what is there remained and is so important? Here is my priority list and I will explain later:
1. Quietest helmet possible (Schuberth)
2. Active visor (Akuma) or at least built in sun visor (many helmets)
3. Chin mini spoiler (Arai)
4. Built-in intercom, music and phone support, Bluetooth does it all (Element)
So perfect helmet should be combination of all of the above.
Reasoning:
1. All helmets looks nice, attractive colors, adjustable vents, good straps, replaceable visors. For every decent helmet you can buy replaceable cheek pads to get good fit. Last comfort factor remained is really, really important one. How quiet or loud helmet is!? While riding faster that 40-50 miles (70-90 km/h) I can't hear engine any more. It is just unbearable whoosh around my ears, no matter how I position head. Horrible. To add more I learned that prolonged exposure to that noise also affects persons hearing, permanently.
I am sure not alone prioritizing over that problem. My son just came home after almost whole day of riding with friends. First thing he said after parking the bike was:" I have to find some better helmet, this noise is killing me..."
He has Scorpion 400 and I have Scorpion 700. I don't think those helmets are any better or worse in noise department than the other ones. It must be something better out there. So far by reading reviews Schubert helmet tends to be quietest helmet there is. At this moment nobody is importing it to USA (it is made in Germany). If they can do it why others can't?
2. During day driving I need either tinted visor or clear visor + sunglasses. At evening you actually want to replace the visor or take off the sunglasses. Sunglasses also get squeezed by helmet and hurt ears. Perfect solution actually exists. I saw Akuma helmet active visor tests. At flick at the switch you get either dark or clear visor. There is also visor that change tint factor by itself, no power needed. Last I heard about that is that they pulled them from stores because they didn't perform well. I am, not aware if electrically activated visor is being sold. It sure does sound like wonderful idea. It's instant! Flick the switch and built-in LCD turns it dark. Flick it again and it's clear. Battery powered.
Going back to what is on the shelf today, helmet with retractible sun visor pulled down by small lever can be purchased easily.
3. At bit higher speeds wind blows on my chin and neck. At really high speeds wind wants to lift up the helmet. Anyway, it is bothersome. Some Arai helmets have small retractible spoilers that can be pulled down to prevent that. Didn't try it myself but sounds like cure. I don't know why all or many helmets don't have something like that?
4. That is a really cool and useful feature. Listen the music, answer a phone and talk to your riding buddy on the same or near by motorcycle. It is all built into the helmet together with batteries and handy switches.
Element helmets have that and surprisingly enough it is not overly expensive (about 300 bucks). I would gladly pay for helmet like that.
However there is a small problem. While reading about it, in reviews some riders reported that helmet itself is very noisy, even at low speeds (!?). Even that Bluetooth works perfectly that kind of snag kills the purpose of the whole thing.
That's it. Enough from me, now I would like to hear from you. If somebody can name helmet that fits description I am buying it ... now.
Last edited:
), is that I prefer the R1's aerodynamics, comfort and weight, - but I also love the quietness of the S1, which comes in real handy when I use intercom to talk to my passenger.
