Helmets

[SacramentoMike]

Another plus for modular helmets in general. I wear glasses, and that's a reason to like them, but if I didn't, I'd still wear sunglasses at least some of the time. I do NOT like built-in flip-down sun visors, since even behind the normal face shield, the soft plastic eventually will get very fine scratches, no matter how carefully you clean it. Of course, these scratches are only visible when it's sunny. But of course, when do you want a sun visor down? Um, sunny.

I really like being able to flip the chin bar up when I stop for gas, or to speak to someone, or for any number of reasons. You just can't communicate from inside a closed helmet. And especially if it's hot, it's very refreshing to get your face out of the confines of the helmet, too.

I know there are plenty of inexpensive helmets that may give you enough protection in a crash, but they may not, too. Since that's why you buy a helmet, it may be worth some extra cash to feel more confident about it. The rest of it is comfort. If it fits the shape of your head, you're good. If it doesn't, you'll never be good. They say you should leave it on in the store for a good while, but it can take hours for what feels like a good fit to develop into a real pain. Might be good to check on return/refund/ policies. Some of the on-line parts distributors may (I'm not sure) let you return a helmet after a while, especially in exchange for another purchase.

I personally like my Shoei Multitec, and will probably upgrade to a Neotec when the time comes. They fit my head the best of any I've tried, and they feel solid and well-made. BTW, mine is black, though I've added some reflective decals to the back. It's the last black helmet I'll own. I really like the way a distinctive color shows up--even in traffic, over the roofs of surrounding cars.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

You can't spit on an idiot's windshield with a full face. I love modulars.

 

[Ignacio]

What helmet are you wearing, or what helmets do you rotate through? Manufacturer and color, likes and dislikes?

Neotec I covered here at length including predecessors, color, likes, etc.

 

[smithpa68]

I have a Shoei Neotech also. I like it a lot. Comfy and pretty quiet. I have crashed tested one and felt confident enough in it to buy another. Color is the Anthracite. I like the internal sun visor. Mine gets a bit smudgy if I ride in the rain for a bit. A micro fiber cloth swipe clears it right up. Not sure why gets it this way. It doesn't seem to really get wet... but it is a minor irritation. They come with a pinlock is which is AWESOME. I will never have another helmet without a pinlock.

 

[Scooper]

Neotech for me also.

Light silver and I like the sun visor and pin lock too.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Pinloc is the best thing since ABS.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Shoei's fit my noggin so they get the nod.

Currently running a Pearl Gray MultiTec, have another new one in the closet ready for next summer. Pinlock is a must for a fog-free shield, otherwise it 's the worst fogging helmet I've ever owned. Always carry a couple different inserts for cloudy or not days...

Nike and UA make decent skull caps for less helmet-head!

--G

 

[Denis99]

Schuberth S2.

My second Schuberth helmet - expensive, but seems to fit me very well.

AGV just hurts after 2 hours or so, must be the shape of my head.

 

[supertankerm60a3]

I like the modulars too.

My first was a REAL cheap chinese one, 89.00. OUCH! Very painful to wear. I pulled the velcro-ed inner liner out and then the velcro and made my own liner from foam rubber after about 5 minutes. That Helmet lasted 6 months.

My second was a Caberg 'Trip', also known as a 'Ryno'. Made in Italy I paid about 175 for it I think. Really cool styling very good quality and a built in retractable sun visor, no built in bluetooth. That helmet lasted 3 years and I replaced the faceshield and kept it until recently. When I mailed it to my brother-in-law, who lives in the Philippines. Now, it is his favorite, cool helmet

Third helmet was a 'Torc' BT 21. Made in China. I paid about 200 for it I think. It looked cool, had a built in retractable sun visor and built in bluetooth. I really wanted to like it BUT every detail of it was just way too cheap. The only good thing about it is the way the lines of the chinbar/breath deflector and sunvisor meet The helmet is loud. The speakers were tucked into pockets on the upper chin strap and pressed into my ears painfully. I pulled them out and put them in the pocket of the helmet where your ears go. The system cannot go loud enough to hear it clearly and the speakers rattle very loudly against the BARE outer shell in that area. All around too cheap, this helmet I still have but I replaced in only one year.

My Current helmet is a Nolan N-90 Made in Italy. I paid 300 for the helmet, 100 for the audio. and 200 for the b.luetooth a total of 600. This is a good quality helmet. the BT is loud enough to hear clearly. It has a built in retractable sun visor. The main faceshield came with a Pinlock fog insert and it WORK GREAT! the chinbar is perfectly balanced such that a moderate nod causes it to lock closed in a really cool manner. It also has a locking lever to hold it open if you need to. I have had this helmet for just over two years and am looking to replace the liner and faceshield to spruce it up. My only gripe with this helmet is the cost and the difficulty of down loading the drivers to get my computer to talk to the BT unit. (It is the new type that only does cell cals from the cell phone. Not music, not directions, not siri. Although, I have an app to make the phone adapt.) Well that and the price

 

[CA G-Man]

Schuberth C3 for me (and C3 Womens' for my wife). Very expensive but worth it.

Likes: High-vis yellow, quiet, BT comm system in collar roll (sole separately, also expensive), comes with pinlock (awesome!), built-in sun visor (wouldn't ride without one), visor removal and re-installation couldn't be easier (takes about 3 seconds to remove, even with 1 hand; haven't tried to replace with 1 hand but with 2 it takes about 3 seconds as well).

Dislikes: Liner had a sharp seam edge at the forehead area (had to make a little flannel flap to cover it for long-term comfort); BT comm system can be a bit buggy at times (it works well, but has the odd "hiccup"), visor seal/waterproofing could be slightly better (I can get a few drips/drops/splashes in when riding in driving rain).

 

[A41Billy]

I just bought a new Shoei GT Air matte black. It is very comfortable, has excellent air flow, includes pinlock visor and insert. The inner sunshade is perfect. My only complaint is the sunshield switch location is a little hard to find while riding. I am getting used to it though.

I also have a Shark Evoline 3 Hakka (black and white). This is the most versatile helmet you can buy hands down. No other helmet has a chin bar that flips back and locks in to create an open face helmet on the fly. It also has an excellent inner sun visor. My three complaints on this helmet are: it's heavy, very noisy and no chin curtain(this is because of the modular design).

 

[Twigg]

My three complaints on this helmet are: it's heavy, very noisy and no chin curtain(this is because of the modular design).

All crash helmets are noisy, it's merely a matter of degree. No crash helmet is quiet enough to wear without ear protection, for any length od time.

With ear protection, they are all quiet

What I am saying is that "noise" is probably the least useful of all the tests we apply, because they ALL need additional help in that area.

 

[CA G-Man]

All crash helmets are noisy, it's merely a matter of degree. No crash helmet is quiet enough to wear without ear protection, for any length od time.
With ear protection, they are all quiet

What I am saying is that "noise" is probably the least useful of all the tests we apply, because they ALL need additional help in that area.

Twigg: I agree with you to a point, but I still believe that relative "quietness" is a worthy characteristic to look for in a helmet for the following reasons:

1. Not all hearing protection is created equal. If you have anything less than the ideal, top-of-the-line custom-made ear plugs, the noise - or lack thereof - from your helmet will make a difference.
2. Even with great hearing protection there is still some concern about the effects of cumulative exposure to wind noise. Anyone spending tens of thousands of hours on a bike during their lifetime risks developing hearing loss in certain frequencies (particularly the higher frequencies when we're talking about wind noise).*

I'll hedge my bets and take the best of both worlds - the best hearing protection I can find and the quietest helmet I can find that has all of the other features I'm looking for.

*Disclaimer: No, I'm not an audiologist but I have done some reading on the topic. Please correct me if I've misstated anything here.

 

[Twigg]

You haven't mis-stated anything that I'm aware of, but good earplugs or noise-isolating earbuds are rated around 26 to 30 dB. Quite enough to reduce wind noise (the dangerous stuff) to a perfectly safe level. From the tests I've seen, the noise difference in most helmets doesn't vary all that much, especially at higher cruising speeds. That is, a "quiet" helmet like the Schuberth isn't all that much quieter than my Vega.

With earplugs, both are quiet. With custom molded plugs they aren't much quieter, but good molds can be worn for much longer and they can be fitted with speakers.

I'm not saying that expensive helmets aren't worth the money, but simply that they are not proven to be safer, quieter or lighter. Some are, but again the Schuberth falls in the middle of the range for weight (for example). What the money does buy is a much higher build quality, especially of things like liners, fasteners, visors (and Pinlock).

I've worn lots, from top-rated and top-priced down to my current Vega. With a good helmet liner and decent earplugs, the cheapy works really well so I save my limited budget for other things. If I could afford it I'd buy a Neotech

 

[no rain]

I do NOT like built-in flip-down sun visors, since even behind the normal face shield, the soft plastic eventually will get very fine scratches, no matter how carefully you clean it. Of course, these scratches are only visible when it's sunny. But of course, when do you want a sun visor down? Um, sunny.

My Lazer Monaco came with a photochromic shield. It's not perfect, but I vastly prefer it to flip down sun visors. Bell also offers such a shield, but not sure if is included with any model. I hope that other manufacturers adopt this feature.

 

[rwortman]

I have 4. Arai RX-Q in Cobalt blue that is my touring helmet.

Arai Vector-2 in Italian racing red for bombing the backroads on my Duc

Bell Vortex in a blue/white pattern that I used for commuting. I got this on a closeout sale for $99. I wanted it because Bell sells a photochromic shield so I don't have to bring a separate clear shield with me in case I work past dark. The downside is the shield cost me $25 more than the helmet. I still like it. This is a pretty nice helmet although strangely noisy.

AFX FX-39 dual sport helmet. I was really surprised at the build quality of this quite inexpensive helmet.

 

[manglegrat]

Shoei's fit my head best.Never really cared about colors or graphics.

Current is plain white.

+1 on the Shoei head fit - seems to fit my cuboid head the best.

I currently have a solid yellow Neotec but I still have my old RF-1000 (Cutlass design in red - sweet graphics but doesn't go with either of my current bikes, both silver). Haven't really noticed it being any noisier than the RF-1000.

On the Neotec, I really like the sun visor - but usually as a supplemental to sunglasses, not just on its own. The modular design kicks ass for convenience when stopped, for talking to civilians or unobstructed shouting at moronic cagers who nearly kill you, etc.

I haven't needed the pinlock on the Neotec yet, but will probably put 'em in mine and the missus' (she has a white one) before we go on our NZ trip in February. Probably won't be wearing it again until then, though - we got ~15cm of snow here last weekend.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I use whatever silicon-bulbed earbuds I can find to mitigate wind noise and listen to GPS/tunes. I've long toyed with something custom, but worried that I'd spend big coin just to have something that didn't last long. What are you using?

You haven't mis-stated anything that I'm aware of, but good earplugs or noise-isolating earbuds are rated around 26 to 30 dB. Quite enough to reduce wind noise (the dangerous stuff) to a perfectly safe level. From the tests I've seen, the noise difference in most helmets doesn't vary all that much, especially at higher cruising speeds. That is, a "quiet" helmet like the Schuberth isn't all that much quieter than my Vega.
With earplugs, both are quiet. With custom molded plugs they aren't much quieter, but good molds can be worn for much longer and they can be fitted with speakers.

I'm not saying that expensive helmets aren't worth the money, but simply that they are not proven to be safer, quieter or lighter. Some are, but again the Schuberth falls in the middle of the range for weight (for example). What the money does buy is a much higher build quality, especially of things like liners, fasteners, visors (and Pinlock).

I've worn lots, from top-rated and top-priced down to my current Vega. With a good helmet liner and decent earplugs, the cheapy works really well so I save my limited budget for other things. If I could afford it I'd buy a Neotech

 

[DennisJ]

Nolan N=104 in Hi-Viz with a Sena 10MHR mounted. I think modular helmets are always going to have more wind noise than a sold but as I wear earplugs always the noise isn't an issue. I can hear the Sena just fine and the visibility with the N-104 is great. Flip down sun shield could be a little darker but I carry a roll of blue painter's tape for quick adjustments.

 

[900gc]

Zeus ZS-3000 Modular. High quality, flip down sun shield, converts to 3/4 with kit, a little more oval for my alien head, ECE rated and under $200. Custom graphics mine.