Modular helmet or solid..which do you prefer?

[Apostate]

Quieter (from the 2nd line of the thread title) is via ear plugs. No helmet is quiet enough on its own to save your hearing. You don't sacrifice hearing important things around you because everything else is quieter, too.

I know I'm late to the thread but I have to disagree with this. I have used a Shoei RF1100 for years and it definitely required earplugs. Not knowing any better, I was still satisfied with it. Then recently, I purchased a Shoei Qwest and please believe me when I tell you there is simply no comparison between the two. The Qwest is remarkably quiet, and I don't require the use of earplugs at all, even at highway speeds with the windshield all the way down (and that's a stock w/s btw).

I wish I knew enough about dB to give a scientific description that would explain the difference without hyperbole, but I don't. I also know that head shapes determine how much air/wind enters at the bottom and that has an effect too. But for me, my Qwest is VASTLY, by orders of several magnitude, quieter than the RF1100. If you have a way to test one, I urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to take one for a spin.

 

[Geno]

I recently got a Nolan N-104 modular . I have 2 full face and a Nolan N90 Trinity, but wanted to try a flip-up, since all the other kids have 'em. Wish I hadn't waited so long. I tried the Shoei Neotec and Schuberth C3; both beautiful helmets, but at $650 & $700 they were just too much. The Nolan was $350 at Revzilla, and is, IMHO, pretty much the equal of the other two. As has been stated here earlier, if your head shape isn't a match for whatever helmet you choose, you won't be happy.

 

[canadianfjrowner]

Bought my Schuberth C3 direct from Germany and saved substantial money. It is by far the best helmet I've ever owned. It vents real nice and is super quiet considering it is a modular.

Ok, got to go.......go riding.. :bike:

 

[JamesW]

Bought my IS-Max HJC four years ago. It worked great below the speed of light on my WeeStrom but my speed enhanced FJR is significantly noisier. I'm 6feetmtall and the windshield is just tall enought to send wind into my modular's buffeting zone. It's time for a new helmet anyway as my current one is fidgety in every moving part and total disintegration inside. I rode last night whiteout my helmet and the difference in noise is well..... What I'm saying is with the windshield in its highest position without my helmet I can hear the satisfying hum of the motorcycle more than wind. I dropped my head about an inch and it's totally quiet, Goldwing like, car windshield level.

Any chance a solid, tighter fitting helmet will help with the noise and vibrations. After riding for four years, I realize the helmet I purchased is a size too large. I came to this conclusion because using my current helmet and a hoodie, the vibrations from buffeting cease. So, I'm sure once I have a tighter fit, some part of my riding experience Will be upgraded. The budget won't support Shoei or Arai this time. Tried on a CL16 HJC and an Icon Torrent. Both fit snugly. How the heck can I get my bluetooth stereo headphones in side without breaking the helmet? My headphones aren't made for helmets.

I am running with the stock windshield Was thinking of getting a laminar lip but maybe a new helmet will upgrade me in comfort and noise-if not a modular. I love the modular helmet because of the flip down sunshade, the ability to get sun on my whole face at times(while breathing a face full of fresh air)

1. Will the noise lessen with a solid body helmet?

2. What do you wear?

3. I have the 05 with no heat modification so I like having a lot of air on my body.m is there any suggestions for a windshield that will also help with the noise?

4. Will a cheap solid helmet reduce the noise? 200.00 HJC or Scorpion or Icon? If not, I'd just replace with another IS-Max.

Thanks!!!

Disclaimer: this post was not created to support a modular vs solid war of any sort.

Size as you now know is critical, Get your head measured with a tape at the bike shop and it will determine your size. Correct size usually (in my experience) feels quite tight for a while.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Here is a link to Cycle Helmet sizing Charts & Shapes:

https://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/motorcycle-helmet-shapes.htm

 

[Granger]

I actually prefer an open face helmet, I have asthma and allergy problems and when they kick in the last thing I want is a giant hunk of plastic blocking my ability to sneeze or reach my nose to wipe it. I also wear glasses to read so I use bifocal sunglasses to be able to see the Garmin GPS (corrected) and also into the distance (uncorrected). Yes, the open face helmet can be noisier despite the shield extending all the way down past my chin when lowered. h34r:

I found that the way to solve this was to fix the windshield. I went with a tall Rifle windshield which solved most of the noise/wind problem, and am going to add the Lip to take care of the last bit. This yields a hypothesis: fix the windshield first, then the helmet, because doing it the other way around is only a compromise, but once the wind issue is dealt with you can wear any number of (or types of) helmets and be better off than you are today with wind/noise.

Re: helmet fit, Normally I wear a Large helmet but this worked: I bought a medium Nolan Outlaw and then took it apart and removed spots of soft foam within the shell and put the removable/cleanable liner back with all the plastic parts and it fit snugly/perfectly. So there is more than one way to skin this cat, and since each person's head (and hair, and ears) are different, it often takes as much customization as the seat or the angle of the bars & pegs, if not more.

Good luck!

Granger

 

[04Graphite]

Closed face all the way! I've got the EXO-500, alot of my riding is to and from work with one end of it being in the dark or dusk and I don't want to have to carry extra shields with me so the integrated sunshield is nice. It's quiet with the stock windshield(I live in NM, need the airflow!) I'm 5-11 with a 33 in inseam. It's ventilation is awesome too...I can actually feel the airflow inside my helmet and the airfit system is nice for those of us that have odd shaped heads because it allow for alot of customization in the fit. In the past I've ridden with Icon, HJC, and KBC, the Scorpion has them all beat hands down.