Question on helmets

[jaybird]

Primary helmet is a Shoei RF 1000 "Voltage" -- good sight to check out is www.tonker.com the blue is almost a deat match for the 05 fjr. I wear this year round -- on hot days the windshield is down all the way, and i might leave the flip shield cracked one notch. Coming from a cruiser, and wearing the half helmets, the full felt tight at first -- but now I could wear it at the office and around the house and be comfortable.

Like others here have said, the bike is fast, bugs hurt, and life is uncertain -- put all the odds possible on your side. And, no kidding, the women love the full helmet Jay

 

[TahoeBound]

Helmet Article

 

[FJRottie]

without sufficating me

Helmets do not suffocate.

Get whatever makes you happy.

Full helmets offer the best protection and maybe the best noise reduction.

Most helmets these days have vents all over. In and out the back.

Spend time looking and trying them on. A Full face should be snug.

Put it on and then shake your head from side to side. If it spins a bit on your head, it is too big.

They must be worn and broken in to get the comfy fit.

Look for nice padding on the inside. Many have removable padding for cleaning.

Look for removeable/replaceable visors.

 

[toophast]

Schuberth Concept flip face here. Like the flip when refueling or any other activity when only going to be stopped for a short while...eat snacks drink etc without having to remove the helmet. The Concept is kind of a round on the outside type helmet (usually can only find it at BMW dealers) and it's great when I'm looking around at speed because the wind doesn't catch the side of the helmet like on some of the more narrow helmets. The underside of the helmet has a 1 inch or so lip that comes in towards my neck there by eliminating cold drafts (seems to keep the heat out in the summer too somehow) . Pricey but an extremly nice helmet.

It's black like the rest of my gear.

This bike is very powerful...wear all the gear, all the time; and hope those that love you never have to be thankful you did.

Toophast

 

[Toecutter]

I wear a Shoei RF-1000, along with the Kevlar suit for anything where anticipated speed will be over 40 mph. I also have a Bell half helmet I use for neighborhood errands and it came in real handy for both the MSF class and, most recently, the Lee Parks clinic. Great for riding range stuff, not too much sweating and easy to hear/talk from. I also had a nice dry helmet to put on for the 4 hour trip home, unlike all the other riders who attended last Saturday.

 

[FJRME]

Fairing up or down doesn't seem to matter. My shield still gets bombed with bugs by the end of a ride. Without a full coverage, those are the ones that would be on my face. I often ride with sunglasses to protect my eyes, and the shield up. I still get the wind in the face thing, but I don't sacrifice the protection. After you wear one for awhile, you come to crave the security, and all the other benefits mentioned in other posts.

I can't find the pics of a german study I saw on maybe the pashnit site. Stats from I don't know how many crashes were input and spit out. Head impact areas were compared. Sixty? % of the impacts were to areas a full face covered, but a half hat didn't. Plus, unless you're a LEO, half hats are gay. Maybe the gun makes it okay.

It's ok for Toecutter, because he's usually wearing shorts and flip flops with his halfy. Plus his ol' lady's hot, so he's probably not gay. Do you really ever ride under 40 mph? Seriously Bob, throw that thing away before someone takes your picture.

 

[kerhrhr]

Downn2,

Everyone has made pretty much the same point, get whatever is going to fit your head. Easy....and it is the most important consideration. If it doesn't fit right, it will wiggle around on your head at freeway speed, if too big, or, it will crush your cheeks, ears, forehead, whatever, if too small.

There are however other considerations to make, as well. I learned a great deal about my helmet before purchasing, and it ended up having more benefits than I even imagined looking into.

I wear an Arai, RX-7 Corsair. Yes, one of the top three most expensive helmets on the market, but the benefits, IMO, pay for themselves.

Vents: Very important, and I haven't seen a helmet that really competes.

Comfort: The most comfortable helmet I've ever worn! Hands down!

Color scheme selection: More than enough choices to satisfy your taste.

Ease of use: This is where I ran into problems, initially....

Changing out the faceshield on this thing was a night mare in the beginning, and my experience with Arai's customer service was less than favorable, until I really made alot of noise, threatening to boycott them all over the internet. Amazingly, I got steller service with them after that. My wife's Shoei RX-1000 is ten times easier, but......when it comes to wanting to open it, or just crack it open at a stop light, the Arai is great. The Shoei has a "ratcheting" type of action to it, and isn't the easiest to open, but the Arai has a full range of motion, smooth and effortless.

Aerodynamics: Between my Arai, and my wife's Shoei, I like the aerodynamics of the Shoei best. If you will be riding two up, I would recommend getting your pillion the same helmet you where. The reason I say this is because when my wife rides with me, there is some weird ass tugging feeling I get on the top of my head. The air flow over two different helmets is odd. If you think about it, with me being in front, and her behind me, I shouldn't feel any different drag because I am hitting the air first, right? Well, for whatever reason, it makes a difference, and I don't feel it when I ride alone. I suspect that two helmets from the same manufacturer will not do this, but I have nothing to base that on. Completely a guess.

Warranty: Arai has the best on the market. A full 5 year warranty. No one else offers that. My issue with the changing of the faceshield on mine was a warranty issue, and they rectified the problem quickly by sending me new side pods and base plates for both sides. Since then no problems.

Well, there is my 2 cents. Good luck, and be picky when choosing. Oh BTW, see if the dealer where you get your bike offers a discount on riding gear when you get your bike. My dealer did. It saved me $130 on the helmet alone.....

Aaron

 

[black mamba]

Hey Kerhrhr...you need to check one of your stated facts. My Schuberth C-2 flip-up comes with a 5 year full warranty.

 

[Caba]

I wear a full face because a buddy in AZ showed me his old one which was scratched up bad from watching the road go by 1/2 " from his nose.

Fit is the most important thing. Good ventilation is second.

 

[gasman]

Speaking of Arai, JamminBrown, do you or anyone else know of a good place to buy replacement shields for them? JB

 

[rickysnickers]

I have a Suomy Spec 1R. It's nice! What ever helmet you decided to go with, check these guys out, https://www.helmetharbor.com/. They are very nice to deal with. I've made two helmet purchases with them and never had a problem.

Rick

 

[FJR_pig]

5 years ago, had a friend I work with go down at 65 mph when a granny changed lanes into him. He ground his Shoei flip-front helmet into the pavement for over 250 feet. The chin release held up and he walked away from the crash. The front of the helmet was mauled but that would have been his face with a 1/2 shell or w/o a helmet at all.

I wish I had pictures of the helmet to share. He still has it - I'll see what I can do to get a photo on here. I was sold.

 

[Toynut]

I would suggest for you to patronize your local motorcycle clothing/accessories retailer to try on different helmets for a good fit/ pick their brains, etc.

However, You should seriously consider that good business ethics dictate that you make your purchase there. I don't think that my local store should invest in inventory, retail location, and technical/sales help just for my benefit so that I could shortchange them by buying it on the internet to save a few bucks. I think that Arai dropped the practice of selling the discounters to allow their dealers to make a reasonable profit on their inventory investment dollars and not be cherry picked. Yes, I know that it's a free country, and you can spends your money wherever you want. Just consider the general loss of qualified retailers and sales help in many markets due to people not willing to pay for the added value that they offer. I always prefer to patronize a local retailer than a faceless, uncaring chain store, as long as they are close on price or offer me the information/sales assistance/availability that I may need.

BTW...,..

You can always get a deal by buying your lid at the end of the season.

 

[kerhrhr]

Hey Kerhrhr...you need to check one of your stated facts. My Schuberth C-2 flip-up comes with a 5 year full warranty.

I stand corrected, thanks........

 

[Caba]

I would suggest for you to patronize your local motorcycle clothing/accessories retailer to try on different helmets for a good fit/ pick their brains, etc.
However, You should seriously consider that good business ethics dictate that you make your purchase there. I don't think that my local store should invest in inventory, retail location, and technical/sales help just for my benefit so that I could shortchange them by buying it on the internet to save a few bucks. I think that Arai dropped the practice of selling the discounters to allow their dealers to make a reasonable profit on their inventory investment dollars and not be cherry picked. Yes, I know that it's a free country, and you can spends your money wherever you want. Just consider the general loss of qualified retailers and sales help in many markets due to people not willing to pay for the added value that they offer. I always prefer to patronize a local retailer than a faceless, uncaring chain store, as long as they are close on price or offer me the information/sales assistance/availability that I may need.

BTW...,..

You can always get a deal by buying your lid at the end of the season.

+1

Also, buying from the local vendor satisfies the "instant gratification" requirement.