[channidai]

I have a AGV GT open that's seen better days. It's an awesome helmet, but time to get a new one.

Here's what I can contribute:

My first helmet was a HJC. Cheap, nice, kinda noisy. Not too many features. Protects well when smashed against asphalt. Great bargain helmet

I'll never buy another flying visor Icon helmet. I had two, one visor kept falling off. On the other one, I looked left on the freeway to make a lane change and the wind ripped it off and it smashed all over the windshield of the car next to me. Webbikeworld had the same thing to say about a new Icon helmet also: cheap holding mechanism and the visor falls off.

Right now I rock the AGV and it is a killer helmet. Loads of features, comes with chinscreen. Very comfortable. Good amount of air runs trough vents. No sunglass holder though. Bah. Costs a lot. Bad part is about flip-ups: I have rider buddies that work at a hospital and they said there were a few guys in there with those types over some time, and if you hit the ground just right it'll break or take your jaw completely off.

Anyone been around the block? Tried numerous hats? Let's hear it

[Fishboy]

Currently have an Arai Corsair...excelllent lid! One of the best!

Have also used KBC VR-1...The KBC saved my life when hitting a guardrail head first. KBC fit great, well made.

Nolan X-Lite 801...great fit, well made, recommended.

[JeepinJeff]

Shoei

[SamoanzRR]

SHOEI

[cherry02cr250]

arai corsair... but it all depends on what fits your head... i would go with shoei or aiai

[LITEITUP]

Originally Posted by cherry02cr250

but it all depends on what fits your head...

Exactly. Its all about fitment.
I dont have alot of experience with different helmets but I was just recently in the market. I went with the Shoei X-11. I tried on many and the Shoei's fit me best.

[Dave213]

I have a Shoei, Suomy, HJC, AGV. Shoei and Suomy are excellent. HJC feels cheap to me. As for the AGV, great lid, poor field of vision. AGV's excellent strap locking mechanism needs to be OEM on all lids.

[dutch rc]

i have and wear arai, suomy, ogk, and now shark, all of them are top notch helmets,

[Phadreus]

I have a Shoei RF900 with the Duhamel Dragon...got it off e-bay brand new for $150, shipped. Absolutely the best deal and best helmet I've worn for my head...which is sorta pumkin shaped I guess...

[CBR929RE]

Originally Posted by Phadreus

I have a Shoei RF900 with the Duhamel Dragon...got it off e-bay brand new for $150, shipped. Absolutely the best deal and best helmet I've worn for my head...which is sorta pumkin shaped I guess...

helmets have a shelf life of 5 years. that helmet is really old. I'm not positive when they discontinued the 900 and went to the 1000 but I started riding 4 years ago and the 1000 was out then. you should look for a new helmet and retire that one.

always look at the date of manufacture and find the newest one you can get.


anyone know what headshape an AGV TiTech compares to? Arai? Suomy? Shoei? Scorpion? I'm looking at getting one online but I can't find any place around here that has them to try one on.

[Phadreus]

Originally Posted by CBR929RE

helmets have a shelf life of 5 years. that helmet is really old. I'm not positive when they discontinued the 900...

I was concerned about that as well, until I spent three minutes thinking. First thought: Mine came in it's original sealed plastic bag and box and hadn't been worn at all. Second thought: The validity of the helmet manufacturer’s claim about shelf life...it seemed...well, sort of hokey to me. I'm only a Mechanical Engineer, so I don't specialize in materials, but my thoughts on this were: "Why is it five years, and not seven or ten? Also, why has that been the published shelf life for, well forever it seemed and not been improved upon? Haven't we made any progress in shelf life? Why didn't they use some of the materials they use in Twinkies, they have a really long shelf life? What is the risk, will it save my life up to five years, then at five years and a half, my head receives no protection? Maybe it's just limited protection? If so, how limited, 95%, 50%, 25%? It also seems like if this shelf issue is so real, it looks like helmet manufactures could have potential for some serious liability? (I'm not a lawyer, don't even know any lawyers) Is it possible, that this recommendation is just like "change your oil every three thousand miles", or "don't stare at the TV too long, or you'll go blind", or "cover your ears when its snowing out or you'll get a cold"? These are the type of questions that make me say "Myths and wives tales", I'm buying and wearing that helmet, and BTW, I might even take a short ride without a helmet at all, I'm in OH, so it's legal, and it's my own head. Sometimes I use my nads and just make a choice and go with it!

[06CBR1KMFNRR]

I have an arai signet II. The rubber seal around the bottom outside pealed off. Not significant, and if I ever find it I'll glue it back on and be in love with it again.

It left me with my passenger lid which is a medium (I wear a large) Shoei RF1000. I played through the pain until the pads conformed to my dome and grill. The fit is pretty damned good now.

On my arai I use an aftermarket DOT approved clip mechanism that is pretty convenient. I think I paid $15 for it.

Oh, yeah... I used to have a Shuberth flip up and the visor actually wore into the helmet when you opened and closed it. For $475 I thought that was unacceptable so I returned it.

[CBR929RE]

Originally Posted by Phadreus

I was concerned about that as well, until I spent three minutes thinking. First thought: Mine came in it's original sealed plastic bag and box and hadn't been worn at all. Second thought: The validity of the helmet manufacturer’s claim about shelf life...it seemed...well, sort of hokey to me. I'm only a Mechanical Engineer, so I don't specialize in materials, but my thoughts on this were: "Why is it five years, and not seven or ten? Also, why has that been the published shelf life for, well forever it seemed and not been improved upon? Haven't we made any progress in shelf life? Why didn't they use some of the materials they use in Twinkies, they have a really long shelf life? What is the risk, will it save my life up to five years, then at five years and a half, my head receives no protection? Maybe it's just limited protection? If so, how limited, 95%, 50%, 25%? It also seems like if this shelf issue is so real, it looks like helmet manufactures could have potential for some serious liability? (I'm not a lawyer, don't even know any lawyers) Is it possible, that this recommendation is just like "change your oil every three thousand miles", or "don't stare at the TV too long, or you'll go blind", or "cover your ears when its snowing out or you'll get a cold"? These are the type of questions that make me say "Myths and wives tales", I'm buying and wearing that helmet, and BTW, I might even take a short ride without a helmet at all, I'm in OH, so it's legal, and it's my own head. Sometimes I use my nads and just make a choice and go with it!

the idea is the EPS foam liner degrades over time. they've been using EPS for a long long time in helmets just varying the thickness. lets say that they are fine after 5 years but at 8 they really start to drop significantly in terms of level of protection. I don't particularly want to take the chance. but by the sounds of it you don't care if your brain stays inside your skull or ends up smeared down Main St or across that lady's windshield.

I'm kind of happy helmets aren't mandatory everywhere. helps weed out the people not smart enough to wear a helmet.

[Phadreus]

Wow, lot's of assumptions going on there CBR929RE. I've been riding longer than you have been alive, and somehow, I've managed to keep my brain, (which evidently isn't too smart according to you) in my head. It's in my head, not due to my helmet, which I wear the majority of the time, but because I am a pretty discerning fellow and a reasonably skilled rider, and some might say lucky, I don't believe in luck myself.

I guess we can turn the thread into a discussion on the morality of wearing helmets, but that would be rather pointless in the whole scheme of things. We are in America where we still have the right to take off our helmets, eat a greasy cheesburger at McDonalds, stay up past our bedtime, smoke cigars and so on and so on. God Bless America!

Two things I have found make people bold in life; beer and keyboards.

[MadnohB]

Certain helmets fits certain head shapes better. I guess I have a shoei head.

Arai Rx7 Corsair is top notch although a bit noisy but the Shoei X-Spirit (X11 in the States) is by far the best lid I have ever had. Excellent air flow as well. Top quality stuff and as an added bonus, it matches my HRC colours perfectly

There are cheaper helmets which are no bad at all but the $5 head $5 helmet thing usually scares me at the bottom line helmets

[CBR929RE]

Originally Posted by Phadreus

Wow, lot's of assumptions going on there CBR929RE. I've been riding longer than you have been alive, and somehow, I've managed to keep my brain, (which evidently isn't too smart according to you) in my head. It's in my head, not due to my helmet, which I wear the majority of the time, but because I am a pretty discerning fellow and a reasonably skilled rider, and some might say lucky, I don't believe in luck myself.

I guess we can turn the thread into a discussion on the morality of wearing helmets, but that would be rather pointless in the whole scheme of things. We are in America where we still have the right to take off our helmets, eat a greasy cheesburger at McDonalds, stay up past our bedtime, smoke cigars and so on and so on. God Bless America!

Two things I have found make people bold in life; beer and keyboards.

the assumptions on the EPS liners breaking down aren't mine (yes I made up the 8 year thing just to illustrate the point). the manufacturers state 5 years is the life span of a helmet.

and I think a lot of people here would agree with my assumption that it IS stupid to not wear a helmet when riding. yes its your choice to wear one but to me there shouldn't even have to be any mandatory helmet laws as people should have enough common sense to wear them. sometimes things are out of your control and you would do yourself well if you never took the chance and wore the helmet every time. I will say this, a 15 year old helmet is probably better than no helmet.

[slickwill]

I rode with the local LifeFlight yesterday and got to go out on three calls. Right before I got there they came back from a bike vs. deer where the rider wasn't wearing a helmet. His skull was fractured in three different places. He was a mess. They had the exact same thing last week while my friend was with them. It was the pilots 12th MC accident this year. There are three other pilots so he says he has only seen about 1/4th of them. While I was there we had a cager whose head was messed up bad enough that he probably wishes he had been wearing a helmet.

[Phadreus]

Originally Posted by CBR929RE

the assumptions on the EPS liners breaking down aren't mine (yes I made up the 8 year thing just to illustrate the point). the manufacturers state 5 years is the life span of a helmet.

When I think about my helmet being on my head for a couple hours a week, then it sits in a black helmet bag in my dark closet until the next weekend, I find it hard to believe that my, say five year old helmet, differs much from the one on the LBS shelf. I could be all wet on this, but I wouldn't hesitate to slip that thing on my head and ride. Now, if I were doing track days and such on the weekend, where my potential for a get off is a little higher, I would be right beside you in line to buy the newest, best helmet I can get. It comes down to risk assessment in my mind.

Originally Posted by CBR929RE

and I think a lot of people here would agree with my assumption that it IS stupid to not wear a helmet when riding. yes its your choice to wear one but to me there shouldn't even have to be any mandatory helmet laws as people should have enough common sense to wear them. sometimes things are out of your control and you would do yourself well if you never took the chance and wore the helmet every time. I will say this, a 15 year old helmet is probably better than no helmet.

It is certainly risky and there really isn't much of an argument to justify taking the risk...no argument with you there. I agree with you on the laws statement, just as on seatbelts, right? Old helmet, better than no helmet, right you are.

Here is the only thing that I can say about riding without a helmet, and this is not just me personally and I know there are countless riders out there that would say, "yep, that's it". Before I say this, I am in no way recommending that anyone ride without a helmet and this in no way invalidates your argument CBR929RE... There is something about riding a motorcycle that is intangible. It can't be described, it must be experienced; I think we can all agree with that. For those that are accustomed to riding helmet-less (and I'm not REALLY one of them), having the wind and bugs and such in their face is part of the experience. You are arguing (and rightly so) from a classical point of view for wearing a helmet, and I commend you. The choice to toss the helmet, is a romantic one. For many riders, if you said "put this helmet on", they would feel like they have lost part of the intangible experience of riding the motorcycle. I've heard guys actually say they would sell their bikes and no longer ride if they had to wear a helmet. Again, it is because their image of riding motorcycles is not one built on safety, on screaming at three digit speeds, at racing or any of that stuff, it's one of being out in the wind on a back country road cruising. The reason you struggle with understanding this may be that it is somewhat illogical. It's part of ourselves that is very difficult to describe.

CBR929RE; thanks for clarifying your point more reasonably than just leaving it at the assumption that I am stupid, as it is not the case. These things I'm speaking of become more clear with age...

[Phadreus]

I might also point out that there are roughly 3900 deaths per year in the US from motorcycle accidents (from the research I found on the web, could be off…I dunno) and 400K deaths per year from smoking tobacco (same type of research). All of your points towards helmets, are valid towards not smoking as well...should the government remove that right as well? I don't know what the answer is here, I'm just thinking aloud. How often does someone pull up to a traffic light beside a lady smoking and shake their head in disgust and wish for a law? Compared to the same situation, pulling up beside a guy riding a bike with no helmet? Hmm...

[ratchetman]

I have the HJC CL 15 it is loud so I wear ear plugs but it was cheap and comfortable. For something that I have to replace every five years why pay more?

[Phadreus]

Curious, I hear allot of people associate cost of helmet with it's ability to offer greater protection. While this may in fact be true (I can't say), would the helmets DOT and / or SNELL rating suggest that it meets some standard safety guideline? Meaning; a $250 and a $650 helmet with the same DOT / SNELL rating offers the same minimum protection. As I’m writing this, I admit that I don’t have any knowledge of how safety ratings are done on helmets.

[slickwill]

Originally Posted by Phadreus

Curious, I hear allot of people associate cost of helmet with it's ability to offer greater protection. While this may in fact be true (I can't say), would the helmets DOT and / or SNELL rating suggest that it meets some standard safety guideline? Meaning; a $250 and a $650 helmet with the same DOT / SNELL rating offers the same minimum protection. As I’m writing this, I admit that I don’t have any knowledge of how safety ratings are done on helmets.

Motorcycle Helmet Design, Helmet Standards and Head Protection - Gear Box - Motorcyclist Online

You can read all about it here. They did independent tests and measured the G-Force transmitted through a bunch of different helmets. One of the best performing helmets cost $79.

[AKPantherFan]

i always look for the snell 2005 sticker. If it has that then im happy. The rest is all about fit.

I have a hjc cl-sp Its an ok helmet. It fits well and has alot of padding but is noisy.

and i have never sweated the 5 year thing on a helmet. But usualy by then i want a different one anyways. But I will never go out and buy a helmet because one of mine are older than 5 years old.

[Phadreus]

Originally Posted by slickwill

Motorcycle Helmet Design, Helmet Standards and Head Protection - Gear Box - Motorcyclist Online

You can read all about it here. They did independent tests and measured the G-Force transmitted through a bunch of different helmets. One of the best performing helmets cost $79.

Thanks for all that info Slick, very informative indeed!