best helmet for learners?

fat_slag · 01-06-2009, 10:47 AM

im just about to get my first blade on my l's n im jus wonderin wat helmet you guys reckon is best for learners? i've heard a bit about arai and shoei n i could afford them but im jus wonderin if there's a cheaper alternative that'll do me for now? also, any riders from melbourne australia know of any good locations to pick up some good helmets? thanx guys

Fishboy · 01-06-2009, 9:56 PM

checkout KBC they make a excellent helmet for the price...and I can tell you from experience, that a KBC saved my life.
Good fit (similar to Arai), good construction, comfortable, fairly quite, reasonably priced.

fat_slag · 01-07-2009, 5:10 AM

thanx mate, i checked out a few today n ended up findin a good kbc n im realli happy with it.. jus wearin it atm to try n break it in lol

phizog · 01-07-2009, 5:49 AM

My AGV was $300 and very happy with the quality, still using it 2 years down the track and no dramas.

You can get a very decent helmet around the $300 mark these days.

Fishboy · 01-07-2009, 6:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fat_slag

thanx mate, i checked out a few today n ended up findin a good kbc n im realli happy with it.. jus wearin it atm to try n break it in lol

Glad to be of help...cheers

Twincam · 01-07-2009, 7:22 PM

Btw, just some helpful information.

A helmet should be changed around about 4-5 years (Sweat + surroundings can weaken the shell/foam over a long period of time - no way to prevent it, just one of those things to add to running costs)

muddysteel · 01-08-2009, 1:22 PM

With respect to a cheap helmet the main thing is to pay attention to whatever safety standards apply to a helmet. SNELL for sure; whatever equivalent in Australia to the U.S.'s Dept. of Transportation (DOT) - DOT reviews and certifies if a helmet is crash worthy. If you don't see a helmet compliant with some well known standards, it's too cheap...

Keep in mind that cheap gear is sort of like cheap tools. Have you ever tried using the cheap OEM tools provided with a bike?

lanbrown · 01-08-2009, 1:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muddysteel

With respect to a cheap helmet the main thing is to pay attention to whatever safety standards apply to a helmet. SNELL for sure; whatever equivalent in Australia to the U.S.'s Dept. of Transportation (DOT) - DOT reviews and certifies if a helmet is crash worthy. If you don't see a helmet compliant with some well known standards, it's too cheap...

Keep in mind that cheap gear is sort of like cheap tools. Have you ever tried using the cheap OEM tools provided with a bike?

Or simply put, there is no such thing as a "learners" helmet. You need you head protected, it doesn't matter if you have 0 experience or 50 years.

Twincam · 01-08-2009, 4:42 PM

Thats very true Mr Brown.

Helmets range in price due to a few reasons - mainly brand names but the others include comfortability, noise reduction, ability to remove liners etc.

Jetpilot07 · 01-08-2009, 6:43 PM

hey, comfort, style and features are important, but not as important as your noggin, make sure you inspect the helmet you buy to ensure it hasn't been dropped.....

Twincam · 01-08-2009, 7:11 PM

Stay away from second hand helmets... You never quite know what your buying IMO.

muddysteel · 01-09-2009, 2:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lanbrown

Or simply put, there is no such thing as a "learners" helmet. You need you head protected, it doesn't matter if you have 0 experience or 50 years.

Exactly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twincam

Stay away from second hand helmets... You never quite know what your buying IMO.

My last crash I slammed my head to the roadway pretty damn hard (gave me a concussion).

I could've simply painted up the surface of the helmet and it would have looked fine. Of course the problem is a helmet's purpose is to absorb energy, and in doing so, the inner layers become deformed. Meaning it won't do the same job second time around..

shakey1378 · 01-09-2009, 3:46 PM

try on different lids. while we can all reccomend what works for us as individuals. head shape dictates which helmet will be "best"

i always tell people get the best helmet u can, only got one brain and mine demands top quality.

my personal fav. and current lid shark RSR2

its more quiet than my former arai lids and quite a bit lighter. the plus side to that is a lighter helmet reduces rider fatigue. a cheapy helmet can still crash well, but is very heavy and uncomfortable also.

if u are looking for a good helmet find one that meets the new "SHARP" guidlines for safety. i have a issue of superbike mag. from the uk that goes over how the sharp tests surpass previous methods for testing

fat_slag · 01-09-2009, 9:46 PM

i tried wearin the kbc for a couple of hrs the other nite n just couldnt find it completely comfortable (n yes i know that most helmets u need to break in etc but this was realli realli uncomfortable). in fact i think i jus bought it coz i liked the design lol anyway, all is good now coz the friendly people down at geoff taylors let me swap it for an arai vector which feels incredibly comfy. i tried on a few shoei's too but it looks like im an arai head after all that messin around lol an interesting thing too, i measured my noggin the other nite at home b4 i went to buy the helmet n saw that i was a medium (roughly 58cm) but strangly i couldnt even get a medium kbc on my head lol so i bought the large n now swapped it for the much betta fitting medium arai

so i spent a lil more than i probly shouldve but i cant deny the quality of the arai

thanx guys!