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Helmet Reviews and Insight

I recently got a scorpion EXO1400 and its comfortable, light, has decent ventilation and a drop down sun visor. pretty happy with it and it didn't break the bank
 
I have the arai head shape, and wore arai’s for years....

However I have switched to the Bell Star with the photo chromic lens and I have NEVER looked back... own two of them now even because I like color options.

The fit is perfect, the antibacterial material works well, and the magnetic retainer for the strap is convenient
 
Highly recommend Suomy. Lightest weight helmets even when compared to carbon fiber ones. I have crashed (more than once) at the track and it kept my head safe.

People comment that it is noisy, but I ride with earplugs all the time so that is not a factor.


https://www.speedaddicts.com/suomy-apex-helmets/

Beware that the sizes run small, so if you were Medium in Arai/Shoe, you want to get size Large in Suomy. I too moved away from Arai & Shoei (had many of them) due to their exorbitant prices.
 
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FourThreeSix said:
What kind of riding are you doing?

$500 puts you in the range of the Bell Star MIPS DLX, Shoei RF1200, the new GT-Air 2 ($599 MSRP), HJC RPHA 11 Pro, and not too far off the Arai Quantum-X, Signet-X, or Defiant-X depending on if you want a graphic or not.
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These are all great. Try the BELL, it's like getting a Mercedes with a Budget for Toyota.

I got their Race Star-DLX 2 weeks ago ($816 incl tax). Same helmet (Race Star) can be had without the transition visor and ear phone pockets can be had for $374 Cycle gear. It's in the same category as the Arai or Shoei. This the high end 3K carbon fiber, extra wide front visor for better visibility, 2 visors, clear and Blueish Gold iridium. Awesome visors. Mine (Race star DLX) also came with a transitional screen (free) that goes from clear to dark depending on sunlight. Overall a very well built with FLEX technology. You can get a BELL with MIPS for under $300. Do your research...
 
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jdhu said:
I searched, didn't see anything in the first couple of pages.

After a couple of Arai helmets, I think I'm going to branch out, largely because Arai's are now like $750 for the "cheapest" models...!?! Some are close to $1000, even on "clearance." :laughing

I'm looking for full-face, still sporty, and obviously well-made and protective. If anyone has insight on Bell, Icon, and really any other brand/model, please post.

Price range ideally is something around $500, lower of course welcome. A little higher is OK too, if it's a good helmet.

Muchas gracias!
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Read helmet reviews here: https://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmet-reviews/

To save money, buy closeout colors and models here: https://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/street_helmets_and_eyewear/

Graphics cost money, so learn to love solid colors ;)
 
Sportbiker said:
Highly recommend Suomy. Lightest weight helmets even when compared to carbon fiber ones. I have crashed (more than once) at the track and it kept my head safe.

People comment that it is noisy, but I ride with earplugs all the time so that is not a factor.


https://www.speedaddicts.com/suomy-apex-helmets/

Beware that the sizes run small, so if you were Medium in Arai/Shoe, you want to get size Large in Suomy. I too moved away from Arai & Shoei (had many of them) due to their exorbitant prices.
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Only brand outside of ARai to sue the same style of cheek pads too. Love my Suomy.

Next lid for is coming up soon and it's either a 6D or another Suomy. Nothing more comfortable in terms of materials I've found.
 
R3DS!X said:
I recently got a scorpion EXO1400 and its comfortable, light, has decent ventilation and a drop down sun visor. pretty happy with it and it didn't break the bank
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great helmet-rpha11 also is good helmet,quiet and light.
 
I used to wear the Arai Vector2. I switched to the HJC FG-17 because it fit just as well and I couldn't afford to keep buying Arai's. the HJC is inexpensive but still has a composite shell. I tested them 3-4x IIRC and it worked great. im now wearing the RHPA11 as the fit is the same, but it has the removable cheek pads I need for racing.
 
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cheez said:
I can't speak highly enough about my Scorpion AT-950x. It's of excellent quality at a very low price point.
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My thoughts on the AT950. Great helmet for the price point. Lota nice features. Poor finish, fogs up and kinda loud. Very comfortable, I have done 650 mile day in mine probably over 15k in total. Scorpion customer service was great and replaced my first one it faded so bad. Second was totally faded in a month of riding in Thailand. I guess my thought is great value but not perfect. Fits the same as my old Scorpion XO400.

I guess even with its faults I'm in agreement W you. Great value helmet.
 
I have had Icon, Shoei, and an Arai. Just replaced the Arai with a Shark Pro Race R. The fit, for me at least, is spot on. Quality is up there with Arai, Shoei, Bell, etc... I am really fond of it and since no one else has chimed in on how great Shark is, I’ll be the first. Online vendors have them in the price range you’re looking for. I got mine from Thevisorshop..com. I’m a fan of brick and mortar local shops but couldn’t get the graphic I wanted from U.S. suppliers.
 
I came across this a couple months ago https://www.lidpicker.com/ For $20 they'll send you a tape measure and a caliper to measure your melon according to their instructions. They then run that through their system to spit out a report that is presumably the best fit. From what I understand they continue to send you updated reports when new helmets hit the market that match your profile. For $20 I was thinking of giving this a go just to see if my current helmet (HJC RPHA 70 ST) is on the list.
 
Don't reject buying a used helmet either. Plenty of people buy helmets for bikes they never end up riding, or for their significant others who don't end up riding. I got a basically new RF1200 for around $200 used off the BARF classifieds. It just takes some persistence to find the right deal once you know what fits you.
 
It's really worth considering a bell with flex or MIPS technology. Rotational injury is a really large component of concussion all the way up to severe traumatic brain injury.
 
ejv said:
Check your pm.
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I'd also like to know!

Op, make sure you get the right shape. I'm a super wide round header. There's really only two helmets I can wear on the market, hjc cl17 and arai quantum-x. I chose the hjc and it's worked alright. But it's damn loud.

I'd be wary of marketing btw. Bontrager coming out with their "wave cel" tech for bicycles made me realize most of helmet safety is merely marketing. The studies are mostly bogus.
 
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You're right that there's not a ton of good evidence out there. We're going to have to wait and see if the rates of injury (and if people look closely enough) the distribution of head injuries change as these helmets get more popular. The science on the first part, that rotational injury is really important, is pretty firm. It makes sense that a helmet that absorbs rotational energy would reduce injury. I wouldn't necessarily ditch a current helmet, but I don't think I'm going to buy any new helmets without this feature.
 
Top three considerations should be as follows, assuming the helmet is DOT approved and full face.
1: Fitment
2: Fitment
3:Fitment

I've ran Shoei, HJC, AGV, Bell, and Fox helmets over the years. Shoei and HJC fit the best. I'm about 25,000 miles into my second CL-17 at the moment, great helmet for the price. The anti fog inner shield/pinlock is highly reccomended if you want to avoid fog when you close your visor at night or below 65*. scott anti fog works but distorts vision, not reccomended when riding quickly but seems fine at normal speeds.
 
Pretty much any helmet from a reputable brand is better than not wearing a helmet. When you start comparing models for safety, it's nearly impossible to compare since you have no way of knowing how you will crash. One helmet that does better on the side might do worse on the front. So once you pick the helmet that fits your head and budget, you can start looking for other features like quietness, style, venting, etc.

I personally can't go back after using a Bell auto-tinting shield. I really love my Arai Vector 2 but carrying 2 face shields or changing out sunglasses got annoying especially when commuting every day.
 
FourThreeSix said:
What kind of riding are you doing?

$500 puts you in the range of the Bell Star MIPS DLX, Shoei RF1200, the new GT-Air 2 ($599 MSRP), HJC RPHA 11 Pro, and not too far off the Arai Quantum-X, Signet-X, or Defiant-X depending on if you want a graphic or not.
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Jimmy,

This is the most knowledgeable guy on BARF in helmets, overall. I won't say what he does, but let's say he knows helmets. Well.

FWIW, my head's in a Bell as many racers are moving towards up here. Their Scott's valley research center is awesome.
 
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