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Message started by alcoa on 03/15/09 at 07:12:52

Title: HELMETS
Post by alcoa on 03/15/09 at 07:12:52

;)I dont want to get cheap on a helment so where do I buy and what kind due I get , to get the best bang for my money? In the DENNIS KIRK book they range from $50-$467, I now high cost dose not mean the best. I want the saftest helment at the best price. ;)

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Savage_Amusement on 03/15/09 at 07:39:27

Daytona makes awesome half shell helmets and they are priced really well.

HJC makes great full face helmets, as well as others.

You pretty much gotta go to a place and try them on and see what fits best to you.

If you don't like getting hit in the face with stuff then go with a shield or a full face. If you don't mind get an open face. It is all personal preference.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Paladin. on 03/15/09 at 09:40:24

You can buy on line, but you want to select the helmet in person. A helmet that does not fit comfortable is of no use. You may have to ride to Syracuse or Rochester to find a selection to choose from.

You are in a Nanny State, so helmet are mandatory, not optional. The type of helmet is. IMHO a half helmet, or beanie, is useful for obeying the law and not much else. If you are getting a helmet for protection rather than legal compliance you'll be wanting at least a 3/4, perferably a full face. Many magazines have tested them, and *all* DOT helmets are pretty near equal when it comes to protection. Fit is what really matters, and you cannot try on a series of helmets on line.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Savage Eddie on 03/15/09 at 10:32:04

6B475A464D5A5B5C475A4D1B181818280 wrote:

If you don't like getting hit in the face with stuff then go with a shield or a full face. If you don't mind get an open face. It is all personal preference.

ahhhh yes, i remember 2 years ago when the cicadas were EVERYWHERE! i dont wear a helmut and it was like dodgeball. never got pelted in the face but my hands, knees and bike took out a few!

http://orthoticcontessa.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/cicadas.jpg

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/15/09 at 12:01:36

Ahhhh Helmets,,the Great Debate. I wont ride w/o one, well, Up & down in front of the house, but not Off on aride of any consequence..
I crashed a bike & landed on the side of my head, layed my head all the way over to my shoulder. Years later an MRI revealed I had cracked 3 bones in my neck..IF I had been wearing a helmet, it would have been a fulcrum between head & shoulder, & would have broken my neck like a hangmans noose, I would died,

I stuck a bike in the side of a pickup, slid up the side of it, crammed my face into the back of the cab. If I had only been wearing a helmet with a plastic face shield & no Chin Gaurd,,, I shudder to think of the damage I would have suffered..Would I have died or just had my face flattened, teeth knocked out, jaw smashed, etc?? IDK, but it wouldnt have been a "walk Away", which I did. I wear an HJC flip face. The flip up part split my upper lip, 2 stitches worth, the strap shoved into my throat so hard I was still struggling a bit to swallow 3 weeks later, BUT, I walked away, even helped load the bike on a trailer & tie it down. I didnt even go to the hospital till about 6 hours later, because I had a headache..but, w/o that chin bar on the helmet,, the outcome would have been really different.

A look( dang if I know where it is now) at the stats on "Where the helmet contacts things", I once saw a diagram, showing what %age of impacts occur where & the face is a High %age "Impact Zone". I never knew that, but I had already bought the Flip Face, because a guy whgo I respected told me the face shield was really not sufficient in a crash.

But, No helmet kept me from getting killed once,
A helmet kept me from getting at least Seriously injured, maybe killed, once.

Its your life & your choice. I hope you never need the protection you buy & I hope that If you do, you dont regret your choice.
More $$$ can be spent, but the protection offered / dollar spent doesnt go up much. The HJC offers plenty of protection & isnt too pricey. Mine was still usable, all it needed was a visor, but I went & got another, exactly the same model.
Best wishes,,really.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Max_Morley on 03/15/09 at 12:30:45

I just replaced my 10 YO very dinged up helmet with a HD one 3/4 version with a flip up shield. Tried one on years ago and was always sorry I didn't buy it then. It was $150 at the HD shop in Mesa, AZ. They didn't have a white one but the grey one works fine, don't like the black as they absorb heat more. Max

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Moofed on 03/15/09 at 16:43:36

Like others said, try a helmet on in person. Each brand or model is differently shaped. New Enough has closeout deals on helmets pretty often: http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/helmets/

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Sandy Koocanusa on 03/15/09 at 17:05:57

I'm like you, Alcoa. I don't want to pay extra for a name, but I don't want a piece of crap just because it is cheap. I bought a full-face HJC for somewhere around $120, and I'm happy with it. All the moving parts are holding up well, and it is well-vented. Hopefully, I'll never find out how well it protects in a crash, but it has proven to be nicely bug-proof. It also does a good job of keeping the wind out of my eyes, which is a big deal for me. No major drafts that I've detected.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Savage_Amusement on 03/15/09 at 17:10:36

http://www.hjchelmets.com/images/products/product_images/csr1/inferno/mc5.jpg

That is my closed face helmet that I use in colder weather, buggy days, rainy days or really really really long rides. I like it a lot. It has Velcro on the inside at the chin but no one sells the piece that goes in there around here. It would be nice to help keep a bit more of wind out, not that there is a whole lot to start with.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Charon on 03/15/09 at 17:21:22

It probably isn't possible, but you really need to try it on for an hour or so to find out if it stays comfortable. Then, when it gets into the wind, it'll change. I wear glasses, so I didn't even look at helmets without the flip-open face. And I don't plan to ever ride without a full-face helmet. For info, as far as I know there are only DOT flip-face helmets. None of them have Snell approval.

I understand the cost savings of buying a helmet online from someone like Dennis Kirk. But I also understand the idea of buying from your local dealer, just to help keep him in business when you might need him. I was chatting with my local dealer, and he commented that he had over two hundred helmets in stock. Figure several models from several makers, and several sizes of each. Two hundred helmets, figuring they probably cost him an average of $100 each, is $20K in inventory. Do you think it is really fair for you to visit the dealership and try on a bunch of helmets, then order the exact same helmet online for a few bucks less? If you do, go for it.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by skrapiron -FSO on 03/15/09 at 19:13:52

You definately want to spend some time trying helmets on. Fitment is vital and not something you can do online.

Once you know how each helmet fits (each brand will fit a little differently) then you can begin to shop on price. Buy it either locally or online, your choice.

I prefer to by mine locally. That way, if there is a problem, I can deal with them directly.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Big Nix on 03/15/09 at 19:55:25

Yah on the whole helment thing i too have wrecked with and with out them but since i'm active duty army now i have to ride with one and i also had to take the motorcycle safety course, but after all that has happened to me on and off the bike it is just to easy to where the helment. Like most everyone else I recently just got a new HJC it was 110.00 but i got a nice military discount so with tax and all only cost me about 107.00. It is just flat black but hey i like it and i ain't trying to win any beauty contests. That and just a word of advise to anyone looking to buy their first helment, if you where glasses make sure you try on the helment and then put your glasses on with it, and keep in mind that it will give a little with wear.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by kingart3 on 03/15/09 at 20:07:40

I have a half helmet and a 3/4 helmet with face shield. I use to ride a 150cc Chinese scooter that full out could go 52 mph. Trust me that feels FAST when you are leading with your knees...LOL.

Anyway going down a major road one day at 5:30 in "going home" traffic I rode right through a swarm of honey bees. They came over and around the truck ahead of me and I thought it was gravel or something at first, but it didn't "settle down". Then I was in it and tucked my head down as it bounced off the 3/4 helmet like marbles. When I was through I looked up and thought, 'What was that?', then looked down to see bees on my jacket.

I'm glad it didn't figure it out sooner or I would have probably dropped the bike. I ...really... like the helmet with face shield now. NO KIDDING.

-Hal

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Gort on 03/15/09 at 20:39:35

Helmets vary widely in protection despite their complying with Fed standards, and more expensive helmets are not safer. Its your life and I suggest you research this issue before you buy. An excellent place to start is this link, which changed the way people thought about helmets:

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by verslagen1 on 03/15/09 at 22:45:07

I got the FF z1r featured in the article. The price is right, the fit is good. The vents are ineffective. In what we call winter, in the morning I have to keep the shield cracked or it will fog. In the summer, it's open too for cooling. Although with a fly shield there is enough flow thru to pop the shield open on it's own. ;D

After 2 years, the fit is not as tight and less sound deadening.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Jack_650 on 03/15/09 at 22:55:17

When I first got my bike I bought the cheapest helmet I could find, the Bell 3/4 with the snaps across the top. My head is in between sizes so I went with the little bit roomier version. I figured here in MN I could always wear a stocking cap if I need to. I got the snap on face guard pretty quickly. All this worked out pretty well, if a bit noisy with the wind coming in all those little gaps.

The first time I decided to make a long trip (4,400+ miles) I decided to get a better helmet. I ended up spending around $140 for a full face model with the flip up chin guard. I bought it in a local shop so I paid more than if ordered, but as everybody seems to agree, trying it on is the best way to spend the money happily. It's kinda the best of both worlds. With the guard up it's passable open faced, if somewhat heavy. And in the chill I can still crack open the visor to keep the fog down and the nose warm. Of course the little vents they put in them are useless for their stated purposes. And there's room for speakers if I ever get tired of that strange thumping noise I keep hearing when I'm out on the road.

Jack

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Gort on 03/16/09 at 10:24:05

342730312E2325272C73420 wrote:

My experience as well. But, it still serves me well and the testing done in the article impressed me, and the price is right.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/16/09 at 10:36:32

I have a small skull, hat size ,, 6&7/8ths. I wear a small helmet & after wearing it a few months it loosened up. I cut some foam rubber & slipped it into the liner in places.
I also noticed that with the helmet shaking from vibration & wind, my glasses were being shifted a bit, making the world wiggle. I opened the part up that pushes on the temple pieces of my glasses & removed some foam there, & pulled the slack out of the cloth & stapled it down. Now my glasses dont wiggle, so the world doesnt wiggle.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by splash07 on 03/16/09 at 10:52:39

Hey guys, I have been looking for a helmet with built in headphones. I am always trying to adjust mine while at red lights and they always fall out 2 seconds later. I would love it to also have the fold up face, not just the visor but the whole chin and visor. Does anyone know where a helmet like this can be found?

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by verslagen1 on 03/16/09 at 11:37:55

5A5945485A41191E290 wrote:

Don't know the laws of your state, but such a helmet would be illegal in CA. Only 1 ear may have a headphone while riding. Get an all in head phone, some are sound cancelling.

Title: Re: HELMETS
Post by Educatedredneck on 03/17/09 at 10:05:21

Nolan makes a helmet and related gear that will allow you to listen to music, bluetooth to your cell phone, etc, very pricey thou.

I wear a KBC VR-2 full face helmet - ran me about $250 at the dealership, fits well and vents well.

One thing to remember, wear some earplugs and save your hearing.

Go for a helmet that is both Snell and DOT approved. Can't go wrong there.