Member Contributer obryap Posted March 31, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted March 31, 2011 I have a Scorpion EXO700 and a EXO400 and have been very pleased with them. Scorpion has great customer service also. I dropped the 700 and broke the chin vent piece, sent it back to them and they repaired it free of charge. I picked these over other brands because of the fit, I tried on every helmet in the store and bought the one that fit my head the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nr0974 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I'm sorta of a Helmet snob, and I have owned many through the years. And I've found many are good but there are a few that go above and beyond in comfort. (at least for my head) To me Arai and Shoei are always just plain awesome! Not to say that other brands weren't good they just seemed to wear out quicker. The materials on Shoei and Arai are superior in my oppinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I'm sorta of a Helmet snob, and I have owned many through the years. The materials on Shoei and Arai are superior in my oppinion. I suspect you have bought lots more helmets than I have All I know is this, once I owned my first Shoei, I knew I would never be buying another brand I just love my RF-1100 And for the record, the worst helmet I ever had was a Bieffe, the inner materials felt cheap and in just a couple years proved to just that, cheap and badly worn The worst thing though was the exterior fit/finish, in simple terms the gaps and lack of smoothness made it one very noise helmet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I'm sorta of a Helmet snob, and I have owned many through the years. And I've found many are good but there are a few that go above and beyond in comfort. (at least for my head) To me Arai and Shoei are always just plain awesome! Not to say that other brands weren't good they just seemed to wear out quicker. The materials on Shoei and Arai are superior in my oppinion. Which model Bell is that, and how's the fit compared to your Shoei Voyager? PM me some details pretty please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyST Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I've had Bell (older) and Shoei but my last two have been Arai. After wearing n Arai for any time at all the others just aren't as comfortable. Yeah they're pricey. I'm picking up a Arai Vector 2 after work today. At the MC show in Chicago the Arai rep measured me then pulled the cheek pads on a helmet and had me put it on, fit great. I currentley wear a Quantum 2 in an XL and when he said it was a MEDIUM Vector I was stunned. I figured I'd get a helme that fit. I've crashed in my last 2 Arai's with no injuries. Just my 2 cents!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nr0974 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I've had Bell (older) and Shoei but my last two have been Arai. After wearing n Arai for any time at all the others just aren't as comfortable. Yeah they're pricey. I'm picking up a Arai Vector 2 after work today. At the MC show in Chicago the Arai rep measured me then pulled the cheek pads on a helmet and had me put it on, fit great. I currentley wear a Quantum 2 in an XL and when he said it was a MEDIUM Vector I was stunned. I figured I'd get a helme that fit. I've crashed in my last 2 Arai's with no injuries. Just my 2 cents!!! I also purchased mine at the Chicago Motorcycle show and was fitted for the Helmet and was surprisd at how much difference Cheek Pads made. I purchased mine from the Service Pavillion which had a booth at the show, and I strongly urge anyone who has a chance to get fitted for a Helmet to do so, My Silver Corsair V fits like a glove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Belfry Posted April 3, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted April 3, 2011 First, thanks for all the replies! I was worried that a helmet thread might go the way of an oil thread, but I tried to limit it by specifying inexpensive, non-flip, no screaming skulls, etc. Having said that, I appreciate the comments of the Arai, Shoei and Schuberth owners too because I'm actually not opposed to paying more if I feel it's warranted. After owning an Arai and a Shoei, I took a gamble on an HJC CL-12 a few helmets ago and was very pleasantly surprised with it. It was comfortable, made of good quality materials, had decent venting, etc. I replaced it with the AC-12 which was even better. (Maybe I have an HJC head?) Given all the testing that says they're just as crash-worthy (DOT and Snell rated) as the more expensive lids, I'd probably just buy another AC-12, but they've been superceded by the FS-15. The only reason I'm dubious about flip-ups (I know some people love them) is that I wonder how the chin bar would fare in a faceplant. Although I suppose if it's latched properly, a hit hard enough to compromise it would probably mean bigger concerns for the rider. I didn't add quiet/noise to my criteria, but that's not because I don't care about it--it's a given. I always wear earplugs. (I have some non-bike related hearing loss in my right ear and don't want to make it any worse.) With earplugs, I don't find noise to be a problem in any of the helmets I've owned. However, after much deliberation and reading of reviews, I've decided to try something new (to me) and go with a Bell Star. Motorcycle Closeouts still has some 2009 Stars for sale at $199.99 plus shipping--supposedly a helmet that listed for $549.99 originally. For me it was pretty much a saw-off between the Scorpion EXO 700 and the HJC FS-15 until I found the Star on closeout. The EXO is well reviewed (and praised by inmates here) and the FS-15 was WebBikeWorld's Helmet of the Year in 2008. I'm on the edge between medium and large in the Star so I went with medium since many of the reviewers say they run large (at least, they did in that model year). The large and medium also use the same shell, so I'm thinking I might be able to buy thinner cheekpads if it's on the tight side. The only shop I trust locally on price doesn't carry Bell, so I'm buying without trying, which I know is a gamble. At worst, if I can't make it fit well, it'll be my pillion/spare lid, and I'll cough up another $200 for the HJC. I prefer plain white or yellow helmets for visibility, but the Stars on closeout only came in gloss black (flat for $50 more) or graphics. I went with the oddly-named Contra graphics (inspired by Nicaraguan rebels?) in red and black. I'll think about adding 3M reflective tape for increased visibility. The $200 mark is what I was looking at for a Scorpion or HJC in white, so I figure the Star is worth a gamble since it is reputedly a higher end helmet that is aerodynamically well designed and flows a lot of air. But here's what I don't get: why is the pricing so different for various graphics options on the same helmet model? Is it strictly supply and demand? Here's what I mean--including the best (shipping included) prices I could find online: HJC FS-15 solid white: $194.99 HJC FS-15 light silver, anthracite, or black: $129.99 HJC FS-15 various graphics: $100-$260 HJC FS-15 fugly "Terror" (screaming skulls!) graphics: $99.99 Scorpion EXO 700 solid white: $199.95 Scorpion EXO 700 various graphics: $150-$250 Scorpion EXO 700 with "Scorpion" name and graphics: $114.90 So, based solely on colours/graphics, you can pay between $99.99 and $260 for an FS-15, and $114.90 and $250 for an EXO 700. I read a couple of online articles on painting helmets and briefly considered getting an FS-15 "Terror" some wet sandpaper, white spray paint and clearcoat. However, in the end I went for the Star. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer DougFromIndy Posted April 4, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted April 4, 2011 EXO-700 now on sale IRON PONY, like $59.95 in some nice colors, graphics. skip the 400 as its plastic, the 700 is a nice quality lid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I've been a helmet geek since the 80's and have the lids to prove it..... Have a few more in sotrage but all these get some use through the season. Had all different kinds of helmets through the years. From BMW system, AGV, Shoei, Dainese, X-lite, KBC and now my latest, the Bell Star 2 which I got for a steal (like 1/3 of retail) when they retired the color last year. Most comfortable and most stable in the wind is the Bell. They definitely have the aerodynamics totally figured out on the helmet with zero lift and buffetting.. would have been the perfect helmet yet for me if not for the high noise levels coming from the side exhaust vents, but it also has the best ventilation of all my helmets and misting resistance. Have to religiously wear earplugs when using it, but I think it's worth it because of the comfort and stability. aside form the noise, I think it's worth trying out if you chance upon them on sale. Beck 95 VFR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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