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Helmet Suggestions


rigger4343

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Hey guys and gals.

I was thinking of getting a new helmet next year so I figured I would start doing a little research on them.

I currently have a Seven Zero Seven helmet that I have been riding with for a few years now. I mainly went with it because it fit me well and it was in my budget at the time. It has not been a bad helmet at all but I know there are better more comfortable helmets out there.

I was thinking of a Shoei since that was my first street helmet many years ago and I never once had a complaint with it while I rode with it.

My riding is mainly back road weekend rides. No racing, just regular riding. I was thinking of maybe a modular helmet but I am not sure if I want one like that or not.

So do you guys have suggestions, what you like or do not like about certain helmets? Looking for something in the middle of the price range. Would be nice to have something that had a flip down tinted screen like the one I have now and would be really cool if they were UV treated. When I got mine, I dont think they had any UV protection in the screens. And it does not have to be only a Shoei, I am open to all brands. I do have a local Cycle Gear so if you have helmet suggestions that they carry, that would be cool because they have so much that I can try on for a good fit.

Thanks ahead of time!

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I'm with Switchblade on the EXO 1100.

I went from an Arai Corsair-V to the EXO 1000, and then the EXO 1100.

The EXO's have been superior in every way for me.

Your head shape will determine whether or not it's a good fit for you.

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I've recently returned to motorcycling and also purchased the Scorpion EXO 1100 -- although being the bargain-hunter that I am, I paid $50 more than the price Switchblade is showing. Like the OP, I was originally a Shoei guy. I had owned a couple in the RF series and had been happy with them. However, the $440 price tag on a new RF-1200 was a bit of a choker. Maybe I'm just getting old and cheap. I went with the Scorpion as a more value-based alternative. For the most part, I'm completely happy with it. The vents are not great, but then they rarely are. It's not an especially quiet lid, but I wear custom earbuds that fit. My only two disappointments in the EXO 1100 would be:

a) The retractable sun visor is not dark enough and is not really optical-quality plastic. Looking through it is like looking through a cheap pair of sunglasses. I'm tempted to buy some polarizing adhesive film and see if that improves things. Still, the visor kind of works when you need it.

b) The peripheral vision is not especially good. Maybe this is completely normal for any modern full-face helmet. I haven't been able to compare other models to really get a sense of it. Still, I notice it when I glance over my left shoulder and wish I could see more of the road behind me.

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I loved my old Shoei RF, and would have bought another one - but I wanted to change it up and found a good deal on my Bell RS-1. It's got some neat features but nothing that says "gotta have it."

Above all, the mandatory feature to have (and you may agree being in SC) is a removable liner. My old Shoei was one of the last RFs to not have that feature, and at the end of its service it smelled like an old shoe. A Febreze-scented shoe, but still...

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I had seen a post about the new or maybe newer Shoei Qwest helmet. After seeing that I started thinking about maybe another Shoei. I do not really have a brand preference as long as it is a good quality helmet. I really dont need a new one either but I was thinking about replacing mine in the next 6 months so I figured why not start doing some research on them.

I picked up one of the new Sedici helmets at Cycle Gear not long ago and they actually look like pretty nice helmets.

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I love my Schuberth C3 modular. It was expensive, but with the C3 Pro recently released, you can find the C3 discounted somewhat. It is the lightest, quietest helmet I've ever worn and the flip up design with internal sun visor is very handy.

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Had an EXO-1000 which was good, but my RF-1100 beats it hands down in every way shape and form. Shoei for the win.

I agree with RF-1100 BUT not the RF-1200 . I have both and the 1200 is extremely loud.

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Had an EXO-1000 which was good, but my RF-1100 beats it hands down in every way shape and form. Shoei for the win.

Can you elaborate on this? What aspects of the RF-1100 make it worth the extra money to you?

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I've had a Bell, KBC, HJC, Arai, and three Shoeis. The Arai felt ok in the shop for a while but an hour on the road and I felt like it was in a vice. My HJC also pressed my forehead hard enough that I always had the center stitching imprint on my forehead after rides. Apparently, I have an oval head and the Shoe helmets fit me like a glove.

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I had a Scorpion Exo-900 (modular) and it was a piece of junk. Within 6 months it was falling apart, very poor ventilation, loud whistling vents, heavy, just overall cheap feeling and uncomfortable. The pros were the inflatable neck fit and the fog free shield. I now have a Shoei Qwest that I love. MUCH quieter, all day comfort (forget I have it on comfort), better ventilation ( could be better), feels solid and better hardware. I do hear better things about the Scorpion full face helmets like the EXO 1100 than about the modulars, so take that as you will. It really boils down to your head shape. The EXO 900 was too rounded for me and felt fine in the store, but more than 30 minutes of riding, it felt like my head was in a vise. Find one that's comfortable even if it means sacrificing a drop-down sunshield or other niceties.

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Helmets are like shoes - a personal fit and there's no substitute for a good 15 to 30 minute test fit at a shop to find out. I'm willing to pay a bit more at a shop that will let me test fit helmets rather than buying on-line. IMO it's worth it as they're providing me a valuable service keeping the stock that allows me to try them out. I'll save money on other purchases.

While I do wear an Arai, I don't have any experience with their external sun shade. It does not take up any of the protective space inside the helmet to make room for the shield, which could be an attractive feature if that is a concern for you. It is apparently rather expensive (as is everything Arai). Here's a review:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r5/arai-pro-shade-review/

As I confine my riding to daylight hours, I use a medium smoke shield. For a visor, I run two strips of electrical tape along the inside of the shield so that when the sun is low on the horizon, I can simply tilt my head down to block the glare. It's been very effective, and best of all no cost!

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I'll echo the sentiments of most people here. The fit ultimately determines which helmet you will end up with. Absolutely pick the best fitting helmet that you can find and test ride. If the dealer won't let you test ride it, walk. When testing it, nit pick EVERY possible little thing. Minor annoyances become major problems that fatigue you as a rider and drain the fun out of any ride.

That said, I've had Scorpion exo-700s (x2), a Shoei RF-1000, and I'm currently using an Arai RX-Q.

The Scorpions were nice helmets for the money. Faceshield removal was simple and field of view was good. The position mechanism was a simple detent system and I don't remember if it had a locking mechanism. The helmet liner was removable and washable which is a big plus.

The Shoei was pretty bad. It was super loud around the bottom edge; this is the reason I recommend a test ride. Everything else about the helmet was good. This is why I recommend the test ride. I only used it for one season because the wind noise was so persistent and so annoying that riding for more than 20 min was torture. Also, the liner was NOT removable which was pretty gross after a few months.

The Arai is good, but not a great value. Wind noise is quite low, almost non-existent below 40 mph. Ventilation is absolutely fantastic, but opening the vents on the faceshield is quite loud - when you are on the test ride, try out the different vents and pay attention to noise. The view is excellent; however, the face shield a pain to remove and replace. The shield has an infinite position adjustment, which holds the shield open wherever you want. Also, the shield has a clip on the bottom that locks it closed and has a position to open very slightly for defogging. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to operate wearing gloves because the position selector is super small, jelly bean shaped, and requires too much force to move. The two position chin vent passes air up over the shield when fully open or through a small hole in the chin bar when half open. This is not a good feature because when the temperature drops and fogging is a problem you can choose between a frozen face with a clear shield or a warm face with a foggy shield. If you don't ride below 40-45 deg F, then this isn't a problem. Oh yeah, the Arai external sun shade whistles horrendously when in the up position.

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I definitely second the difficult nature of removing a shield from an Arai. My old Quantum was fairly straightforward. Lift the shield, spread it slightly at the side pods and lift off. Now they have the tabs under the pods that supposedly lift the pods off the shield . . . but they seem to jam and even when they function properly don't really make it much easier. I've watched a youtube demo a number of times - it has helped but I still don't look forward to changing shields. OTOH, if the shape of your noggin needs an Arai, in my experience there isn't much else that will work. YMMV

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[snip] While I do wear an Arai, I don't have any experience with their external sun shade. It does not take up any of the protective space inside the helmet to make room for the shield, which could be an attractive feature if that is a concern for you. It is apparently rather expensive (as is everything Arai). Here's a review:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r5/arai-pro-shade-review/

As I confine my riding to daylight hours, I use a medium smoke shield. For a visor, I run two strips of electrical tape along the inside of the shield so that when the sun is low on the horizon, I can simply tilt my head down to block the glare. It's been very effective, and best of all no cost!

I have the Arai ProShade and I love it! True, it is not cheap, but the versatility that it affords is wonderful, and there's no extra plastic very close to my eyes as there would be with an internal visor.

Highly recommended!

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Had an EXO-1000 which was good, but my RF-1100 beats it hands down in every way shape and form. Shoei for the win.

Can you elaborate on this? What aspects of the RF-1100 make it worth the extra money to you?

Feels MUCH lighter than the EXO (easier on the neck), the inside padding is like wrapping your head with a very soft cat (the EXO was good, but the Shoei is noticeably more comfortable), the helmet itself is smaller (Scorpion uses 1 size external shell and different internal padding to make its different sizes, Shoei has different size helmets for different size heads), venting is MUCH better in the Shoei, it is noticeably quieter... the only reason I bought one is that I had a $500 gift card which paid for the lions share of the helmet; I never thought I would buy an expensive offering like that but WOW the difference really is there. I was a doubter but am now a believer.

The only thing I truly miss vs the EXO was the inner drop-down sun visor. That was priceless... but I simply bought a tinted shield for the Shoei. I will be looking to buy one of the transitions lenses over the winter, which could be another big benefit if it works as well as I hope (about to change shifts at work to a 5am start - so leaving in the dark every morning and returning in the light, I do not want to change shields twice a day).

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I have a Shoei Qwest, very nice quality helmet, but it's also too heavy in my opinion, and I'm looking for an alternative due to that.

Probably less of an issue in a more upright position, but the lean of the riding position I believe makes the neck strain a little worse for me.

Also, the Qwest is more of a rounder fit I'm told than the RF series. I would tend to agree with that too.

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I picked up a new Arai RX7-X (Corsair-X here) in Japan last month and I like it so much I'm picking up a second one when I go back tomorrow. The new visor mechanism is great, the fit is remarkably improved, the chin curtain and new venting cuts noise considerably, and it feels lighter than the Corsair-V.

Suggest you try one on when they become available in the USA after January.

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