New helmet time!

[Robbie8666]

Nice to hear that some of the makes/models I would look at for my next lid are far from perfect.
 
The problem with buying a lid is it can cost a fortune but there is no way of seeing how it performs before buying.

totally agree,I had only had 2 lids previously, a Nolan when I was 17 & an Arai when I was 30, therefore I spoke to quite a few mates with bikes that had different lids for their opinion and in the end settled for the best fit (Shoei) but because a) I wanted to have it custom painted & b) I'd had a small windfall, probably bought a lid that is way above what I need.
 
 

[ghostbiker]

The problem with buying a lid is it can cost a fortune but there is no way of seeing how it performs before buying.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/
gives you a safety rate but is limited
other than that its google/search engine of choice and read reviews and forums like this :P
everything i have read on the qwest seems to point to it being a good all round helm
but i think its going to cost a fair chunk by the time i added on the extras that i want. but at least i can add them over time.
I find a good hlem will last me about 4 years before i feel i need to replace it (unless droped/crashed)

[ghostbiker]

Picked up my new Shoie Qwest today and first impressions are focing good.

Its quieter than the AGV S4 but not what i would call Quiet. but very good all the same.

Comfort is very very good. the inner is soft but firm and grips well. nice and light as well, its prob only a few grams lighter than the agv but feels a lot more.
it has a wind guard for the chin area that helps and its the warmest helm i have owned for the neck/chin area.
may need to lose it in the summer though lol.

The pinloc is very good, its my first pinloc and i will use them again if they last well. even at traffic lights i could keep the visor closed and not mist up. and thats with all the helm vents closed. fantastic.

seems to have less buffeting than the AGV S4 as well but its hard to tell untill i ride in diff wind conditions.


the 1 thing i did find a little worse than the AGV was rain clearing from the visor.
in light rain it just didnt clear, in heavyer rain it was fine. its something i will have to keep an eye on.

i poped to a local race track and tested it up to 140 with no feeling like it was trying to lift off or pull and press anywhere.

overall i will say 9/10 on quality but a little pricey for me (most i have ever spent on a helm even though i know its not a "Expensive" helm as such.
But i can see the diff in quality and finish compaired to the likes of the AGV S4 and the caberg

a good purchase that im happy with so far.

[Nooj]

the sharp test is a bit misleading as a fiberglass nitro lid will stand up to the sharp test than a top shoei and the points of impact they use in the test is  where most of the damage actualy happens not where the main impact in a crash would be be they test the sides where as the impact is normaly from the forehear across the crown and down the back

The SHARP test is misleading to say the least! It's nothing more than a government quango and has no real relevance on lid safety. The accident stats it's all based on are at best incomplete and inaccurate and at worst pure speculation.


A £50 POS plastic lid may get five stars right after it's rolled off the production line, but after a year of sitting on a dealer's shelves it may only score two, and after a few months of being outside in the sun, rain and pollution it wouldn't even reach bottom marks.


At the other end of the scale, you won't get a vastly superior lid by paying £500 for an Arai or shoei race-rep, as at least half of that money goes to pay for their gargantuan advertising costs rather than on the lid's development.

Fit is a major thing to bear in mind, you'll get far more protection from a well fitting £200 lid than you will from a badly fitting £400 lid.


Personally, for the money, I don't think you will find a better value lid than Reevu's MSX1 at the moment. £259 delivered (for the plain colours), same carbon/kevlar shell construction as the top of the range Jap lids, very comfy, very very quiet (quietest I've used in fact). Plus you get a working rear view mirror built into it (even if you never use this, it's still the best value lid on the market today).


If you want a flip-front, they will be launching one in the spring, so you won't have long to wait.


http://www.shinybikesyndrome.co.uk/cms/index.php/our-products/reevu-helmets

[Phil TK]

The problem with buying a lid is it can cost a fortune but there is no way of seeing how it performs before buying.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/
gives you a safety rate but is limited
other than that its google/search engine of choice and read reviews and forums like this :P

Or, have a few crashes.
 I've had 4 crashes that have impact damaged my helmet, all on the track and all whilst wearing Arais and I wouldn't wear any other brand, mainly because it wouldn't make sense to change in my case, because they work for me and also because that company knows what they are doing and more pros wear them by choice than anything else.
 If I had a personal reccomendation I would advise against a heavier than average helmet, remember the job of a lid is to disperse energy and a heavier helmet has by nature more kinetic energy to dissipate, which is bad. Helmets have traditionally got lighter and it's partly for this reason, heavy lids are a backward step.
 One crash I had in my youth (whilst wearing an AGV KR replica with a cheap lexan visor) was a facial impact with the tarmac and that hurt a lot cos the visor caved in and gave me a bloody nose and lots of bruising. So I would also caution against buying a lid with a cheapo looking visor.

[taksi]

I wear a Shoei xr1000 as well. Best bit, apart from its lght weight, is the fact that they have different sizes of chhek pad. I was in between small and medium though the head fit was good. They swapped the cheek pads for some larger ones and sorted it. Had it a couple of years now and it's still waterproof and I love the pinlock anti mist, especially as I wear specs. Visor removal is a piece of cake as well.
 
 
Taksi

[mickdel]

Well my AVG S4 stealth has finaly started to leak and just getting a bit tatty. had it 4 years now and have got on well with it. been wellfitting and no real issues with it realy.

I also have a spare Caberg flip that i hardly use. its to loud and gets a lot of buffeting for some reason.

I like the idea of Flip's but are they all loud and unaerodymanic?
I also like the idea of Bluetooth built in, but that dose seem to limit the choices on helms.

As im at the NEC on the 27th im gunna take a look around to get an idea on fit and comfort, but what do you guys think about helms? I have a MAX of £250 but would prefer £150
gota look ok and be fairly quiet. blue tooth would be a bonus.

Dangerous thinking there Ghosty.  Your lid should be the one piece of kit you spend a lot on.  Only get one head.

[bwizz]

I like caberg flips, My favourite is an old J1+ not as steeply a curved visor as  my later trip,so i find the the veiw more natural. My partner has and I sometimes use a J1S! These are all good value helmets and fit us well , noise is a very subjective experience but with earplugs not an issue certainly not worth spending huge lumps of dosh. you pays yer money etc

[Grahamm]

Dangerous thinking there Ghosty.  Your lid should be the one piece of kit you spend a lot on.  Only get one head.

Yes, buy the best lid you can afford, but do like I did when I saved myself £75 by buying a Shoei XR-1000 with a plain silver finish instead of a fancy paint job (which may look cool, but won't do anything to protect you!)

[mickdel]

those xr 1000 are excellent lids.  i'd like a rutter copy.  i suppose the other way to get a decent lid at a decent price is to get the previous years colors.   i saw some awesome lids at the george white centre in slough (think it's closed now),  going very cheaply indeed a couple of years ago.

[Phil]

 Fit is a major thing to bear in mind.....................


.................................... £259 delivered 

Its a bit of an old thread to reply to but was linked in a recent thread, but how do you find out if a helmet fits if you buy it on the internet? You could go down your local shop, try them all on, then buy from an internet shop cheaper, but I'd feel a **** doing that. If you buy stuff regularly from your local shop they are more likely to give you a bit of discount, and you usually get a better service.

[Phil]

Has anyone got experience of the newer helments with the drop down sun visors built in? I've seen some Shark ones on their website. Seems a good idea as you dont have to stop to change visors over when the sun goes in/comes out.
The pinlock system & quick change system like on my Shoei XR1000 is top notch, a sun visor system could be an equally good feature.

[Dave48]

For me the only way to buy a helmet (like shoes/boots) is to go into the shop and try them on for fit & comfort. Some things in life I wont scrimp on like protective rider gear and tyres & brakes.
My Shoei multitec is 4 years old & has always been comfortable-for wind noise I use earplugs. & the Pinlock visor is fantastic-no misting problems. Think I paid £285 (discounted) @ J&S.

[knoxy]

Phil, try a Nolan n85 flip down sun visor and pinlock as standard £199 from HG

[Phil]

I guess/hope by the time I need a new helmet they will all have a model with a flip down sun visor. I was wondering if they actually worked ok, although I cant think why they shouldn't.

One plus for Shoei, a friend has one and at Brands BSB the pinlock fittings had loosened and it fogged up on the way in. She blagged her way into the inner paddock where the Shoei service van was and they dried the helmet out, cleaned and adjusted everything free of charge.
James Hillier had to wait his turn 

[Grahamm]

I was wondering if they actually worked ok, although I cant think why they shouldn't.

I've heard that the external type have a bad habit of coming off if it gets too windy.

Personally I just stick a couple of strips of electrical tape across the top of the visor which doesn't obscure the view, but means that you can just tip your head down a bit to cut out the sun, and then, if needed, wear sunglasses inside to deal with the any glare etc.