New helmet time!

[ghostbiker]

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.

[crishner]

sorry never realy put a limit on my lid last one £310 shoei xr1000 and the next will be a £380 shoei multitec save money elsewhere and buy the best lid you can aford if you budget it £250 and they are comfy for you go for a shoie Qwest £270 may be cheaper at the NEC or the x-lite X-602


but please dont skimp on a lid


Sorry lecture over[/font][/size]

[karlo]

I have a Duchinni D619 BT, it is loud but I think flip's tend to be loud as a general rule.

[ghostbiker]

sorry never realy put a limit on my lid last one £310 shoei xr1000 and the next will be a £380 shoei multitec save money elsewhere and buy the best lid you can aford if you budget it £250 and they are comfy for you go for a shoie Qwest £270 may be cheaper at the NEC or the x-lite X-602


but please dont skimp on a lid


Sorry lecture over

Sadly as i have been out of work for 5 years and on Disability belive me when i say I am spending the max possable on a lid lol. actualy probably to the point that i will buy a lid then not be able to afford to fill the bike with fuel to use the lid :P
I think offten bargins can be had by getting a model of lid thats a year or even 2 years old. lots of ppl only want the latest designs where as im happy for a older design so you can get a good quality lid for less.

Glad you mentioned the Duchinni Karlo as thats one i was gunna research. noise is something thats hard to find out about unless someone like you mentions it.

[tomjimtom]

another stealth? or the s4, same thing without the thing stuck to the top
Should be cheap as an older model too

[crishner]

my coments were not a dig about being tight please belive me but as i use to work in the motorcycle clothing sector and was a helmet specialist with shoei, aria and shark trained where a lot of people would buy a £10,000 bike and a £700 gimp suit and then a £50 lid..... but i digress


£150 caberge justisimo or the probiker KX4


but as was also said if AGV fit then stick with them Hein gericke have some good prices at the moment
http://www.hein-gericke.co.uk/helme.html?brand=405

[Skippernick]

sorry ghostbiker i have a question.
I have an AGV S4 trendy, don't know if they are the same helmet, blue with white viper stripes.
Bought it because it was ment to be good and quiet. NOT, really loud with wind noise compared to my old £30 hand me down Takachi.
Sent back to the importer under warrenty but still no better, put it down to a combination of the helmet and the fairing on my 02 bike.
Is yours noisy thats my question? has anyone else had this experiance with this helmet?
Nick

[ghostbiker]

Well i dont find the AGV "overly" loud. i meen compaired to the Caberg its bloody silent lol
but yeah i do find the AGV a little loud but not to bad. (you just know this is gunna set off the whole ear plug thing dont ya :P )

The AGV s4 is pretty cheap, can easy get one for around £90 and its 5* etc. (why i brought it in the first place)
so it is high on the list.
i do like the Shoei Qwest but i think i will be pushing it to get one at under £250
its on the "wish" list even though it dosent look that nice. will deff try one on at the show.


The Caberg Trip got 5* and is half the price of the justisimo. there great for a 2nd helm but im not sure i can live with one full time.

the others i will look up later as not heard of those much
but thx for the thoughts

[Skippernick]

Ok thats great just wanted a second opinion that wasn't a dealer.
Sorry for setting off the ear plug debate, to stop it yes i do use them.
Nick

[Digdug]

I have an AGV S4 trendy, I love it as it's the quietest helmet I've ever owned, plus light and comfy.

I agree with ghostbiker, a quality helmet doesn't have to break the bank. Mid-price helmets often have better SHARP ratings than pricey ones, and if you go for an older design £150 is more than enough to protect your noggin.

[PieEater]

When I last needed a new lid I went to 3 shops to try on ones from all the available options and the only one that fitted properly and I felt comfortable with was a Shoei XR1000. What was weird was until that point Shoeis had never fitted me but the makes that used to (Arai & Shark) no longer did, the guy in the shop told me that manufacturers will often change the shape of the shells which will then change the head shapes that fit them properly so you can't gurantee that one manufacturers offerings will always fit you, so when buying a new lid you do need to try them all again to find the best fit. I honestly had no choice as nothing else came close to fitting me like the Shoei so from my experience you're better off seeing what actually fits properly and if you have a choice you can narrow it down then.

[crishner]

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

[ghostbiker]

what has supprised me is a fair few £50 helms actualy have a 5* sharp rate
also the cheaper Caberg flip has a 5* and the more expensive one has 4*
but even the 5* flip only had the front flip stay in place in 80% of the crash tests....... 80%??? so you have a 1 in 5 chance of the front comming undone in a crash yet it gets 5* lol

the sharp rate dose seem to concentrait on just a few very small areas of impact and dont seem to give much of a overall rate to a helm thats for sure.

you do seem to pay for quality, but dont seem to have to pay much to get safety.

without testing the fit yet it seems to be down to the
the qwest or back to the S4 the reviews and stats on the qwest do look damn good and if it fits well i can see the bike will be parked up for a month or 2 so i can afford it lol.

[R1FSR]

i own a AGV s4sv lid had it about 4 months or so ..absolute piece of shit..its being replaced with a new one at the bike show .
ive had 3 visors for it..you know ..the scratch proof visors ..the ones that scratch when you wipe them ... shit.
wind noise ..akin to having no lid on at all.
pull the visor down and  the barsteward steams up so you have to open it up slightly .. IF you can get to put your visor down ...when its raining it lets water gets in from the top...useless.
ive used it with the sun visor down and clear visor down when its been raining ..i also wear glasses wich end up wet ...figure that one out.
Ive got to admit though i think it looks a great lid ...also very comfy ..shame its near useless.   
 
 
 
 

[ghostbiker]

odd that 2 ppl have said how bad the S4 is both saying wind noise a swell.
Mine realy isnt that bad at all.
it dose now leak from the top of the visor and steams up but didnt for a good couple years.
im on 3rd visor but one i replaced just because i wanted a tint. might have helped the replacements were not OE AGV ones, i dont remember how fast i needed to change the OE one.

i wonder if there is diffs between the S4 types that make the diff in noise and leaks etc.


i keep looking at the Bluetooth helms like the Duchini's i like the idea but most reviews from actual bikers say you cant hear jack affter 50-60mph at best. kinda pointless then realy

[Gingernutz]

I have a schubert C2 - these are the quietest flips by miles - but you have to have a thick neck they weigh a bit. Mine was £250 so on your limit but the replacements C3s have been out ages and cost £450  . You will have to search for a while to get that price and the sizes left
XXL £199 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SCHUBERTH-SCHUBERT-C2-FLIP-UP-HELMET-MOTO-BLACK-SIZ-XXL-/360243843077?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Helmets&hash=item53e034d005
There is a C3 at £309 if you need a medium http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Schuberth-C3-silver-metallic-best-price-/170726717208?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Helmets&hash=item27c01af718 which is a great price.
You should try to try one on to make sure you are happy with the weight
 

[dolau]

I have a Nitro Patriot which is quiet but was tight for a medium (Shark S500air fitted perfectly) but after a few rides it has padded down nicely and is quite quiet but it leaks down behind the visor when it rains which is a real pain and the visor steams up so I ride at 30 on first click- maybe that nis when the rain comes in

[ghostbiker]

Well poped down to H G today on a ride out. poped in and tried a few helms on, glad i did to as it seems my head has shrunk rather a lot..... 2 sizes in fact lol 

Tried on a K4 agv and wasnt to impressed with the fit, odd as i have allways fitted AGV's well
tried a couple of other makes but most either didnt feel right or were way to cheap or way to expensive

one of the HJC's was a good fit and felt nice but in the end i went with the Shoie Qwest, Much lighter than my old AGV S4 and a pretty good fit. it was odd though the Large felt just a fraction to lose, was good back to front but was a tiny bit lose on the sides.
the Medium was much tighter all round with no movement anywhere but actualy for such a tight fit felt good.
So i went with the medium even though it was a fraction tight i the hope it would lossen rather than the larg getting smaller :P

Got a good deal to, £270 seems the norm for these i got it for £235 with a spare Pinlock insert and a spare visor and a cleaning kit
didnt have my size in stock in the right colour though so i have to wait till wed's to pick it up

[crishner]

got my new lid today shoei multitec in white with a second smoked visor pinlock and the whisper strip ticket £385 paid £347 so not too bad

[Strifae]

I've had a Shoei XR1000 for nearly 3 years and it's just as comfortable and waterproof as the day I got it. Can wear for hours and hours without discomfort. Would definitely recommend as now you can get them for your budget new as replaced by the XR1100. Hoping to get a XR1100 at the NEC show next Saturday

[BIG MAC]

Arai saltire here

[fazerboy1969]

Arai condor and caberg justissimo also a suomy screaming eagle design,but ive now had it resprayed with my own special design...ill see if I can dig out sum pics

[Robbie8666]

When I last needed a new lid I went to 3 shops to try on ones from all the available options and the only one that fitted properly and I felt comfortable with was a Shoei XR1000. What was weird was until that point Shoeis had never fitted me but the makes that used to (Arai & Shark) no longer did, the guy in the shop told me that manufacturers will often change the shape of the shells which will then change the head shapes that fit them properly so you can't gurantee that one manufacturers offerings will always fit you, so when buying a new lid you do need to try them all again to find the best fit. I honestly had no choice as nothing else came close to fitting me like the Shoei so from my experience you're better off seeing what actually fits properly and if you have a choice you can narrow it down then.

 
arrr now that explains it!! I had a Arai Quantam e that I thought fit me perfectly but knew it was old & needed replacing, so tried on loads of lids and found that the Shoei fitted perfectly! bought the X Spirit 2.
couldn't believe the difference in weight! shoei so light ok bit noiseyer than old lid but that wearing plugs does the trick!!
 
got armed forces discount that knocked 10% off the price but then had a custom paint job put on it for £150!!! l

[mickdel]

Been through a few lids, and found that I need two.  One for commuting and routine riding, and one for when I'm moving on.  At the mo, I've a caberg and rsv for routine comfort and an old (well, i'ts done about 1000 miles) arai rx7 which is perfect at over 120.  I bought it because I was sick of lids trying to lift off over my face, or pushing my then glasses back onto my face.  All depends on the size of your nut and what you want the helmet for.  Compromises again I suppose.  I haven't tried any new ones in the last three years, but the key thing, although only if you've patience, is to keep the thing on in the shop for as long as you can stand looking like a fool, to see if it starts to put pressure on you anywhere on the bonce after 15 mins.

[HarryHornby]

This is making interesting reading, I've only ever bought one helmet, it's a Lazer Fiber D1.  I bought it when I got my first bike, sales guy recommended it because it's composite.  They stuck a pin lock on for me which I love and while I think it's loud, it's never leaked, seems to be quite good from a mist point of view (saying that I don't know what good and bad is) but I know that as long as I am moving over 30mph it clears a treat.  Seems noisy, but I don't know what a quiet lid is, but I do wear earplugs because my ears used to ring after my 17 mile commute on 60/70 mph roads.  Cost me about £140 just over 2 years ago.
 
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.