What helmet should I buy???

[DUCMONROB]

 I am in the market in buying a new helmet after my old one went down the road!

I am asking because the last helmet I had was an exspensive unit which was comfortable but very susceptable to wind noise.

What do you lot wear and how do you rate it as compared to your exsperiences with other helmets you have owned.

Thanks in advance Rob

[ollie]

I wear a Shoei XR1000, it was the only helmet that fitted me properly-which is a bit of a bugger when it's also one of the most expensive in the shop

I've found it really comfortable even on long rides, it is prone to fogging a bit when it's really cold and I generally have the visor cracked slightly on those days, haven't noticed wind noise as an issue but  I can only compare it with dirt bike helmets so take that with some caution

[dragonworld.]

I currently wear one of those "Craft" helmets from Aussie Street Fighter. Love the look but its expensive for what it is and extremely noisy. 1 year on and its starting to fall apart already.   

The best helmey I've ever worn is from the Arai brand. Fits my shaped bonce perfectly and although dear, internals can be replaced and the cheek pads etc come in different thicknesses to suit your face.
I've raced with a "Quantum" as well as using them on the road. got 3 years out of the last onebefore it started to get a bit loose. And that is averaging 18 to 20,000k's per year. 

I'll be going back to my Arai.

The important thing to remember is some helmets WONT fit your head well. That should be your first consideration, the style/colour etc comes after the. Shop around and try as many different brands as you can. Buy a plain white or black (cheaper  ) and then get it painted with a design of your choice (Special airbrushers know what to use on the lid so it doent screw the shell up) and it'll work out cheaper than one of the original bought design helmets. 

[goldFiSh]

Rob, first things first, do you know which ones fit your head?

they come in all shapes and sizes - and you'll need to know which fit first before anything else.
Go to a helmet superstore, with the intention of spending an amount of hours trying on helmets.

Then narrow it down to the other factors
- how noisy it is
- how much it costs
- what it looks like
- how heavy it is
- other ergonomics - visor ease and types
- ventilation and the like
- does it have removable parts for cleaning / washing

As a general rule:
- the more vents the noisier it will be
- Arai's are noiser than a lot - cause of the ventilation and the visor "pods" on the side

When it was time for a new helmet after the goldFiSh naming ceremony incident, I tries on Arai, Shoei, AGV, Nolan, HJC and a few others, and I concluded that the Arai was the best for my head.

It also turned out to be one of the noisiest, but this is overcome with plugs.

To me, ventilation was key, I wanted lots of airflow, and the Arai gave that - if I was riding mostly in a colder climate, then maybe that would not be as important as other factors...

Note that you typically get what you pay for - check out the difference between the $400 AGV and the $800 AGV - same maker, quite a different lid.

Anyway, try heaps on. Hopefully you have a reasonable budget due to the insurance claim, so the money should not be a deciding factor.

[goldFiSh]

there you go - Dragon beat me too it!

[ducsport]

Yeah Rob, what they all said. It comes down to what fits your bonce best. I found the Shoei TZR a good one for my current helmet. It is not too noisy - only hase ventilation in the chin piece and a vent on top. It does fog a bit in colder weather like Ollie said.

+1 on dragons advice  for the plain colours - much cheaper. Even better, try to get a "last years" design or colour. The same helmet but at a discount  . I found the Helmet Warehouse to have a good range, and they were willing to put up with me trying everything on, over and over.

Cheers, ducsport

[mattyvas]

I've just done this recently.

Had five lined up at MCAS to try on and also had the help of their helmet expert, Wilson who is very knowledgable.

Lined up were : Arai Corsair RX7
                       Shoei XR-1000
                       Shark RSR-2
                       AGV GP Tech
                       Schuberth (BMW Branded here)

After a couple of hours at MCAS I came back to the Arai, noise aside (as Goldie said) it was the one that fit my head best.
It was a bonus that it was on sale as it was last years grafix. What I did get out of the whole fitting was that I had been wearing a size to big for two years.
If budget is not a concern then buy whatever fits your scone, cause there is not point in wearing a lid that you really
like cause it goes with your bike if it doesn't fit.
I was dying to buy this Shark lid, even had two sizes ordered in so I could decide on it but it didn't fit.....

[DUCMONROB]

Thanks guys for the info.

I have been trying on some at a few shops but selection is limited and the sizing from brand to brand is so varied.

I have found quite a few models have a small shell where I put the lid on and the front touches my chin.

The Shoei TZR range is a nice fit around the nogin but again too close to the chin.

I don't mind the AGV but havn't seen one I like yet. I tried on a Arai today and yes that was perfect but wrong colour!

Graphics well I like this to be minimal.

All I can say about the bike shops I visited is 'stop pushing KBC' I am not after a budget helmet.

Any idea what Shark helmets are like?

[Spider]

the Shoei XR1000 is being replaced VERY soon.....which is interesting, thought they'd do the x-11/x-sprint first and then filter the technology down....apparently the shape is similar...so if you're a xr head....might be worth waiting (is that what you currently use?)

can't comment on anything else...I tried on at least 15 helmets....I'm a Shoei x-11 head unfortunately.

like Matty's list....recon they'd be the 1st set to try....I've tried em all except the schuberth properly (they didn't have my size at BMW when I went in!) but damn fine helmets.

Dos has a shark.....DOS.....ride report!

[BretMorris]

I agree with all the comments about having to try them on and see which model and brand best fits your head.  I really wanted the Ducati helmet made Suomy but it didnt fit me..... So ended up with the Arai RX-7 Corsair.  Fantastic helmet.

Bret

[wayne800]

Mine is an Arai Vector. Chose the Arai because it was the only brand that fit my melon. Even then it was too tight for my chin but (as Dragon says) I got the smaller chin pads & that fixed that issue. The big problem that I was unaware of is the wind noise. It's really bad and Sh1ts me no end. What I have noticed is that sometimes at speed I lay on the tank with head down. When I do this the noise reduces - a lot. I reckon they're meant to be used on a racing style bike, not the upright riding position of the monster - my 2c.

Wayne

[Big T]

I wanted the Ducati helmet made Suomy and it fitted my melon perfectly so is the one I use.... 

Wind noise is okay (I do wear ear plugs though and my open pipes are loud).... 

Also tried the Arai Ducatie helmet but just didn't fit.... 

[mattyvas]

Seems as though you might be looking for an Arai.

[DUCMONROB]

I went to MCA Liverpool today and tried on alot of the helmets. The one that fitted me the best was the Arai Vector.

The Shoei TZR helmet was too small in the chin area. The AGV helmets were very nice but they had a limited selection in store.

One down looking for the Shark and AGV.

[mattyvas]

I know it will be a trip for you but best place for brands and stock is MCAS City.
See Wilson, he is very good and will give you all the time you need.
That's who helped me pick my last one, even got me in the Shark I posted and I didn't buy it and only tried it on for 5 secs
and knew it wouldn't fit my head.