OT please recommend a bike helmet
Mr Whippy - 9/12/08 at 09:53 AM
Hey guys
For chistmas I’ve been told I’m getting a new helmet for my bike as SWMNBO is not happy with my current cheapo thing that looks like its been used as
a football, can’t even mind were it came from but it was originally used for the karting and I crashed a few times doing that…hmm
Anyway it must be full face, white or red and no more than about £200 cos that’s the budget and all my hansom heads worth to medical research 
was
hoping for something like an Arai or shoei kind of thing rather than a Makro one 
Cheers 
thebull - 9/12/08 at 10:01 AM
what you need mr whippy is a shoei raid 2 they are around the £200 ish price and very good helmets.
Mr Whippy - 9/12/08 at 10:10 AM
great thats one to look at then
thanks
Scott W - 9/12/08 at 10:23 AM
What you need to do is actually get out there and try them on. You will find that some helmets will just fit better than others. For example,
I've always been an Arai head (been riding motorbikes for 12 years) and I've never got on with Shoei helmets whenever I've tried them
on.
At the end of the day, it's your head and you'll be wearing the helmet for various lengths of time so don't just go on the assumption
that a) something looks good and b) it fits within the price range. You could all too easily purchase a helmet that after wearing it for 10 minutes
gives you a headache and of course, with it being a bike helmet, you cannot return it.
Mr Whippy - 9/12/08 at 10:37 AM
yip good advice and we were going to go to a local bike shop to try them on but was needing one that was recommended on the road as I have read that
some are much noisier than other. My own full face is actually much louder than my open trials one due to the wind howling 
dogwood - 9/12/08 at 10:52 AM
Hi Mate.
I also have a Arai shaped head....
Shoei just don't fit me at all.
But I do agree with you about noise.
My Arai costing over £300 is much noisier than the old Kiwi helmet I had costing a lot less than a 100 quid.
Guess which I prefer to wear.....?
David
Mr Whippy - 9/12/08 at 11:08 AM
its funny but the wind noise at 70 is many times more than the noise of my bike which I can't even hear
Fozzie - 9/12/08 at 11:54 AM
What the guys ^^ said
I always wanted an Arai, but when we got to the bike shop, they just didn't fit/feel right.....
Tried on a Shoei......excellent fit...... so as you can see, I am opposite to the guys ^^, which does prove that you really need to go and try
on......
Fozzie
Mr Whippy - 9/12/08 at 12:09 PM
yip cheers will try them on before buying
looking forward to having something a bit less tatty on my head as my current one looks like all I do is fall off!!
which I don't 
Coose - 9/12/08 at 12:10 PM
I'm another one with an Arai head! I wouldn't worry too much about noise - just wear decent quality ear plugs. It took me a long while
before was used to wearing plugs, but now I rarely ride without them!
So, if you have a £200 price range whatever you get will be of decent quality, but you want the one that fits you best. Even try another helmet of the
same model in the same size if you find one that's not quite right but almost there - the one on the shelf may have been tried on by 20 people
and stretched a bit.
Scott W - 9/12/08 at 12:22 PM
Wind noise is an issue at times, but wearing ear plugs helps massively! Plus, this means I can hear my music better (I have an Autocom system on the
bike and also in the car)!
pewe - 9/12/08 at 12:26 PM
I've always had Shoei until I was persuaded by the local bike shop to buy an Xlite (Nolan) last time. Can't say there's anything
particularly bad about it but the fit isn't as good as the Shoei - it's all down head shape.
BTW I buy my earplugs from Lucy Dell www.earplugsbypost.com - they offer lots of different types at good prices and will even send sample packs so
you can try different sizes/shapes before bulk buying.
Cheers, Pewe 
[Edited on 9/12/08 by pewe]
thunderace - 9/12/08 at 12:29 PM
Arai are the best i have has around 20 helmets inc carbon oxa £550 from the usa
but your paying more just for the name when you buy arai.things to ask is it fiberglass do the inners come out to be washed how many vents i like to
try them at 70mph before i buy one as some have very bad wind noise and will do your head in .ask evryone who has a helmet you know how good is it ,i
got a flip bmw flip lid and could not see out of the corner of my eye, as good as i would have liked. i felt i had to turn my head a lot more to see
behind me.
Fozzie - 9/12/08 at 12:40 PM
quote:
Originally posted by thunderace
Arai are the best i have has around 20 helmets inc carbon oxa £550 from the usa
but your paying more just for the name when you buy arai.things to ask is it fiberglass do the inners come out to be washed how many vents i like to
try them at 70mph before i buy one as some have very bad wind noise and will do your head in .ask evryone who has a helmet you know how good is it ,i
got a flip bmw flip lid and could not see out of the corner of my eye, as good as i would have liked. i felt i had to turn my head a lot more to see
behind me.
Aaah, but only if you have an Arai shaped head!
Good point about visibility though, so once I found the make that suited my head shape, it was then a question of visibility and lightness.... I went
for the Shoei XR-1000 in black....
Shoei XR1000 road lid
But it was a couple of years ago now......but I still like it!
Fozzie
Mr Whippy - 9/12/08 at 01:00 PM
Cheers Fozzie, I'll have a look at that one too as it seems to be not a bad price either
Haven’t a clue what kind of head I have, except a perfectly formed Greek god like one off course but that goes without saying really...
Fozzie - 9/12/08 at 01:10 PM
Let us know which one you get!
It seems most of us are either Arai or Shoei type heads. but, whichever 'type' you are I am sure that you wont be disappointed.
Fozzie
maartenromijn - 9/12/08 at 01:48 PM
I have a shoei-head as well. Most of the other brands do not fit. Like above you jsut have to try them on in the bike shop. If you want the locost
option then order it from the internet.
As for the noise, pick a helmet which does not have those 'patches' over the hinges where the screen is rotating on the helmet itself. Those
patches make terrible noise at 60+ mph.
I use those cheap yellow earplugs, and they do their job perfectly!
Mr Whippy - 9/12/08 at 03:19 PM
quote:
Originally posted by maartenromijn
As for the noise, pick a helmet which does not have those 'patches' over the hinges where the screen is rotating on the helmet itself. Those
patches make terrible noise at 60+ mph.
hmm my current full face one does have them, perhaps thats where the noise is coming from. I do use earplugs now as my ears were actually ringing when
I got off
dogwood - 9/12/08 at 03:42 PM
I've been riding bikes for the last 35years+ I never used earplugs.
Never did me any harm....
A,Wot, Pardon,
If only I knew then what I know now
Tinitous, both ears 24/7
Fuuuuuuuuuug!!!!!!
David
sucksqueezebangblow - 9/12/08 at 03:51 PM
Simpson every time. The Stig liked mine so much he copied it!
matt_claydon - 9/12/08 at 04:01 PM
Bike helmets are now independently tested (a bit like Euro NCAP for cars) and given a star rating out of five. When you've found a lid you like
go here:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/SHARP
and check to see if it's any good. You may be surprised how some of the big names who've been trading for years on the "if it's
expensive it must be better" bull don't rate very well, whilst some of the ones the so-called 'experts' would tell you to steer
clear of are actually top-notch.
jambojeef - 9/12/08 at 04:30 PM
Was just gonna say that Matt.
My choice of those that pass this new test would be the HJC HQ1.
A mate bought this and its a superb looking helmet but sized slightly small so go up a size if you're in doubt.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HJC-HQ-1-CARBON-MOTORCYCLE-BIKE-HELMET-5-STARS-HQ1_W0QQitemZ270313414875QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycle_Helmets?hash=item270313
414875&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1299%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308
Geoff
Peteff - 9/12/08 at 04:43 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
its funny but the wind noise at 70 is many times more than the noise of my bike which I can't even hear
You want to hear it when you get up to 130 then Get one you can wear a balaclava with, it will cut the noise down and keep your neck warm.
907 - 9/12/08 at 05:25 PM
Whatever make you decide on ask in the shop about replacement visors. They are so easy to scratch.
Ask also if they do a daylight tinted one. You may need this if you plan to ride off into the sunset.
Paul G
p.s. I too am a Shoei man
owelly - 9/12/08 at 07:54 PM
I wanted an Arai but alas, I have a Shoei heed.
However, when my bike spat me off, my Shoei was smashed to bits but my noggin was fine. Bust three vertibrae and both wrists but my swede was OK. I
bought another Shoei as soon as I was out of hospital. Nuff said?
Mr Whippy - 10/12/08 at 07:55 AM
quote:
Originally posted by matt_claydon
Bike helmets are now independently tested (a bit like Euro NCAP for cars) and given a star rating out of five. When you've found a lid you like
go here:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/SHARP
and check to see if it's any good. You may be surprised how some of the big names who've been trading for years on the "if it's
expensive it must be better" bull don't rate very well, whilst some of the ones the so-called 'experts' would tell you to steer
clear of are actually top-notch.
thanks very much that is extremely helpful, wasn't even aware of this site
and I think I'm now going for the Carbon HJC HQ-1 one due to its rating being 5 stars
[Edited on 10/12/08 by Mr Whippy]
jambojeef - 10/12/08 at 06:12 PM
Superb helmet.
It'll probably add 50mph to the top speed of your 125....
Fozzie - 10/12/08 at 06:43 PM
Good site there Matt....
I'm sure it wasn't there when I got mine a couple of years back
It only gives my Shoei 3 stars out of 5
So....given the ratings chart, ......
I think that's a good choice Whipster! 5/5 stars can't be bad.
Fozzie
