Helmets WHICH HELMET WOULD YOU BUY???

CZman

My wonderful wife says I can buy a new helmet. I have dropped my HJC four times, but that's not the reason I want another one. The HJC has been a good helmet. Time to upgrade. I now want a Shoei RF1000, or an Arai (not sure which model). If you own or have owned both, then I would like to hear your ideas about perceived differences. I only wear closed-face, full coverage helmets in the winter; not comfortable with modulars, so they're out.
 
Get the one that fits, the RF fits my mishapen head, the Arai Corsair does too, but some of the other Arai models use a different head form and cause pain in just a few min.
Try them on, wear it around the dealers showroom for a while.

(I personally prefer the visor release on the Shoei :D )

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No solid colors for me :D



Spencer
 
Spencer said:
Get the one that fits
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+1

I also used to ride with HJC's and they were fine. But when it was time to replace, I tried on many. My Charlie Brown head fits best in Shoei's. I've been riding with RF-1000's for years now and love em'. Perfect fit, good ventilation, light weight, not too noisy, removable pads for cleaning, and nice shield system.
 
Ken said:
+1

I also used to ride with HJC's and they were fine. But when it was time to replace, I tried on many. My Charlie Brown head fits best in Shoei's. I've been riding with RF-1000's for years now and love em'. Perfect fit, good ventilation, light weight, not too noisy, removable pads for cleaning, and nice shield system.
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Same here...

This is my favorite graphic, just doesn't quite match the wing though..

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I've got the Arai. Expensive, but it's the most comfortable, best ventilated helmet I've ever owned. If you do decide to go with Arai, just make sure you try on the different helmets shapes and find the one that's best for you.
 
Hi CZman,
I had the RF-1000 and replaced it with the X-Eleven. The X-eleven fits my oblong head much better. The RF's are shaped for a round head. Both are very good helmets. I have never found an Aria that would fit my head. Which ever you get make sure she tries it on for more than a few minutes. Good luck.
 
The one that fits is the best one.

I tried severals. Finally the only one that fits me right off the shelf was the rf 1000.

There are helmets made of thermo forming foam, mostly euro. Fit will be first class. You put it on, and the foam will adapt, making a mold of your head shape with your body heat, and after it's permanent. But you have to be a beleiver :bow1: , you can't just try it on!!!

It's up to you to choose, and try.

Good luck
 
Mellow said:
Same here...

This is my favorite graphic, just doesn't quite match the wing though..

03-464_l.jpg
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Yes, very cool. I slobbered all over this helmet in a MC store, yesterday. It was my size, according to the chart, but the salesdude would not let me don the thing. And I had just washed my locks. Hurt my feelings. Then, he said that helmets were like underwear, and that once worn, you own it. I said that I could never take away something from him in which he had so much pride.

Sounds like for my bulbous head, the RF1000 is the way to go. I will buy from New Enough in case I need an exchange.
 
CZman said:
Yes, very cool. I slobbered all over this helmet in a MC store, yesterday. It was my size, according to the chart, but the salesdude would not let me don the thing. And I had just washed my locks. Hurt my feelings. Then, he said that helmets were like underwear, and that once worn, you own it. I said that I could never take away something from him in which he had so much pride.

Sounds like for my bulbous head, the RF1000 is the way to go. I will buy from New Enough in case I need an exchange.
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That's horrible :22yikes: I've tried on dozens of helmets from many shops over the years and never had anyone say something like that. You may want to take your business elsewhere. I wouldn't plunk down $400 on a helmet I couldn't try on first.
 
CZman said:
Yes, very cool. I slobbered all over this helmet in a MC store, yesterday. It was my size, according to the chart, but the salesdude would not let me don the thing. And I had just washed my locks. Hurt my feelings. Then, he said that helmets were like underwear, and that once worn, you own it. I said that I could never take away something from him in which he had so much pride.

Sounds like for my bulbous head, the RF1000 is the way to go. I will buy from New Enough in case I need an exchange.
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+1 .. I've tried on helmets at Honda dealers many times..

Unless there's a sign or something saying, "try it on and you buy it" then I'd just try it on.. you try on jackets and gloves and pretty much anything else there. so why not..

I guess if someone had lice it would suck but I've been lucky so far.... LOL
 
CZman said:
My wonderful wife says I can buy a new helmet. I have dropped my HJC four times, but that's not the reason I want another one. The HJC has been a good helmet. Time to upgrade. I now want a Shoei RF1000, or an Arai (not sure which model). If you own or have owned both, then I would like to hear your ideas about perceived differences. I only wear closed-face, full coverage helmets in the winter; not comfortable with modulars, so they're out.
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Don't get too hung up on the Shoei/Arai thing.
While they are great lids, they're not the only good choices out there.

I wore Shoei and Arai for years, but I grew tired of spending huge amounts of money on these two brands and I started searching for an alternative.
The helmet I found that fit most like my past Arai helmets is the Scorpion EXO-700, and now the EXO-1000.

I'm not saying that the Shoei/Arai lids aren't good-they are, but there are many choices out there that may fit better and for less money.

The one thing I hated about my Arai helmets was the noise...even with ear plugs they tend to be a bit loud to me. The side plates on the faceshield catch a lot of wind.
My Scorpion is much more quiet.

Check out this article that Motorcyclist did a while back:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/
 
I would go with the Arai. I have tried them all and something you will be wearing for 5 years you will not be disapointed with an Arai.
 
Veefer said:
Don't get too hung up on the Shoei/Arai thing.
While they are great lids, they're not the only good choices out there.

I wore Shoei and Arai for years, but I grew tired of spending huge amounts of money on these two brands and I started searching for an alternative.
The helmet I found that fit most like my past Arai helmets is the Scorpion EXO-700, and now the EXO-1000.

I'm not saying that the Shoei/Arai lids aren't good-they are, but there are many choices out there that may fit better and for less money.

The one thing I hated about my Arai helmets was the noise...even with ear plugs they tend to be a bit loud to me. The side plates on the faceshield catch a lot of wind.
My Scorpion is much more quiet.

Check out this article that Motorcyclist did a while back:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/
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+1 Veefer.

I really like my Scorpion EXO-1000. On sale this is a $300.00 cost, and is comparable to the Shoei and Arai for quality. I have a racer buddy who hung up both his Shoei and his Arai for the Scorpion EXO-700. This year he will be riding the EXO-1000. The EXO-1000 has an air pump for the cheek pads for a truely custom fit, and a flip down dark visor inside the standard clear visor. The EXO-700 does not have the pump or additional dark visor and can be had for about $100.00 on the net.

Seems that you could buy a few really quality lids for the same price as a single Shoei or Arai lid.
 
Thanks for the Scorpion reminder.

I am ready for a new helmet (I have probably the 1st RF1000 in AZ) and just compared the RF1000, X-eleven and the EXO-1000 at helmetharbor.com.
I am always concerned with wind noise as I believe it is a really large contributor to riding fatigue.

Helmet Harbor has some nice comparison information... I guess I'll be sticking with RF1000...

Mark
 
i have liked both the arai and shoei helmets. this month's motorcyclist magazine mentions that the snell standard is changing but manufacturers are not expected to make helmets in conformity with the new standards until next fall although it may have been fall 2009 for what that information is worth to you.
 
+100 on get the one that fits. I use an Arai as that is the only one that fits my head. All the others hurt after an hour or two. I have had my Arai on for 12+ hours and was ready for more.

If you go to the IMC shows, the big manufactures are there. You can try all of them on and see what you think. Not like keeping it on for an hour or so, but at least you can see what is out there.
 
Quantum-2 by Arai nice but too short for me in the front.

Shoei RF1000 nice all round helmet, X-11 best venting out there but loud.

Shark. Very light, good venting (not as good as the X11) can change screens without removing helmet from the old noggin, great pads inside. Now my personal favorite.
 
regarding the sale dude's comment about trying on a helmet was like trying on underwear maybe he was confused with what you were going to do with the helmet.

As others have said the only way to buy a helmet is to find one that fits your head. Might be nice if the site had some suggested models based on head type?

My head shape is narrow at the face wide at the back of the head, wider at the top of the head and narrower at the bottom. Have the shoei 1000 and it is just a little tight at the top, back of the head but was the only one that fit. Not sure if you checked out the diabolic graphics but there are some nice ones.

Skip the place that doesn't let you try them on, that just doesn't make sense.
 
having both shoei and arai helmets...(this motorcycling is WAY too acquisitional for me!)...i agree with all that has been stated so far...particularly that there currently are some very nice quality & "safety" factor rated injected molding helmets for very reasonable $(~$120+-)...you might consider also the shield changing ease...arai still is the most difficult for me to remove/replace shield(i just DON'T! after the first attempt that resulted in back to dealer for a tutorial)...whereas shoei is a snap...the arai has a smaller area opening than the shoei for my models & i do have to mentally adjust for awhile when going to the arai smaller shield area...whichever decision you make, just make sure to ALWAYS use your purchase! & here's hoping you never need to put the helmet to its intended use!...also, with ear plugs as a part of always used kit, wind noise is basically a non-issue...:) :03biker:
 
Here's my 2c.

When I bought a new helmet about 10 years ago, I told myself before entering the store, that I would purchase the one that fit the best, who cares about the cost. It turned out to be an Arai F-1 (reg $410 reduced to $250).

Last summer I did the same thing, and in this case it was a Shoei TZ-R ($450 reduced to $360).

In my opinion, any helmet manufacturer that conforms to the required safety standards should be able to supply a quality helmet, so that shouldn't be an issue.

So, to sum it all up, I would say try different helmets to feel how they fit, and purchase the most comfortable one. Don't be afraid to switch back and forth to other helmets that you already tried. After all, you're going to be spending alot of time with it.
 
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