Helmets! What do you go by?

cadete

So my first lid was an arai axcess 2 cost me 270 sterling I think about 2 years ago. Thought it was great, really safe..... arai big brand has to be better than say a cheap lid right?
But a mate was buying a new lid before Xmas and he was on about the sharp ratings.
So I check my arai and it’s like 2 and a half stars on there! There are cheapo lids there with like 4 stars!
So I guess my question to all you highly educated bikers is how do choose your lid? Would you check the sharp ratings? Is DOT or snell your standard or do you just not bother and buy what fits?


*must be noted not every lid has been rated by sharp

punisher5112

British racing standard was one I went by.

If it were genuine bs if recall and numbers.

punisher5112

punisher5112 wrote: »

British racing standard was one I went by.

If it were genuine bs if recall and numbers.

Search the forum. This was all discussed in detail recently.

punisher5112

JayZeus wrote: »

Search the forum. This was all discussed in detail recently.

http://www.whitedogbikes.com/whitedogblog/motorbike-helmet-road-legal-uk/

punisher5112

JayZeus wrote: »

Search the forum. This was all discussed in detail recently.

Why highlight me I didn't ask

punisher5112

punisher5112 wrote: »

http://www.whitedogbikes.com/whitedogblog/motorbike-helmet-road-legal-uk/

Good link. Meant to quote the OP myself.

blade1

I go by
Reputable brand,
How it feels on me,
Nice Colour Scheme.

So far,so good.

P.S. I've never checked any rating system when buying a helmet.

punisher5112

blade1 wrote: »

I go by
Reputable brand,
How it feels on me,
Nice Colour Scheme.

So far,so good.

P.S. I've never checked any rating system when buying a helmet.

It isn't always crazy expensive ones that will be much better but it is a good idea to spend as much as possible on one and it is highly recommended to get one with proper safety standard.

My 1st helmet with my new bike was a half cast and you could see where it was basically glued together.

stewygriffin

Motorcycle Live in the UK last November,bought a 2018 Arai RX-7V Hayden race lid,got a savage deal and a heap of free stuff from the Arai stand too.

Crossans last November for the 2018 Dunlop Arai RX-7V race lid.

Snugger fit than the HJC RPHA10,but nothing can compare to the quality and lightness of the X-Lite Carbon 802r race lid I use,savage lid and super light.

blade1

stewygriffin wrote: »

Motorcycle Live in the UK last November,bought a 2018 Arai RX-7V Hayden race lid,got a savage deal and a heap of free stuff from the Arai stand too.

Crossans last November for the 2018 Dunlop Arai RX-7V race lid.

Useless yokes!!
Get rid of them for your own safety!
I'll dispose of them for you if you want. :pac:

stewygriffin

Tell you what,the RX-7V is "heavy" when I compare it to the X-Lite 802r.
That is feather weight light.


The Arai also has more wind noise too,but the sound of the engine and exhaust keeps me happy.

blade1

stewygriffin wrote: »

Tell you what,the RX-7V is "heavy" when I compare it to the X-Lite 802r.
That is feather weight light.


The Arai also has more wind noise too,but the sound of the engine and exhaust keeps me happy.

Yeah, not the lightest and not the quietest.

I went over the handlebars wearing an Arai about 2 years ago.
I hopped the back of my head off the road.
Felt a bit wobbly when I stood up(broke a rib as well)and had a headache for the rest of the day.
Would I have a headache or would my head be split open if I was wearing a different helmet,I have no idea.

Alkers

I go by the fit primarily, then the sharp rating and lastly the colour/appearance

CJhaughey

Yes, fit is everything in a helmet, one that is too big can leave your head rattling around and offer no protection. One that is too small will be uncomfortable.
The best offer variable sized pads that can be altered to suit your own head.
Personally I like the double D-ring fasteners over most of the others that I have used like microratchets etc.

stewygriffin

Hate those ratchet strap helmets for 1 very obvious reason.

Double D Ring all the way.

blade1

stewygriffin wrote: »

Double D all the way.

Lids and Women!!!:pac:

stewygriffin

blade1 wrote: »

Lids and Women!!!:pac:

If I had 2 Double D's in my life right now then I would be a happy chappy.:D

zubair

I use the sharp rating as a guide and then try a few shortlisted ones for size and fit. Dot and ECE are just standards that lids have to pass (or fail).

Colm17RvB

zubair wrote: »

I use the sharp rating as a guide and then try a few shortlisted ones for size and fit. Dot and ECE are just standards that lids have to pass (or fail).

Sharp is decent, but it's a flawed and limited test. I've seen ****ty ****ty lids pass with 5 stars because they were designed to do so. Sharp doesn't test durability or noise reduction. For example, my HJC only gets 3 stars on that test because of the left hand side impact, but I firmly believe it to be one of the best helmets I've had the pleasure of owning. They also don't test full frontal facial or chin impact (durty...). It's not to be ignore by any means, but it's not the holy grail either.

galwaytt

Fit, comfort and lastly that it meets legal requirements. I wouldn't give any extra for Sharp rating or anything else.

zubair

Colm17RvB wrote: »

Sharp is decent, but it's a flawed and limited test. I've seen ****ty ****ty lids pass with 5 stars because they were designed to do so. Sharp doesn't test durability or noise reduction. For example, my HJC only gets 3 stars on that test because of the left hand side impact, but I firmly believe it to be one of the best helmets I've had the pleasure of owning. They also don't test full frontal facial or chin impact (durty...). It's not to be ignore by any means, but it's not the holy grail either.

I didn't say it was the holy grail, that said I'd buy a 5 star lid for a 10er before I'd buy a 3 star for 200 to 300. If you're happy with the the safety standard of your helmet helmet based on what you firmly believe that's fine, it's your head, I'll let the private researchers in sharp along with other factors help me make an educated decision.

Colm17RvB

zubair wrote: »

I didn't say it was the holy grail, that said I'd buy a 5 star lid for a 10er before I'd buy a 3 star for 200 to 300. If you're happy with the the safety standard of your helmet helmet based on what you firmly believe that's fine, it's your head, I'll let the private researchers in sharp along with other factors help me make an educated decision.

You are correct, you did not say it was the holy grail. Neither did I.

Why do you think a helmet is for sale for a tenner? Cos it costs that much to make. That's a ridiculous statement.

They are indeed private, but they're not wholly independent and not influenced by lobbyists

It's just not the be all and end all that people think it is. I really wish people would hold themselves and others to higher standards.

cadete

Colm17RvB wrote: »

They are indeed private, but they're not wholly independent and not influenced by lobbyists

It's just not the be all and end all that people think it is. I really wish people would hold themselves and others to higher standards.

Are they not funded by the British department of transport? and are they not a branch of that department? I dont think anyone is suggesting it would be the be all and end all in any way but from what i have read the impact testing is a much higher standard than say the un-ece testing.

Is holding helmets to a higher standard not a good thing like you suggest? I have seen alot of helmets that have the 5 stars and they range in price from £50 up and there doesnt deem to be any brand bias in their results. Is looking at this testing not holding ourselves to a higher standard?

Not really sure how lobbists got into this conversation, starting to think I might need my tin foil hat out soon :pac:

Colm17RvB

cadete wrote: »

starting to think I might need my tin foil hat out soon :pac:

My work here is done :cool:

galwaytt

Sharp is also a smite at EU regs, and there's an element of politics to its existence. And that's long before anyone invented the word 'Brexit '.....

Hotblack Desiato

Indeed! I'll always be distrustful of any motorcycling-related 'initiatives' coming from the UK. The UK government has had an explicit anti-motorcycling agenda for decades. Is anyone else old enough to remember their previous bright idea 'leg protectors'?

http://begin-motorcycling.co.uk/useful-info/rospa-report/rospa-7-the-design-of-motorcycles/

7.6.3 TRL research over a number of years has investigated whether leg protectors would significantly reduce the incidence and severity of leg injuries to motorcyclists. Crash tests of different types of motorcycles, with and without leg protectors, were designed and conducted by TRL. They concluded that leg injuries would have occurred in 55% of the crash tests on motorcycles without leg protectors, but in only 12% of those with leg protectors. They also concluded that the leg protectors used would not have increased the risk of head injuries, and in some cases actually showed potential for reducing them.

7.6.4 However, crash tests conducted by the International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association produced very different results, in which leg protection was found to be beneficial in three out of eight pairs of tests, but detrimental in five pairs of the eight tests. Overall, this study concluded that leg protectors increased the net risk of head and leg injuries.

zubair

Cienciano

Most important one would be price. I can't justify most Arai's. I wouldn't spend more than about €250, maybe €300 if it was amazing in every possible way. Comfort is important, but you can easily find a comfortable lid for under 250 that's comfortable unless you're the elephant man. I go with flip ups, so I would check the sharp rating. I was going to buy a helmet last year but it has a rating of 2 which put me off.

galwaytt

Cienciano wrote: »

Most important one would be price. I can't justify most Arai's. I wouldn't spend more than about €250, maybe €300 if it was amazing in every possible way. Comfort is important, but you can easily find a comfortable lid for under 250 that's comfortable unless you're the elephant man. I go with flip ups, so I would check the sharp rating. I was going to buy a helmet last year but it has a rating of 2 which put me off.

Price can't be 'most' important, fit, comfort is, then price.

You can still get a very good lid for 1/2 the price of an Arai, that way. Indeed, if you buy a non-current model of the big brands, you'll regularly see them discounted if they're in last years/the years before colourways.

The best helmet I ever had, for comfort and was ACU Gold stamped for track use, was a €125 Akito. My current Shark EvoOne was a smidge over €300. I did pay €600 for a helmet once, a long long time ago, and I'd never do it again.

TallGlass

Am I the only one thinking that it's a good thing for everyone that we have 30/40/50€ helmets coming in with 4/5 starts, all in all that cannot be a bad thing?

All I can say, is I will be keeping the fook, away from them half face helmets. I like my chin/face, I seen an episode of 24 hours in A&E and your mans face after wearing the half face helmets was in bits and the wife asked him to wear the full face helmet before he left, didn't go down well at.

KonFusion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BUyp3HX8cY

Sonics2k

KonFusion wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BUyp3HX8cY

Ah beat me to it. Watched that video this morning and it's pretty damn informative.

He's one of the few Youtubers who doesn't annoy me too much.

edit:

I myself am using a Spada Flip-face helmet I got for €90 back in August.

It's very comfy, decent space for headphones. The downside is that it's noisy as hell. I'd probably be sickened with myself if I spent €600 on a helmet.

zubair

TallGlass wrote: »

Am I the only one thinking that it's a good thing for everyone that we have 30/40/50€ helmets coming in with 4/5 starts, all in all that cannot be a bad thing?

Spot on.

stewygriffin

What Mondello and MCUI will only allow.

British standard test helmets are banned as they are dangerous and ****e.