Are expensive helmets worth it

[GatorTrae]

There are plenty opinions out there. I want to hear yours.

1- What helmet do you wear - how much was it?  Do you like/hate it?
2- Have you tried the expensive brands: Shoei, AGV, Arai. Is it worth 3x or even 5x the price? 

The cop out answer of buy what fits best and what you like.. I get that.
I want to learn from your experience. That's what this community is about!

Thanks! 

Trae

[Ron888]

I havent used any recent good brand helmets.I always buy cheapies for myself.

However a friend from church uses those folding BMW system helmets.They tried one and were incredibly impressed with the low noise levels,so much so they forked out big $ for two of them- one each for the husband and wife.

As for the safety argument(because someone WILL bring it up),just remember two things: 1.all helmets meet government safety tests. 2.The better helmets EXCEED those safety tests,so they are nearly always better than the cheapies

[mennobike]

I wear an hjc-is17. Bought it because of the helmets I tried on, it was the best fit. Don't remember what I paid, got it on sale for maybe 120? Love that helmet to bits. Vents adequately, fits me very well, convenient integrated visor, and looks pretty OK.

Have not tried more expensive helmets... But I may end up looking for a SNELL certified in a while.

[fetor56]

HJC Sy-Max 3 flip-helmet,bought new au$370.
Not quite as strong as a non flip helmet,but when flipped i'v had absolutely no security hassles with service stations,etc.
Very comfortable,with 3 position internal sun visor,bluetooth ready.
I've had versions 1 & 2,& 3 is the best.

http://www.revzilla.com/product/hjc-symax-3-helmet?gclid=CI7EscyE1MICFUQJvAodBKoAHA

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[Rallyfan]

I've ridden with Nolan, Schuberth, no-name eBay, Arai, Scorpion, quite a variety.

I currently have a $35 TMS and an Arai that cost 12X that amount. The Arai has better venting, visor, visibility, noise levels, fit, finish, parts availability, and interior. It's actually a better value than a TMS, a helmet less expensive than a replacement Arai visor...

The question is, would I buy another Arai vs. a Schuberth at the same price? Maybe. A Shoei at 75%? Hm it's getting tougher. A Nolan at 50%? Maybe not. Diminishing returns come to play.

If I had $100 I'd buy an intro Bell or Scorpion.

At $200, I'd buy an AGV or Nolan.

At $300, I'd buy a Shoei or Suomy.

At $400, I'd buy a Nexx, Shark or Arai.

Above that I'd buy Schuberth or Arai.

I only wear full face. I'm not comfortable with modulars in principle. YMMV.

I don't believe DOT helmets meet DOT standards. The program relies on the honor system. SNELL and ECE do not, so I prefer either.

All this from a man who owns a $35 TMS... Funny, eh?

The Arai visor system is a crime against humanity. It's also stylish and unnecessary; Arai car helmets don't use it, just bike helmets. The car helmets are approved for Formula 1 so it's not like the side pods are necessary for safety. Also the Arai sun shade system is laughable. It's an external add on rather than an internal visor, in the name of safety... Yet Schuberth uses internals, as does Nolan etc. and neither firm is out to kill paying customers... Still I'd buy another Arai if I had the money.

BTW colour makes a difference! White is cooler and that's crucial to me. I buy light colours because of the heat. Added visibility won't hurt either I suppose.

[DevilDesire]

Currently have a Shoei xr-1000. Great helmet imo. I've had a KBC, AVG and Caberg and like the Shoei the most. Lower noise levels than the others, although they, re not that low, better overall fit, better finish, better visor, better ventilation and so on. They are all full face.

For safety... I havent't checked and I really hope I won't have to but I assume that the higher the class is the better.

For me it was worth the price.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MeeLee]

I have about 5 helmets at home.
3 of them below $45.
They're great helmets for the city. Light weight, don't have a lot of options though...
Like, no, or few air vents.

What makes them great for the city, is they're more than enough to do their job upto 50MPH.

Taking them past 80MPH they become uncomfortable. One has a 'parachute' effect, where the helmet gets wind in, and wants to lift off my head. It pulls the strap on my chin, and can hurt at speeds above 80MPH.
The other 2 are thin, and start vibrating with wind gusts. They feel too thin , and feel unsafe at those speeds.

Also, 2 of the 3 are noisy on the highway(don't mute a lot of wind noise).

2 of the 3 are full helmets, and 1 of the 2  full helmets has fogging problems when standing still on a cold day.

I have 2 other helmets, one of $60, and one of $125.
Both of them are modular helmets.
The 125 overall is the best quality. Almost noiseless, and sits and feels solid.
Both helmets feel significantly heavier than the $35 helmets. (no branders). Not only the modular latch, but also the thickness of the helmet shell is much safer on the more expensive helmet. Some of the cheaper helmets I can bend the plastic somewhat when pressing it between my hands hard. The $60+ helmets I have are rock hard.

One of the 2 modular helmets has a cheap latch, but both feel about the same in comfort.
The most expensive one, has a red LED in the back, that can be turned on, off, or flashing.

I'd say for speeds below 50, $35 helmets are 'good enough'. Not luxury quality, but good enough.

For highway and interstate speeds, I would get a $100 helmet minimum.

There are helmets that have Bluetooth in them, which could raise the price some more, and it might be interesting if you're riding with 2, to have an intercom system built in.

But safety wise, $100 helmets are pretty good for most day to day riding.

[Alan_nc]

Like most I've had everything from cheapies to expensive.  As long as they are certified I guess you are O.K., think you pay the extra dollars for comfort.

Currently have a Nolan flip face.  It's comfortable but a little heavy for long trips.

Use a new Shoei most of the time.  Fits good and is fairly light.  Just happen to have a Suzuki one that matches my bike.

Got hit a couple of years ago and went down wearing a Shoei.  There was a deep gauge down one side of the helmet .....that would have been my head so I'm sold on helmets even ware one when I'm some place that doesn't require it.

[The Buddha]

When you pay more for a helmet you usually get a fancier paint job. You also get a smaller shell but the same protection as a larger shell.
What protects you is the EPS liner. A bigger shell obviously has more of it and hence helps.
You should get a snell (latest rated) one and if you can deal with the larger size shell its OK get the cheaper one.

I am a bit opposed to a shell that is Plastic - as in ABS plastic. But its really not much worse than any other material. I like to atleast get polycarbonate, aramid, kevlar or fiberglass.

Cool.
Buddha.

[twocool]

http://blm.io/blog/motorcycle-helmet-safety-price/

There... above... is a bunch of research on cost vs safety...I'm not sure that you can come to any conclusion however, as some expensive helmets are not the best and some cheap helmets are rated highly...

There are many similar web sites...

Cookie

[The Buddha]

Yea if you look into it a bit more in detail, considering more than just price vs rating, you'd find that bigger shells relative to head size = better. Of course unless you're a 160 mph GP racer, that is irrelevant, and some materials inherently work better like fiber glass and kevlar and blends there of.
Past that, graphics and brand name, and extras like the flip down visor etc etc.

Oh yea comfort and fit and shape of head as well as venting matter a lot in the real world and that may totally trump anything else.

Cool.
Buddha.

[Rallyfan]

I do not believe DOT is a useful certification for low end helmets. It is useful merely for high end helmets. Cheapies can merely paint on a symbol, and hope nobody checks. There is no enforcement at the manufacturer level.

SNELL 2010+ is useful but ONLY in shell sizes where the rate of negative acceleration is within acceptable parms. To me this means XL or higher. Also, Cheapies are hard to track because the same helmet is sold under nine brand names, and only one may be listed by SNELL.

I'm torn on SNELL >2010 but they're still car legal in many classes until 2015 hits.

Every single ECE helmet I have seen in the USA has been... illegal and NOT an actual ECE helmet. To be legal the ECE # must be sewn in, and US versions don't do that. This means if an American takes his ECE US helmet to the EU the helmet is not legal. In some locales the fine exceeds the cost of a GS500.

I'm unfamiliar with BSI helmet ratings.

[GS500Schultz]

i wear bilt helmets from cyclegear.

saved my head once recently when i bounced off an SUV that cut me off. So as long as it's DOT and ECE I would buy it and wear it.

[Rallyfan]

Anybody remember the original Schuberth Speed that had divets like a golf ball? They didn't use a wind tunnel, they figured if it's good for aero on a golf ball lets sell it. I'd love to have one today!

Am coveting an Arai Defiant, interested in the new chin intake compared to my old Arai.

[yamahonkawazuki]

Anybody remember the original Schuberth Speed that had divets like a golf ball? They didn't use a wind tunnel, they figured if it's good for aero on a golf ball lets sell it. I'd love to have one today!

Am coveting an Arai Defiant, interested in the new chin intake compared to my old Arai.

lol i want one

[Rallyfan]

Yes!

It's modernistic and antiquated at the same time, a lot like my GS500F in fact!

Those were the days!

To be fair modern helmets are safer Nd more comfortable than 80s technology... but I still want that Schuberth...

[J_Walker]

as long as its approved by your DOT. or high, its good.

more money is just fancy paint, and less wind noise..

though, there are some decent cheap helmets out there that offer very good wind noise protection.

[Rallyfan]

I don't believe in DOT approvals for no-name helmets because the regulation is poor IMO.

However I do like my $35 helmet, though I prefer my more expensive one.

Scorpion and Bell both make entry level helmets I would readily trust and they're reasonably quiet too. In fact the loudest I've tried was a Suomy at 3X the price.

Inexpensive can be safe; I just doubt DOT actually is DOT below $40.

[yamahonkawazuki]

https://rideapart.com/articles/when-motorcycle-helmets-look-like-golf-balls

[Rallyfan]

The Speed was all the money. Things were different! Riding along on a Cub50 I'd daydream about an FJ1100 or better still, an RG500Γ and an RD500LC (I wanted both...). Meanwhile my actual helmet... didn't exist. I'd borrow!