Looking at buying a new helmet,  I currently have the Icon Mainframe, is there any brands (perhaps Chinese brands??) that i should stay away from?

thanks in advance

I don't buy Chinese anymore (including the popular Scorpion) for the dual reasons of not wanting to support the labor practices and not trusting the QC.  Plenty of people are fine with Chinese stuff, though, so make your own decision.

I have a Shoei, hubby has an Arai.  They're quality helmets (and he's crash-tested a few Arais racing with no noggin damage).

Make sure you try on whatever helmet you're interested in for at least 20 minutes - then buy it from the store that let you try it on for 20 minutes.  Fit is essential - both size and head shape.

I trust my skull to Shoei.

I like Bell








LMAO.  Not really.




OMG...  Brian?!?!?!?  Is that REALLY you??

Quote from: annguyen1981 on July 20, 2009, 04:09:10 PM
OMG...  Brian?!?!?!?  Is that REALLY you??

Yes. Buy my DR-Z.

Quote from: Alphamazing on July 20, 2009, 04:11:17 PM

Quote from: annguyen1981 on July 20, 2009, 04:09:10 PM
OMG...  Brian?!?!?!?  Is that REALLY you??

Yes. Buy my DR-Z.

You're selling it?!?!? Why?  Did you get something else?

Quote from: annguyen1981 on July 20, 2009, 05:46:25 PM

Quote from: Alphamazing on July 20, 2009, 04:11:17 PM

Quote from: annguyen1981 on July 20, 2009, 04:09:10 PM
OMG...  Brian?!?!?!?  Is that REALLY you??

Yes. Buy my DR-Z.

You're selling it?!?!? Why?  Did you get something else?

Yeah, I'm selling it. Check the For Sale section. I want an SV. I'm doing a lot of highway lately, and will continue to do so during the next two years.

Eh, I don't like the GPX from Pep Boys cheap but very very heavy. Gave me bad neck pain!

Shoei RF-1000 

Kinda looking into the Element helmet that has BT built in. $250 just wonder how it fits?

Mary

helmets protect your head, so dont skimp out, seeing those bell helmets at walmart in the plastic packaging is a great way to break your brain, its like a life jacket...get a real one, it always kills me to see families at the lake and the kids are wearing those bright orange life preservers that came with the boat...buy smart, be ready to spend some money, its your head you are protecting here...sorry, that was alittle ranty...haha, but ya, any main street item is good.  You can find really great deals on clearance.  I buy alot of my stuff like that. I got an HJC for like 113 on clearance.  great helmet, like it alot.

I like my Scorpion good helmet and very quiet and comfy. I dont mind chines stuff they make some good stuff tools ehh they get the job done.

Yeah, even AGV now manufactures in China, and Rossi is willing to stick his head in those buckets, so they can't be too bad.

Quote from: Bluesmudge on July 21, 2009, 12:14:38 AM
Yeah, even AGV now manufactures in China, and Rossi is willing to stick his head in those buckets, so they can't be too bad.

I am fairly certain the racers do not get off-the-shelf models, but instead get custom lids designed exactly around their head shape. Undoubtedly hand made as much as possible.

When it comes to helmets I like both Shoei and Arai.  I have worn Aria for years and this year moved to Shoei (rf1000 Flutter).  I like the fit better than my Arai helmet and it has very good vents. 

When you buy a helmet apart from Safely is comfort.  You gotta wear it a lot so it better be comfy.   

The shell is usually composed of either a polycarbonate mixture or fiberglass.   I do not trust polycarbonate helmets but they can be light weight. I will wear only a one piece cast shell. 

Make sure your helmet has a EPS safety liner or the helmet is essentially useless. 

Once you have a good quality safe hemet in mind try it on and get a feel for it.  Is there room for your ears and glasses?  Does it seem to have good vents.  Is the liner material soft and breathable?

One other important item (for me anyhow) is how quickly can you switch visors from clear to smoked.

Quote from: bikegirl88 on July 21, 2009, 07:28:45 AM
The shell is usually composed of either a polycarbonate mixture or fiberglass.   I do not trust polycarbonate helmets but they can be light weight. I will wear only a one piece cast shell. 

A few things.

Firstly, polycarbonate is pretty tough stuff. It's the same material used to make bulletproof glass, among other things. Fiberglass is stronger, but don't discount polycarbonate necessarily. I have both a fiberglass helmet (Shoei) and a PC helmet (Fox Racing), and both are quite protective. In fact, the only real thing that the outer shell does is prevent against punctures, which both PC and fiberglass do. Fiberglass is more brittle than PC, but stronger. This means that PC can absorb impacts a bit better than the fiberglass.

However, the thing that saves you in a crash is the EPS (expanded polysyrene) foam. No matter what the shell is made from, without a good EPS liner, nothing will matter. The EPS deforms and absorbs the energy of an impact, rather than transmitting it to your head. This deformation is why you should not reuse crashed helmets.

Between polycarbonate and fiberglass though, either will work. The biggest problem comes from people not wearing a helmet, so whichever you get, just make sure you wear it!

As for the "one piece cast shell", technically, it isn't cast. Casting involves pouring liquid into a mold and allowing it to harden or cure. For fiberglass shells, the fiberglass cloth is laid into a mold, then filled with epoxy resin, then put into a vacuum to suck the excess resin out. The resin is allowed to cure, then the shell is pulled out, cleaned up, and sent on to the next stage in production. Simplified, yes, but you get the idea. Technicality on that point, really.

I have bieffe Kevlar ones, for the longest time I was a huge fan of the beiffe series, I now am a shoei head. Though bieffe still feel great, their availability is limited.
Cool.
Buddha.

I'm super happy with my Arai, but at the same time all the HJCs I've had were a third of the price, so I'm sure if I had an HJC worth as much as the arai it'd be just as nice. I believe my wife has a Shoei, and it's also very nice.

Supposedly the guys who race for Arai are wearing off the shelf helmets. I'm sure very expensive off the shelf helmets, but they're the same helmets you can buy. That's not to say no one in public relations has never lied.

I'd really like to get a simpson, one of the ones with the boxy face guard and the visor shaped like sun glasses, but you have to have a rediculously bad ass looking bike before before a helmet that mean looking can be justified, so I've gotta wait for the right bike.

Quote from: Alphamazing on July 21, 2009, 07:49:02 AM
. In fact, the only real thing that the outer shell does is prevent against punctures, which both PC and fiberglass do.

and just to elaborate on that, it is the styrofoam that saves your head, but the other important part of the shell is to spread that impact out over your head. If it was just a styrofoam helmet, that 2 square inches that hit the ground is all that would condense between your head and the ground. Having the hard shell spreads that impact out over a much wider area.

Also pricier helmets not counting graphics really are smaller on the outside for a given size and I presume equal protection, lighter, more aero dynamic, quieter though the RF1000 sounds like there is a whiny helicopter right above your head, though it is the only noise I hear, more airtight when the vents are shut, and breezier when they are open.

The bieffe I have will kick the shoei into the end zone except for weight and possibly size, the bieffe is an extra large though, and my shoei is a large.

Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: tt_four on July 21, 2009, 09:18:59 AM
Having the hard shell spreads that impact out over a much wider area.

Good point, forgot about that. I did mention the EPS liner being the main thing that saves your skull though.

Another thing to be aware of are shell sizings. Some manufactures use the same shell for multiple sizes and just change to insides. This cuts cost but can make a helmet heavier and bigger than it has to be. Larger increases resistance and wind noise. It can make a you more fatiqued than needed over a long ride. Shoei is one that use a different shell for each size, Arai is probably another. I know HJC does not use a different shell for each size.

Personally I prefer to wear Shoei. I survived a life threatening head first impact 9 years ago with an old Shoei GX-1. Crushed the top of the helmet and absorbed the impact like it was designed. Tough to switch brands when I have field tested it. Currently, I have a couple of XSP-II and they fit me very well but not the same. Also, some models have replaceable cheek pads to custom fit it even more (at least the couple I have do).