I got a new bike now for the rest. Which helmet should I get?

[jimdaworm]

I have finally got a bike here in Madrid. I am the proud new owner of a 1993 ZZR 600 with only 20,000km! Its like brand new.

Anyway I want to buy a nice helmet. I am willing to spend around 300 euros (about $600?) I want somthing comfortable and that will obviously protect my head well:rockon:

I don´t really care about replicas and pretty colours although some colour might make me more visable.

Any ideas? I will post some photos when I have them.

Cheers!:scooter:

[Kendog]

A similar approach to buying a bike should be applied to buying a helmet, try on as many as you can.

You are looking for a helmet that is a tight fit all around but with no painful pressure points.
Your cheeks should be pushed up, you fingers should not fit between your forehead and the helmet, the helmet should not move around when you move your head and you should not be able to pull it off from the back. The helmet will 'give' a little after use, so don't worry if its a bit tight to start.

Once you find a helmet that fits right, then look for a design you like.

Each brand fits differently even when they say they are the same size, so you should try as many brands as possible.

Don't buy second hand.

Happy shopping.

[dawnrazor]

you get what you pay for even in spain, so if its comfortable and quite and not too heavy, then way to go. Try all the big names, you won't go wrong, personal taste is yours after all.

Shoei
arai
shark
agv
bell
nolan
et al

[James Deuce]

et al

et al is really little, but he isn't going to fit on your head, and would probably have difficulty hanging on in a really bad accident.

[Squeak the Rat]

Donde está el pollo?

Kendog (or Mrs Kendog, it's hard to tell these days) is on the mark. Fit and comfort are the most important features.

[slimjim]

a fliptop, yup

[sels1]

Hiya mate, long time no see
Wot they said about the helmets.
What are you doing in Spain? and whats the biking like? post some pics!

[kiwifruit]

the one that fits and feels best :)

[Big Dave]

Shoei Raid II

[XP@]

Have a look at the Shubeth C2, they should be a bit more avalible for you there. Being flip up they are good for touring (which you will be doing a shed load of).

They also have a way cool flip down internal sun visor which saves farting around with sunglasses.

From a froogle.de search the cheepest was about 350euro, maybe a bit more than you wanted to pay. But you won't need to fart around with sunglasses or dark visors and you don't need to take your lid off when paying for gas.

[dawnrazor]

et al is really little, but he isn't going to fit on your head, and would probably have difficulty hanging on in a really bad accident.

"et al" is from the latin "et alia" meaning "and others", not "really little". Well a classical education has come in handy at last

[James Deuce]

"et al" is from the latin "et alia" meaning "and others", not "really little". Well a classical education has come in handy at last

Don't make me add you to the clueless muppet list.

I know what "et al" is. et al is also a member on this site and he coined his user title after I referred to a group (of which he was a member) in a ride report on KB that I was riding with as "et al". He has two Ducatis. The little bastard.

[dawnrazor]

Don't make me add you to the clueless muppet list.

I know what "et al" is. et al is also a member on this site and he coined his user title after I referred to a group (of which he was a member) in a ride report on KB that I was riding with as "et al". He has two Ducatis. The little bastard.

Ah, reading back the original post now makes much more sense, given this new piece of information, was thinking it was more a case of the "clueless muppet appreciation society":innocent:

[James Deuce]

Lol. CMAS.

First meeting this evening at a pub I reckon.

[dawnrazor]

Lol. CMAS.

First meeting this evening at a pub I reckon.


not sure alcohol is needed really

[Kendog]

Donde está el pollo?

Kendog (or Mrs Kendog, it's hard to tell these days) is on the mark. Fit and comfort are the most important features.

I know, sometimes I think we're the same person. You can normally tell the difference, Kendog makes sense and I just talk crap!
Mrs KD.

[Squeak the Rat]

Shoei Raid II

Good value helmet. The XR100somethingorother also gets good reviews. But if you're like me and Shoeis don't fit right (give me a headache) then Arai's are bloody comfortable but expensive.

Goce de sus ovejas antes de desayuno

[jimdaworm]

Thanks heaps for all your replies if maby some of them were a bit strange:gob:

¿Donde está el pollo?
Where is the chicken?

Goce de sus ovejas antes de desayuno
Enjoy your sheep before breakfast :shit:

I think I am going to try some helmets out, hopefully today or tomorrow. I can´t really tell you guys what its like riding around Spain as I haven´t started yet! Just got the bike.

I promise to send lots of pics once I get the camera out!

Is there any reason that fliptop helmets might be less safe?

Thanks again, I will keep you guys informed:rockon:

[XP@]

Thanks heaps for all your replies if maby some of them were a bit strange:gob:

¿Donde está el pollo?
Where is the chicken?

Dunno, but the price of chicken is set to go up here because of the australian drought.


Is there any reason that fliptop helmets might be less safe?

Thanks again, I will keep you guys informed:rockon:

Flip tops are a lot better than they used to be. They do meet the same standards as the fixed lids. In theory, where a normal lid will save you, so will a flip up.

[Roj]

Is there any reason that fliptop helmets might be less safe?



There are a few different levels as with all helmets, my lady and I use them and have had no issues, my lady was involved in and accident recently, the helmet took alot of damage to the point the visor was ripped off. She sustained no head injuries even though it was almost head on against a car at 100 kph, (idiot turned directly accross her path) so from our point of view it was a very good helmet.:yes:

[Lil_Byte]

My Shoei got dragged over the seal at about 100kph last weekend and I am still sitting here typing this weekend. The helmet is now stuffed but I am here. So any good helmet gets my vote. Some of the cheaper helmets I have owned in the past may not have done so well.

The Shoei fitted me really well and was comfortable light strong and quiet all of which are important:scooter:

[jimdaworm]

Ok, thanks again for all your ideas/info. One last thing as I am going shopping today. I would like to buy good leathers. Any tips? I am going to spend up to around 500 euros (Around 1000 nz) depending what there is.

Cheers:yes:

[Coyote]

My plain jane HJC CS-10 has done me alright. It survived my fall on your RG :p I'd like a fog free iridium visor though on my next helmet (this current helmet is 5 crashes overdue for replacement)

[James Deuce]

This is jimdaworm.

He can't make up his mind about what helmet to buy.

Harden the fuck up jimdaworm.

[jimdaworm]

I am hard as marbles :Punk: Today I am off to buy all this stuff anyway. So I will tell you all about it and you can tell me how crap all the stuff I have bought is :yes:

[XP@]

So, WTF did you buy?

reply with pics of you in sunny spain!

[jimdaworm]

Fair comment:

I ended up getting a Shoei Raid II helmet, a plain metallic blue. A Spidi Viper touring two piece suite and some nice thin but supposidly protective kangaroo skin gloves.

Sorry no real photos yet and its pretty damb cold here and been raining quite a lot. As soon as I go on a trip I will take photos, I have only been around the city so far.:scooter:

[Lou Girardin]

Get the best you can afford and make sure it fits properly.

[klingon]

I ended up getting a Shoei Raid II helmet, a plain metallic blue. A Spidi Viper touring two piece suite and some nice thin but supposidly protective kangaroo skin gloves.

But Jim.... the helmet and the leathers are two different shades of blue?!? :gob:

What a disaster! You're going to have to return one of them and get something black. :yes:

[jimdaworm]

And the bikes Red and Black:rockon: The blues a pretty similar just the photos a bad.

[klingon]

Ah well, at least you're in Spain so we don't have to look at you :sick:

[saltydog]

Shoei XR1000, although the new mid-range Arais are not bad chop either.

[jimdaworm]

I ended up getting a Shoei Raid II it seems comfortable and light.
:yes:

[cuppa]

The more money you spend the better the helmet.How much do you value your head,spend as much as you can.:yes:

[therealvw]

Lot's to do, lot's to do, so I'll keep this quick. Try on SEVERAL, and I mean several different types, and also MAKES of helmets. Some fit certain head shapes better than others. I was after a Caberg justissimo II, but it felt like a vice and no matter what size I tried, (within reason) it didn;t seem to fit well. Arai, too not good, but better, but then the Shoei, Well I think I've got a shoei head. In the UK bikers more often thatn not say you've either got an Arai or a shoei shaped head! Lol. Well I bought a Kagayama replica. great lid, looks nice (as far as I'm concerned) and it fits really well, is quiet too and the visor reloease is excellent. SO advice is try on several!!