Seeking input for my decision on jacket + helmet

[koi]

I've been looking for gear and what I'm really needing at the moment is a decent helmet and jacket, since what I've got right now is my mum's helmet she used to use ages ago when riding pillion with my dad and also a rather "groovy" leather jacket from the 70s lmao, neither of which are probably very safe especially given that I'm a learner and at a point in which I am very prone to sudden grievous injury and potential subsequent death

So my query is basically regarding the fact that I've narrowed my selection down to a few of each but I'm really not sure which to go for since they all seem equally as good as each other and being very new to this I have no idea what I am doing

Shoei Qwest
THH 2015 TS-39
Arai Vector 2
AGV Numo

Spidi Womens' Due Ruote H2O Textile
Spidi Venture Womens' H2O Textile
Spidi Sport Lady's
Frank Thomas Chloe Textile

If anyone can be bothered looking at all these and giving me their opinion it would be very much appreciated!! <3
Many thanks in advance :~)

[Jezxa]

Of those helmets definitely the Shoei or Arai but you'll need to try both as the right fit is very important.

THH, never heard of it and it's way too cheap to be good quality.
AVG make some good helmets but I'd avoid flip fronts as they're heavier and offer less protection.

Try some Shark helmets as well. Very good quality and usually a bit less money than Shoei or Arai

Here's a good site to check safety ratings: http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelmetlist

[Gremlin]

As Jezxa says, fit is important. An expensive helmet that doesn't fit you properly is worse than something cheaper than does fit properly.

THH is definitely at the budget end. You'll find that some helmets will be comfortable and some may be downright uncomfortable. I tried on AGV a while ago and it felt terrible. Different brands suit different people, and it depends on the shape of your head. It's best you try it on for 30min if possible so you can see how it feels for a longer period. It needs to be snug, not too tight or too loose, and dealers should be able to help with that and the pads will also compress over time, hence it needing to be snug when new.

Helmets also have a lifetime, anywhere around 3-5 years as the materials break down over time. Any drop of the helmet could also compromise the helmet, even if it looks fine on the surface. ie. Look after it.

Jacket again needs to fit well. If the armour inside can rotate, then it can shift in an incident and not longer protect the limb it was intended for.

[Ender EnZed]

You're obviously not limited by bargain basement prices, I'd highly recommend trying a bunch of different options on at an actual bike shop.

It's impossible to spend too much on gear that fits and feels good before you buy it, because you know exactly what you're buying.

[Erelyes]

Helmets, go to a bike shop, try a bunch of stuff on, buy something from them that fits right. Watch this a couple times first : http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/content/how-fit-your-helmet

My rule is, if it's not worn in Motogp, I won't wear it. This includes Shoei, Arai, AGV, HJC, X-lite, Suomy, Scorpion, and some others I've forgotten. Not THH.

I presume you have motorcycle-specific boots and gloves. If not, I'd get a 1tonne.co.nz jacket, and spend at least the balance of your jacket budget in decent boots/gloves. Boots you will need to try in store. Gloves you may get away with measuring and buying online.

[Ulsterkiwi]

Brands can definitely be an indicator of the quality of finish and give you some indicator of likely wear. Whatever you go for regardless of which item TRY THEM ON. There is nothing worse than gear that does not fit. Helmet fit will affect the ability of the helmet to protect you, but so will the fit of every other item of protective gear. For example, badly fitting gloves will reduce your ability to control your machine.

In another thread I described how my wife got her gear, she had used spare and borrowed bits, when she got her own properly fitting kit her enjoyment of pillioning with me increased exponentially. Imagine the difference when you are controlling the thing.

if you do buy online, make sure its from a dealer that has already stipulated they will exchange for free to get the right fit.

[OddDuck]

+1 to everything above - also, get riding pants. Too easy to end up scooting along the road on hips or bum, or putting a kneecap down hard. Check that they can zip to the jacket - Triumph do a system where any jacket will fit any pair of their pants, so you can mix and match. The zip keeps the jacket from getting dragged up around your armpits, if you find yourself sliding on your back with feet forward - keeps the back and spine covered.

Good boots are essential too - look for ankle bracing and shin armour for the best crash protection. I'm running a pair of Gaernes and have found them well worth the money.

[mulletman]

+1 to everything above - also, get riding pants. Too easy to end up scooting along the road on hips or bum, or putting a kneecap down hard. Check that they can zip to the jacket - . The zip keeps the jacket from getting dragged up around your armpits, if you find yourself sliding on your back with feet forward - keeps the back and spine covered.

Good boots are essential too - look for ankle bracing and shin armour for the best .

Good advice here,

[Tazz]

Here's a good site to check safety ratings: http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelmetlist

Pay more attention to that website than the brand and price Shark helmets are freakin awesome though. When I stop spending on my money on hookers and blow, shit I mean library late fees, I'm nabbing one of those Evoline 3's.

Also, www.fc-moto.com

+1 to everything above - also, get riding pants. Too easy to end up scooting along the road on hips or bum, or putting a kneecap down hard. Check that they can zip to the jacket - Triumph do a system where any jacket will fit any pair of their pants, so you can mix and match. The zip keeps the jacket from getting dragged up around your armpits, if you find yourself sliding on your back with feet forward - keeps the back and spine covered.

Good boots are essential too - look for ankle bracing and shin armour for the best crash protection. I'm running a pair of Gaernes and have found them well worth the money.

Basically everything is essential eh Too right though. Jacket and helmet are a good place to start however. Get some waterproof overs for your gear too. Make long rides in the rain more comfortable.

[Gremlin]

btw, I'd suggest shopping at proper shops the first time. Sizing will vary across brands, with the first set of gear (probably a few) you're learning all the little things, what is comfortable, what isn't, whether you're an odd size or easily catered for with standard sizing. For example, standard length pants aren't long enough for me, so I always look at the Rev'it tall range.

[DamianW]

^^ All good advice here.
Even wearing earplugs some lids are much noisier than others -- ask the guy in the shop when trying them on and check out online reviews before shopping. Good luck.

[aws]

At the risk of getting flamed I'm going to disagree with some of the other contributors - just a little

I don't think you need to get hung up on Arai this or Shoei that. They certainly make nice and very safe helmets. But there are also a lot of other helmets out there that are going to do a perfectly adequate job for a learner such as yourself. I doubt you'll be reaching MotoGP speeds on your GN for at least a few weeks yet . Anything that fits you properly and passes the appropriate safety standards will do the job - and the SHARP project has shown that you don't need to spend moonbeams to get good protection. Having said that, I probably wouldn't buy a helmet at the very cheapest end of the range (i.e. $99). The main difference your cash is going make is to make your helmet more comfortable (lighter, quieter, better ventilated) and possibly last longer.

I'd agree with Erelyes that you should divide your budget to include a few other "essentials" - gloves, pants, and boots (probably in that order). Again, I doubt you're going to need GP quality gear yet, but if you spend too little then it just won't last (especially boots). Also you'll be buying in the winter months, which is great for testing out the manufacturers warranty as far as waterproofness goes. But bear in mind that what keeps you warm and dry in the winter, is going to cook you in the summer. In addition to spending time in the helmet, wear the jacket and pants (without liner) around the shop for a decent amount of time to get a bit of an idea of what it'll be like. Light colour will obviously not heat up in the sun quite as quickly as black, but if you ride often in traffic in the rain then it's going to show all the road grime.

A lot depends on what riding you intend to do. Think about what's important to you. Go to a few different shops - tell them what you want it for, ask lots of questions, listen to their advice. Ask the same questions and the next shop and weigh up the advice - it's bound to be different every place you go. Don't worry too much - whatever you buy this first time around will probably not work out to be ideal. You'll learn a lot over the next couple of years and be much better prepared to buy gear more suited to your riding next time around.

Enjoy your riding

[russd7]

Pay more attention to that website than the brand and price Shark helmets are freakin awesome though. When I stop spending on my money on hookers and blow, shit I mean library late fees, I'm nabbing one of those Evoline 3's.

would never ever buy another shark helmet, bought one of their evo2 helmets, thought it was the greatest thing since the wheel was invented, 8 months later it was chucked on the shelf in the corner of the garage in total disgust at the total lack of quality, the lining is stuffed ( even an old FFM i had lasted longer) the visor is scratched to buggery, the decals all fell off, it was totally useless in moderate to heavy rain as the bloody thing would leak around the visor (not good when riding a wing and trying to look through wet glasses and wet helmet visor and wet screen on the wing), one of the plates that hold the mechinism in place dissapeared the last time i used it. I went back to using my ten year old nolan until i had the finances to buy a shoei,
add to that, my wife also has a shark full face which has hardly been used and the visor wont stay down on it if she is on the back of the ZZR and i go over 90km/hr.
based on my experience with them i would never recommend a shark helmet.

as for the OP, spend less on a helmet and use some of your cash to get full safety gear, but get a helmet properly fitted.

[koi]

thanks for the advice everyone!!

ended up with a shoei qwest helmet and spartan textile waterproof/thermal/summer/jinkies jacket so i'm pretty pleased :~)

[mulletman]

would never ever buy another shark helmet, bought one of their evo2 helmets, thought it was the greatest thing since the wheel was invented, 8 months later it was chucked on the shelf in the corner of the garage in total disgust at the total lack of quality, the lining is stuffed ( even an old FFM i had lasted longer) the visor is scratched to buggery, the decals all fell off, it was totally useless in moderate to heavy rain as the bloody thing would leak around the visor (not good when riding a wing and trying to look through wet glasses and wet helmet visor and wet screen on the wing), one of the plates that hold the mechinism in place dissapeared the last time i used it. I went back to using my ten year old nolan until i had the finances to buy a shoei,
add to that, my wife also has a shark full face which has hardly been used and the visor wont stay down on it if she is on the back of the ZZR and i go over 90km/hr.
based on my experience with them i would never recommend a shark helmet.

as for the OP, spend less on a helmet and use some of your cash to get full safety gear, but get a helmet properly fitted.

Why didnt you take it back ?

Ive had my Shark Speed R almost 3yrs and its sweet as, its got a the thickest visor of any helmets ive ever had so its in great shape, it seals up well
in any wind or rain. The lining is washable and fully intact. Only fault i had was with the chin vent not closing properly so took it back to the supplier and they replaced with another helmet.