Which helmet? dirt or road?

**timg** · 7th July 2007, 09:27

Originally Posted by XF650

I'v been pleased with my Zeus flip front too. But since it kissed the gravel last Sunday I'm looking at replacement options.

Has anyone seen a flip-front type adventure helmet I.e. peak, visor, full ventilation & flip front?

Arai Tour X but not a flip up. The only thing that I miss with my Nolan is the peak. I'm thinking of trying one of these to see how it goes. http://www.super-visor.com/ Would'nt be able to use the VPS visor tho. Cheers.

**XF650** · 7th July 2007, 11:37

Tim - how do you find the ventilation / air flow around the mouth on the Nolan for adventure riding - do you need to remove that chin guard thingy?

**Edbear** · 7th July 2007, 12:02

Originally Posted by NordieBoy

Grex is Nolan.
The chin bar was a little close for my comfort.
Nice but not nice enough to get me to change.
Yet...

Yup! Knew that they were made by Nolan. Importers are Eurobike Wholesale and Cycletreads have the Grex but didn't have the RD1 last time I was in there to try on. Thought the price was good, though.

**timg** · 7th July 2007, 13:51

Originally Posted by XF650

Tim - how do you find the ventilation / air flow around the mouth on the Nolan for adventure riding - do you need to remove that chin guard thingy?

With a balaclava/neckwarmer/turtleneck etc you can pretty much shut out any draft coming up from under the helmet. Great for cold days but can make fogging a problem with little air movement, although cracking the visor open a whisker cures that. I have left the chin guard on. For the likes of the Waimak ride last weekend, I had the visor open for the slow bits where we were getting ghot & sweaty & balaclava came off tha the first rest stop so pleanty of air from that point on. Front and top vents seem to be reasonably effective too. What size are you? Mines an L. You're welcome to borrow it & go for a ride to see what you think.

Cheers, T.

**tri boy** · 16th July 2007, 17:12

This is my old Nolan N70E. 12yrs old, and about to be retired so a new Grex RD1 can cover my melon.
Hope the quality is still the same. Damn fine helmet.(can't get a white stipey one)

**tri boy** · 18th July 2007, 11:52

So I picked up the new Grex RD1 today. (thanks to John and the crew at Boyds in Hamilton).
The overall design is almost exactly the same as my old Nolan N70. Gone is the top air vent control,(not much use anyway). In comes a new strap buckle. I'm not sure if this is better or a backward step. Time will tell. The fit is comfy and snug. I like these helmets, and since the old one travelled around OZ, and handled India well, I see no need to deviate from a good thing.
How much? Less than $200. That will do me.

**Wolf** · 18th July 2007, 13:05

Originally Posted by tri boy

So I picked up the new Grex RD1 today. (thanks to John and the crew at Boyds in Hamilton).
The overall design is almost exactly the same as my old Nolan N70. Gone is the top air vent control,(not much use anyway). In comes a new strap buckle. I'm not sure if this is better or a backward step. Time will tell. The fit is comfy and snug. I like these helmets, and since the old one travelled around OZ, and handled India well, I see no need to deviate from a good thing.
How much? Less than $200. That will do me.

John at Boyd Honda ordered my Grex RD1 on appro and I got it for a good price, having ascertained that it fits my gourd properly.

Excellent helmet. Would prefer D-rings to the clip but I've got the adjustment right now.

**Fargin Khan** · 22nd July 2007, 17:08

I bought one of these from e bay , great helmet. very light and great for on/off road use. Bit chilly in winter , so I use a neck warmer as the breeze gets in around your ears and cheeks. Plenty of vents and ultra light.

**Eddieb** · 23rd July 2007, 12:02

Originally Posted by Fargin Khan

I bought one of these from e bay , great helmet. very light and great for on/off road use. Bit chilly in winter , so I use a neck warmer as the breeze gets in around your ears and cheeks. Plenty of vents and ultra light.

I was looking a Shoei.com last week and couldn't find any mention of an ADV helmet, can you give more details e.g. model name/number, price paid etc?

**Garry.W** · 23rd July 2007, 12:16

Originally Posted by Eddieb

I was looking a Shoei.com last week and couldn't find any mention of an ADV helmet, can you give more details e.g. model name/number, price paid etc?

I don't think the Shoei Hornet is DOT rated, so wouldn't be sold here - unless you buy one off e-bay.

Check with Whites, they're the importers, but it isn't on their 06 product list.

Cheers
Garry

**cooneyr** · 23rd July 2007, 12:41

Originally Posted by Garry.W

I don't think the Shoei Hornet is DOT rated, so wouldn't be sold here - unless you buy one off e-bay.

Check with Whites, they're the importers, but it isn't on their 06 product list.

Cheers
Garry

Helmets don't have to be DOT rated for use in NZ as long as they meet one of the other standards. The standards are listed on Land Transport New Zealand's website here.

Originally Posted by LTNZ website

* UN/ECE Regulation No. 22: Protective helmets and their visors for drivers and passengers of motor cycles and mopeds (Europe)
* Australian Standard AS 1698: Protective helmets for vehicle users
* New Zealand Standard NZ 5430: Protective helmets for vehicle users
* Snell Memorial Foundation: Helmet Standard for use in motorcycling
* Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218: Motor-cycle helmets***
* British Standard BS 6658: Specification for protective helmets for vehicle users (for type A helmets only)
* Japan Industrial Standard T8133.

*** Because of the lack of a formal certification system for the US FMVSS 218 standard, this standard only applies to motorcycle helmets that have been manufactured and purchased in the USA.

The Shoei Hornet is JIS and MFJ rated (see here). Assuming it is JIS T8133 rated (wBW doesnt say) then your good to go. Check the tags in it and get back to us.

Cheers R

P.S. Interesting - I've just read that all US FMVSS 218 helmets must be marked as DOT and the sub clause as quoted above means they must all be manufactured and purchased in the USA. Am I reading this wrong but doesnt that mean that any DOT helmet made in Japan (am I correct in saying some HJC helmets are made in japan?) can't be sold in NZ????? Surely I've got this wrong somewhere.

**Garry.W** · 23rd July 2007, 12:56

Originally Posted by cooneyr

Helmets don't have to be DOT rated for use in NZ as long as they meet one of the other standards. The standards are listed on Land Transport New Zealand's website here.

The Shoei Hornet is JIS and MFJ rated (see here). Assuming it is JIS T8133 rated (wBW doesnt say) then your good to go. Check the tags in it and get back to us.

Cheers R

P.S. Interesting - I've just read that all US FMVSS 218 helmets must be marked as DOT and the sub clause as quoted above means they must all be manufactured and purchased in the USA. Am I reading this wrong but doesnt that mean that any DOT helmet made in Japan (am I correct in saying some HJC helmets are made in japan?) can't be sold in NZ????? Surely I've got this wrong somewhere.

There you go then, I thought a DOT rating was a prerequisite for NZ sales but always the possibility I'm wrong. You'd think there'd be one standard applicable to all helmets given the amount of internet trading these days. I have a new BMW Enduro helmet (and it's great). Good enough to rate for sale in NZ and Europe, but Australians can't buy one there.

**Fargin Khan** · 30th July 2007, 17:20

Not available through Whites. I tried to Indent order one but Shoei would not supply Whites with one. The Hornet model I own is called a Glide and tc2 graphic. There are a number of graphic options and also plain colours. I bought two smoke visors from a japanese helmet shop which owed me $125 kiwi landed including shipping. As far as I am aware the hornet is a domestic market Japan helmet only but I have seen some for sale in the uk but the price is more expensive than e bay. The Helmet owes me $950 landed. I paid gst once customs got there paws on it which bumped the price up. Go a size up from what you normally take as the Jap market helmets have a different head profile (more round) than for us egg headed european decendants. It is a great helmet for day to day commuting and for med -high speeds (140 km/h). The peak has plenty of venting flutes and does not catch the wind as bad as I thought it would. The graphics are stunning in the sun with plenty of metallic fleck in the paint and the usual high build quality of the Shoei product.

**Alpha Solo** · 15th August 2007, 18:04

Originally Posted by Zukin

Hmmm
I thought they were quiet for a flip face

But as I have recently purchased an F650 it does seem a lot noisier

Maybe it is the screen that buffets your head more??

Cheers

I've got a Grex adventure helmet and ride a f650 GS which has a givi taller screen on it, not much buffering, but then again Im a short arse an have done years without a screen so cant really comment.

How well does the Nolan System work? Much wind noise over the music? I'm pretty deaf already so dont wanna ride all day with the music turned up to 11...

Also anyone tried or read about the Airoh S4 ROUND???? Looks less like a mountain hawk then the S4.

**cynna** · 12th December 2008, 11:41

any updates on deals on adventure helmets?

i have been using my old road helmet with no visor and am sick of headbutting branches out of the way and getting wacked in the face. is this what the peak on offroad helmets is for or is it a sun visor?

im planning on doing big miles on and off road so not sure if i should get a road helmet, dirt helmet or something in between