Arai, AGV, Shoei or?

[phoenixgtr]

I agree with the frog

[Oakie]

Yeah. Get what fits. I went through that process in October ... tried on probably a dozen helmets and only one truly fitted. No decision to make.

[vifferman]

Yeah. Get what fits. I went through that process in October ... tried on probably a dozen helmets and only one truly fitted. No decision to make.

Indeed. Ignore everyone's opinions - get what fits best.
As for Arai - they're very good, but not that good. If you were thinking about buying their top of the line helmet, you should read this.

[insomnia01]

A year or so ago I purchased a Shoei Multi-tec flip front lid which is great if you are a smoker ( saves taking lid off ) or stop regularly, prior to going on tour over xmas I purchased a set of WIRED EAR PLUGS FROM PLUGZ FOR LUGZ so I could listen to sounds while on the journey & had a heap of issues with sound distorsion, music only coming out of one plug, plugs not fitting correctly & so on. I first thought that these plugs where shit & fuckin hopeless all that $$$$$ down the drain then I thought hang on a minute so I tried a Nitro Aerotech lid I have also & the difference is amazing, no longer are the plugs popping out, I don't have to play with the EQ on my MP-3 player & overall the helmet feels more comfortable than my Shoei. All in all forget price & brand buy what feels right for you, if you are looking into plugs I highly recommend PLUGZ FOR LUGZ ( Sue & Grant are KB"ers & are at most bike related events ) as they make a hell of a difference to my riding now whether I'm listening to music or not

[slofox]

Fit fit fit. Like the above posts, it MUST fit before anything else.
I had a Shoei Raid II but after six months, realised it was a little loose. It was a large. The medium was too small. So Shoei was essentially out of contention due to sizing problems.
Tried many others - similar problems. The best fit came from an Arai Chaser in a medium size. The shape is a little different from that of the Shoei which helps fit my head (it's not THAT weird a shape dammit!!). I have heard it said several times that there are "Shoei shaped" heads and there are "Arai shaped" heads. Dunno how much credibility there is in that statement, but in my case, Arai is a better fit. So I wear an Arai.
The better fit also means less wind noise. I also like the ventilation of the Arai better than that of the Shoei. BUT I preferred Shoei's visor attachment system to Arai's, which is a pain in the arse to get off and on to say the least.
Good luck choosing. Forget the brand. Remember the fit.

[TK3]

Gonna shout myself a top shelf helmet , I know this topic has been chewed over before but, like everything , things are constantly in the ' technology in motion ' mode.

So ....in about 3 weeks I'm keen to replace my FFM for something more suited for the 'Busa. Any suggestions ?

Hoping to limit my $ below 800 any sensible suggestions and I know it has to fit my square jug-head first.

Only buying a new lid cos my branes definitely worth protecting , as you can tell...your thoughts ?

Shoei XR1000 with the wisper kit and the pin lock visor... Try it and you will never look back

[Karl@Alpha]

Fit first!
Shoei do have thicker/thinner cheek pads if this helps for fitting.

[madbikeboy]

[QUOTE=Tank;1965425]As much as it pains me to say Katman is 100% right.

QUOTE]

I'm so going to abuse this quote...

[3umph]

you will have to go and try some different brands lids on...

I went through this before Christmas... tried many on and ended up with a HJC Carbon Fiber helmet which suited my head very well... and its lightweight... a bot noisy at times but in saying that it must be a different pitch as I don't get the ringing in my ears after a long ride that happened with my old helmet... earplugs would help....

so go out and start trying some on....

[HenryDorsetCase]

Gonna shout myself a top shelf helmet , I know this topic has been chewed over before but, like everything , things are constantly in the ' technology in motion ' mode.

So ....in about 3 weeks I'm keen to replace my FFM for something more suited for the 'Busa. Any suggestions ?

Hoping to limit my $ below 800 any sensible suggestions and I know it has to fit my square jug-head first.

Only buying a new lid cos my branes definitely worth protecting , as you can tell...your thoughts ?

Davida Classic Jet....

[Weta]

/yes whatever feels best on your head. good point re graphics $200 for pretty pictures, head over heart again? (mm literally this time).

[Nagash]

There's a classic expression, you either have an Arai head or a Shoei head.

All helmets are designed differently to suit what they believe is the largest audience.

So try on a variety of a helmets, and see what fits you best. It should be abit overly tight when you first try it on, but the foam will break in after a few weeks of regular use.

Essentially, any helmet that passes the standard DOT, but fits you properly will protect you. The more expensive helmets just have fancy designs and gizmos.

---

But for purely biased nature.. I said Shoei over Arai. Much better looking helmets..

[Okey Dokey]

You said in your OP that you are aware of the importance of the helmet fitting your head.

As has been said, there are Shoei heads and Arai heads...but if you are very lucky you will have an-

AGV head!

I've had my TiTech for a couple years now and I still love it. The paint work is beautiful, it is lovely and comfortable to wear, visor changing is a breeze, it never fogs up, and I would highly recommend it.

Hubby currently has a Shoei and says he will get an AGV next because mine is so much better than his.

Good luck finding your perfect helmet!

[insomnia01]

prior to going on tour over xmas I purchased a set of WIRED EAR PLUGS FROM PLUGZ FOR LUGZ so I could listen to sounds while on the journey & had a heap of issues with sound distorsion, music only coming out of one plug, plugs not fitting correctly & so on. I first thought that these plugs where shit & fuckin hopeless all that $$$$$ down the drain then I thought hang on a minute so I tried a Nitro Aerotech lid I have also & the difference is amazing, no longer are the plugs popping out, if you are looking into plugs I highly recommend PLUGZ FOR LUGZ ( Sue & Grant are KB"ers & are at most bike related events ) as they make a hell of a difference to my riding now whether I'm listening to music or not

As quoted above, the issues I was having with the plugs where in fact helmet related & not directly related to the plugs at all. The point I was endeavouring to make was that not all plugs fit so well in all helmets as I found out... it may pay to buy plugs first then try out lids & buy what suits you best overall....

[discotex]

I fit both Arai and Shoei fine so had to make a call between them.

In my opinion the XR-1000 is the best top-end value for money helmet you can get. At $649 for black you can't go wrong - or it's $849 for the graphics. It's very light, the vents work really well, fairly quiet and has pin-lock visor options and best of all has the coolest graphics