Which helmet?

[zekegiesecke]

I'm getting back into riding again after a lapse of several years. The last helmet I bought was a Bell Star in 1974 or 75, so it's just a wee bit out of date now. Any recommendations for brand and model of helmet to face the thundering herds of inattentive motorists with?

 

[zg]

Shoei Neotec  :great: :great:

 

[DialedN_13]

I'm opening a can of worms here....but..... you have any input on your budget?

Some say buy the best you can afford, and others say buy the best because safety has no price.

Just curious where you were at?

 

[smithr]

Yep good question.
So if you are like me and wanted Safe, Quiet, Flipup, Sun Shade flip down... I got the Shoei because I could afford it and it felt built so much better then the Cycle Gear one that did all the same stuff and cost 1/3 as much.

 

[Sport rider]

here's an updated Bell design for you.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/56287/i/bell-rogue-helmet?WT.mc_ID=80003&P_ID=482546&colorid=321&sizeid=108&SITEID=Google+SEARCH+NON-BRAND+Product+Level+Ads+-+Google+Shopping+Campaign&P_ID=1329899279&adpos=1o1&creative=53697087413&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=COfBgsDZ1sgCFdMXHwodMJ8NBw

 

[bearbait51]

I bought a Scorpion EXO 1100 from Revzilla.  At the time it cost just under $300.00, now it is $219.00.  To get a nice fit it has inflatable cheek bladders under the cheek pads.  My Sena SMH10 bluetooth fit great also.  This is what my budget allowed at the time.  I know a number of riders that have Shoei helmets and love them.  So, as said by others it is up to your budget.  I really like my EXO 1100.

 

[mthore43]

Only speak for myself, I did a ton of research before taking the plunge on such a expensive Helmet - you might consider a Schuberth C3 Pro - 
For me, its the best bit of riding gear I've invested in. Took a good while to break-in, but once it did its quiet -light weight for a flip-up - I can have it on all day,
10 hours or better and not feel like my heads going to fall off -  As for safety & design these Helmets are top notch -  That's my 2-Cents

 

[Ranger Jim]

Buy one that meets your personal requirements (modular or full face, sun-shield, PRICE, etc.) and FITS you comfortably.

 

[Pittsburgh Clem]

All I know is what was old  is new again.  Is there a pic of you wearing this Bell circa 75 helmet  Zeke ? :beerchug:

 

[zekegiesecke]

All I know is what was old  is new again.  Is there a pic of you wearing this Bell circa 75 helmet  Zeke ? :beerchug:

Actually, there is a pic of me wearing the Bell Star. Now that I think about it, there are several pics. If you can find a copy of the June 1980 issure of Motorcyclist magazine, I'm one of the riders in the touring test that the magazine did for that issue. You might be able to find something on line in the archives of Motorcyclist, assuming that they have public access to the magazine archives.

How I got my picture in the magazine is sort of interesting. In the fall of 1978, I went back to college to finish my degree at the tender age of 34. The first semester, I met a guy in one of  my classes who was also a motorcycle nut, and was on the pit crew for the Endurance Roadracing Team for the magazine. At that point, I had been on the pit crew for a guy who had formed a British Motorcycle racing team and was running sprint races in southern California on various tracks. After meeting Maurice, I got introduced to Art Friedman, Jeff Carr, Rich Cox, and Ken Vreeke, who were all editors for the magazine and part of the race team. I wound up getting invited to be on the magazine's pit crew, and was part of their racing effort for the next three years.

In March of 1980, I got a call from Art one day, and he asked me if it would be possible for me to take ten days off from school. I thought that was kind of a strange request, so I asked him why he wanted to know if I could take ten days off. He said that the magazine was doing a touring bike test of six bikes, and one of the editors who was supposed to go on the ride had something come up suddenly and couldn't make the trip. That left them with six bikes to test, and only five riders. So Art asked me if I could be a "guest test rider" and ride one of the bikes from Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC and back over a ten-day period. After considering this for about 2.89 seconds, I told him that I thought I could fit that into my schedule, and about two weeks later, we left for Vancouver. My assigned bike was a Suzuki GS850G. The other bikes on the ride were a Honda Gold Wing, a Yamaha XS11, a Harley Tour Glide, a BMW R100RT, and a Kawasaki six-cylinder I don't remember the model designation for now. Since the ride was done in order to write an article for the magazine, there were lots of pictures taken, and I'm in several of them. My favorite shot is one of me on the Kawasaki six cylinder dragging the pipes in a turn. Rich Cox had me run through that corner about six or eight times to get the shot he wanted.

So, yeah, there are pictures of me wearing the Bell Star, but they're 35 years old now. Good luck with your search for the archives.  :great:

 

[face33]

The KZ1300?! There was one on display at Barber 2 years ago - with an extra engine installed at a V making a V12 KZ2600!

 

[Paulie]

I've spent BIG bux on 2 excellent modulars,
Schuberth C3 Pro & Shoei Neotec

I've beem using the Shoei on long rides - it's quieter  :great:

 

[delling3]

As others have said - all depends on your budget.  IF you are on a budget, and want a full-face,  I would suggest taking a look at the HJC FG17.  Available on line for around $200.  It has a Pinlock ready shield, removable/washable interior, and vents better than anything I have owned.  It is also quiet and light weight, and is Snell Rated.  I am on my second.  The first protected my head/face and jaw quite well when I was run-off the road earlier this summer.  The only possible negative I can think of is the HJC shape.  Tends to be more round and less oval.  Fits my melon really well, but I know many prefer a more oval shape. 

 

[wvshooter]

Everybody has an opinion so here's mine.

First, buy a full face helmet. Don't consider anything else. You need the full face to protect your face. A full face is also a stronger helmet than any other type of helmet because the bottom edge of the helmet goes all the way around. I went down at 55mph wearing a full face and had zero injuries to my neck or head. I happened to be wearing a Kabuto Kamui during the accident and I just purchased a Shoei Quest. If possible try to buy something above entry level. That starts at about $250. While I would like to wear something that cost $500 and up I can't personally justify that much money. Just depends on your budget.

You didn't mention other protective gear but it's all important. Armored gloves to protect your hands. An armored motorcycle jacket for your upper body and armored pants of some kind. Don't forget armored cycle boots. People will say I don't need all that but when you go down serious road rash can make you really regret your decision.

 

[bearbait51]

Everybody has an opinion so here's mine.

First, buy a full face helmet. Don't consider anything else. You need the full face to protect your face. A full face is also a stronger helmet than any other type of helmet because the bottom edge of the helmet goes all the way around. I went down at 55mph wearing a full face and had zero injuries to my neck or head. I happened to be wearing a Kabuto Kamui during the accident and I just purchased a Shoei Quest. If possible try to buy something above entry level. That starts at about $250. While I would like to wear something that cost $500 and up I can't personally justify that much money. Just depends on your budget.

You didn't mention other protective gear but it's all important. Armored gloves to protect your hands. An armored motorcycle jacket for your upper body and armored pants of some kind. Don't forget armored cycle boots. People will say I don't need all that but when you go down serious road rash can make you really regret your decision.

I agree with gave_h, get a good helmet, ( I like my Scorpion EXO 1100).  ALL THE GEAR ALL THE TIME, ATGATT.  I went down at about 30mph wearing all the gear mentioned above.  The only injury was a small friction road rash on my forearm, didn't even scratch my jacket.  I had to have a small patch on the knee of my cycling pants over the knee armor.

 

[rcannon409]

All I know is what was old  is new again.  Is there a pic of you wearing this Bell circa 75 helmet  Zeke ? :beerchug:

Actually, there is a pic of me wearing the Bell Star. Now that I think about it, there are several pics. If you can find a copy of the June 1980 issure of Motorcyclist magazine, I'm one of the riders in the touring test that the magazine did for that issue. You might be able to find something on line in the archives of Motorcyclist, assuming that they have public access to the magazine archives.

How I got my picture in the magazine is sort of interesting. In the fall of 1978, I went back to college to finish my degree at the tender age of 34. The first semester, I met a guy in one of  my classes who was also a motorcycle nut, and was on the pit crew for the Endurance Roadracing Team for the magazine. At that point, I had been on the pit crew for a guy who had formed a British Motorcycle racing team and was running sprint races in southern California on various tracks. After meeting Maurice, I got introduced to Art Friedman, Jeff Carr, Rich Cox, and Ken Vreeke, who were all editors for the magazine and part of the race team. I wound up getting invited to be on the magazine's pit crew, and was part of their racing effort for the next three years.

In March of 1980, I got a call from Art one day, and he asked me if it would be possible for me to take ten days off from school. I thought that was kind of a strange request, so I asked him why he wanted to know if I could take ten days off. He said that the magazine was doing a touring bike test of six bikes, and one of the editors who was supposed to go on the ride had something come up suddenly and couldn't make the trip. That left them with six bikes to test, and only five riders. So Art asked me if I could be a "guest test rider" and ride one of the bikes from Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC and back over a ten-day period. After considering this for about 2.89 seconds, I told him that I thought I could fit that into my schedule, and about two weeks later, we left for Vancouver. My assigned bike was a Suzuki GS850G. The other bikes on the ride were a Honda Gold Wing, a Yamaha XS11, a Harley Tour Glide, a BMW R100RT, and a Kawasaki six-cylinder I don't remember the model designation for now. Since the ride was done in order to write an article for the magazine, there were lots of pictures taken, and I'm in several of them. My favorite shot is one of me on the Kawasaki six cylinder dragging the pipes in a turn. Rich Cox had me run through that corner about six or eight times to get the shot he wanted.

So, yeah, there are pictures of me wearing the Bell Star, but they're 35 years old now. Good luck with your search for the archives.  :great:

I believe i have this issue. Motorcyclist and their touring tests were excellent.  This was the year you guys caught the Suzuki saddlebag on fire?

You never really picked a favorite, which upset me.  I'm pretty much over it now, but you liked the Yamaha engine, and various bits from the other machines and wanted them combined in the same motorcycle.

As far as helmets go, my current favorite is a Bell Revolver evo.  I had the budget for anything I wanted, but this stupid, cheap pos modular fits me as if it was designed specific for my head.

 

[Thud300]

Mine is the equivalent of the Cycle Gear BILT Apollo, which fits like a glove and fit my budget too, but it's very noisy. Looking to upgrade soon into something more pricey and better made when it comes to the flip front.

 

[zekegiesecke]

The KZ1300?! There was one on display at Barber 2 years ago - with an extra engine installed at a V making a V12 KZ2600!

Yep, you're right, it was a KZ1300. Gobs of torque, but godawful handling due to torque steer.

 

[jaybee]

Only speak for myself, I did a ton of research before taking the plunge on such a expensive Helmet - you might consider a Schuberth C3 Pro - 
For me, its the best bit of riding gear I've invested in. Took a good while to break-in, but once it did its quiet -light weight for a flip-up - I can have it on all day,
10 hours or better and not feel like my heads going to fall off -  As for safety & design these Helmets are top notch -  That's my 2-Cents

DITTO! I absolutely love mine after owning just about everything else. Super light compared to my Arai, Shoei, Nolan...

 

[Old_Steve]

I'm going to take a slightly different approach from most of the other answers here.  No offense, but asking this question is a little bit like asking a bunch of guys in a bar what the best kind of beer is.  I've tried some pretty awful beers by using that approach.
Find a store that will let you try on several helmets and wear them around the store for 15 minutes or so.  That will be enough time for you to know if the shape of the helmet is compatible with the shape of your head.  Once you've got the shape settled, start sorting by cost, style, ventilation, noise and finally (IMHO) paint job.
The best helmet in the world won't do a thing for you if you don't wear it because it hurts your head.

 

[Paulie]

^ I'll say "Well, duh" to dat  :nananana:

Wit my thick skull, I need LOTSA hours (like >12) till I know it's a weiner. Both the Neotec & C3 Pro are.

 

[landman]

another vote for the schuberth c3 here.  :great:

 

[gremlin]

I really like my Shoei GT Air.  Comfortable, quiet and has flip down sun screen. 

 

[rcannon409]

As far as noise goes.  I discovered this on a cold day. I noticed how quiet my helmet was, then realized my vents were open. 

I had a hoodie on, and the hood was rolled up. This blocked the bottom of the helmet and made it very, very nice.