Street &/or track helmet choices. Who prefers what?

matt365

The Be-hatch Lives!
I'm just curious to what helmets you guys and girls are running on the street or track.

I presently have 2 HJC helmets. A CL-14 and a CL-15. I'd rather pay $150 bucks for a helmet, and keep it for a couple years rather than buy an Arai for $800 bucks and feel obligated to keep it for 5-8 years.

I've had helmets dropped by friends (that one pissed me off, it was about a 5' fall.)

I've had them knocked off coffee tables.

It can only sustain so many little dings until I'll retire the helmet. Even my CL-14 (which is 2 years old) and hasn't been too dinged around is starting to look it's age. The lining is starting to compact and wear out a little too much.



I've had shop owners and trackday organizers try and sell me on $500+ Shoeis & Arais, telling me it is safer for the track. I'd rather take my $100 snell rated HJC and toss it after the first get-off and not feel so bad.

So, what do you all wear, and what are your opinions?
 
It's been my long standing opinion that the helmet you wear has nothing to do with brand and everything to do with fit and comfort. Most lids are both snell and dot these days, so the choice is to pick the lid that fits you best. Cost is the other factor. I've tried on about 7-8 different brands and several models, and so far the best fit for me is an Arai, so that's what I wear. Expensive, yes, but I feel the most comfortable in it, and thats the deciding factor - it fits. If a lid doesn't fit right, you won't ride, because it's annoying and will even make you accident prone.

My 2 cents.
 
Agreed. Fit is the principal concern.

I'd say wind noise is another concern for me. One thing I find with my HJCs is that they transfer alot of sound through the shell, and I would definitely like a little less sound out of them. I've heard good things about Shoei and Arai for sound.

I wear the best earplugs I can get when I'm on the bike. The high pitched buzz and wind noise drives me nuts without it.

I've heard the older HJC CL-12s had issues with the shields, that if you turn your head over 100 kph, that the shields have a nasty habit of popping open.
 
You're right about the shield issue... I'd heard that too. Also something to note is wind buffeting, as different helmet shapes slip through the wind differently. Hard to test until you can take one for a ride though. My buddy switched from a shoei tz-r to an arai rx-7 and noticed a large improvement in buffeting and smoothness.

Noise is also big, but as I also wear earplugs all the time, it is not as much of a problem. In general, though, the more venting, the louder the lid.
 
My Nolan N100 flip helmet was a bit snug at first, but now a few years in fits me perfectly. Just in time to replace it - this year or more likely next.
 
I started to wear an Arai, and found the comfort to be excellent and the noise reasonable (that said, I always wear earplugs).

I had an accident a couple years ago, and because it wasn't my fault, my insurance company bought me a new bucket, so I got an Arai again. When I do go to get a new one, I'll possibly end up wtih somthing else but it must fit well. I've tried my friends Suomy, and while it felt ok at first, after about 2 minutes I had a blinding headache.

I would always say get the helmet that fits you best, then think about cost.
 
I've worn HJC, Schuberth and now Shoei... all based on fit... cause that's all that matters to my XXL oval melon. Noise can be affected by fit and buffeting is a combination of your bike and helmet. eg Running without a faring will cause the best lid to get tossed around in the air stream. Research the models you are interested in for complaints about sheild and vent noise though. My $600+ Schuberth was the loudest damn helmet I had... glad I crashed it :)

I don't know if one Snell approved helmet will protect better than another but you will find there are weight differences as you get into more expensive helmets.
 
I've had a couple of Bell's (the old Star and a Star 2) and a couple of Arai's. I just replaced my last Bell w/ a new Arai Profile and I love it. The fit is everything and Arai offers 3 different shapes for better fit. My Bell's are XL and my Arai is a Medium! That's because the Bell is for round Charlie Brown noggins and the Arai Profile is for an oblong coconut like mine. The better the fit the quieter it tends to be as well. Bottom line is try as many on as you can and pick the best fit. Price shouldn't be a controlling factor-It's for your head!
 
I have My old Bandit that i wear just for fun (it's 25ys old no padding)..My Shoei and 2 HJC's...Fit is most important...But looks are right up there too ;D
 
I also believe fit is most important. I just picked up a Scorpion EXO-400 and it fits like a glove, really fits the shape of my noggin. I had it on all weekend and never felt any pressure points or any problems. I like the look of them too.
 
HerrDeacon said:
... I had it on all weekend and never felt any pressure points or any problems. I like the look of them too.

So does that mean you have the bike on the road?
 
Ease said:
So does that mean you have the bike on the road?

Unfortunately no, that was for the bike course I did. I just started mine for the first time yesterday. Still need to finish a few things and get insurance before taking it out.

How about you, have your's out yet?
 
HerrDeacon said:
Unfortunately no, that was for the bike course I did. I just started mine for the first time yesterday. Still need to finish a few things and get insurance before taking it out.

How about you, have your's out yet?

Sure have. I've been riding it to class whenever it's not raining.
(Probably why I have this killer cold now)...
Let me know when you get it on the road. I'll be working on another cafe soon for another friend... and the army 450 Hawk will be back on the road shortly as well.

... Sorry for the thread Hijack ... ;)
 
Ease said:
Sure have. I've been riding it to class whenever it's not raining.
(Probably why I have this killer cold now)...
Let me know when you get it on the road. I'll be working on another cafe soon for another friend... and the army 450 Hawk will be back on the road shortly as well.

... Sorry for the thread Hijack ... ;)

Will do, probably won't be until mid to late June as I have to go away for a while in early June.

...and now back to our regularly scheduled thread ;D
 
I have a Shoei X-8 that fits well and is quiet and also have an AGV that's beyond excellent. I've had Nolans that weren't too bad but were louder. I also had a Bell that I hated. Years ago the MC Mags use to compare helmets and often referred to different people having an "Arai Head" or a "Shoei Head"; I'd have to say that I have an "AGV Head" but I don't know if they are still made/imported any more.

I found this article that's worth looking at if you haven't seen it: http://www.mcnews.com/mcnews/articles/helmet.htm
 
man this topic is ooooooooooooold..

I wear a bell vortex. Its a fairly snug, but not uncomfortable, fit. Its priced under $200, yet its fairly light weight, shares its lenses with the bell star (so you can use the star transitions lense, as well as whatever else is offered for the top end line), and it vents quite well. I haven't done much riding over 45-50mph so I can't really fully comment on wind noise or aerodynamics, but at my modest speeds its been great on both accounts.
 
I'm on my second Scorpion EXO 900 flip front. Got hi-viz this time. Not the coolest, but looks OK with a black bike. For me, great fit, comfy, good at speed, like the sun visor and flip front practicality. I've also got a Bell in flat black with Scratch stipes. Noisiest helmet ever. And it's the second gen version. Tried a Shark. Not a good fit for me.

Also have an old white Simpson that I used 25 years ago racing cars. Probably shouldn't wear it, but it looks cool.

Fit and noise are my two considerations. Safety? That's for smart people!
 
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