Type of helmet you wear...

Sierra1

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Years (and years) ago, a friend of mine was trying to decide if he wanted a full face, or 3/4 helmet. Heat was his concern. One night I let him borrow my full face Arai. After about 15 minutes, we went looking for him. Found him. . . . and more than a few emergency vehicles. A car had backed out in front of him. Being inexperienced, he ended up on the ground. . . . hands, and chin first. Hands were torn up a little, but not a mark on his chin, or head.

He went the very next day, and bought the top-of-the-line Arai. . . . full face. I, being ignorant of helmet protocol. . . . kept wearing the crashed helmet without incident for several years.. There were only two small scratches. No damage, right? :rolleyes:

Prior to my Tenere, I went through several Arai Ram-z, 3/4 helmets. As close to a full face as possible. I high sided the RT one time, and thought I had landed flat. Until I looked at the scratches on the helmet. Apparently, I had spent some time sliding down the road on the top of my noggin. I was ok, but, the RT. . . . hit hard enough on the right side. . . . that it bounced back over on the left side. Crash bars were toast, but they did their job, and prevented further damage.

I'm a full face helmet guy. . . . even in Texas.
 
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ballisticexchris

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What blows my mind are these guys on a $40,000.00 Harley all decked out in full high dollar leathers, gloves, boots, etc. They complete the assemblage by wearing a cheap $25.00 cereal bowl on their head.
 

Sierra1

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What blows my mind are these guys on a $40,000.00 Harley all decked out in full high dollar leathers, gloves, boots, etc. They complete the assemblage by wearing a cheap $25.00 cereal bowl on their head.
That's a style choice. Anti-helmet, but have to wear one.

On a similar note - rider wearing a £500 helmet, pillion with a bargain basement £75 one:eek:
Priorities. . . . everybody has them. :rolleyes:
 
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ballisticexchris

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Or nothing in some States ?
Yes. I remember the no helmet law here in California. I'm a big advocate of helmets and have my mom to thank for saving my life. When I was 19 years old I went to take off on my Yamaha XT500 to hang out with friends at the beach. My mother begged and cried for me to wear a helmet. She swore that she had a feeling something bad was going to happen to me.

At that time I rarely wore my helmet on the street. Just for dual sporting or dirt. Well on the way back home from the beach a car came up from behind me in the other lane and slammed into the side of me launching me head first into the curb. My Shoei helmet cracked and I walked away with nothing more than a broken leg and wrist.

Ever since then I cannot imagine not wearing a helmet. Every time I visit Oklahoma I am blown away at how many choose not to protect themselves with one. I still have this picture implanted into me of this bald guy tucked in on his sport bike ripping it up Eastbound on the 40.
 

Sierra1

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A lot of people won't/don't wear a helmet around town. . . . "because the speeds are low". According to the Hurt Report, that's exactly what helmets are designed for. The report advised that crashes at highway speed usually resulted in death from something other than head injury. And, polycarbonate transmitted less force to your head at slower speeds than fiberglass. But, as the speeds increased, the polycarbonate transmitted more than fiberglass. At least that was true then, don't know about now.
 

Cycledude

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Rib lake wi
The median strip deviding the freeway in that area is pretty narrow so quite a bit of glare from oncoming headlights makes it difficult to see sometimes, luckily when I saw the deer it was on its way down from its jump so it hit my headlights instead of coming over the top. The impact launched me up and over the windshield feet first and I landed on my back then slid and rolled for about 100 yards. The bike went out on the shoulder and tipped over, the deer was about 50 feet in front of the bike, some people were saying it was cut in half but it wasn’t.
There was a car right behind me when it happened and fortunately they stopped otherwise I probably would have got run over by other traffic. First thing I remember is this lady asking if I was ok, well at first I couldn’t even reply because the wind was knocked out of me, then I hear her calling 911 and they were telling her to tell me not to move but there was no way I was going to continue laying on the centerline with all that traffic going buy and shaking the the road so I started crawling off. By the time I reached the shoulder the ambulance showed up.
 
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Dirt_Dad

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The median strip deviding the freeway in that area is pretty narrow so quite a bit of glare from oncoming headlights makes it difficult to see sometimes, luckily when I saw the deer it was on its way down from its jump ...
Glad you survived that one with limited injuries.

I recognize my good luck on my deer impact was in large part because the deer did not jump. Had it hit my body I have no doubts my luck would have changed.

Deer are just downright dangerous.
 

Bokerfork

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Okay, I've got to ask. Since when and under what studies are you guys equating price with performance? I can't quote the articles just now but I remember reading several articles that ascribed no link to price versus performance. DOT, SNELL or even the ECE standard are just that. Standards. Where does it say that Arai or Shoei etc. "exceed" these standards, and by how much? Most of the impact is absorbed by the styrofoam material inside the shell. You know, the same material that your donut shop coffee cup is made out of. So long as the shell stays intact, the styrofoam is the determining factor for brain injury. I'm not saying the $37 helmet found down at Pep Boys is an equal to a top of the line, read expensive, helmet. But there are plenty of very good, very well manufactured helmets for half of what your "top of the line helmets are going for. Fit and finish aside, I think some of you are wasting your money, regardless of what you think your head is worth

Show me some data or continue spending for image. Your choice.
 

whisperquiet

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Okay, I've got to ask. Since when and under what studies are you guys equating price with performance? I can't quote the articles just now but I remember reading several articles that ascribed no link to price versus performance. DOT, SNELL or even the ECE standard are just that. Standards. Where does it say that Arai or Shoei etc. "exceed" these standards, and by how much? Most of the impact is absorbed by the styrofoam material inside the shell. You know, the same material that your donut shop coffee cup is made out of. So long as the shell stays intact, the styrofoam is the determining factor for brain injury. I'm not saying the $37 helmet found down at Pep Boys is an equal to a top of the line, read expensive, helmet. But there are plenty of very good, very well manufactured helmets for half of what your "top of the line helmets are going for. Fit and finish aside, I think some of you are wasting your money, regardless of what you think your head is worth

Show me some data or continue spending for image. Your choice.
I agree totally.....I’ve read many helmet comparisons where somewhat inexpensive helmets finish as high in the safety ranking among the very expensive helmets. The fit and finish is at a higher level on a Shoei, Schuberth, or Arai than the HJC IS Max II that I wear.....but, I wear out a helmet about every two years due to summertime sweating and the wearing of a balaclava in the winter even though the liner is cleaned on a regular basis. I consider helmets to be wear items like tires and replace regularly.

You can read about helmet safety, testing, angle/height of fall, impacting a fixed object, etc. until you fall asleep. Wear what you are comfortable with that has a decent safety rating you believe in. Buy the expensive helmets if you want the best liners, graphics, etc.
YMMV

The same arguments can be made for riding gear, boots, gloves, tires, and especially OIL!
 

magic

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Okay, I've got to ask. Since when and under what studies are you guys equating price with performance? I can't quote the articles just now but I remember reading several articles that ascribed no link to price versus performance. DOT, SNELL or even the ECE standard are just that. Standards. Where does it say that Arai or Shoei etc. "exceed" these standards, and by how much? Most of the impact is absorbed by the styrofoam material inside the shell. You know, the same material that your donut shop coffee cup is made out of. So long as the shell stays intact, the styrofoam is the determining factor for brain injury. I'm not saying the $37 helmet found down at Pep Boys is an equal to a top of the line, read expensive, helmet. But there are plenty of very good, very well manufactured helmets for half of what your "top of the line helmets are going for. Fit and finish aside, I think some of you are wasting your money, regardless of what you think your head is worth

Show me some data or continue spending for image. Your choice.
I'll take a shot at answering your post. I would rather wear a helmet manufactured by a company with a proven track record and a history of good customer support. Some of the lower priced helmets may very well be good quality items. I don't know. I know when I lay out the cash for an Arai, Shoei, or Schuberth helmet it is a good quality item and I will get good customer service and replacement parts are available. Most of the helmets I own were bought at discounted prices. Who could pass up a Schuberth C3 for $350 with free shipping? In my opinion you usually get what you pay for. The same goes for my other gear.
 

Sierra1

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. . . . The fit and finish is at a higher level on a Shoei, Schuberth, or Arai than the HJC IS Max II . . . .
That about says it all. Boker is right. . . . they'll all end up saving a life. (hopefully). And, to a point, you are paying for a name. But, I don't buy anything because of a name. I buy it because I've done my research, and right or wrong, it is the best product for me.

My son had an HJC Sy Max III. Good helmet. Relatively inexpensive helmet. He liked the helmet. . . . until he happened to try on his current Arai. The best description was fit & finish. The padding was softer, the venting was better, and the Arai was much lighter.

I've worn a few helmets, some better than others. My current Corsair is easily the best that I've had. Comfort is very good, but most of all, the venting is phenomenal.

I think this helmet thread is on it's way to becoming an oil thread. To each their own.
 
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ballisticexchris

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Okay, I've got to ask. Since when and under what studies are you guys equating price with performance?
I do not consider price to be a factor in performance and safety. To a point. Many cheap $200.00 - $300.00 helmets are more than adequate and meet the safety criteria. For me I pay more for the fit and comfort of a high end helmet. The big thing is fit. Shoei helmets fit so well I can wear them all day with no negative comfort issues.
 

WJBertrand

Ventura Highway
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Jun 20, 2015
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Ventura, CA
My theory on helmets: Let’s say you rate head protection on a scale from 0 to 100, with zero being no helmet at all, and 100 being the most expensive highly rated helmet available.
I think even the cheaper helmets are going to land at 90, if not 95 points. The rest of the money is for features, more plush interior, graphics licensing, etc.


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