Modular, Full Face, or Dual-Sport helmet?

[crashmonkey85]

I am currently using a Shoei Hornet which I have had a few years more for dual sport usage before purchasing my Super Tenere. It has been a decent helmet until I installed a Sena 20S this weekend. The install would not allow the speakers a fit without putting pressure on the ears. So bad it will force me to go helmet shopping again.

I am trying to decide which type on helmet might be the most suitable for the type of riding I will mostly be doing with my Super T which is primarily road touring to light adventure touring. Key factors for me will be wind noise, anti fogging, Sena friendly, air flow, sun shield option. I have never tried a modular helmet so I am interested in these for this type of riding. I am curious as to what others prefer as to helmet styles and why.

 

[jbjke]

I bought Fulmer modular helmets for my wife and I to use Sena 10's and I too have noticed a little pressure from the earbuds but not to the point that I needed a new helmet. Now after having it a couple years the two main things I like about a modular are the flip up option for eating during a long road trip and the visor at your convenience at anytime. I do use sunglasses from time to time but also heading West just before the sun goes down the visor is a nice option to have.

The cons would be they're not light helmets and have a latch mechanism that fails and some would say it's a weak point during a crash as mine is now broke and won't open ( don't know if that's a good or bad thing during a crash ). I have had a few recommendations for helmets to replace it with as well as the wisdom of "what's your head worth" "I wouldn't put my head in a cheap helmet". .... But the thing that sticks in my mind is what one said was all helmets fit differently and all people have different head sizes so my .02 would be after reviewing what brand you think you'll like is find a store that will let you try on for an hour or so or let you return it. I know I am on the hunt for a new helmet now and some really good brands I thought looked cool felt really terrible after 5 mins. A sales staff said some mfrs have a foam option to order different pads inside which might help your Senas fit better to your ears. Just a thought as your search continues.


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[88millimeter]

Scorpion full face helmets have the best antifog coatings of any helmet i have tried. It has never fogged up on me, plus several of their models are inexpensive and come with a built-in drop down internal sun visor that is optically correct. I had a gmax with a drop down visor that was distorted which made the sun visor unusable

 

[spam16v]

Caberg Tourmax here, modular and dual sport/Adventure myself. $216, arrived in 3 days from Italy via Motostorm.it

 

[regulator]

It's not hard to make the speaker pockets larger on the Hornet, unless you are looking for an excuse to get a new lid.

 

[Bushyar15]

I have the new Hornet X-2 and a new Aria Defiant. I've installed a Sena in both of them. Both have ample room for the speakers. There has been no change or feel in the fit.

what I've found is the X-2 tends to "crowd" the speaker a bit while the Defiant does not. What I "think" I notice is the X-2 ever so slightly muffles the sound meaning I turn it up a little more on the X-2.

I had an Arai XD-4 before the Shoei X-2 and IMO, if you do more off-road or spend a fair amount of time off road in warmer climates, the Arai breathes way better. And when it comes down to the Defiant vs. the X-2.. I like the bigger "view" opening of the X-2 vs. the Defiant. No big deal I just like being able to see more...

Fit is interesting. Its seems that Shoei and Arai rotate what fits me best when they make shell changes. Back in the day Arai did not fit me well and cause pressure points. Shoei always fit like a glove. But its seems with the new crop of helmets its the opposite. The Defiant is super comfortable and the X-2 puts some weird pressure on my left ear that after a couple hours of riding gets annoying.

 

[AVGeek]

I've had a bunch of different helmet types, and the Shoei GT Air is my current favorite. I use the Sena SMH10 with the earbud mount, and custom molded earbuds.

 

[Bryce]

I've had a bunch of different helmet types, and the Shoei GT Air is my current favorite. I use the Sena SMH10 with the earbud mount, and custom molded earbuds.

Just got my GT Air... Great helmet. I use the Sena SMH10 with the regular speakers in the recessed spots for them in the GT Air and it works great.
Pinlock insert for fog free.
Sun shade works good... I think it should drop a little lower.
Comfy if you have a Shoei shaped head
Flows air nicely
Pretty quiet compared to others I have had.

 

[Derekj]

I use a Shoei Neotec because the modular, when closed, can wrap under the chin better, allowing for a quieter experience. I also enjoy having the sun screen. I have a g9x and the speaker pockets are perfect.

 

[crashmonkey85]

It's not hard to make the speaker pockets larger on the Hornet, unless you are looking for an excuse to get a new lid.

I actually have the older Hornet. There is not a recessed speaker placement with this helmet. I had to place my speakers directly on the inner shell wall and could not utilize the speaker pads and still had lots of pressure on the ears. It's not like I have Dumbo ears either. There is no way I can continue to run this helmet if I want to use com speakers.

 

[crashmonkey85]

I have the new Hornet X-2 and a new Aria Defiant. I've installed a Sena in both of them. Both have ample room for the speakers. There has been no change or feel in the fit.

what I've found is the X-2 tends to "crowd" the speaker a bit while the Defiant does not. What I "think" I notice is the X-2 ever so slightly muffles the sound meaning I turn it up a little more on the X-2.

I had an Arai XD-4 before the Shoei X-2 and IMO, if you do more off-road or spend a fair amount of time off road in warmer climates, the Arai breathes way better. And when it comes down to the Defiant vs. the X-2.. I like the bigger "view" opening of the X-2 vs. the Defiant. No big deal I just like being able to see more...

Fit is interesting. Its seems that Shoei and Arai rotate what fits me best when they make shell changes. Back in the day Arai did not fit me well and cause pressure points. Shoei always fit like a glove. But its seems with the new crop of helmets its the opposite. The Defiant is super comfortable and the X-2 puts some weird pressure on my left ear that after a couple hours of riding gets annoying.

Thanks for the Arai/Shoei review. I have owned a couple Arai's and many Shoei's over the years. I have always likes these helmets over other brands. I will definitely be considering both of these helmets in my search. I do like the dual sport/adv style and really like the new features these helmets have. My old helmet was nice but these even look better. Now that they have the recessed speaker placement, it is an option.

 

[crashmonkey85]

I use a Shoei Neotec because the modular, when closed, can wrap under the chin better, allowing for a quieter experience. I also enjoy having the sun screen. I have a g9x and the speaker pockets are perfect.

I have been looking at this helmet.

 

[KenMcBreezy]

+1 on the Arai for off road time, but on the freeway I have to crank my Sena's volume up all the way to hear over the wind noise. A big thing to keep in mind is that you should always be actually fitted for a helmet every time you buy. Especially if you're going to drop that much on it. I made that mistake when I bought my Arai Profile, and should have actually gone up a size and gotten thicker pads. It's definitely not a cheap mistake, and as good as they are about everything, a full brain bucket swap doesn't usually go over well.

 

[crashmonkey85]

+1 on the Arai for off road time, but on the freeway I have to crank my Sena's volume up all the way to hear over the wind noise. A big thing to keep in mind is that you should always be actually fitted for a helmet every time you buy. Especially if you're going to drop that much on it. I made that mistake when I bought my Arai Profile, and should have actually gone up a size and gotten thicker pads. It's definitely not a cheap mistake, and as good as they are about everything, a full brain bucket swap doesn't usually go over well.

Fitted? Have you actually had an actual fitting session with someone? It's really lucky to even have decent higher end helmet choices at the dealer let alone have someone there that truly knows more that fit than I do. Buying online is risky of course but some places allow free returns. That can be tedious though. In a perfect world, I'd like to go to the factories and get some real help. You are right though. If you are going to drop that much, do it right. You get what you pay for in helmets too.

My biggest thing is still deciding which style of helmet I might want, dual sport, modular or full face touring. I have strictly offered helmets for racing and dual sport riding my KTM 500 XCW. The Super T I will do more road touring to light adventure touring. Nothing too serious on this bike.

 

[KenMcBreezy]

I happen to live near Arai's PA office, and have been there for fitment as well as seeing the vendors at shows. I saw... I want to say his name is Bruce? Anyway I saw this guy from Arai at the LA and Phoenix shows both, and he fit me at the LA show into the Profile at the time, then at the Phoenix show he discussed modification of the foam with me. He would have done the mod for me on the spot but I didn't have my helmet so he showed me with another one. Basically the helmet fit well, but putting it onto and taking it off of my head was tearing up my ears because I couldn't flex the helmet out enough. Because of that I am biased toward Arai, but if you are able to fit it without assistance then that isn't a worry for you. Personally, I was amazed at how uncomfortable my AGV or my first helmet (some 3 letter cheapy that I don't even remember other than it was way too big, round, and heavy) for example were after wearing for a little bit... I know I can't make such a decision on my own. But if you can, more power to you.

As for what style to get, I know modular helmets have improved a lot but I am still a firm believer that your face isn't protected enough with one. If I'm wearing a helmet that's covering my face, I want my face protected. Otherwise I would just wear a half helmet. But then, there are people who swear by them. If you intend to never crash, then the ability to open your helmet and talk or get a drink or something could be worth it...
If you're going to be mostly on the road then you might want to go with a touring helmet, but even then I personally would go with the dual sport for two reasons: 1) more room to accommodate a camelbak (or similar) mouthpiece, especially if you have a headset. 2) I tried using my profile for off-road and it was not enjoyable. I found it much less strain to get used to having a sun visor while riding down the freeway than to try to get used to not having a visor while riding off-road.
But of course that's just my 2 cents.

 

[Mellow]

I have shoei R1200 and the 20s fit in the speaker areas just fine. I also have a new neo tec I've only worn a couple of times and as much as it's nice when it's hot it does not give my that safe feeling the fullface does so will be selling it soon.

 

[KenMcBreezy]

OH! I forgot about the 20s - I have one installed on my XD-4 (without spacers) and on my Fox V2 (with spacers). I have the base installed on each, and I transfer the unit between them as needed, though I don't use the V2 now that I have the XD-4 - I was using it when I had the Profile and wanted to go off road. I had the SMH-10 on my Profile, but that didn't come with spacers so I used cardboard and double-sided tape - it would almost certainly allow the spacer.

The problem with that info is that if somebody has a fat head relative to mine, if they use a V2 they might not be able to fit a spacer. Or if someone has a skinny head relative to mine, maybe they could use the spacer in the XD-4.

Going back and re-reading for other points, I also noticed anti-fog talk... this isn't just coatings and in fact I would go so far as to say it shouldn't be about coatings since they can wear off, be uneven, or cause other issues like distortion of not done well. The important thing there is air flow - if you have good air flow, you should never fog up. Me, I usually ride with my visor up unless it's freezing, raining enough to cause me to have trouble seeing (rain in the eye at 70 hurts, guess it's visor time http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/Smileys/DarkB/smiley007.gif) or if there are bugs. Can't fog up if it's not there. But if you choose to use it, it can't stay fogged up if you have good air flow. If I shut the visor because it's only 40 degrees out, and breathe through my mouth, it will fog up a little at low speeds, but still clears up quickly. At higher speeds it clears about as fast as it fogs. My AGV could never do that. I think the wife's Shoei is pretty good about fog, at least she never complains about it. She's got a Qwest goddess, it's white with a flower on it.

 

[trainman]

I am now at the age where I can run two helmets and have a new Shoei Hornet and a Schuberth C3 flip (don't know if you get these in the USA?).

They are different beasts for sure, the flip is heavier and comes round more on the cheeks and has a more restrictive viewing aperture. The Hornet is light, airy and seems to vent better plus its easier for me to live with on the rare occasions we get some heat in the UK.

I use the flip more in the winter and the Shoei around now as it warms up. Have had 3 Shoei's and the other thing I notice is that they do appear to mould to your lumps and bumps quicker than the Arai's I have had. The Shoei is already 'run in' and I have only had it couple of months.

If doing a long trip I would say ADV style helmet for warmer weather and the flip if its a cooler time of year where you need a good seal.

Fogging - I use the Pinlock inserts in the winter, most big name hats seem to come pre fitted for them in the UK now?

 

[jimmy z]

I believe revzilla is closing out c'3 helmets for a nice discount.Being replaced by c'3 pro.Free return shipping if you dont like, on helmets.Jim

 

[crashmonkey85]

Well, thanks everyone for sharing. I ended up purchasing a new Shoei Hornet X2. I liked my old Hornet but it did not accommodate my Sena 20S. I have been using the new helmet for a couple of months now and really like it. It fits like a glove and has some wonderful improvements over the old model. Choosing a DS helmet came down to the visor and the protection. I just can't imagine not having a visor in any situation with my sensitive eyes. The Hornet X2 visor doesn't bother me at speed. One of the main reasons I decided to go with this helmet was the fact that they have speaker cutouts for headset speakers. As it turns out, the Sena 20S has larger speakers than will work in this helmet without modification. I really didn't want to do it but I chose to do a slight modification to allow the speakers to fit. Everything fits and functions now. Happy!