My new helmet

[SUMORYDR]

I've had just about one of everything and these newest lines of D/S helmets are excellent. Sure they have their faults but I love 'em!!!!

Give us a shout in Lake City when you want to go for a ride....

 

[dduelin]

Yeah, the visors on the adventure helmets pretty much kill any chance to put them in the frunk.

And just to throw my two cents in, the cheap helmets have to pass the same safety requirements as the expensive helmets. If you're paying two to three times as much for a helmet its only because of the name or some perceived extra value to you. Every helmet is different so comfort can't be attributed to a brand name, only to a specific model. The motorcycle magazines do big helmet comparisons and they often have less expensive models in the top standings at the end of their tests. You can feel good thinking you are safer with the expensive model, but its just a feeling, not reality.

Yes, I heard the last test they wore the helmets for 5 whole minutes to make sure of the comfort it provided.

 

[Timtone]

You AVG looks pretty darn cool. Love the colours.
I just bought my first helmet with a visor and I love it. (Icon Variant) It can be a bit of an issue with pressure but for me I feel it is well worth it. I have keep the stock windscreen and don't feel the visor presents too much of an issue even when shoulder checking at 130km. I will have a bit of a sore neck after a long ride but I figure it will just get stronger over time.....or my neck will break and I will die. Either way, I like the visor.

 

[happy]

Sadly some folks still think price = more safety.

Price does often = build quality and comfort. If you wear a helmet 4 to 10 hours a riding day and ride a lot and retire it in 5 years a $600 helmet is a good value. The feeling of wearing an ill fitting helmet lasts long after the pain of purchase even though both meet the minimum safety standard.

Dear sir (sirs).
You are absolutely correct about these 2 points for a more expensive helmet.
COMFORT. (wearer can wear comfortably for long hours)
BUILD QUALITY. (helmet lasts longer)
I agree with you.

My post was talking about SAFETY.
A new cheap helmet and a new expensive helmet, supposing they both pass those local mandatory tests, they are both SAFE. They will probably save your skull in the exact same crash.

That was my only point.

I also buy more expensive helmets for Comfort and Quality, etc.
Hope this clears up.

 

[happy]

Can a helmet thread be as controversial as an oil thread? I'm going to fire this up a bit and say that neither safety or comfort is directly proportional to price. There is, however, a high degree of correlation. This from a guy who owns an Arai. Now I don't know how much I believe the Snell Memorial ratings or the EC 22.05 ratings from our European Friends, or the Sharp ratings from GBR. But I got to go by something. Except that DOT sticker. And it has to cover more than my bald spot.

A few years ago I owned a pizza place as a hobby. One of the cooks saw me walk in with my helmet. He said the last thing he wanted in a wreck was 7 pounds on his head. I guess his t-shirt and jeans were enough protection. Now in a wreck, I would like a several thousand pound Chevy Suburban on my head. But seriously, who wears a 7 pound helmet?

Oh, and that is a nice helmet. I think so and EC 22.05 does too.

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/safety-equipment/403-helmets-cheap-ones-cheap-dangerous.html
This has already been discussed to the death.
1. Safety
2. Quality of build (helmet lasts long)
3. Comfort
4. Fit
5. Looks
6. Warranty
7. History of brand
8. Way it was made and inspected
9. Vanity factors (who wore it on TV?)

The above factors are not exhaustive, and it is not enough to say 1 to describe a "good" helmet.
Does anyone here actually understand what is

Quality Assurance
Quality Control
Quality Criteria?
MTBF?
Yield Rates?



Sorry, too deep perhaps.... it scares me to go there...
An apple is red.
An apple is green.
We are talking about 2 apples.
Both statements are correct.

 

[happy]

Sadly some folks still think price = more safety.

Yeah, the visors on the adventure helmets pretty much kill any chance to put them in the frunk.

And just to throw my two cents in, the cheap helmets have to pass the same safety requirements as the expensive helmets. If you're paying two to three times as much for a helmet its only because of the name or some perceived extra value to you. Every helmet is different so comfort can't be attributed to a brand name, only to a specific model. The motorcycle magazines do big helmet comparisons and they often have less expensive models in the top standings at the end of their tests. You can feel good thinking you are safer with the expensive model, but its just a feeling, not reality.

Spot on!

 

[Hmcp88]

These cheap helmets do pass the same requirements as the expensive ones, no one can deny this. Except for the "brain buckets" but if you are talking about those then we aren't even on the same subject lol. My thoughts on the matter are an example like a doctor. Yes, he did pass med school and IS a doctor. But would you rather have the one that barely passed and barely met the requirements? Or the top of the class doctor that blew the tests away instead of just meeting the requirements? Everyone knows these helmets are legal, but everyone also knows they are constructed of cheaper materials. Even companies like shoei turn it down a notch with models like the qwest that is a price point model for them. Not to say that Kbc, hjc, icon, shark or whatever $80 helmet it is won't save your life. But I'm not looking for a middle of the road helmet (or doctor), I want the best.

 

[DanWill]

Yes, I heard the last test they wore the helmets for 5 whole minutes to make sure of the comfort it provided.

They usually use the helmets during the bike tests so they are wearing them in different conditions, taking them off, putting them back on many times throughout a day. Enough to get a good feel for them. But you know better than the people that wear them for a living, obviously..

 

[Hmcp88]

They usually use the helmets during the bike tests so they are wearing them in different conditions, taking them off, putting them back on many times throughout a day. Enough to get a good feel for them. But you know better than the people that wear them for a living, obviously..

Drama bomb......

 

[dduelin]

They usually use the helmets during the bike tests so they are wearing them in different conditions, taking them off, putting them back on many times throughout a day. Enough to get a good feel for them. But you know better than the people that wear them for a living, obviously..

Yes, I totally agree with your last statement. I always buy helmets where I can try them on and wear them for a few minutes to get a feel for the fit, check the build quality, mfg date etc. I bought an Arai CZ/m several years ago and it felt fine for the 10 minutes or so I wore it. However 4 or 5 hours into the first long ride it started to hurt against my forehead and cause a hot spot. I don't think if I had a job as a journalist, riding a bike for a few minutes or a few miles at a test venue, trying different helmets on and off all day, would I have experienced 4 hours at a stretch in one hat. The shop exchanged it for a Shoei J-Wing which fit my head shape better. Shoei ever since as they are 14 hour comfortable for days at a time. Sure, there might be a helmet for half the price that feels as good but when the magazine test head wears them for 25,000 miles a year for 5 years then reports on which helmets made the distance I might consider changing brands. As it is I know Shoei does fit we well and still looks and feels good after 5 years of use.

LOL, do you ever look at the long term test bike mileages the magazines roll up? Most serious riders I know do that amount or more on two or three bikes and they don't have all their co-workers riding them when they aren't.

PS. Not all journalists fit in the mold above. I met Jamie Elvidge on the Cherohala two years ago testing the 2012 Goldwing. She rode the bike from CA, spent a weekend in the TN/NC mountains grinding foot pegs, then rode it back to CA, reportedly in two days. But she wasn't wearing a cheap helmet. The guy with her on the K1200GTL was a douch and he doesn't get his name mentioned here although I read his reviews every month. He wasn't wearing a cheap helmet either.

 

[happy]

These cheap helmets do pass the same requirements as the expensive ones, no one can deny this. Except for the "brain buckets" but if you are talking about those then we aren't even on the same subject lol. My thoughts on the matter are an example like a doctor. Yes, he did pass med school and IS a doctor. But would you rather have the one that barely passed and barely met the requirements? Or the top of the class doctor that blew the tests away instead of just meeting the requirements? Everyone knows these helmets are legal, but everyone also knows they are constructed of cheaper materials. Even companies like shoei turn it down a notch with models like the qwest that is a price point model for them. Not to say that Kbc, hjc, icon, shark or whatever $80 helmet it is won't save your life. But I'm not looking for a middle of the road helmet (or doctor), I want the best.

Helmets are really like doctors.

You are saying you would trust an older experienced doctor, probably he drives a Jaguar and has a Rolex, compared to a new doctor who just graduated but he was also tested and passed all his tests and so on.

It is just unbelieveable they let young doctors into ER and hospitals! So irresponsible!
It is inconceivable that a YOUND doctor can be better than an OLD doctor.

They should just allow OLD doctors.
Now where do they get old doctors?

Were they young once?
Was Shoei the best when they began?
Arai?
Lexus? Toyota?
Sony?

It is just a brand loyalty and feeling of "I paid the best, so I should be fine" feeling.
Many of us, including myself, tricked ourselves into that.
So I buy Honda. Does it mean NCX is surely a good bet?
A bet is a bet.

Expensive Shoei's for me, cheap helmets for my wife.
She is more risk-adversed so she will need less protection.

 

[Hmcp88]

Not saying they shouldn't allow young doctors, just saying that should be your doctor, not mine.

 

[happy]

Not saying they shouldn't allow young doctors, just saying that should be your doctor, not mine.

LoL....

I have not yet passed the age where "older is better".
Although I am way past my teens.

Give young things and younger people a chance. Often they teach us something.
New brands or cheaper helmets do not necessarily mean less safety.
It CAN mean less comfort or quality, but it is not a hard and fast rule for safety.

Korean cars (Hyundai and Kia) have now easily superseded their European competitors (VW, Seat) in all categories except Brand Loyalty.

Koreans cars are cheaper than the EU cousins. Why?

 

[Hmcp88]

I like to think we are all accepting if new things. We all went out and purchased an "untested" motorcycle. The platform hasn't been around for 10 years like vstrom's with sv motors, yet we all were willing to chance our money on a new concept. But that doesn't mean I'm willing to chance everything . Some things I use will continue to be older and proven rather than new and uncertain.

 

[johnakay]

Not saying they shouldn't allow young doctors, just saying that should be your doctor, not mine.

oh I wouldn't say no to this doctor thats for sure...

blimey I'm getting bad as this fella....
[video=youtube_share;js3xIg2pw8w]http://youtu.be/js3xIg2pw8w[/video]

 

[happy]

I like to think we are all accepting if new things. We all went out and purchased an "untested" motorcycle. The platform hasn't been around for 10 years like vstrom's with sv motors, yet we all were willing to chance our money on a new concept. But that doesn't mean I'm willing to chance everything . Some things I use will continue to be older and proven rather than new and uncertain.

Exactly, I was about to remind you this point.

TBH, one major attraction was the low price of this NCX. And is it cheaply made? No.