What lid you got? .......... how do you rate it?

[Stokesy]

Time foa a new lid, GF has offered to get one as a birthday treat so budget £250 - £300. So what to get???

There is an amazing amount of choice, part of me says cant go wrong with Arai/Shoei, but then Im not mad about the shapes/designs of some of these so I broadened my horizons

I like the looks of Roof and the 020 gets great writeup supposed to be quiet.1

SOme of the sharks look cool!

Bell are a serious looking bit of kit!

Then there is the Suomy range!

Decisions Decisions

Im not bothered about having the latest race rep, more important is quiet and comfy as my milage tends to be around europe 400 - 600 miles in a day (sometimes)

Am starting to visit shops and try things on and this far the Shoei Raid II is a great fit, trying Roof and Shark tommorow and Arai shortly.

What do you chaps use and more importantly given the budget any reccomendations?

[Samray]

I think you are doing the right thing trying em all and looking for the best fit.

[Aladinsaneuk]

forget the budget, and get a good fit

I went shopping with that in mind and bought a Lazer - but I did want a helmet that had an open face thingie - as in it opens at the front so I can get my penfold glasses on :)

Nice thing is, I have an unusual shaped head, and I have never found an arai that fits me - or an agv for that matter - shark are ok, as are caberg, but the lazer just fits

Oh - have a look at the nolans as well - there range with built in bluetooth mounts are pretty impressive - and may make sense for you in terms of satnav etc

[Pierre]

Dont get a Craft Its deafening, visors are scary money and if slipped off my seat onto the floor causing a 2" crack

Mind you, it looks great with a black visor and being carbon fiber is actually lighter than air.

[D-Rider]

OK .... I've done my best to control myself up until now .... but how the hell am I supposed to contain myself with a set-up line like this ....

Nice thing is, I have an unusual shaped head, and I have never found an arai that fits me - or an agv for that matter - shark are ok, as are caberg, but the lazer just fits

...... so, was that before or after your 'incident' Pete ?





(BTW: is there any progress with 'the wheels of Justice' ?)

[D-Rider]

And back on topic:

I have an HJC - bought because it was cheap - I have been very pleased with it except for limited aperture of vision (TBH I don't know whether all modern helmets suffer similarly due to thickness of padding).
The 2 situations that bug me are:
1) At the limits of 'neck twist' it's a struggle to see at a good enough angle behind for an effective 'lifesaver'.
2) When cornering hard, the top edge of the visor aperture cuts-off looking far enough up the road - particularly seems to be the case on roundabouts.
I'll certainly check out these potential problems next time I buy.

On my list of desirables are:
1) Schuberth (cos I hear they are very quiet)
2) HJC Q1 Lordship (Full Carbon - very nice .... but with a name like that, I've no doubt you lot would start referring to it as my GayLord. Who the f#@k came up with that name for it!)

..... there again, I can't see the Mrs ever permitting me to spend as much as I'd need to for either of those!

[morph]

Me, my better half and my son have all got KBC’s, (no there not matching honest)

I bought one a couple of years ago and have been so pleased with it I bought another.
They are comfy, well made, light and I’ve never had a problem with misting but the thing that first attracted me to them were the designs, which seem to be different from the norm.
The only complaint I have ever read about them is there supposed to be noisy but mine seems no worse than my old Shark and AGV helmets.

It might just be that I’ve found the right lid for my head shape, so I think trying them all is the best idea.

It’s just a suggestion but have you thought about going to the Tailend show (sept 15/16) there will be loads to have a look at there and some bargains, (Frank Thomas had Shoeis for £60 at the BMF)

Happy hunting

[Paulh]

On my 4th sucessive Shoei - crashed in the previous 3.

Very comfortable, good finish, good visor change system and crash well (landed chinguard / face first in one of them and it took the impact no problem) - I wouldn't use anything else.

[Stokesy]

It’s just a suggestion but have you thought about going to the Tailend show (sept 15/16) there will be loads to have a look at there and some bargains, (Frank Thomas had Shoeis for £60 at the BMF)

Happy hunting

Thanks Morph

This is indeed part of the plan, firstly establish what
a, fits
b, people recommend

then hut out the best price, be it show, on line etc

Everyone else

Cheers for the input thus far

[Fausto]

It all comes down to your head shape in the end. We have different headshapes and some manuf. make to certain moulds. So try on loads and you will find that one or 2 brands just feel better than the rest. For me thats Shoei and Suomy. Much as I may like an AGV say, it will never fit correctly so I may as well give up wanting.

I also fancied a Roof but once again they don't fit and I heard bad things about the quality of the fittings (vents etc)

As for looks, well how much of it can you see when it's on?

Personally I just bought a Shoei Raid II and it is a revelation after my old Suomy £100 jobbie. Much lighter. Far less windnoise. Much better made fittings wise at least. And it has double D buckle which I think is much better than the buckle type.

[Falcopops]

Arai at the mo, but tried all sorts.

Fit is the main thing (for all I would guess).

I tried the Schuberth, damn quiet, but just doesn't fit.

Went away from flip fronts on safety grounds and lazer eye treatment got rid of specs.

My next one will decided on in order of fit/comfort, ventilation, weight, noise. Noise is last 'coz I got custom fit earplugs, expensive but well worth it.

[Falken]

Hi Stokesy,
I've got an Arai Astro R at the moment, it's the second Arai, and they wear really well, but quite a lot of wind noise.
I,ve also had Akito and Shark, but the padding went flat on them and made them lift at speed.
Go for something decent but make sure it is a good fit.

[Fat Harry]

Last hat was a Suomy, but as previously said, it's all about the correct fit !

[HowardQ]

For as long as I can remember I've only had Arai and Shoei.
Had my current Arai for the last 6 years, tried dozens of others in the shop when I bought it, mostly cheaper, then tried the Arai and it just felt perfect, still does, maybe a little bit looser now, then again my hair's thinned out a bit!
About time I replaced it I suppose, will again look at Arai, but also like the look of the Shoei Raid 2 and the X Spirit.
Arai is still the most likely though, even if they are not the quietest.

[Aladinsaneuk]

Went away from flip fronts on safety grounds

interesting - i think the front flip helmets are safer post accident as they guarentee access to airway for resus....

just a thought