Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

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trifgeorge
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Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by trifgeorge »

I'm willing to change my helmet and I have some difficulties deciding what helmet I should buy.
So I decided to start this topic where people can review the helmets they had and have. These reviews should be quite effective as we have similar bikes and our position on them is quite related and the redirected wind by the fairings and windscreen hit our heads/body at about the same angle.
The review should be made on these criteria:
Weight:
High speed (60 MPH +) lift or drag:
Ventilation:
Noise (low frequency booming noise and whistling noise):
Defogging:
Existence of neck roll or chin curtain:
And other extra features like internal sun visor or rear view mirror and so on.
You may also come with a link to a picture of the helmet.

I'm first:
Actual helmet
Nexx X30 Flip Up Helmet
Weight (on size small): 1620 grams -+ 25 grams
High speed (60 MPH +) lift or drag: there is no high speed lift or drag on this helmet; it does feel pretty heavy but well balanced on the head and it looks pretty big on my head when I look in the mirror but it does not have a fish bowl feeling.
Ventilation: It has no direct chin ventilation ( the air from the chin vent is directed to the visor. The top vents work but just that; they don't flow a very noticeable amount of air. Is has 2 air extractors in the rear spoiler that are permanently on.
Noise: It make a lot of noise at speeds above 60 MPH. Not whistling noise, but low frequency booming noise. The padding in the lower area of the helmet is not as tight to my neck as I wish. There is also the wind turbulence from the standard windshield that induces some noise; I say this because I can notice that the noise gets lower if I move my head slightly upwards. I'm sure that I could solve this with a neck roll and a chin curtain (as there is some wind coming up in the helmet betwenn my chin and front of the helmet).
Defogging: Works well if you ride above 10 mph.
It does not come standard with chin curtain and neck roll. It has an internal sun visor that works great and it's easy to remove. The liner is comfortable in fully removable.

I also tried an Shoei XR 1000 size S last night for 5 minutes.
Weight: 1350g -+ 50 g ( It felt so light that I could not tell the difference between wearing nothing and wearing the helmet on my head)
High speed (60 MPH +) lift or drag: None what so ever
Ventilation: Quite a good amount of ventilation from the 2 top vents, and the chin vent directs air towars the faceshield for defogging.
Noise (low frequency booming noise and whistling noise): This helmet also had the low frequency booming noise that comes from the lack of padding in the neck area but the booming noise began from 87 MPH; also when I lifted my shoulders to compensate for the lack of a neckrool, all the noise has gone away and my head was like under water with only the noise of my extremely loud muffler in the background. It also looks like it's not affected by the noise induced by the standard windshield on my bike.
Defogging: I have not had time or the condition to check the defogging.
Existence of neck roll or chin curtain: none of them
The helmet has a faceshield lock option so it wont lift in case of a crash or high speed riding. That is all I could notice as I had to give it back to the owner after the ride.
1992 Yamaha FZR 600 3HE with:
GSX600F fully adjustable rebound forks
GSX600F front wheel with full floating disks
Sigma BC 1009 speedometer
YZF 600 Thundercat tank
Red Rizoma like grips
R6 pilot seat
Complete custom made tail with custom made rear seat
Led front and rear signals and tail light
Custom fiberglass electrics box
R6 Voltage regulator
Custom made rearset hangers
Custom made A123 LiFePO4 battery
KOSO mirrors
GSXR600SRAD swingarm-rear wheel assemby with 180/55/17 Michelin Pilot Power 2CT rear tyre
FZR1000 hydraulic clutch
H1 HID
Hand made mirror plates
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delvryboy
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Re: Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by delvryboy »

ICON Airframe
'92 FZR600
Race Tech Springs & Gold Valve Emulators * '06 R6 MC & Calipers * '06 R6 Rear Shock
130 Dynojet Mains/Pods/Flo-Comander * Full Yoshi Exhaust w/ Custom Can
'06 R6 VR * Full OEM Clutch * 14/49 520 Gearing
Seca II Triple w/ Modded Sport Tour Bars * Aztec8 Dual 4" w/ 4100K Halagon lamps * LED Tail/Turn Signals * Vapor Gauges
Lots of Powder
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yamaha_george
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Re: Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by yamaha_george »

A Valentino Rossi replica just happened to fall in my back pack as I was wandering round the bike store (well that is my story and I am sticking by it ) lOl
FZRDave91
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Re: Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by FZRDave91 »

My current helmet is a Suomy Vandal.
It's light weight, hasn't ever fogged up, and has enough graphics on it to hopefully grab the attention of motorists.
I hardly feel it on my head, and it is very comfortable at all speeds. It breathes well enough, but is still kind of noisy over 60MPH.

I also had a Suomy Spec1R Pogialli replica for a while. Lightest helmet I have owned, I loved it. Never fogged up, did great in the rain and in the winter time. My only complaint ( other than the price ) was that it was the noisiest helmet I have ever worn. It sounded like a typhoon was going on inside it at highway speeds, but it breathed so well that I guess that was the trade-off. It met it's end when it fell off the top of my sisters truck onto the asphalt driveway :-/ It looked ok, but I dont take chances with dropped helmets.
1991 FZR600 w/ YZF VR Upgrade, Twin Headlight conversion
1981 XS400 Cafe build.
Can't ya tell I like Yamahas?
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crowe
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Re: Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by crowe »

My lids are...

Shark S800 fusion tec, great lid, quiet, light, good ventilation and VERY easy visor swap. just don't like the retention buckle much!

KBC XP3, very comfortable, fully removable lining, DD rind retention (my favorite), not too heavy and very stable at speed with no buffeting, alot of lid for the money!!

HJC IS16, great fit, light, internal sunvisor, good vents. fogs up fast though.

ARAI Chaser, great lid but compared to my others dosn't give me anything more than i already have.

in my opinion the likes of ARAI, SHOEI are more of a status symbol. looking at the crash tests i've read they don't fare much better than alot of helmets that are half the price!

like all these things though it's mainly down to the shape of your head to what lid you buy (and your budget).
1994 FZR1000EXUP RU
1994 VFR750FR
1998 GSXR600SRAD
1988 CBR600
2001 FAZER600
2001 HORNET 600
1987 VFR400Z (NC21)
1998 TZR125
1987 RD125LC MK2
Bike_junkie
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Re: Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by Bike_junkie »

Icon Variant
Great for around town, the visor really helps keep sun out of your eyes without a tinted shield. Lift depends on how you tilt your head on the highway.

HJC CL-16
Not bad, about average for my experience, mainly got it for the snell 2010 rating for track days.
Havent had anything more expensive as they all carry the same ratings and these fit fine for the money.
cb175 cafe sitting in storage
88 fzr4/6, only the frame is stock
CrazySkullCrusher
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Re: Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by CrazySkullCrusher »

Icon alliance, reasonably quiet, comfortable, fogs up a bit at a stop on a cold night, a little heavy but offers great protection.
96 fzr600. R1 body kit.

94 xj600 seca 2: complete upgrade restoration.

73 Honda cb750 four: bored out 178 over (850 cc) street cam, smoothbore carbs, velocity stacks, corbin king-queen seat, 4-1 header with modified megaphone exhaust, dyna-s ignition, too many other mods to mention and still under construction.

72 Suzuki ts90 cci. First bike ever, bone stock and still starts with 2 kicks.
Angry7m
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Re: Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by Angry7m »

Would be nice to see more reviews as im looking to buy my first helmet ever :headbang:
JasonRDfan
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Re: Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by JasonRDfan »

I use a Joe Rocket 101size large. fits my head perfect! like they made it exactly for my head shape and size. other than that it is just average, no complaints, not great at anything. I heard great things about their carbon fiber. I think I will get one sometime, when I do I will do a thorough review with pictures. does anyone have one yet?
92 fzr600 Vance & Hines edition, galindo f1 grips, Vance & Hines super sport complete exhaust, oem clutch with Vance & Hines springs, Piaa horn, Hella headlight, Vance & Hines power pak, passenger seat cowl, 07 r6 regulator, ballistic evo2 8 cell, JT 14 tooth sprocket, Joe Florida sportbike multi-color led kit, galindo bar ends,
chalkysuper7
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Re: Helmets. Review what are you wearing.

Post by chalkysuper7 »

My current and new helmet AGV Horizon

Very light wieght 1300gram with internal sun visor
Its Very stable and does not lift or drag, it has a fancy little spoiler on the back, Great ventilation that clears any fogging instantly
Very aggresive styling, and fantastic padding and confort, fully removable lining and chin guard.
DD rings with extra stud for security, there are reflective panels in the padding at the base of the helmet too.
There is some noise from the lever that lowers the internal visor but its not overly annoying

Generally i would say its a 9/10 for this helmet
FZR 1000 1987 ( 1988 Black Fairings ) Standard
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