Helmet Recommendations?

[YoungRider2010]

I have been shopping around a little bit for a motorcycle helmet. It doesn't take long to realize that there are a million different brands, sizes, styles, and price ranges. What exactly is the difference between a 100 dollar helmet or a 500 dollar helmet? Secondly, what style would you recommend, full face, 3/4 face, ect...? Ant brand recommendations or preferences?

Thanks! :??:

[YoungRider2010]

Same question for riding jackets. Leather or some other material? Any hints you can think of. Thanks again!

[Easy Rider]

What exactly is the difference between a 100 dollar helmet or a 500 dollar helmet? Secondly, what style would you recommend, full face, 3/4 face, ect...? Ant brand recommendations or preferences?


Price and features.
I think the HJC's are a good value.
Venting is important.
As for the rest, you just about have to visit a dealer for a good fit (size doesn't always tell the whole story) and a check of the feautres. Fit should be snug but not so tight as to give you a headache.
Full face gives the best protection but some find them too confining.

I have a full-face HJC and like it. Had to do a slight mod on the shield to cut down on noise though. Venting is just adequate.

Jackets: I like a full mesh with pads and removable liner. Don't think I could stand leather (even vented) in the summer....although leather gives better protection.

[YoungRider2010]

Thanks good to know. I like the full face style and protection aspects. But do the full face helmets hinder your vision at all? Like what to the side of you?

[Easy Rider]

Thanks good to know. I like the full face style and protection aspects. But do the full face helmets hinder your vision at all? Like what to the side of you?

Depends on the model and how wide your field of vision is to start with.
In my experience, no. That's what mirrors are for.....and your head swivels for a reason !! :biggrin:

[mrlmd1]

The helmet should at least have a DOT and/or Snell stamp of approval on it.
Don't buy one without that certification.
Try on a helmet to see if it fits, they come in all different sizes and head shapes. Don't buy on online unless you are replacing one you already had and you are sure of what it is.
And (we'll start this again), don't but a used helmet to save a few bucks, IMO.
I prefer full face, to save your chin and face as well as your head, and I don't think they restrict my vision.

For jackets - Leather is great for cooler weather, blocks out all the wind, mesh is better for warmer weather, allows some ventilation. Get both so you have a choice depending on the weather, don't have to buy them both at the same time.
Both should be armored/ padded for protection - that's why you have it on.

Get a good pair of heavy riding gloves for warmth in the colder weather and a lighter padded pair for warmer weather, as protection from road rash.

You also need a good pair of boots with nonslip soles and good ankle protection.

You may want to add armored pants or overpants, leather or fabric/cordura etc., to the list, especially useful in the cold.

If you search this site under gear, beginners, and other places, you 'll find many. many answers to those questions and more that you haven't thought of yet.
And even more ways to spend your money, the bike was just the beginning.

[YoungRider2010]

haha thats true. Thanks again!

[dhgeyer]

There are so many factors in selecting a helmet. How far do you normally ride, how fast, and for how long? What kind of windshield do you have on your bike, if any? And there is personal preference.

A few data points:

1. A very significant percentage of injuries occur to areas of the head that are not covered by anything other than a full face helmet, according to one European study.

2. A full face helmet protects you from a lot more than just crashes. The wind in your face is great at moderate speeds for a short time, but after a while the wind protection of a full face helmet is welcome. A FF helmet also keeps bugs and other flying objects off your face, and out of your eyes. I remember being temporarily blinded by a sand truck that passed me on the highway when I was wearing goggles. The same type of thing has happened a number of times when I was wearing a FF helmet, and it prevented the problem.

3. A FF helmet needs ventilation, especially when it's very hot, raining, or very cold (fogging). If you have a big windshield, big enough that you're just looking a couple of inches over the top of it, the air current set up by the windshield keeps the wind from ventilating your helmet. It also blows most of the bugs up and away from your face. So a FF helmet works best with a low windshield, or no windshield.

4. A well designed FF helmet will not impose any practical restriction on your vision. In fact, by protecting your eyes from the wind blast, it will allow you to see better over a longer period of time.

5. A good indication of quality in a helmet is the Snell Memorial Foundation sticker. They are a non-profit organization that set standards and do testing of helmet models. This is voluntary on the part of the helmet manufacturers, but the better ones do it to get the Snell certification. Their standards are more stringent than those of the DOT. Look for the Snell sticker. You don't have pay huge dollars for a Snell certified helmet. Most of the HJC models are Snell certified, except for the half helmets. Snell will not test or certify a half helmet.

6. I also use an HJC FF helmet - model CL-15. I find it to be very quiet right from the box, and the face shield swap is easy and fast. I like to ride with a clear and a smoked face shield along so that I don't have to wear sunglasses under my helmet. I used to ride with the much more expensive Arai helmets. I found that they are much noisier than the one I have now, and the face shield swap was harder. Arai does offer some nice features with adjustments and interiors that can be removed for washing, but I don't think they are any safer. If it's Snell certified, it's about as safe as you're going to get.

7. Whatever you buy, walk around the store with it on for a while. If it starts to hurt in certain spots, keep looking. A helmet should be tight enough that when you move it around a little bit your skin moves with the helmet, but not tight enough to be uncomfortable. It will loosen with time a bit, but I once fell into the trap of buying too small (on the advise of the sales person) on the theory that it would loosen up more than it did. I had headaches all the time with it on. Had to replace it.

A really good motorcycle jacket is, in my opinion, about as important a safety device as a helmet. About as many motorcyclists die from chest injuries as from head injuries, according to the Hurt Report, and other studies. You want foam armor in the elbows, shoulders, and on some of the newer ones, the back to protect the spine. I think ballistic nylon is better than leather, but some disagree. You want your jacket to have several vents that can be opened or closed. Waterproof is good. The jacket I currently have is more waterproof than any rain suit I ever had. Mine is also HI VIZ color, and I think that might help avoid trouble as well. I'm seeing more of those around now.

I also have a mesh motorcycle jacket for when it's just too hot for the regular one. It doesn't offer nearly the protection of my regular jacket, but if you allow yourself to get too hot, that's dangerous too, so sometimes you have to compromise. At least I do.

Last point: if you buy a leather motorcycle jacket, please buy it at a motorcycle shop and not Wilson's Leather or someplace like that. The leather stores sell some very stylish motorcycle jackets, but they're not made of the same kind of leather as a real motorcycle jacket, and will not give the same protection.

Good luck!

[YoungRider2010]

Im a new rider. I own a 2005 Gz250 with no windshield. My average speed is right around 30-35 mph. My average ride length, when I find a helmet so I can start riding, will be about 15-25 minutes.

[mrlmd1]

You will go faster with more experience and gained confidence, you will ride longer after you get over the anxiety and do it just for fun as well as going to work.
You may not need the windshield, but you do need the helmet, jacket and gloves. Get used to it now, ATGATT.
And you can still get seriously injured going slow, and for short rides.

[YoungRider2010]

Yes, I will NEVER ride without all of the gear. And I agree about the speed and length of rides. Being a beginner i'm definatly playing safe.

[dhgeyer]

For the kind of riding you describe, I think either a full face or a three quarter helmet would be fine, apart from the increased safety of the full face type. However, as you ride farther, faster, and longer, the FF will probably be a better bet.

We forgot to mention. One thing more money (not necessarily a whole lot more) can get you is lighter weight. This will be very much appreciated after a while. Some of the new composite shells are amazingly light, which makes them more comfortable to wear for long periods.

[Easy Rider]

However, as you ride farther, faster, and longer, the FF will probably be a better bet.

One thing more money (not necessarily a whole lot more) can get you is lighter weight.

As we ride farther, faster and longer......many of us find that a windshield is a better bet......and then the ability to deflect flying objects is less of a consideration for a helmet (I still use a full face though). :)

Excellent point on the weight; will try to remember that the next time I shop for a new one.

[Sarris]

In Florida, no one wears ATFGATFT. It's too damn hot. You'll have a heat stroke here long before you have an accident.

I ride in t-shirt, jeans, riding boots, a DOT 1/2 police type helmut (sp), and good sunglasses. I do wear a leather jacket, leather gloves and a 3/4 helmut (sp) in the winter.

Typically, all newbies are chickenshits. Time in the saddle will cure most of that. I'm 52 yrs old, been riding for 35+ years, and have been down twice. One time, really bad (in winter gear).

ATFGATFT would not have done shit for me in either accident, and for me, it's not worth having a heat stroke.

Now, before y'all jump up my ass, this old dog ain't changing. Don't waste your breath preaching. So, :fu:

PS; I'm not stupid, dense, or suicidal. I believe in freedom of choice. Keep the safety Nazis off my ass.

Have a Nice Day. :)

[YoungRider2010]

I don't know about you, but i'm gonna have to stick to wearing all my gear. Even in the summer and especially while i'm learning. I'm in Indiana so the heat isnt as much a big deal.

Another question...what is ATFGATFT?

[dhgeyer]

It's a variation on ATGATT (All the Gear All the Time), with, I gather, a couple of Nixonian expletives added. I suppose Sarris might have a point. After all, the safety gear only saved my life, and my wife's life, once. What's one teeny little time, really? ;-)

I think also, YoungRider, you make an excellent point about being particularly religious about ATGATT for the first couple of years. Which is not to say that it isn't important after that.

[Water Warrior 2]

ATGATT= All The Gear All The Time. ATFGATFT= add an F word at your discretion.

Helmet, I wear a HJC Metallic Flip Face. Cheapest of their Flips and pretty decent overall. More arrow dynamic than my CL -14 or the other HJC whatever it is. New Enough has them on for a great price, they also have many other models/makes at good prices. Good folks to deal with and a generous return policy if needed. Check out their site and browse for a while.

[YoungRider2010]

Will do, thanks.

[alantf]

I ride in t-shirt, jeans, riding boots, a DOT 1/2 police type helmut (sp), and good sunglasses. I do wear a leather jacket, leather gloves and a 3/4 helmut (sp) in the winter.



Sarris and I seem to be on the same wavelength. Apart from the helmet (I always wear a 3/4, to cut down the noise) I generally ride in T-shirt & jeans (like everyone else around here) and recently it's been so hot that I've been riding locally in shorts, to try & get some breeze to cool me down.

However ............. When that car sideswiped me, a couple of months ago, & the bike went down, it was a cool day, so I was wearing a leather jacket (unarmoured), gauntlets & boots (cowboy boots with a non-slip sole added). The grazes on the jacket show that it saved me from road rash.

This still doesn't stop me riding in a T-shirt when it's hot. It just shows that the older you get, the more stubborn you get! :2tup: :2tup: :2tup:

[Easy Rider]

After all, the safety gear only saved my life, and my wife's life, once. What's one teeny little time, really? ;-)


Was it the jacket and pants that accomplished that feat.......or the helmet ??

Heat stroke is a REAL danger in the South ....and even the mid-west during the "dog days" of summer. The best way to prevent injury is to prevent the "accident" in the first place. If you pass out and veer into oncomming traffic.......?????? A little extra trama when you are already in shock might be all that it takes.

It is a PERSONAL decision. Preaching to newbies is all fine and good......but chewing on someone who has seen 60+ years (or there-abouts) is like talking to a rock. At some point, comfort becomes just as important as safety. I often cruise around town without a helmet.

There is, however, a compromise too. I've ridden in 90 degree weather with a mesh jacket and long pants and helmet and it is bearable......until you come to a stop. Even that is too much if you get trapped in stop-and-go traffic.

[mrlmd1]

They make cooling vests you can wear under the mesh jacket to stay cool. Some of these things have those gel freezer packs in them some of them you wet so you get more evaporative cooling. You can always wet down your tee shirt under the mesh jacket.
One thing you have to be careful about riding in the heat is actually getting dehydrated, from insensible water loss due to evaporation from your skin in the wind. Some riders actually like the windproof or even leather jackets when on a trip to cut down on water loss and they say it actually keeps them cooler in a long ride.
It's not bad till you stop and sit in the sun. For me, even with all the vents open, my helmet and head is all wet, but unless I'm just going around the corner, I always wear it.

[YoungRider2010]

Thats interesting. I never would have thought about dehydrating from skin due to wind. Makes sense, I just never thought about it. Good tips.

[dhgeyer]

Was it the jacket and pants that accomplished that feat.......or the helmet ??

Both. I tumbled and rolled 100 feet (I paced it off later). My helmet was marked up all over. If it had been a 3/4 or 1/2 helmet, I probably would be one of those guys without a chin. No helmet, and I'd have been a vegetable or dead. The initial impact for me with the road was on my armored right shoulder. It was sore for a year, but has healed up now, two years later with no medical intervention. I got up and walked away at the time. My jacket was severely abraded in several places that would otherwise would have been my skin. Without the shoulder armor I probably would have been crippled.

My wife must have hit something. To this day we don't know what. She blacked out. There is no question that she would have died without the full face helmet. As it is, she suffered a traumatic brain injury. Her short term memory, multitasking, and concentration have all been affected. She is very thankful to be alive. Her jacket was not as heavily armored as mine, unfortunately. We had tried to find one like mine for her, but they didn't sell them in women's sizes anywhere we tried. She suffered 26 fractures to 20 bones, mostly ribs, all above the waist and below the neck. Also 2 punctured lungs. She will always have chronic back pain, and it limits what she can do and how long she can do it. Still, it was better than a non-motorcycle jacket, or no jacket, and her internal injuries would have been worse without it, and I doubt she would have survived them. It was close as it was.

I agree that overheating to the point where your brain doesn't work is at least as dangerous as riding without a jacket. I ride with a 3/4 helmet in very hot weather, if I'm riding the Concours, which has a large windshield. I've tried a lot of windshield/helmet combinations, and have come to the conclusion that full face helmets are designed to be out in the moving air in order to ventilate properly. They can't do that behind a big windshield. Medium windshields cause buffeting on a helmet. Full face helmets function best with a windshield that is short enough to put the turbulence at or below the shoulders. This will keep the pressure off your chest at highway speeds, and let the FF helmet do its job.

A mesh jacket with nothing other than a T-shirt under it does almost nothing to add to overheating, and will give a lot of road rash protection. Even mesh jackets come with armored elbows and shoulders, which can prevent broken bones as well. Some have armored backs to protect the spine. A wet T-shirt is even better in very hot weather. Under a mesh jacket, a wet T-shirt will keep you cool under pretty hot conditions. You have to re-wet it once in a while.

I've ridden well into the 90's with a mesh jacket and 3/4 helmet without overheating as long as I kept moving (and drinking water). I can't talk about over a hundred, as I have never done it. On the few occasions when it gets that hot around here, I take the Prius and crank up the AC.

[Easy Rider]

A wet T-shirt is even better in very hot weather. Under a mesh jacket, a wet T-shirt will keep you cool under pretty hot conditions. You have to re-wet it once in a while.


I haven't found that to be a problem. It seems to keep itself moist somehow!! :biggrin:

Although I'm sure some extra water would probably help.

[Sarris]

DH, I am certainly glad you have both pulled through as well as you have. The outcome could have been much worse. Your story does emphasize a personal rule of mine.

I NEVER CARRY A PASSENGER!! They add to the bike weight, they make the bike handle and manuver like shit, as well as impairing acceleration and increasing stopping distances.

The only exceptions I would make are for a hack or trike. PERIOD

Consider this: It could be possible that you may have avoided the accident entirely or had a less severe accident had you not been carrying a passenger.

If a woman wants to ride with me, she damn well better have her own bike, or we take the cage. I don't want anyone elses life in my hands.

:chop:

[dhgeyer]

Well, it won't be an issue for us in the future, since my wife is no longer physically able to ride, passenger or otherwise.

[Water Warrior 2]

Severe dehydration and heat will really mess you up. In 06 I had my first long distant ride. I was not smart enough at the time to carry and drink water. Half way throught the first day and temps at 96 F in the shade. Then it really warmed up. Finished my first day and was forced to stay put for 2 days with leg and foot cramps that were extremely painful. I could not even sleep in an A/C equiped hotel room I hurt so much. Since then I have to take meds on a daily basis to avoid cramps. You don't have to crash to have lasting effects of bike riding. Oddly enough the day I left after my recuperating, I rode in 5 hours of rain(no rain gear) and very low temps for that area. Hypothermia set in and I got real dumb. After almost leaving the highway 2 times I finally figure it was time to stop. A real learning experience and lucky to be alive. Since then I have tried to always have proper gear on my body or in the side cases when needed. The proper gear is out there for every ocassion, just have to find it.

[alantf]

I NEVER CARRY A PASSENGER!! They add to the bike weight, they make the bike handle and manuver like shit, as well as impairing acceleration and increasing stopping distances.



I agree with the second part, & wish I could accomplish the first part. Unfortunately, traffic is so heavy on the local village streets over here that when we go to the local town (around 7 miles) we can do it easily in 15 minutes. In the car it could take us over an hour, so we've no choice really.

[dhgeyer]

Actually, rethinking the passenger issue, I can't fully agree with the assertion. I think it depends on the bike and other possible mitigating circumstances. The Concours, the bike we were riding at the time of the accident, weighs close to 700 pounds, and is very top heavy. I weigh about 185. My wife weighs about 125. She's a small enough percentage of the total weight that the difference in handling/braking was insignificant. Given the nature of the accident, which I have described elsewhere, I do not believe that her weight was a factor in having the accident or not having the accident.

The alternative at the time was for her to ride her own bike. She has a license, but never rode very much. She had her own bike. We were both riding Honda Shadow VLX 600's. We decided that it would be safer, given how into it I was and how little she rode, if we got a bigger bike and rode together. If we had been on individual bikes at the time of the accident, Sue would have been in the lead, as we always rode that way so that she could set a pace that was comfortable to her. Being fairly inexperienced, she would never have been able to avoid the direct collision, and would probably be dead.

So, while in general the statement is true that a passenger makes a bike less responsive, there are situations where, for one reason or another, it still may be the best idea, short of staying home in bed. Actually, I'm terrified to go to bed. Statistically being in bed is the most dangerous thing you can ever do. That's where most people die.

[patrick_777]

That's why Sarris never has sex. Statistically speaking, more people over the age is 85 die from having sex than from riding motorcycles. He's just playing the odds.

[Sarris]

Everybody is a comedian.

:skull:

DH, you may think the difference is "insignificant", but all the articles I've read, the MSF, and most peoples experience supports my statement above. Bikes handle and perform SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE with a higher load.

Ass, luggage, dog, parts, it doesn't matter. Passengers are typically the worst of all. They move and sqirm.

Set a 150 lb weight on your passenger seat and measure your acceleration, avoidance manuvers and braking distances. There is no bike that is not affected.

:whistle:

[dhgeyer]

That's why Sarris never has sex. Statistically speaking, more people over the age is 85 die from having sex than from riding motorcycles. He's just playing the odds.

Remember, it's not WHO you ride, it's THAT you ride!

Since I weigh 185+-, I've found that it's much safer to ride without myself on the bike.

[VTXorcist]

Gonna digress from the argument, which is a good one but comes down to the level of risk each individual rider is comfortable with, IMHO. I got that Proficient Motorcycling book last night, on the advice of a ton of you here on this forum, and I thought the stats about experience range vs likelihood of serious accident were really surprising.

Basically, you're about 50% more likely to have an accident during your first 6 months of riding (actually more than that, since the average factors in the first 6 months as well). Ok, no real shocker there. The surprising part was that you're even MORE likely to have an accident between 2-3 years of experience riding. The author theorizes that this is the point when riders start getting overconfident and pushing the envelope, plus when they start laying off the protective gear.

I thought that was relevant because that's about when I switched from full armor to jeans and a T-shirt (I still use a FF helmet, though. It's one of things where, once you get used to it, it's no big hassle.) I wish I had never gotten out of the habit of wearing full gear, too, since I want my wife to wear full gear when she starts riding here in a few weeks. So, I started wearing my gear again today for the first time and it about killed me (90 deg F here in NC). I'm going to suffer through it, though, and I do remember it being tolerable back when I was used to wearing it all the time.

Thank goodness I have a mesh jacket!

[bonehead]

With the hottest July on record, daily temps well over 100f, I have gone to doo-rag, t-shirt and shorts for my 10 mile commute to work.(All back road). Tried the helmet and pants but started to get dizzy. Central TX. is burning UP!!

[YoungRider2010]

I also bought the book. Its great.

[Krazy Kraut]

My neighbour has a Full face GMAX helmet was under $100 and she loves it. It has 16 vents and it realy keeps her cool. She rode her buike from KS to Yellow stone and S. Dakota and back. She would never buy another one again.
I personetly have a Scorpion fullface and i love it. I would do LOTS of shopping and trying helmets. No matter what brans, as long as it fits right and is comfortable. (of course the price matters sometimes too).
Good luck!