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]

Originally Posted by YoungRider2010

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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.