FINALLY FOUND A PERFECT MOTORCYCLE HELMET!

[chief38]

I have been looking for a suitable motorcycle helmet to replace my Harley-Davidson Ultra Jet 3/4 helmet that is now 12 years old. Helmets do break down over time due to heat, sweat, age and the ocassional dropping on the ground and apparently the "experts" suggest replacing a helmet every 5 - 7 years so I was long overdue!

I've searched long and hard for a SNELL rated 3/4 helmet with a multi positionable face shield for over 3 weeks and finally found what I was looking for. It is the Arai brand XC model in Diamond black. It has everything I wanted including the Snell rating and will also accept the new J&M Elite series communications system I am waiting for to arrive. I can't wait to ride with it this weekend! PROPER air venting is also very important to me - my old Ultra Jet model was vented but not very well and was just about worthless.

Since there was no one in my area that sold this particular helmet, I found a place on-line (Revzilla) that was exceptionally helpful in helping me order the correct size and assured me that if I was not happy with it for any reason I could return it for a 100% refund - no questions asked.

So far I am very happy and I got the best price I could find. At $458.00 it is certainly NOT cheap, but it was the highest rated helmet of it's type from anyone I could find.

Just wanted to give some of the motorcyclists here the head-up just in case they are in the market for a new, safe, top rated and comfortable helmet.

PS: there are very similar helmets for less money however they are NOT Snell rated which is important to me. There are also some that are Snell rated but hat do NOT have the multi positionable face shield. This one had all the features I was looking for.

Arai XC Helmet - RevZilla

 

[Tom S.]

This one looks like it offers better protection, but I'm not sure about the cost or availability.

 

[jmtgsx]

Nice lid! I always bought Arai. Never understood folks spending tens of thousands on a bike and cutting corners in the helmet department. Silly trusting your life to anything less than the best.

 

[BUFF]

Bell Helmets, which were what anybody with a clue wore back in the 1960's and 1970's, used to run ads that said, "If you've got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet."

I like the 3/4 style the best. Looks like a very nice lid.

 

[chief38]

This one looks like it offers better protection, but I'm not sure about the cost or availability.

View attachment 249836

I knwo I have a big head - but that might be a wee bit loose!

 

[okiegtrider]

My current favorite. Made by Icon.

 

[chief38]

I agree that a full face helmet gives even better protection than the 3/4 models and I have tried to like them in the past - just can't get past the loss of peripheral vision and heat. If you can deal with the full face models they will give the best change of minimal damage if one goes down. I'll just have to take my chances with the 3/4 as that is about the most closed in I can tolerate.

 

[okiegtrider]

Silly pics aside, two things I like about this particular helmet are good visibility, compared to other full face helmets I've used in the past can see out of this one pretty good. And, it vents very well.

They aren't for everyone. Fortunately, like guns, we got choices.

 

[CBus660R]

I'm a full face kind of guy, but a quality 3/4 is soooooo much better than no lid I'm not gonna quibble. I tried riding a few times with no helmet, but for anything over city riding at 35MPH I couldn't stand all the wind in my face and especially over my ears. I see guys on sport bikes and choppers w/o a fairing on the highway with no helmet and wonder how they can handle all the abuse to their head without going crazy (and I'm not even talking about what would happen when the rubber is no longer on the road).

 

[Big Cholla]

I am alive today because of the my Bell 3/4 helmet and its superb performance in protecting my head while I was trying to plow a furrow thru desert rocks. I now wear nothing but Shoei Full Face on the street. ..........

 

[JohnHL]

I agree that a full face helmet gives even better protection than the 3/4 models and I have tried to like them in the past - just can't get past the loss of peripheral vision and heat. If you can deal with the full face models they will give the best change of minimal damage if one goes down. I'll just have to take my chances with the 3/4 as that is about the most closed in I can tolerate.

Me, too!
I tried a full face when the helmet salesman brought one into the dealership I was working at in 1971. It was very cold that night and I appreciated the warmth while riding but I could never get over the feeling of being closed in. To me, being out in the open is one of the things that make riding so much fun.
Also, plastic shields always get scratched and cloudy. Over the 35 years of working in dealerships I discovered that the shields for full face helmets are proprietary and varied as snowflakes. Not cheap either.
The classic 5 snap flat shield for the 3/4 helmet is available everywhere and almost cheap enough to be considered in the same category as a tear-off.
Open face for me (But no skid lids. I still like to get "sporty".)

John

 

[Bekeart]

Started riding back in 58.
Bought my first helmet back in 64.
Had to order it to get my size in a Snell approved one.
A week later I was able to pick up the helmet.
TWO HOURS later I needed it.
Car ran into me.
I had black paint, from the hood, on right forehead area.

ALWAYS bought Snell approved. Not sure how much better.
BUT, I feel better knowing ...

Bekeart

 

[BigBill]

I always rely on a good brain bucket. Once it's been hit, replace it because they can be cracked on the inside and be rated unsafe to use.

Snell has a higher rating to meet. It's a better rated helmet over DOT.

 

[Marshwheeling]

Actually, there has been an ongoing debate over whether Snell helmets really protect your brain better than some DOT helmets. Snell-rated helmets are built to the highest standards, and protect best against impact and penetration. However, a lot of damage to your brain is caused by its sloshing around inside your skull. There is a school of thought that says a helmet that is not as unyielding as a Snell helmet will cushion these impacts better than a Snell helmet. A good $150 helmet may actually be easier on your brain than a $600 Arai.

In any case, the difference in price does not buy you much, if anything in the way of better protection for your head. What you do get for your money is fit, comfort, lighter weight, and features like better ventilation. The most important consideration in buying a helmet is to pick the one that fits you the best, even though it may cost less.

I have always bought Shoei helmets because they fit me best. But my last two helmets have been Arai XD, which list for something north of $600, but can easily be had for more like $400. I have also found the Arais to be very comfortable.

I have some open-face helmets, too, but I have broken enough chin bars to know that I do not want to spend a lot of time riding without full face coverage.

 

[chief38]

Marsh.....

I DO agree that protection against a crash is one issue, but the daily comfort, ventilation, visibility and overall quality is something that's well worth the money of the Arai alone.

 

[Tom S.]

Actually, there has been an ongoing debate over whether Snell helmets really protect your brain better than some DOT helmets. Snell-rated helmets are built to the highest standards, and protect best against impact and penetration. However, a lot of damage to your brain is caused by its sloshing around inside your skull. There is a school of thought that says a helmet that is not as unyielding as a Snell helmet will cushion these impacts better than a Snell helmet. A good $150 helmet may actually be easier on your brain than a $600 Arai.

In any case, the difference in price does not buy you much, if anything in the way of better protection for your head. What you do get for your money is fit, comfort, lighter weight, and features like better ventilation. The most important consideration in buying a helmet is to pick the one that fits you the best, even though it may cost less.

I have always bought Shoei helmets because they fit me best. But my last two helmets have been Arai XD, which list for something north of $600, but can easily be had for more like $400. I have also found the Arais to be very comfortable.

I have some open-face helmets, too, but I have broken enough chin bars to know that I do not want to spend a lot of time riding without full face coverage.

I'll preface with saying I don't know jack about helmets, but the above logic is very sound. It's why auto companies design crush zones and air bags into cars. It was found that a lot of people died from internal injuries caused by the sudden stop of a car in an accident. The internal organs going from as little as 40 mph to zero in a millisecond caused them to rupture, and consequently death ensued. Although the time frame isn't a lot, extending the time from speed to stop by instigating crash zones that absorb impact and slow the process down, as well as bags that also aid in slowing down the deceleration process, even by milliseconds, was found to cushion the impact on the internal organs and greatly improve surviability. So what you said about a helmet absorbing impact rather than transferring it to the brain makes perfect sense.

 

[Arik]

This one looks like it offers better protection, but I'm not sure about the cost or availability.

View attachment 249836



[emoji14]

OMG it's Dark Helmet!!!

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[Arik]

When I rode bikes I had one of those sport bike helmets. At that time there was a helmet made in England that looked like a fighter pilot's helmet. I always wanted to buy it but back then the conversion rate was not in my favor and i would have been paying close to $500 USD

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[BigBill]

OMG it's Dark Helmet!!!

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LUKE IM NOT YOUR FATHER WHERE GOING ON THE MAURY SHOW WHOS YOUR DADDY.

 

[BigBill]

A new helmet must fit snug at first. It should remold to the shape of your head as it breaks in. It should never be loose or too tight. If it sees one crash you should get a new one. Keeping your brain safe is at stake here there's no mulligan here.

Too loose you get hit with the crash forces twice.
Too tight you get more of the crash forces than you should.
The right fit the cushion absorbs the crash force..

Remember no helmet, no shirts, wearing shorts with sandals makes the EMTs easier to work on you. Please wear your leathers, boots and a shell helmet.