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Expensive helmet vs. cheap one

I've had more than my share of crashes. The only accident I suffered any head injury (temporary loss of memory - my name, age, where I worked, etc...) was in the most expensive helmet I have ever owned.
 
I don't like to go below $200 normal price. Generally I just snag what used to be a 300+ dollar helmet for under $200 on clearance.

After a certain point you're paying for comfort (noise reduction/longer lasting cheek pads, ease of shield removal) craftsmanship of hinges, vents, etc. All in all I trust most helmets to do their primary job, which is to protect your head.

However, like my helmet, you get what you pay for when you get a $150 clearance and the front vent switch and guard just snaps off and disappears one day two weeks into owning it.
Luckily there is clear packing tape to cover the hole. xP

Incidentally, it still fits better and is more comfortable for me than any Arai I've put on. $700 isn't going to make my head fit it.
 
The best helmet is the one that fits you the best and is the most comfortable so that you'll want to wear it and ride.
 
Gabe said:
And they test the US models of helmet on the UK website? And you're certain the UK/Euro models of the same-named models we have here are the exact same identical thing?

I'll save you some work--I said a similar thing in an article and was handed my ass by my editor and helmet reps: most helmets sold in the US are not the same as those sold in Europe, with the exceptions of a few brands (Shark, AGV and a few others). Therefore, SHARPS is of limited use to US consumers.
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Valid point. Thank you.
I sent them an Email regarding which brands are similar and which aren't. Let's see what they have to say...
 
Gabe said:
Don't do that, because you will not want to ride a motorcycle. A helmet provides only moderate protection, and how much you spend on it changes that just a tiny bit...if any.
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I'm so with you that that's actually what I mean. It's being realistic about what you're getting, whacking your melon hard on something would blow no matter what. so isn't that even more reason to find the helmet that really holds your head right? and for sure there are only a few helmets that'll do it, you know it by feeling it, you can't just pick a price and walk out :laughing

and hell yeah they should think about that, we both still wanna ride our motorcycle, right? if someone's riding around comfortably because theyre burying the thought of crashing, that's scary as hell man they shouldn't be riding
 
IMO, those that are saying that all helmets provide the same amount of protection may be technically correct (more or less), but totally miss the point. Protection in a crash is the primary reason that we wear a helmet, but it's not what we experience about a helmet day in and day out. Fit, field of vision, quality of the face shield, fogging and ventilation, noise, quality of materials, paint, liner feel, removable and washable liners... the list can go on and on about ways that expensive helmets are different than cheap helmets. All of these are obvious every time you ride.

The argument that there's no point in spending $$ on an expensive helmet over a cheap one because they both protect you the same is just as ridiculous as saying that a Camry is identical to a Mercedes because their airbags both work the same.
 
What I look for in a helmet are fit, comfort, build quality, and functional features in decreasing importance. It must be at least a DOT for me, but there are so many ways to die on a moto without ever sustaining a head injury... Scratch that. I suppose when I go, I might as well look fast... It's all about graphics :w00t
 
Butch said:
DOT means nothing. Snell and the British standard are tested. Snell tests randomly off the shelf and pulls thier certification from manufacturers that do not build to the level of shock absorption that they have submitted.
<clip...> Huge differences in protection out there.

DOT means nothing. <clip...>
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This ^^^

You want a Snell Certified Helmet.
 
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Not even the best helmet (with the exception of that experimental one with the air pockets) can protect you from getting a concussion and/or potentially lethal brain hemorrhage. They're just a hard shell to prevent your skull from splitting open, really. You don't have to pay $1000 for that.
 
HighAbuser said:
This ^^^

You want a Snell Certified Helmet.
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Snell has it's own set of political BS associated with it. For example, I just bought a new Shoei GT Air. It isn't Snell certified because apparently having a flip-up internal sun shade is an automatic disqualifier for Snell certification despite the fact that the way Shoei has designed it may make it perfectly safe. Certification gives some insight into a helmet's safety, but some common sense also needs to be applied.
 
JPK said:
Snell has it's own set of political BS associated with it. For example, I just bought a new Shoei GT Air. It isn't Snell certified because apparently having a flip-up internal sun shade is an automatic disqualifier for Snell certification despite the fact that the way Shoei has designed it may make it perfectly safe. Certification gives some insight into a helmet's safety, but some common sense also needs to be applied.
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What political b.s.? It's a non-profit organization. The main reason that some helmets are not SNELL certified, even though they might qualify, is cost. The manufacturer must do the testing and random helmets must pass. If your market doesn't need SNELL to buy your lid, you won't bother doing it. Most decent helmets will pass BSE and DOT standards, but may not pass SNELL. BSE is a good gauge of safety. DOT not so much.


BTW. My on-sale, but still $700 Shoei X-12 is noisy as hell. I am pissed. My Shoei X-11 was not bad. However, Shoei did send me tighter cheek pads to help, for FREE. It isn't the real problem, but it helped a little. I think I will have to buy another helmet before my track season begins. Expensive bummer.
 
Yeah...see how your $99 Bilt holds up to the Arai in the video below. But they're really all the same, right? :rofl

I had a Scorpion 1000, a good DOT/Snell rated lid. Went down in a big hurry from a double deer strike. SLAPPED my head on the right side of the helmet in less than the blink of an eye. It was a horrific impact that I'll never forget. It was the ONLY impact the helmet received and it did it's job, didn't even have a headache or pain from that aspect of the get off. Shoulder and hip, a different story. Problem is, the inferior (IMO) shell material that worked well on that single impact, cracked in the area of impact. Don't get me wrong, it saved my life. No helmet and my head would have just exploded on impact. However, I don't think that helmet would have worked to well for me had I had more then one impact in that or surrounding area. I'm glad I didn't test it, though.

I own 5 Arais now.


bike - crash - nakano crashes & skids at 200 mph
 
clutchslip said:
What political b.s.? It's a non-profit organization. The main reason that some helmets are not SNELL certified, even though they might qualify, is cost. The manufacturer must do the testing and random helmets must pass. If your market doesn't need SNELL to buy your lid, you won't bother doing it. Most decent helmets will pass BSE and DOT standards, but may not pass SNELL. BSE is a good gauge of safety. DOT not so much.


BTW. My on-sale, but still $700 Shoei X-12 is noisy as hell. I am pissed. My Shoei X-11 was not bad. However, Shoei did send me tighter cheek pads to help, for FREE. It isn't the real problem, but it helped a little. I think I will have to buy another helmet before my track season begins. Expensive bummer.
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You're right. "Political BS" was a poorly worded way of saying rules that aren't necessarily indicative of safety performance, i.e., a flip-up internal sun visor being an automatic disqualifier.

FWIW - my new GT Air replaces my Shoei X11. I tried on the X12 and it didn't fit me well at all compared to the X11. The X11 was definitely more of an intermediate oval than the X12. In the current Shoei lineup the RF1100 is their most oval helmet. The X12 is more round, and the Qwest is even more round. The GT Air is basically an RF1100 with new bells and whistles. For my oval head it fit better than my old X11, and as well as the Arai Signet Q.
 
JPK said:
FWIW - my new GT Air replaces my Shoei X11. I tried on the X12 and it didn't fit me well at all compared to the X11. The X11 was definitely more of an intermediate oval than the X12. In the current Shoei lineup the RF1100 is their most oval helmet. The X12 is more round, and the Qwest is even more round.
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Thanks for the info. If they will put the outrageously beautiful graphics, like the Glory2 on something else, I am in. I am such a shallow whoosie.

"It's better to look marvelous, darling, than to feel marvelous."
:teeth
 
Oh My Sack! said:
Yeah...see how your $99 Bilt holds up to the Arai in the video below. But they're really all the same, right? :rofl

I had a Scorpion 1000, a good DOT/Snell rated lid.
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Are you SURE it was Snell rated? Because multiple impacts is a main thing that sets Snell standards apart from other standards. That would be horrible to think the Scorpion slipped through the testing cracks.
 
A $1000 poorly fitting helmet will protect you less than a $200 well fitting one. No, money is NOT the only factor that determines safety.
 
I feel like a bit of an expert here unfortunately...

I’ve owned a few helmets through the years now, for arguments sake they are as follows in chronological order:

Shoei X-11 *crashed 60-70 mph, head hit pavement*
KBC something or other ($200ish)
Shark RSR2 (great helmet)
X-lite X-802 *taken out big time, approximately 110-115mph, my ass skipped like a rock down the front straight at Fontana*

I would never, repeat NEVER buy a cheap helmet (KBC) again. When I crashed in the Shoei several years back there was a popular article going around online about how cheaper helmets were just as good as expensive ones. I took the plunge and tried the KBC because I loved the graphics on it, it was a lesson learned on my part because the shield mechanism that locks it in place broke soon afterwards and it had a tendency to fling up at very inopportune times. I honestly cannot dispute the crash theory because I never crashed in a cheap helmet, BUT I would be very afraid too because with my KBC helmet the build quality, or lack thereof was evident. There was more to my dislike than just the shield mind you, I did view it as feeling “cheap” in quality.

For me personally I feel as though I put my life on the line every time I ride out to do the sport I love and I must do what I can to mitigate the danger as much as possible. Not to sound like a jerk but I do have the means to spend the money for high end gear, but that’s not to say the younger folks or those that cannot afford to do so must ride around in less than quality gear. There are so many great motorcycle gear websites, one of them is bound to have a closeout of some sort on whatever it is you are looking for. Granted you may not get this year’s new hot product, but I would much rather wear last year’s Shoei than this year’s KBC.

So I really don’t want to bash KBC, this is just my opinion mind you. I know the California Superbike School coaches wear them and I would say that some of them are very skilled crashers (lol). I have a buddy that bought Ben Spies HJC helmet, which seemed pretty awesome, but I don’t know if that would qualify as a cheap helmet as I believe they were somewhere around $400-$500. So again, this is just my opinion…I hope it helps someone. I’m including pictures of some of these helmets so you all can see them. FYI I’d like to sell the Shark RSR2 (white Duhamel, size L, clear + dark smoke shield, $75 obo) if anyone is interested, it’s been sitting on the shelf for a year and I have some sort of anti-pack rat mentality so basically I’m tired of looking at it.

Shoei X-11, great helmet imo, would buy again without issue...
FIL403.jpg

KBC, never again...
FIL178.jpg

Shark RSR2, loved this helmet, would buy another Shark without hesitation!
IMG_9499.jpg

X-lite X-802, owe my life to this helmet, already bought another to replace this one!
IMG_0222.jpg
 
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