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ICON Helmets.....

Dvs510

New member
Joined
Jun 13, 2011
Location
Brentwood/ Hayward
Moto(s)
DiamondBack
Name
Dat1Guy
Ok so I've been told that ICON helmets and gear isn't very good. So I surfing online and came across this-

2011 U.S. Motorcycle Helmet Satisfaction Study by J.D. Power and Associates Reports: 26 May 2011

The study measures overall satisfaction of motorcyclists with their new helmet across 11 attributes: quietness; ventilation/air flow; de-fogging performance; face shield effectiveness of keeping wind out; face shield resistance to scratching; ease of replacing face shield; scratch resistance of shell; color/graphic design; weight; ease of fastening the strap; and fit and comfort.

For a 13th consecutive year, Arai ranks highest in customer satisfaction, and ties with Icon with a score of 852 on a 1,000-point scale

So is ICON helmets and gear really bad?:wtf
 
yeah, they're all shit....

especially if you're an internet badass.
 
yeah, they're all shit....

especially if you're an internet badass.

Ok what are your thoughts on the BELL 2010 Vortex or BELL 2010 Arrow? I'm looking for an entry level helmet that is DOT & Snell approved around 200 bucks, any suggestions?
 
Dude, you're never going to get a helmet if you only ask questions. At some point you're going to need to commit and actually buy one.

As much flak as Cycle Gear has been getting on here recently, they're the only ones I know who have a helmet exchange policy. Order one, try it for a week, see if you like it. If not, get a different one.
 
My girlfriend's helmet is an Icon Mainframe. She had to have the matte black. It's a quality lid, fit and finish is good, she says the vents are OK. Can't say much against it.
 
My original post was in jest - around here ICON seems to get a really bad rap.

I have no opinion on the BELL helmets, I've never tried them.

I'm happy with the ICON Mainframe (DOT and SNELL) helmet that I own, it fits well and is quiet enough for me. I don't think it's too heavy.

The other helmets I own are an OLD Bieffe (remember them?) that is just hanging around as a spare, A 3/4 THH (what?)that's doing the same, just hanging around.

My newest is an AFX FX-90 (DOT), but I've not worn it riding around yet - carburetor problems on the bike still awaiting parts.

I like and use ICON's stuff - I've never crashed wearing it though, but it's comfortable for me to wear.

Best advice - get to a shop that carries a lot and try them on.
 
Icon is the only world standard safety helmet. They aren't bad but they aren't great either imo. Have an Alliance ssr and it works nicely certainly makes cagers ee me which is good but sometimes they get to close trying to figure out what it is. I wouldn't get another but for the money they are hard to beat.
 
Dealership gave me an Icon speedmetal helmet brand new for free to ride home....I gave the salesman a smile and put my buddy's size small suomy on my medium head and rode home. If you want it you can have it for 50 bucks =].
 
I didn't have any problems with mine, except that it didn't fit right so I had to get a shoei after 6 months! For the price, it was a relatively well-vented and quiet helmet in my opinion...
 
customer saftisfaction is different than actual quality...

a kia owner can be satisfied the same rate a mercedes owner is with their car purchase, doesn't mean a kia is just as good as a mercedes..
 
Dude, you're never going to get a helmet if you only ask questions. At some point you're going to need to commit and actually buy one.

As much flak as Cycle Gear has been getting on here recently, they're the only ones I know who have a helmet exchange policy. Order one, try it for a week, see if you like it. If not, get a different one.

I understand what you are saying but I'm really really new to the bike scene and I would like to get as much info on gear as possible. Thanks for the advice thou!
 
I had an Icon Mainframe once. It was a very decent helmet...reduced buffeting a great deal from the previous helmet I had. Nothing bad to say about it, actually.
 
The only way to know what is really going to work is to go somewhere and try a bunch on. If you are in Hayward, head over to Road Rider in San Jose on a Saturday and try on everything they have. If you ask on here, you are going to get a hundred different answers and none of them are worth a damn because what fits them, may not fit you.
 
I have an ICON Alliance, and it fits my head great. I use it to ride my scooter. There is nothing wrong with ICON gear, it's just a bit flash. BTW: I wear a Suomy Spec 1r when I ride my MC's. But I didn't pay retail for them, nor would I ever pay $720 for a fucking helmet. Try on some helmets, pick one that fits you and is comfortable, and that you like. People talk about you get what you pay for, but that's BS. Marketing is king. The MC world is not exempt from this.
 
I guess the moral of the story is try on helmets! Btw any stores in the Antioch/ Pittsburg area other then cycle gear?
 
I have 5 helmets and the 2 I wear constantly are my 2 Icon Variant helmets one in blue and the other is Hi Vis yellow I think they are great.
 
The only way to know what is really going to work is to go somewhere and try a bunch on. If you are in Hayward, head over to Road Rider in San Jose on a Saturday and try on everything they have. If you ask on here, you are going to get a hundred different answers and none of them are worth a damn because what fits them, may not fit you.

This.

Try on every helmet in the store. When I went in to Cyclegear, I decided I wasn't going to buy an Arai, because they were too expensive. Well tough shit for me, because they make the only helmets that fit my head. You can't choose a helmet through internet research, and you definitely can't ask a bunch of people in a forum to choose one for you.
 
I wonder if the quality has gotten better in recent years? I have one from about 3 years back and I don't find it even comparable to my old Arai RX7 or new AGV GP-Tech. The Icon is heavy and vents horribly. Furthermore, the "tint" on the visor actually began to rub off. HOWEVER, I did find the cushioning positions comfortable.

Perhaps they've improved since mine. Though I agree with everyone else, you just need to try helmets on, what may be comfortable to me is not necessarily comfortable for you.
 
Icon makes quality kit that is marketed toward squids. Everything of theirs that I've ever actually put hands on impressed the hell out of me with both the quality of build AND design. The Squad II backpack is probably the very finest motorcycle backpack available, certainly the best I've ever seen.

Why they spend such effort on squids is beyond me...
 
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