Looking for helmet advice

[richbilt]

RF-1100 is one of the best. Get one and not only will your brains stay safer but it'll treat you well too - great ventilation keeping your head cool and visor clear and better quality interior keeping your head more comfortable. You do need to try one one though - if you don't have a Shoei-shaped head, it probably won't be much use.

For more info, here's a good review on the helmet (released as the XR-1100 for some unknown reason in Europe)

[ViperZ]

RF-1100 is one of the best. Get one and not only will your brains stay safer but it'll treat you well too - great ventilation keeping your head cool and visor clear and better quality interior keeping your head more comfortable. You do need to try one one though - if you don't have a Shoei-shaped head, it probably won't be much use.

If those helmets fit your head perfectly, then either of them will be a great fit and will be as safe. The difference is that more expensive Shoei will have better venting, better padding, weight is most likely lower, etc etc. So if those extra things make sense to you, then go for Shoei. For me, Shoei fits my head the best, so I had RF-1000, which saved my head, and got RF-1100 after that.

[nomo]

Motorcyclist magazine's helmet test a few years ago essentially blew the lid off the old belief that expensive helmets necessarily protect the best , or conversely , that cheap helmets are dangerous . The $95 Z1R Strike won by transmitting the least energy to the head . Now , this doesn't mean it has all the features you're looking for ; only that you shouldn't let price dictate your buying decision .

[m.breen]

I would get the most comfortable..imagine riding for 6 hours in a lid that is so uncomfortable that it gives you headaches.

[revrandy]

I have tried various brands over the years and keep coming back to Shark. Fit very well, quality is excellent, good ventilation and is both DOT and SNELL (Evoline 2).

For the person who said replacing every 2 is a waste of money, I have always read and been told to replace your helmet every 2 - 3 years as the padding compresses and it loses some of its effectiveness. My older ones I keep as spares.

[redridernl]

I have tried various brands over the years and keep coming back to Shark. Fit very well, quality is excellent, good ventilation and is both DOT and SNELL (Evoline 2).

For the person who said replacing every 2 is a waste of money, I have always read and been told to replace your helmet every 2 - 3 years as the padding compresses and it loses some of its effectiveness. My older ones I keep as spares.

Every 5 years, if I'm not mistaken.

[krrakt]

I have always used arai helmets, due to their reputation in the racing scene going back decades. The racers have always used the exact same helmets that are sold to the public. Arai are amongst the most expensive, 12 years ago my helmet was 500 bucks 400 without graphics.

Saying that, I went shopping for a helmet at cycle world on sheppard ave. I was there for 3 hours looking, trying, choosing and trying to decide what feels best and looks good, but they only had 4 arai helmets and none in my size...

So there I was, I decided on the top line bell helmet with red black graphics. 600 bucks I think was the price.

The lady helping me suggested I try the suomy vandal, but I was not too interested. I did try it to be polite though and guess what.

Wow, what a comfortable helmet (for my oval head anyway), and it weighs only about 3 pounds compared to almost 4 for the bell. I wore it around for a while and decided it was a no brainer, sold 338 plus tx. Never heard of them B4 but Kept an open mind and I'm very happy. As a bonus it has killer graphics.

My point is, the best way to choose a helmet is not by brand or looks or even reputation. You need to wear a helmet for a while to know it feels and fits right, and everything else is secondary.

I am lucky they had no arai helmets, I got a much better (for me) helmet for half the price..