Quetest Helmet?

pgagy

pgagy

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I hate windnoise! I'm sure you all do too. I wear Kimpex ear plugs 95% of the time while riding. But I read that the quietest helmet is the Schuberth C3 Pro. Does anyone have this helmet and can vouch for this "quietest helmet" claim? Apparently it is 84 dB of loudness at 100Km/h, which is about the loudness of city traffic. A better stat would be how loud it is at 120-149K...but still, that sounds pretty good to me.
 
I have a C3 Pro, it's very quiet, but it needs to be in clean air. There is a blast of wind coming off my windscreen and if I position the helmet bottom in this air, it makes noise. If I sit up as tall as possible, it's almost noise free. I think this helmet on a naked bike would be fantastic.
 
I have a C3 Pro as well, great helmet and quiet. Not quiet enough that you should go without ear plugs though.
 
The earplugs only attenuate about 20-30dB, so it's still fairly loud. Also, i find that when it's windy, the earplugs rub against the helmet cushioning and create the annoying muffled noise.
 
I forgot to mention, I ride with earplugs too, so I can't comment a lot for the C3 without ear plugs.
 
C3 Pro may be a little less noisy than many other helmets, but by no means it turns riding motorcycle into "quiet" experience. There is still a high level of noise, and I wouldn't ride for any significant period without ear plugs. If you want to buy it only for the quietness - I think return for the money is not that great. Good helmet overall, just slightly overpriced.
 
The cutest helmet I've seen was a hello kitty paint job.

You need to put the earplugs in properly for them to work.

Free-shipping-Kids-full-face-helmet-Spider-Man-hello-kitty-SpongeBob-motorcycle-helmet-safe-Approved-Children.jpg
 
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Good earplugs attenuate to -32-33 db ( thats what the rating number is )
http://www.amazon.com/MOLDEX-6800-PURA-FIT-SOFT-EARPLUGS/dp/B000BYAP7I
but there will be low frequency wind buffeting that is almost inevitable ( tho my departed ST1100 had an incredibly quiet zone behind its touring screen at 150 kph ....spooky)

There was some criticism of the testing on that Schubert claim - the bike you are riding makes a huge difference and shield cracked does as well.

I find my low cost AFX-55 with good earplugs almost too quiet...about the same as a luxury sedan at highway speeds. Just a bit of wind burble - tho noisier on the KLR than the Wee or the Burgman.

Harder is finding a setup with earphones with high attenuation. Etymotics perhaps the best.
 
I'm thinking that a modular helmet is going to be noisier than a full-face, because of the extra cracks to pick up wind noise.

for over $100 / year it had better be a really good helmet.
 
MacDoc said:
Good earplugs attenuate to -32-33 db ( thats what the rating number is )
http://www.amazon.com/MOLDEX-6800-PURA-FIT-SOFT-EARPLUGS/dp/B000BYAP7I
but there will be low frequency wind buffeting that is almost inevitable ( tho my departed ST1100 had an incredibly quiet zone behind its touring screen at 150 kph ....spooky)

There was some criticism of the testing on that Schubert claim - the bike you are riding makes a huge difference and shield cracked does as well.
Click to expand...

These types of stats/claims can be misleading. While the earplug may be rated for a 30+ db attenuation, it is unlikely you actually receive that (kinda like EPA fuel mileage estimates).

One of many issues with ear plug claims is "in what frequency". If you look at the fine print they may have tested a 30+ db attenuation in a lab, but that is generally at a specific frequency and the actual numbers across the entire range are much less. You are likely only getting a max of 20 db attenuation in the best case scenario.

Conditions will always affect your experience as well including the type of bike, windscreen, your height relative to windscreen, cross winds, motorcycle characteristics such as general engine noise, exhaust (especially aftermarket) etc.

Long and short, companies like Schuberth actually spend considerable time and money on noise reduction. It would however be unreasonable that they could test for every possible scenario of rider/bike/conditions to come up with a one size fits all number. In the end they have to market their product somehow.

The key is to compare the C3Pro to other helmets and my 2 cents is relative to any other brand the Schuberth is by far the quietest, by how much? Well ymmv.
 
My Nexx modular helmet is really comfortable but hardly cute. The fit is perfect for me, love the detent positions of the visor and especially love the built in sun visor. But, after about 200 km of riding I feel like my ears are being violated in the worst possible way.
 
JZ67 said:
My Nexx modular helmet is really comfortable but hardly cute. The fit is perfect for me, love the detent positions of the visor and especially love the built in sun visor. But, after about 200 km of riding I feel like my ears are being violated in the worst possible way.
Click to expand...

Better plug up, once your hearing is gone it ain't ever coming back......
 
pgagy said:
I hate windnoise! I'm sure you all do too. I wear Kimpex ear plugs 95% of the time while riding. But I read that the quietest helmet is the Schuberth C3 Pro. Does anyone have this helmet and can vouch for this "quietest helmet" claim? Apparently it is 84 dB of loudness at 100Km/h, which is about the loudness of city traffic. A better stat would be how loud it is at 120-149K...but still, that sounds pretty good to me.
Click to expand...


Hi,
WebBikeWorld used to have a rating system for a lot of helmets they review. Check out the ones you're considering there for some feedback perhaps
 
Mean sound attenuation (EN352-2:2002) is 33.4dB at the higher, most damaging frequencies.
Click to expand...

Nonoise-Motorsport.jpg


very high attenuation
Bloody expensive tho.

hat's a box of 200 of my -33 foam ones
 
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