Helmets.......

My Shark flip-chin helmet never worked with the chin-piece down, it squeezed my head, (Whah, snivel.) but anyway it is now ancient and is beginning to smell so it has to go. My Vozz is fine but I really prefer an open face and with the arrival of 3/4 face helmets I think at my age the risk vs. enjoyment factor is coming down on the side of enjoyment.

So yesterday I ordered a Shoei J-Cruise II, which I'm pretty certain will fit as I've had Shoeis before. Not a cheap helmet though at $800 close enough but of course it's a business write off for me. It's a nice bit of kit with a flip down internal sun visor and nice long jaw protection pieces. (I was also told that I wasn't obliged to buy it and I'll hold them to that! Any hanky panky and I'll cancel my Honda order from them! ). At least this time I'll know to Loctite all the fasteners on it so it doesn't fall to pieces as I ride like my last Shoei!

But then I got thinking, always dangerous, and decided to drunk-fleabay 'Open face motorbike helmet' or some such thing and hit the 'Price, low to high' button!

My oh my! I had no idea! Really, no idea! It was like a teenager discovering Pornhub! I had never realised there was such a huge plethora of the weird and wonderful out there for the bottom feeders!

I don't remember there being anything odd about the evening really but when I woke up this morning and checked my email. Imagine my surprise when I found I'd bought a 3/4 face helmet with a flip down sun visor from *Somewhere* for the princely sum of $38! Postage included!

Fantastic!

We'll see how it stacks up against the Shoei!

This one?

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Probably, but mine was a whole $2 cheaper but it too had the usurious $2 postage fee!

I'm not expecting miracles but it will be interesting to see what makes the Shoei worth $750 more.

Was speaking with someone in the business of manufacturing helmets - the manufacturing cost of a full face is around $US35. There's likely a few other costs - R&D, royalties, certification testing & such, but the most significant difference in pricing is product placement & "what the market will bear". Lambs to the slaughter. Given this, there is no particular intrinsic reason for a cheap one to be any less safe than the most expensive.

I have been very pleased with this one, LS2 OF573 Twister. Very light weight and comfy on my big oval melon head. Proper quick release buckle. Got it on eBay for around $100 US, shipped from Italy. I usually wear XXL, but the XL fits perfectly in this brand.

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MalG wrote:

Was speaking with someone in the business of manufacturing helmets - the manufacturing cost of a full face is around $US35. There's likely a few other costs - R&D, royalties, certification testing & such, but the most significant difference in pricing is product placement & "what the market will bear". Lambs to the slaughter. Given this, there is no particular intrinsic reason for a cheap one to be any less safe than the most expensive.

Completely agree, Mal. It's really only the specifics of design, options, comfort and noise that separate the $30 helmet from the $300. They are all required to meet the same standards. If I could find a modular helmet that I liked as much as my Shark for under $100, I'd buy it.

This is why I'm interested in doing the comparison between the high-end Shoei and the El Cheapo Chineseum special.

Hey, Mal? Did you get my email about the shock?

I'm as miserable as they come when it comes to spending money. But when it comes to helmets, saving a dollar is something I see as stoopid. Sure, look around for the best bargain, but you've only got one life and one head.

Just for grins, I bought a 3/4 el-cheapo. How could you not? I mean, it has a brim to block rain, a breathable lining sesign (?), the quick regase lens base (whatever the fuck that is), a package design side, and a delicate logo. Who wouldn't want all that?


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I have a Shoei GT Air (1st generation one). Everyone in the world harped on about how eerily silent these things are, and the Shoei design fits my cranium shape, so I bought one. Magnificently comfortable, but noisy as hell. Just this constant rumble that gets worse with speed. It’s not an airflow thing, as I can change position on the bike and nothing changes. I wear earplugs and still have ringing in my ears after a ride. Integrated sunvisor is handy, but seems to attract a layer of hazy grime when the helmet is sitting unused. Be bloody careful cleaning it too, as it can scratch very easily. Pinlock system on the visor is excellent. Never fogs up.

I've got a Shoei open face JO. Best helmet ever. Light, comfy, etc. Probably not so good when I crash with my face first though.

Yeah, open face helmets...........they look nice with all that open air feeling etc, but if you have an off, you’d better hope you land on your back, otherwise the fire brigade will be hosing your expensive fillings and root canal bridgework into the weeds on the side of the road.

Oh I agree but as I said it's a trade off and I'm at the point where I take few risks any more. Of course that doesn't mean I can't be the victim of other people's stupidity, (Or my own!) or simple bad luck but while older open face helmets left a lot of your face exposed the newer breed of 3/4 helmets would seen to offer much better lateral protection.

Look, I'm not spruiking them or suggesting anyone eschew the use of a full face, they are undoubtably the 'Safest' option. Just that I've made a decision for some of my riding to go to a 3/4 face.

I have found that the superior peripheral vision offered by 3/4 helmets can save you from other people’s stupidity in urban traffic. But if I’m headed out for fun in the mountains/canyons, I’ll take the full face.

Brent S wrote:

I have a Shoei GT Air (1st generation one). Everyone in the world harped on about how eerily silent these things are, and the Shoei design fits my cranium shape, so I bought one. Magnificently comfortable, but noisy as hell. Just this constant rumble that gets worse with speed. It’s not an airflow thing, as I can change position on the bike and nothing changes. I wear earplugs and still have ringing in my ears after a ride. Integrated sunvisor is handy, but seems to attract a layer of hazy grime when the helmet is sitting unused. Be bloody careful cleaning it too, as it can scratch very easily. Pinlock system on the visor is excellent. Never fogs up.

Interesting: I recently bought a new Shoei RF1200 for exactly the same reasons (safe & quiet) and while it may be safe, it is certainly NOT quiet. In fact it is the noisiest helmet I have ever used. I tried to use better fitting earplugs but somehow the Shoei wind-noise just presses itself in my ear. I am now almost reluctant to ride faster than 100 km/hr because the noise is just too much.
So back to my old cheap HJC helmet...

Keep an eye out for the new Vozz - currently in testing I believe, and who knows when that will be done - 350g lighter, and only that much as they now include Comms AND a HUD, 80% less noisy (? How do they measure that?), redesigned visor (plus Pinlock ready), etc, etc. Could be interesting.

Wife and I both have Shoei Neo-Tec. She has the later "II" We both like them, and we both wear ear plugs. This is my third Shoei. They fit my head.

Last summer I tried riding with my hearing aids in rather than the ear plugs. All was fine up until about 50 mph.

Steak turned me onto Suomy helmets years ago, have had two now. Very light weight, great graphics, quieter than anything else I've tried, but not silent for sure. I do wear earplugs and love the fit and finish. The model I have is a Vandal which I think is discontinued, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Suomy.

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rick pope wrote:

Wife and I both have Shoei Neo-Tec.  She has the later "II"  We both like them, and we both wear ear plugs. This is my third Shoei.  They fit my head.

Last summer I tried riding with my hearing aids in rather than the ear plugs.  All was fine up until about 50 mph.  

I have the Neotec 11. It's quieter than its predecessor.

I have a Shoei GT Air 1 and a Vozz. The Shoei is definitey quieter than the Vozz for me, and the Shoei GT Air is quieter than the Shoei Neotec.

Now, I'm gonna contradict myself and confess to owning an open face helmet. It's marked "Moto Guzzi", but I don't think for one moment it is manufactured in Mandelo del Lario. I purchased it from the local Guzzi shop in Auckland.

Inside, it has a tag saying "THIS HELMET IS NOT INTENDED FOR USE ON PUBLIC ROADS IN NORTH AMERICA". Does this include Canada and Mexico?

It has a removable peak (which I did) but no screen. This limits my speeds to avoid highways as my eyes now water so much when I go over about 60 kph, I can't see anymore.

I bought one of these when I got the Stelvio NTX (had to look the part I guess...) It's turned out to be the best helmet I've ever had. Super light, super quiet, enormous viewing portal, drop down tinted lens. The "pique" or external visor is removable to suit taste, but I've found it to be useful and it adds no extra noise or drag that I can tell.

Suomy MX Tourer:

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Interesting reviews here:



Roper you can skip forward to 4:57 to review the Bell Broozer which seems to touch on what you're looking for.

I've a mate who removes his hearing aids before he dons his helmet. He's very impressed how quietly his engine runs.

^^^^
LMAO