So, over the past couple weeks or so, I've been looking for a new helmet around my area and a couple others as well. I've generally had trouble finding a good selection of brands, but finally have been able to try on a bunch of different types.

I currently have an HJC CL-14 (a few years old) and it is a bit worn and probably a bit big as well (it's an L and I am somewhere between a M and L). But it seems like all of the other brands just fit weirdly. I tried Icon, which are just downright uncomfortable, Fulmer, not very well made it seems, Scorpion, which seem to pressure the front and back of my head, and Shark, which are ok, except the only ones I like are the $500 + ones and I don't want to spend that much.

Which brings me back to HJC and Shoei. I haven't tried on many Shoeis but a rep told me they fit similar to HJC. Just haven't been able to find much of a variety around my area. I am sometimes envious of you guys who live in more populous areas. I want a slightly nicer helmet than I have now, and the current front runner is the HJC FS-10, which was nice, but the dealer only had a L and I want to see if the M fits me more snugly, since my current helmet is a L.

Well, just wanted to get that out there. Any thoughts/comments are welcome. Or if you could just say "Yeah, finding a good helmet is difficult" I would appreciate the sympathy.... :)

I have a Shoei RF-1000. It fits perfectly, has really high build quality, and I've never had much in the way of fogging issues. Best of all, it still doesn't stink inside! :D

That said, I do get a horizontal stripe across just under what remains of my hair. Wouldn't even know it if I hadn't caught my reflection one day. But just so you know.

I have a Shoei RF-1000. It fits perfectly, has really high build quality, and I've never had much in the way of fogging issues. Best of all, it still doesn't stink inside! :D
That said, I do get a horizontal stripe across just under what remains of my hair. Wouldn't even know it if I hadn't caught my reflection one day. But just so you know.

+1 It's still a $400 helmet, but I love mine.

Jfeagin, I still don't know how you get a horizontal stripe on your forhead, and I get a vertical one... Do you wear your helmet with the lens facing forward or something? :lol:

Jfeagin, I still don't know how you get a horizontal stripe on your forhead, and I get a vertical one... Do you wear your helmet with the lens facing forward or something? :lol:
You mean the smaller hole isn't where your chin goes? No wonder I have a hard time seeing out... :lol:

It's just the way the padding hits me. My head is a weird shape (caricature notwithstanding) and the edge of the pad at the top of the port just presses more horizontally on my forehead. It's kind of an egg shape with the smaller end in front. I blame the aliens. 8)

Do you have a shop nearby that has a selection of brands?

I went to a local shop with a variety of brands. The sales person was very helpful and measured my head so I'd find the right size. That was useful because now I knew what size to try. It still took over an hour trying on different helmets trying to feel where they would be uncomfortable.

Find a shop that has a good variety of helmets, I would say look for a good line of Arai helmets. Ask the rep, or research, which helmet line fits what shape head you have. Try the different lines, this is important. Leave the helmet on for a few minutes at least to try out how it will feel with time. Really pay attention to where it contacts your head and where you feel any discomfort. Any, it may not seem like much for 5 minutes, but that can become a big distraction when the helmet is on for an hour or so.

Once you find a helmet you like, buy it from that store. Really, support the business that helps you out. If you don't they may not be there next time.

Barring that, CycleGear has a 7 day helmet return policy in stores and I think it extends to their website.

Yes, helmet shopping is a pain and I believe in supporting the local business that provided me the service I needed in finding that helmet. Does it cost more? Yes. Is it worth it? To me it is. I found helmet I like and I know my next one will be an Arai Profile, because that fits my head the best. Now, will I buy that one from that shop? That depends, I have already purchased one, services paid for. :)


The fact that you felt pressure on the front and back of your head with the Scorpion may mean you have a long oval shaped head that fits in an Arai Profile. Look at the Arai site to learn what lines fit what heads. Try those on. I don't know of another helmet maker that identifies what shape head the helmet fits.

Arai is proud of their helmets, look at the price. They are probably no safer than the HJC. They will be more comfortable and you won't have as much money weighing you down when you ride.

All helmets have different internal sizes. It's most important to figure out where you are in the overall spectrum between round and long oval. For instance, the Shoei RF-1000 is VERY round. For some people, that's great, but it'd be terrible for me. Sharks and Arais tend to be more or less oval-shaped (depending on the model).

My recommendation is to go with an Arai if one fits correctly. If the Shark RSI fits you, which was my last helmet, the Arai Profile and Corsair lines will be great matches. You can still get some of last year's closeouts for $400 or less, which is a steal.

It's worth dropping money on the lid. I was ripping through some forums yesterday where folks shared their crash experiences and how their gear fared. One guy lowsided at 35 in his HJC and got a brain hemorrhage - later, at the track in his Shoei RF-1000, he highsided at about 80mph. Came down directly on his head and crushed several vertebrae - but no head injuries whatsoever. The first crash cost him over $15,000 in medical expenses to fix his head while the second crash cost $1,000 for the diagnostic work to prove his head was fine. That's a major value statement.

(adjusted to reflect correct Shoei model)

I want to clarify why I said that one brand is no safer than another.

This article (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html) is controversial but informative. The safest helmet they found was a cheap brand I'd never heard of but couldn't find after the article.

To be fair to the HJC helmets in that other thread, we don't know the age or condition of either helmet. I recently traded up from HJC because mine got too loose and I just didn't feel safe in it. It is still a DOT/Snell approved helmet. Perhaps the foam degrades faster on the HJC brand. I don't know.

The most important thing about any helmet you buy is that you wear it on your head and not under the bungee web on the pillion.

For my head, I want a helmet that meets the ECE and/or BSI standards which are supposedly the toughest. Not coincidentally, both Arai and Shark meet either or both.

Helmets can be expensive, but like Transient pointed out, an ounce of prevention...

Testimony is good to consider, but you have to also consider that all of these crashes can be very different. Several factors can affect the severity of the impact, so even a high-speed crash could be lighter on your head than a lower speed impact... your angle, the surface, condition of helmet, etc. I wouldn't completely disregard testimony, but I think controlled experiments give a better picture for comparison.

After reading the requirements, I kind of prefer a DOT approval by itself to a Snell approval. I don't know the ECE and BSI standards. If most people see just a DOT rating alone sitting next to a DOT and Snell approved helmet, though, they'll assume the one with both is better.

I've read a lot on protective gear lately and the lack of facts is infuriating. There are no perfect testing standards for any of the gear we wear. So, we have to rely on circumstantial evidence, personal testimony, and faith when we pick something to save our hides. I wish it weren't that way, but I also wish I had a jillion dollars. :P

Part of my Arai bias is that they've always been heavily used in racing. I've seen all sorts of accidents and no major failures. They're constantly a top recommendation (if money is no object). Yes, that's totally subjective; yes, Arai's won't fit everyone; yes, other brands are used in racing. Take my recommendation for what it's worth.

Buy the best quality helmet you can afford with the best fit for your head and always wear it.

I'm sure there is a lot of luck involved in how your brain case fairs in a crash. I would expect DOT approved helmets to work reasonably well. So extra money spent is for comfort more than extra protection. That said, I love my plain silver Shoei RF-1000. And it cost less than $400 because it didn't have the fancy paint job.

In my recent crash, the helmet never touched down. I guess I get to keep it.

I would expect DOT approved helmets to work reasonably well. So extra money spent is for comfort more than extra protection.
There are important safety differences when you take a close look. Yes, you are definitely paying a premium for brand and comfort, but there are definite differences in protection.

I would expect DOT approved helmets to work reasonably well. So extra money spent is for comfort more than extra protection.
There are important safety differences when you take a close look. Yes, you are definitely paying a premium for brand and comfort, but there are definite differences in protection.

I would tend to place a bit more faith in the independent, empirical tests performed by the magazine article I mentioned over anecdotal evidence from a board.

Do you have empirical evidence that suggests that on whole, HJC is not as safe as Arai? The article I mentioned shows a less than 1% difference in the sidebar. I wish I had the hardcopy of the entire article that had tables for the helmets tested.

For many, the 1% difference may not be worth upwards of twice the money.

I did enjoy the irony that the cheapest, heaviest helmets seemed to offer the most protection. That doesn't make me likely to buy another heavy helmet. I am going to take my chances with the lighter helmet meaning there is less energy to be disbursed in the case of an incident. The tests don't take that into account and it could be a factor.

At the end of the day, the helmet on your head is better than any on the shelf. Find one that fits, has some standard certification, and wear it.

I would tend to place a bit more faith in the independent, empirical tests performed by the magazine article I mentioned over anecdotal evidence from a board.
I read the original article you're referring to and it was interesting but hardly comprehensive. That's the nature of independent studies - they don't have the time/resources to test everything. Such studies bring up a lot of valid questions but few conclusions. I don't put my complete faith in that kind of test, personal testimony, or in a specific standard. There are just way too many factors involved in an accident for any of these things to mean a hell of a lot. That's really frustrating to me.

So, what do you do? Everyone needs to base their preference on whatever evidence available as well as what their budget will allow. I absolutely agree that anything is better than nothing, but I do think it's dangerous to assume that a helmet with a particular designation or recommendation is just as good as another.

Here's an example: WebBikeWorld made a G-Max helmet their "Helmet of the Year." A lot of folks might be just like me and say, "Wow, why pay extra when this great helmet is available for so much less?" I went to a store to look at it and noticed that the EPS liner doesn't extend below the ears. So, even though it's a full face helmet, a face-first sort of impact would easily shatter that puppy. That's a huge concern. It's got an approval sticker, but it's absolutely not comparable to either my Shark or Arai.

I don't mean to suggest that inexpensive stuff won't do it's job at the end of the day. I'm just sharing the myriad of considerations that went into a complete cheap-ass like me springing for one of the most expensive helmets out there. :P

I don't mean to suggest that inexpensive stuff won't do it's job at the end of the day. I'm just sharing the myriad of considerations that went into a complete cheap-ass like me springing for one of the most expensive helmets out there. :P

I understand where you are coming from. It was hard to make that first purchase of a premium helmet. Now that I have, I kick myself for taking so long. My next helmet will likely be an Arai. Unless I can find another brand that fits as well and has the features I want.

I did like the looks of the Vemar helmets but those are tough to find. I think perhaps the Akuma line may be rebranded Vemars but there is no way I would have the chance to compare the two.

I did like the looks of the Vemar helmets but those are tough to find. I think perhaps the Akuma line may be rebranded Vemars but there is no way I would have the chance to compare the two.
A local store here does carry the Akumas and they seem to use more than one source. The WebBikeWorld articles are pretty good at determining who - I know one was a KBC and the other looks almost identical to the Vemar. It wouldn't surprise me one bit. Each Akuma helmet has a different designation, like V1, V2, R2, R3. They're likely all different models of some other manufacturer's helmet.

I did like the looks of the Vemar helmets but those are tough to find. I think perhaps the Akuma line may be rebranded Vemars but there is no way I would have the chance to compare the two.
A local store here does carry the Akumas and they seem to use more than one source. The WebBikeWorld articles are pretty good at determining who - I know one was a KBC and the other looks almost identical to the Vemar. It wouldn't surprise me one bit. Each Akuma helmet has a different designation, like V1, V2, R2, R3. They're likely all different models of some other manufacturer's helmet.

I have a passing interesst in the Akuma line. The LEDs and 'exhaust' are in my opinion pretty lame. The one feature I found interesting, the visor that can be darkened or lightened through the battery pack. That is a pretty cool idea.

The one feature I found interesting, the visor that can be darkened or lightened through the battery pack. That is a pretty cool idea.
Absolutely it is. I'll let you know when/if they get it in at my local dealer. I'm very fortunate to have access to a heck of a lot of gear, so I can comparison shop like there's no tomorrow. Unfortunately, this means visits to the shop CONSTANTLY. :P