Always been happy with my Arai Condor apart from the wind noise (I wear earplugs). But its showing its age now (lining starting to come apart, fraying etc) and I got a pillion seat for the 'busa so I'm going to relegate it to pillion use and treat myself to a new lid. I'll go into the shop and try some on, but would as always look for a recommendation here as I'm sure that the Condor is pretty old hat[1]. In particular, I note brands like HJC and LS2 that seem to have come a long way in recent years, are they any cop? I don't mind moving away from Arai on the basis that the others might have improved, but better the devil you know... I see the Chaser is the Condor replacement but have no clue if it's any use. Mid-price is good, I don't want to be a cheap ****, but I really don't see the point of going to the top of the line for a few extra vents and a gash paint job. Any recommendations based on my extremely vague post? [1] Chortle. -- TD 2000 GSX1300RX (red and black) Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, cage - What with the Internet, it doesn't take long to feel like one is an - expert on any subject these days.
Nitro is a cheap to mid-price brand that some around here approve HJC have got a reasonable following Airoh esp the S4 with ADV riders seem to be popular http://www.adventurebikewarehouse.co.uk/airoh-s4-matt-black-p-398.html I haggled with Hein Gericke and got a Shoei Raid II down by 10%. It was the only sub £300 helmet in stock that fitted me
I had a Quantum F, replaced it with a Astro R, then replaced that with a Chaser. Been more happy with all three. The Chaser is cheaper and better than the Quantum was, and that was pretty much the benchmark for a decent lid at the time.
I replaced my Arai with a HJC Smoke and am very happy with it. Fits well , nice and light and not too noisy.
Have a haircut before you buy, much shorter than your normal style, the inner liner will collapse less. Of course if you are a slaphead you won't be able to do this and I can laugh.
LS2 are old Nitros made by a new company at the old factory - no better and no worse than Nitro, which means they are budget helmets with a shorter lifespan due to cheaper materials than say an Arai. HJC are average for the money (budget again) but the designs are a bit weird, especially their full face with interchangeable bits and bobs. I've got both, the Condor is comfy and fairly quiet, the Chaser even more so. Buy another Arai because they last where other helmets end up looking and feeling shit in half the time. -- Lozzo Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere) BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite they churn out)
I thought that about my Shark (that it would be cheap and shit), and apart from a tendency for the visor retainer to let go and rip the visor off (when you flip it up at speed) in later years, it's been brilliant. Paul.
Don't they look shit at the start as well? I moved from my shark to a shoei after a month or two and was stunned at the difference in quality.
I would agree with this but then Arais are the only helmet I've found that I find comfortable. Before I bought my Chaser I thought I'd try some other makes (I'd had three previous Arais) but couldn't find anything as good and comfy for the price.
And they're quite reasonably priced these days. I paid RRP for my Chaser (albeit with an extra visor included) and it was roughly the same amount as I paid at a bike show for the Astro R I had before it, and a full hundred notes less than I paid for my Quantum F ten years ago.
Not overly, mine's still quite nice and not too manky inside. You pretty much pays for what you get. A cheap lid will (obv) be made of cheaper components, and might be heavier to get to the same safety standard as a more expensive lid, but since you really don't keep them as regular-use lids beyond 5 years (you're usually ready for a change about then anyway) then it all depends on how much you want to spend to protect your head. All will do the job, but if i'm doing fast road stuff/trackdays/Pahnd island, then i'm invariably in my Arai. Paul.
