Helmet advice (follow on from dump post)

steve auvache says...

Makes/models please?

 

Nigel Eaton says...

I blame the fact you're an old ****. As old as Auvache is, he's
still unlikely to call you sonny.

 

Lozzo wrote

Old Witless Nostalgia? Wasn't he last seen indicting his intention to
wheelie in Hendon somewhere?

 

Lozzo wrote

Xlite, BMW 3(I think) and a BMW 2.

 

Milton Keynes?

 

I'm very happy with my Shoei XR900, but I think the best advice is to
go to a bike shop and try a few on, and see what fits your head the
best.

 

GIT used his keyboard to write :

I don't know what's happened to the company, but I find my Arashi
extremely quiet. Their web site seems to be blank, so they may not
still be around.

Mine has a good flip front, removable liner, ear recesses and room for
comms equipment to be fitted. It is also a good fit, repted to be the
lightest one which can be had (multilayer composite) and doesn't seem
to catch the wind anything like so much as my previous helmet did.

 

steve auvache says...

All are known to be amongst the noisiest helmets ever made, the BMW
efforts especially. You should try the more up to date models available
from proper manufacturers.

 

darsy says...

The XR900 is out of production and has been for about 18 months. The
replacement is the XR1000, which is a nice lid.

 

cool - I've had this XR900 for just over 3 years - it's nice and
quiet, fairly light, and - important to me - almost completely
waterproof even in prolonged downpours, yet at the same time not
particularly prone to misting up. I was vaguely thinking of getting a
new lid at Ally Pally next year - I'll take a look at the XR1000s.

 

darsy says...

If you think the XR900 was light, which I didn't, then you'll love the
XR1000. It's probably about 200g lighter.

 

well, the XR900 is *very* light compared to the shitty, leaking
bag-of-shite that was my last Shark lid[1].

[1] can't remember the code, but it was the replacement for the XRF
(which I really liked) but was utterly shit in all departments.

 

I enjoy all these features from my Arai RX7-RR. Great lid.

 

Lozzo wrote

Tell me about it. I can vouchsafe that from personal experience.

This time next year I expect to be fully conversant with what the latest
technologies have to offer. Though I still doubt I will get the
opportunity to try before I buy and so, as with *every* helmet I have
ever bought I will only have the opinions of others on which to base my
judgement.

 

I've never really held with this whole Aria/Shoei-shaped head debate -
I've just always considered Arai overpriced for what they offer.

 

darsy says...

They may seem overpriced initially, but when you compare a 350 quid
Arai's build quality against something like a similar spec AGV/HJC/ at
200 quid they make perfect sense. If you do a lot of miles you'll be
throwing out the AGV/whatever after 2 years no matter how well you look
after it, but the Arai will last a full 5 before it needs chucking away.
In pounds per year terms the Arai comes out way on top.

You get a lot of back up with an Arai as well, like the free safety
check if you drop it, the ability to have new straps fitted if they
fray, free fitting service from the race support van etc. None of these
are available from any other helmet manufacturer.

Arais are worth the money imo.

 

[snip stuff about why Arais are good]

and yet you wear something else?

My first "proper" (as opposed to not-quite-the-right-sized and
borrowed) lid was a Shark XRF. It was great. The Shark RSF that I
replaced it with (because I'd nutted the deck with the XRF, hard), was
rubbish.

 

darsy says...

In pounds per year terms my last/current 5 helmets have been excellent
value for money. I bought a Uvex at rock bottom prices in a stock
clearance, but before that I used one of my samples. I also got given a
Uvex by Beelzebub. I currently wear either of 2 Nitros because I'm
allowed to use my samples i.e. they're free.

Before that I wore an Arai Giga, Shoei RF200, and a Shoei TXR.

 

Champ says...

Strangely enough, 3 Arai models were rated as least noisy in a recent
German publication's tests.

A feature that is standard on all fibreglass Nitro lids costing from 50
quid upwards. Why can't all other manufacturers offer it on their
cheaper lids?

 

Lozzo was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

Which one was that, out of interest? The last big Goiman helmet test
I'm aware of where they measured the noise inside the helmets was the
Motorrad/ADAC one. And there Arais there came out pretty noisy, the
quietest helmets were supposed to be the Schuberth S1 and the BMW
Sportintegral.