[jabonesbien]

I want to know from people who have been riding for a while, what the best helmet is out there?
I just bought an Arai Profile and love it and want to know if paying the extra dough was worth it for safety and comfort.

 

[bardo333]

I bought the SAME helmet> I also Love it! I do NOT regret spending the extra $ for even a half a second.
I recently was a victim of a Hit & Run, if not for my gear, I would have been chopped meat!
I just had bought the Dainese Borra jacket (4th time riding with it on), between the Arai helmet & the Jacket & gloves, I walked away from a 50+mph accident virtually without a mark!

Besides the comfort & protection, the helmet is practically non existent while riding because it is so light!

I tried on a bunch of Shoei helmets before I bought Arai & to me, they do not compare!

ENJOi!

 

[Archimedes]

You're gonna get almost as many opinions as responders to your question, but I'm in the camp that says the $$$$ helmets ARE worth it and I think Arai makes the best helmets on the market. Of course, they don't fit everyone, but the quality is evident and I'll never own anything else.

 

[simonster]

You're gonna get almost as many opinions as responders to your question, but I'm in the camp that says the $$$$ helmets ARE worth it and I think Arai makes the best helmets on the market. Of course, they don't fit everyone, but the quality is evident and I'll never own anything else.

+1. i have a lot of helmets, but i only race in my arai rx7's.

 

[eobo]

I paid hundreds more for my high end SHOEI, than my SCORPION helmet.

I find the SCORPION ($145.95 EXO-700) fits a little better, has way more ventilation and is a bit more quiet. Plus they claim their multi-material shell is stronger than just fiber glass. (Don't want to find out.)

I think helmets are kind of like shoes, you have to find the one that fits.
Don't go by price.

 

[10/10ths]

Fit is EVERYTHING.

I have the famous "Long Oval" head shape so the Arai Profile fits me perfectly. I own the silver frost just like in the post above and I LOVE it.

What price do you put on your noggin? What price do you put on riding your bike and not having to worry about a hot, foggy, and uncomfortable helmet spoiling your day?

Go to "Web Bike World" and read their helmet reviews and tech articles. Great stuff.

You did well, don't have any "buyer's remorse".

Cheers.

 

[CliveS2R]

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

this is pretty gruesome. but very informative!

 

[mstevens]

what the best helmet is out there?

The one that fits you the best.

My head just doesn't fit in any Shoeis or Arais I've ever tried, so it doesn't matter a whit to me how great they are for others. One particular HJC model fits me quite nicely, but is probably quite wrong for others.

 

[mmoore]

It seems like what you get for the extra $$$ is better ventilation, removable/adjustable pads, lighter construction. Basically any DOT approved helmet will increase your survival over no helmet tremendously. Once you're wearing a helmet, the differences in safety from one brand to another seem to be much less dramatic, and honestly the research is pretty thin. Most of the info we have is anecdotal.

As stated, getting a helmet that fits properly is key. Having a knowledgeable sales person helps new helmet buyers avoid the common problems of buying a helmet too big, or one that has hotspots that will aggravate over time. Once you know what you wear though, you can save some money by buying on the internet. I had a Shoei X-11 for about a month when I crashed in it. (Ask me how unhappy I was about *that*!) The helmet had a huge gouge across the top, and all I had was a little headache the next day. So I just ordered the exact same one online. (Bought the original from my dealer though.)

 

[crzyhorse]

What price do you put on your noggin? What price do you put on riding your bike and not having to worry about a hot, foggy, and uncomfortable helmet spoiling your day?

exactly. i'm not sure you are getting a huge difference in protection but you are getting better venting, lighter weight, removable cheekpads and liners, better shields, and better fit. Keep in mind that the cheapy HJC and such typically use only one shell size for all sizes of melon where the nice shoeis and arais use 3 or 4 shell sizes. this means you will get a much nicer fit.

It's definately worth spending some extra bucks on a helmet.

There is no question in my mind that cheap helmets are only better than absolutely no helmet at all.

The real question is deciding whether to spend the extra 100 bucks for the snazzy graphics vs the plain solid color when you do get that good helmet.