Devon TRF Group Forum

tricky · Clubman B

best helmet

xtriple · Champion

I love Arai helmets, but I don't wear one on the lanes (do on the road though) as we tend to bash our headgear fairly frequently and a £300 helmet with chunks missing tends to get a bit distressing.

However, if you are a better rider than me (not hard) then go for it.

I wear either an Airoh S4 an mx style lid with a visor, or an Oneal mx one without a visor. I prefer, for vision reasons the Oneal one.

devondan · Champion

Ive got a Tour X and love it but as Dave says, dont get precious about it! Its going to get dirty and scratched. I'd say go and try them on, fit is as important as anything else as is ease of getting on and off.

Dan

Torr · Expert

One that fits...... make and cost and fashion accessoriability stickers are of little concequence in a fall when your head is in impact with the ground!

Garry · Clubman B

I've got one of these,

shoei helmet

great fit and very light. I always thinks it worth spending as much as I can afford for a decent lid, road or off-road.

-- Edited by Garry on Tuesday 4th of May 2010 09:49:20 PM

-- Edited by Garry on Tuesday 4th of May 2010 09:50:14 PM

-- Edited by Garry on Tuesday 4th of May 2010 09:50:56 PM

-- Edited by Garry on Tuesday 4th of May 2010 09:51:31 PM

-- Edited by wackyracer on Wednesday 5th of May 2010 05:21:22 AM

Hoops · Elite

Albion were doing some deals on various lids....

brownie · Expert

i saw a couple of bluetooth helmets at bmad, anyone tried one?

meant to be good as a 'bike com' between 2 riders.

landyman · Sportsman

I wear an Arai,VX3 it was expensive but fits perfect. I always seemed to be inbetween a Small and medium with cheaper ones but the Arai is a medium and fits .....like a glove confuse

..

jt · Powermonger!!

Hebo Trials lid - very light and I much prefer open face, vision wise and looks less 'imposing' to those I meet on the lanes.

Have a cheap motocross style one as well (from ghostbikes) to wear when its wet/really cold.

Like everone else says - its to protect yer head not a fashion accessory and it will get bashed and scratched so personally I wouldn't spend that much.....

chrisoncbr · Expert

Shoei Hornet DS. Pricey but quiet, comfortable & with Pinlock visor insert. Even good when Mike T does his rooster trick in front of you. smile

RichT4 · Champion

On a recent ride one open faced rider suffered when we had to pass through some over grown brambles.

Full faced one piece MX style for me - I want chin & face protection.
I'm honestly surprised that open face helmets are still legal for road use.

xtriple · Champion

Got to agree with Rich here, I love my open face Arai, and used to wear it all the time on the lanes, until the fateful day when a bramble thwacked me across the chin/lip area - I looked like an extra from a Zombie move - there was blood everywhere!

Full face MX style lids still seem to give you plenty of peripheral vision whereas the ones with visors are more akin to road bike lids and lack that sideways view that I find so important.

I always like to know just what it is I'm about to hit/land on!......

doug9270 · Powermonger!!

RichT4 wrote:

On a recent ride one open faced rider suffered when we had to pass through some over grown brambles.

Full faced one piece MX style for me - I want chin & face protection.
I'm honestly surprised that open face helmets are still legal for road use.

Spoil sport, you will be telling me next that motorcycling is dangerous !!!

Open face for me matey, yeah i get the odd scratch but i do like to see where i am going,plus full face helmets give me neck ache after a days riding, you need to move your head more to see all on the obstacles.

Ming · Devon's Best

For the lanes or MX/Enduro - gotta be full face MX type lid for protection value, coupled with decent goggles. So-called safety glasses leave too much gap between the chin bar and bottom of the glasses so your top lip/nose/cheek area is wide open to bramble attack confuse

However.....try to ride trials in one of these lids and it seems your eyes have been taped over - open face trials helmets give you soooo much more peripheral vision and are as light as a cycle helmet.

Just wouldn't want to wear one on a trail ride.....

You don't have to spend a fortune either - my latest Oneal MX lid was £40 delivered, whereas a similar top-spec road bike lid would be £300 disbelief

Doesn't stop me riding like a numpty though...... hmm

jt · Powermonger!!

RichT4 wrote:

On a recent ride one open faced rider suffered when we had to pass through some over grown brambles.

Full faced one piece MX style for me - I want chin & face protection.
I'm honestly surprised that open face helmets are still legal for road use.

Why?

My choice mate - only person that suffers is me.....next step ? I'm suprised that motorcycles are still legal for road use.....?

jt · Powermonger!!

doug9270 wrote:

RichT4 wrote:

On a recent ride one open faced rider suffered when we had to pass through some over grown brambles.

Full faced one piece MX style for me - I want chin & face protection.
I'm honestly surprised that open face helmets are still legal for road use.

Spoil sport, you will be telling me next that motorcycling is dangerous !!!

Yep and thats why I for one love it - one of the few things in the horrible sanitised, nanny state type world I can still get a buzz from - I know the risks and I have a choice - I don't need some **** in a suit telling me its risky thankyou. Don't mind at all legislation that stops me hurting others but don't need it to stop me hurting me thanks... bleh

xtriple · Champion

Blimey, next you'll all be telling me we got off topic! biggrin

Open face lids are great, and I use one on my Bonnie (on the very odd occasion I ride it) but having started out laning in an open face lid, I wouldn't go out for a days trail ride in one.

Odd few lanes, then yes. Rest of the time is MX style for me I'm afraid, Ghostbikes were having a sale and Oneal lids (usually £150 a time) were down to sub £40 - try one, at that price you can't really go wrong.

jt · Powermonger!!

Just looked £34 if you don't mind one with flowers on.... smile

xtriple · Champion

Someone (not me) on this very thread just bought a pretty one wiv flowers on it - very sweet it is!

Mine is urban camo though "Kaotic" if you wanna be accurate and very butch and macho it is - grand sum of £38 delivered!

tricky · Clubman B

I have gone for a MX style helmet and enduro goggles only problem now is which boots MX or trials....

Harty · Devon's Best

Thank god you haven't asked the question of '2 stoke or 4 stroke', there'd be handbags at dawn!! wink

Harty · Devon's Best

tricky wrote:

I have gone for a MX style helmet and enduro goggles only problem now is which boots MX or trials....

See theis post Tricky http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=124986&p=3&topicID=34751115

I'd say jt's boots were the ones to go for personally as you'll def need some form of grip on the soles.

xtriple · Champion

MX boots are stiffer round the ankles and give you more protection. However, they have no grip on the soles whereas Trials boots do. If I had the money, I'd buy trials ones now to replace my MX boots.

Ming · Devon's Best

xtriple wrote:

Someone (not me) on this very thread just bought a pretty one wiv flowers on it - very sweet it is!

Hahahahaha - who would buy a helmet with flowers on???? disbelief

Now one with tasteful Hawaiian surf dude graphics...that's different wink

hampsterracing · Devon's Best

xtriple wrote:

MX boots are stiffer round the ankles and give you more protection. However, they have no grip on the soles whereas Trials boots do. If I had the money, I'd buy trials ones now to replace my MX boots.

thats where alpinestar tech 3's come in.motox protection and an enduro sole best of both worlds.not too pricey either.(make sure you buy the all terrain/enduro sole as they do them with an MX sole as well)

see HERE

RichT4 · Champion

jt wrote:
Why?

My choice mate - only person that suffers is me.....next step ? I'm suprised that motorcycles are still legal for road use.....?

Because they are more dangerours, maybe un-neccesarliy dangerous?
Who knows, not for me to decide.

I was just saying that I'm surprised that more people have not be injured through the use of them and thus triggered the banning of them.

Your choice for sure - it won't hurt enyone else so is fine in my book.

Point is though that they offer little bramble protection. hmm

jt · Powermonger!!

RichT4 wrote:

Point is though that they offer little bramble protection.

Accept that point and agree, have had a few moments where I have ducked to miss a bramble - I have a full face as well but almost always grab the trials helmet as I go out the door.....I wear a davida open face on my road bike as well (and always have) so perhaps I should just give the full face one a bit more of a go as it's just that I'm not used to it....... hmm

gaschef · Devon's Best

From my point of view, I prefer an open face in the summer and wear a full face when it gets colder and my eyelids start to freeze

If you are talking about full protection where do you stop, a full face with a permanently closed visor, also fitted with a leather and kevlar throat protector to stop brambles cutting you there, plus the roll type neck brace should you fall off, and on and on. If you are that worried drive a car instead

On the point of open face helmets being dangerous , to be sold in the EU they must have CE type approval, which means they have been designed and manufactured to a fixed set of standards, they are marked with the ACU / BSI kitemark which the insurers require. If they were that dangerous I am sure the insurers and the EU would take steps to stop there use

I for one cannot wait to get back to my open face, but you ride within the safe limits of the equipment you have, and be prepared to slow down. What is going to be next spokeless wheels to stop branches going through them or jacket mounted air bags so you bounce if you fall off!!!!!!!!!!!

Going back to the early 70's I remember arguements about full face helmets being dangerous when they were first introduced, Its a personal thing just leave it at that

RichT4 · Champion

It is a personal choice - agreed.

Just because it has the approvals doesn't mean it's safer, just that it meets a set standard. The standard if I remember correctly is more to do with impact & skull protection than face & chin.

I don't hold with your argument though - there can be a limit. You don't have to be classed as too worried to ride a motorcycle so "drive a car instead" if you just want a little more protection than an open face lid provides.

We aren't talking about the maximum protection possible. We're just talking about crash helmet choice and seem to have wandered on to discussing the merits of an open face lid vs a full faced MX style lid.

It seems as with most things that there are supporters for both, full faced are still safer though and there is nothing wrong with opting for one over an open face lid. It doesn't mean you are the type of person that worries overly about safety either, just that you probably consider you have a face that's worth saving. biggrin

-- Edited by RichT4 on Thursday 6th of May 2010 08:59:58 PM

TTR · Powermonger!!

chrisoncbr wrote:
Shoei Hornet DS. Pricey but quiet, comfortable & with Pinlock visor insert. Even good when Mike T does his rooster trick in front of you.

After about 10 years of use my Bieffe is giving up the ghost and I need a replacement. If I can get ten years out of the Shoei then that's gotta be value for money!

I really need to buy locally so that I can be sure its comfortable on my oversize noggin. Any idea who stocks them within a sensible distance of Exeter please?

Brockstar71 · Clubman B

TTR wrote:
I really need to buy locally so that I can be sure its comfortable on my oversize noggin. Any idea who stocks them within a sensible distance of Exeter please?

Brian,

I too have a big old head, and I use a shoei VFX-W motocross helmet (no visor). Again, not the cheapest, but it is one of the larger helmets available and is a great fit, for me, and comfortable all day long.

Brought mine from Dirtbikebitz in Colyton, so not too far from Exeter. I'm fairly sure they stock the Hornet DS as well, so you could compare the fit.

Chris.

chrisoncbr · Expert

Helmet City have a shop in West Bay. You could ring them & see if they have stock. Tel 01308 421465. Keen pricing & good service too. smile

jt · Powermonger!!

jt wrote:
RichT4 wrote:

Point is though that they offer little bramble protection.

Accept that point and agree, have had a few moments where I have ducked to miss a bramble - I have a full face as well but almost always grab the trials helmet as I go out the door.....I wear a davida open face on my road bike as well (and always have) so perhaps I should just give the full face one a bit more of a go as it's just that I'm not used to it.......

I'm now a convert - got this one for my B day in May and haven't worn the open face since - brambles, bugs and rain are no longer a problem...

Rich - I have to admit I was wrong and you were right wink

Make the most of that cause I don't say it often disbelief

TTR · Powermonger!!

chrisoncbr wrote:
Helmet City have a shop in West Bay. You could ring them & see if they have stock. Tel 01308 421465. Keen pricing & good service too.

Thanks for that Chris.

Popped into Helmet City and tried on their XXL Shoei Hornet. Disappointed that even with the narrowest cheek pads, my cheeks were pushed between my teeth if I opened my mouth! Other than that, it looked a nice helmet and fitted the rest of my noddle very nicely.

I went away and thought about it. The cheek pads are removable and the rest of the helmet was really comfortable so decided to buy one. Best price was Dirtbikebitz for the Sonora TC-6 version. Arrived this morning. Took out the cheek pads and replaced the foam with some thinner stuff. Just back from a test ride and it now almost passes the chewing gum test i.e. can you chew gum with the helmet on without also chewing the inside of your cheeks?

The double glazed bit that fits inside the visor works like magic and no steaming up when stationery.

Lots of vents and they seem to work!

Nice touch is a bit of netting sort of stuff that fits between the bottom front of the helmet and your chin to stop flies and things going up underneath wink

Will feed back again after first trail ride with it.

RichT4 · Champion

jt wrote:
Rich - I have to admit I was wrong and you were right
Make the most of that cause I don't say it often

I won't ever meantion JT. aww

jt · Powermonger!!

biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

You cheeky feker.....love the tag line made I proper laugh....brill! biggrin

TTR · Powermonger!!

Thanks Roger - that's the one!

Look a bit expensive though cry

Dale has since provided a link to something more affordable - see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150695843593?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649#ht_2361wt_952

-- Edited by TTR on Thursday 26th of July 2012 11:23:48 AM

TTR · Powermonger!!

Shoei Hornet Sonora TC-6 - test results

hampsterracing · Devon's Best

RE: best helmet

chrisoncbr · Expert

Peak length is always a bit of a compromise. My previous lid had a longer one and I kept hooking low branches which nearly pulled my head off or in one case pulled me back so that I was lying on the bike seat. biggrin biggrin No badger though, as luck would have it but stalled engine. That was enough for me so I got the DS. Glad you like yours, Mr TTR.