Helmet Prices

[retired1]

Thanks, it is nice to be welcome! Seems like a great group of adults here!

Sometimes!

[Bfromla]

Any thought on these? fyi i just learned of them & not having luck finding SNELL rating

[JimVonBaden]

Any thought on these? fyi i just learned of them & not having luck finding SNELL rating

All the drawbacks of a modular, with none of the benefits. You won't find a SNELL rating as it is not approved for racing.

[PistonBlown]

Look for emergency release padding when buying a helmet.

If you look under your helmet if this is fitted with this then you should see some red tags or loops on the padding. These allow emergency personnel to quickly extract parts of the padding so they can remove the helmet without having to move your head/neck around. At a motorcycle first aid course I attended the instructor couldn't praise these enough.

[deer30084]

Well I dunno, but I've seen lots of Nazi helmets and cigarettes dangling from the mouth on the road.

[Brian Kay]

I'll take a beating to say it, the Cycle Gear house brand Bilt may be great for some but consider the money saved happens for a reason.

My wife was awarded a free helmet from the passing of her liscense endorsement through a local certified course. The helmet was no doubt a generous gift by Cycle Gear. She utilized the helmet and after about a year began complaining of headaches. Point is, the helmet fit pretty good initially, but with minimal use the inside padding quickly deteriorated and caused issues.

Her other helmet, a $180 HJC was chosen during purchase of the Spyder as we were allocated two helmets with the purchase. I was able to combine the value of two and purchase one better helmet. The HJC is not without it's own quirks. The quality of materials is superior to the built. However as you remove the helmet, the cheek pads always unsnap. If you put the helmet on with the pads not secure, they are still in place, but not correct.

when I worked in a shop, on slow days I would try on many helmets and learn the features of those we sold and if possible those we would order. Proper sizing was always important and company reps would offer instruction about the helmets, sizing and features.

Bilt is fine if it fill your needs. Although my wife can have a head harder than a carbon helmet shell, she did take the time to learn and try on various helmets at several shops. Unless things change, her next helmet will be more expensive and tunable for fit via different arrangements of foam liner components AND will have fast remove cheek pads.

All the best with the new helmet.

I also heard recently Revzilla was bought by Cycle Gear.

Paul,
That is correct and if you go to cycle gear now, they sell all the big name brands...from Rev'It to Spidi to Roland Sands and Alpinestars. They still sell the lower ends like Sedici to Bilt. And it doesn't matter if you use Revzilla's website, they have the same brand name gear and pricing as Cycle Gear.

Still love Revzilla's website, videos and customer reviews.

[cognaccruiser]

Look for emergency release padding when buying a helmet.

If you look under your helmet if this is fitted with this then you should see some red tags or loops on the padding. These allow emergency personnel to quickly extract parts of the padding so they can remove the helmet without having to move your head/neck around. At a motorcycle first aid course I attended the instructor couldn't praise these enough.

I recently was looking at a Shoei full face helmet with this feature. I was very impressed and I think/hope that this becomes standard.

I agree with what PMK said. I just can't get my thoughts and head around buying a cheap helmet just to save a few dollars. Wearing one that is cheap is undoubtedly better than nothing. Finding one that fits is very important. If you hate wearing it and it causes you pain, what use is it? Folks spend huge amounts of money on their Spyders or bikes and farkling them out but then scrimp on a helmet. Look at the cost of our after market seats so that or rears can be comfortable but folks cheap out on a helmet. Ordering one from somewhere like Revzilla without knowing how it will fit even if they will let you return it is not the way to do it. You need to find one that feels comfortable and is not too tight or too loose and then wear it for at least an hour in the store. I found a Schuberth that seemed to fit well and after an hour it started to hurt. Tried a Shoei and went through the same process and it was fine. It is still fine today and I appreciated the fact that the store encouraged me and my wife to do this to ensure we bought the right helmets. I have absolutely no regrets about the amount of money they cost and the quality of these helmets compared to some that I've seen.

Gary

[Highwayman2013]

I bought my helmet at Cycle Gear because they would order it in and I could try it in the store before buying it. Fit is very important I got an HJC modular and it is comfortable on this big round head.

[JimVonBaden]

Look for emergency release padding when buying a helmet.

If you look under your helmet if this is fitted with this then you should see some red tags or loops on the padding. These allow emergency personnel to quickly extract parts of the padding so they can remove the helmet without having to move your head/neck around. At a motorcycle first aid course I attended the instructor couldn't praise these enough.

I've been riding and in and around the MC business for 30+ years and never heard of emergency release padding. I highly doubt most EMTs have either. Hell, they just cut the chinstrap and spread the helmet. Maybe the race track EMTs know about these?

[jaherbst]

So many Helmets, So many opinions! Looks like we got another Tire and Oil thread going.

One very important thing not mentioned here is age of the Helmet. Sun and Ultra Violet light deteriorates all Helmets. Just sitting on the shelf for more than 5 years will deem it less effective. I never keep a Helmet in use for more than five years. This effects both interior padding and schell. (deterioration)

When you buy that discount Helmet find out the date it was manufactured. I wear an Arai and the manufactured date is stamped on the D-ring. Most Helmets on sale are on sale because they are approaching or close to the five year date. It's a litigation thing that can be used against dealers and manufacturers.

What's in your Helmet?

Jack

[PistonBlown]

I've been riding and in and around the MC business for 30+ years and never heard of emergency release padding. I highly doubt most EMTs have either. Hell, they just cut the chinstrap and spread the helmet. Maybe the race track EMTs know about these?

It's relatively new, perhaps appearing in the last 5 years but I've seen it on a range of helmets not just the expensive ones. Both my cheaper FFM helmet (a NZ make) and my Shoei have them. If you pull on the tags then the lower cheek and side padding comes out while the rest of the padding stays in place. This means the head is still supported within the helmet but is much easier to remove the helmet without having to move the head and no need to spread the helmet. The paramedic also said it helps the injured rider feel less closed in so they tend not to panic, try to remove the helmet etc when he's treating them.

I did the first aid refresher course aimed specifically a motorbike accidents after on one ride I'd come across three separate motorcycle accidents in rural locations. I also occasionally marshal at Motocross events. The guy running it was a paramedic who covers motocross, races etc. so he deals with a lot of motorcycle prangs. He wanted the local groups the make the helmets compulsory which probably tells you how useful he thinks this feature is.

[Peter Aawen]

The 'Emergency Release Padding' is getting to be quite the go this side of the pond, Pistonblown!! In fact, it's probably harder to find a helmet without it than otherwise - just about all new helmets on sale in shops/retail outlets here have it!! Maybe that's due to our Aust Design Rules & mandated compliance with Aust Stds, but still.... Heck, we can't even buy a 'legal & compliant' helmet over here that comes with a clip fastener; they hafta have D rings or they aren't acceptable/compliant!! And you thought the Nanny on your Spyder was bad!!

[JimVonBaden]

It's relatively new, perhaps appearing in the last 5 years but I've seen it on a range of helmets not just the expensive ones. Both my cheaper FFM helmet (a NZ make) and my Shoei have them. If you pull on the tags then the lower cheek and side padding comes out while the rest of the padding stays in place. This means the head is still supported within the helmet but is much easier to remove the helmet without having to move the head and no need to spread the helmet. The paramedic also said it helps the injured rider feel less closed in so they tend not to panic, try to remove the helmet etc when he's treating them.

I did the first aid refresher course aimed specifically a motorbike accidents after on one ride I'd come across three separate motorcycle accidents in rural locations. I also occasionally marshal at Motocross events. The guy running it was a paramedic who covers motocross, races etc. so he deals with a lot of motorcycle prangs. He wanted the local groups the make the helmets compulsory which probably tells you how useful he thinks this feature is.

Interesting. I wonder if it has hit the USA yet?

[PistonBlown]

The 'Emergency Release Padding' is getting to be quite the go this side of the pond, Pistonblown!! In fact, it's probably harder to find a helmet without it than otherwise - just about all new helmets on sale in shops/retail outlets here have it!! Maybe that's due to our Aust Design Rules & mandated compliance with Aust Stds, but still.... Heck, we can't even buy a 'legal & compliant' helmet over here that comes with a clip fastener; they hafta have D rings or they aren't acceptable/compliant!! And you thought the Nanny on your Spyder was bad!!

...and when it comes to writing our standards the NZ government just gets the Australian ones and takes them to the photocopier. But hey, judging by JimVonBaden's comments we're leading the world (again):-)

JimVonBaden - Strangely the lack of these in the US may have something to do with the differences in our two cultures. In NZ (and I'm assuming Australia) we have something called Accident Compensation Corporation, or ACC for short. This is a "comprehensive, no-fault personal injury cover for all New Zealand residents and visitors to New Zealand". We all pay an ACC levy as part of our taxes. If you have any sort of accident at work, home, on the road etc then this is covered by ACC. ACC covers the costs of treatment, pays you 80% of your salary while your unable to work and fixed rate compensation for any permanent injuries. A key part of this is getting you healthy so you can return to work.

Obviously from ACC's point of view prevention or mitigation is better, and cheaper, than the aftermath so they actively promote safety.

So for motorbike riders they run regular training courses and fairs, encourage the use of safer gear, etc. For example they have recently been changing the crash barriers on popular bike routes to make them more 'biker friendly' in the case of an accident.

[jaherbst]

That may be true in some cases, but most times helmets go on sale just like bikes, the newer models come out.

The shell itself will not deteriorate. Current helmets utilize advanced plastics and advanced composite materials and when needed use stabilizers to protect against UV damage when needed.

Helmet interior components are where the problems arrise. Different people have differences in how their sweat reacts with the helmet liner.

Some folks never remove or wash the removable liners. Those that never wash that removable liner is similar to wearing the same under constantly without washing, simply hang those undies up each night and wear them the next day.

Most racers, even though they replace helmets more frequently, will remove all pads and removable items, then wash the entire helmet cool water, and fabric items with Woolite or similar.

A properly taken care of helmet will easily last, assuming it is a quality item, those 5 years and more. Obviously a crash normally requires replacement. Other than that, be aware and as items show wear or corrosion consider replacing, however, if the liner pads are worn, often they can be replaced to get that new fit back.

I agree with most of what you have said but disagree strongly with "the schell itself will not deteriorate". If you have read many Snell and DOT reports you will find that the schell definitely deteriorates from age alone and from UV rays. Helmet, boats (fiberglass) and anything with resins in them deteriorate rapidly if left in the sun or exposed to it for extended periods of time. The sun here in Arizona will make a believer of anyone. A combination of the UV rays and the heat will destroy anything here.

Jack

[JimVonBaden]

...and when it comes to writing our standards the NZ government just gets the Australian ones and takes them to the photocopier. But hey, judging by JimVonBaden's comments we're leading the world (again):-)

JimVonBaden - Strangely the lack of these in the US may have something to do with the differences in our two cultures. In NZ (and I'm assuming Australia) we have something called Accident Compensation Corporation, or ACC for short. This is a "comprehensive, no-fault personal injury cover for all New Zealand residents and visitors to New Zealand". We all pay an ACC levy as part of our taxes. If you have any sort of accident at work, home, on the road etc then this is covered by ACC. ACC covers the costs of treatment, pays you 80% of your salary while your unable to work and fixed rate compensation for any permanent injuries. A key part of this is getting you healthy so you can return to work.

Obviously from ACC's point of view prevention or mitigation is better, and cheaper, than the aftermath so they actively promote safety.

So for motorbike riders they run regular training courses and fairs, encourage the use of safer gear, etc. For example they have recently been changing the crash barriers on popular bike routes to make them more 'biker friendly' in the case of an accident.

Interesting, and definitely a difference in philosophy. Thanks for explaining!

[cognaccruiser]

Interesting. I wonder if it has hit the USA yet?

The one I was looking at was on a Shoei full face here in Canada so I would assume the USA usually gets this type of thing before us. I could be wrong.

Gary