Flash Helmet - Should I bother?

[megs]

So not long until my test now, and I'm looking at upgrading my £50 box helmet i've been using on the 125.

I've been looking at hein-gericke and i can't find a single 5 star sharp rated helmet for 150-200. They are all 4 star or less. My box bx1 is 4 star and rates as good as the £200 ones, problem is its red white and black and my sv is yellow.

Should i bother buying a new one because of colour clash and helmet snobbery?
I won't buy anything less than 5 star on the sharp rating as i'm not paying 150+ for a helmet just as good as the one i have now.

Also anyeone recommend any good bike shops in York?

[speedplay]

Get one that fits you like it should.


If its bling, so be it :)

[barwel1992]

sharp means cack all

buy a better helemt will be comfier and also lighter but make sure it fits well !

[megs]

Does SHARP really mean not that much, i got told by my CBT instructor that they are the best rating system.

[speedplay]

Does SHARP really mean not that much, i got told by my CBT instructor that they are the best rating system.


http://www.davesreptiles.co.uk/ekmps/shops/davesreptiles/images/zoo-med-can-o-worms-35g-990-p.jpg

[maxinc]

Does SHARP really mean not that much, i got told by my CBT instructor that they are the best rating system.

Perhaps because it is the only official rating. A tight fit 2 star helmet may protect you better than a loose 5 star one. An uncomfortable, heavy or noisy helmet may distract you while riding, increasing the potential risk for an accident. Since they all pass a certain certification standard, I would get the one that fits best around my head.

[DJFridge]

I started with a £50 Box helmet too - I loved the idea of riding but I didn't want to spend a fortune on a helmet and then hate the CBT - it was the most comfortable one I could find for under £100. Once I'd been riding for a bit I went to another local dealer and got someone who knew what they were doing to look at the shape of my head and make some suggestions. I ended up with an AGV which fitted perfectly and set me back about £180. It wasn't the most expensive I tried but it was the most comfortable. I tried much more expensive Schoei helmets that made my head hurt just being in them, but I know other people who swear by them.

This got me thinking about helmet fit in general and why people would buy without trying http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?p=2561050#post2561050

[Bluefish]

Some will try on in the shop, then buy on the tinternet.

[DJFridge]

Some will try on in the shop, then buy on the tinternet.

I could only bring myself to do that if the service in the shop had been sh1te. I've done it in Currys, for example, when the staff were utterly useless (then ordered online from Pixmania who are owned by DSG and it was even delivered by Currys staff on a Currys lorry, except cheaper and a week quicker, lol). If a shop gives you good service though, that is what the extra cost over an online shop is for. It's giving you personal service and expertise that you can't get online and we need to keep that sort of shop alive. Otherwise, eventually, everything we buy will be from Tesco or Amazon. It will be built to suit the lowest common denominator, at the lowest possible cost, from the cheapest possible materials and meeting the lowest legal requirements. And we'll only have ourselves to blame.

Support your local shops (bike or otherwise)

[maxinc]

Support your local shops (bike or otherwise)

Except Currys & PC World :smt068

[fizzwheel]

Does SHARP really mean not that much, i got told by my CBT instructor that they are the best rating system.

It depends who you beleive, if you believe the people behind SHARP then yes its the best rating system ever, if you believe the manufacturers the tests are flawed and dont relate to a real world accident.

Personally I'd take the whole thing with a pinch of salt. I'd be first and foremost looking for a helmet that fitted me and was comfortable to wear.

A £50 helmet that fits your properly will provide better protection than a £500 helmet that is loose / is a poor fit.

I've had Shoei's and Arai's and my personal preferance after trying a a few different make lids on is that I would only buy a Shoei or an Arai now. But it really is down to personal choice.

Go to a bike shop try loads on and see for yourself which fits you best.

[SUPERSTARDJ01]

Most of the AGV helmets are 5 star.

[NTECUK]

I'd not get in to the machin bike +gear merry go round.
I'd your happy with the lid you have stic with it.
You could always get the same model in a different color and keep the other as a spar at the price you paid .

[ulsy]

some of the caberg helmets are 5 star rated. i picked my v2 up for £80 from ghostbikes in preston.

[WeegieBlue]

If your helmet just now is fine, don't replace it just for aesthetic reasons. You'll need a new one a few years from now anyway, and what bike will you be riding in 2014? Just keep the one you have, and then next time, make sure you buy a black one as black goes with any bike.

[Geodude]

Got me a Caberg trip tova 5 star 80 quid, good fit but noisy. Rode round for 4 years with a Takai flip from h'gerike before all this sharp gubbins. Even had a 60mph off in the takai and me heads ok.. mostly lol. As said by many others get the best you can afford and what fits well.

[andrewsmith]

It depends who you beleive, if you believe the people behind SHARP then yes its the best rating system ever, if you believe the manufacturers the tests are flawed and dont relate to a real world accident.

Personally I'd take the whole thing with a pinch of salt. I'd be first and foremost looking for a helmet that fitted me and was comfortable to wear.

A £50 helmet that fits your properly will provide better protection than a £500 helmet that is loose / is a poor fit.

I've had Shoei's and Arai's and my personal preferance after trying a a few different make lids on is that I would only buy a Shoei or an Arai now. But it really is down to personal choice.

Go to a bike shop try loads on and see for yourself which fits you best.

As Fizz said. Personal choice, I prefer Xlites and Bell (Italy) lids

My local clothing dealer openly says the SHARP tests are a load of rubbish and Nolan Group haven't signed up to SHARP in the UK. There point in a round about way, is the big helmet manufacturers spend tens of millions on research and testing.
They also use the GP, WSB and road racers riders for feedback and accident testing (how many of them have binned it this year so far), same as the glove, boots and leathers firms do.

[DJFridge]

Except Currys & PC World :smt068

I'd forgotten PC World. They actually got some of my hard-earned this weekend, but, in fairness, they had in stock exactly what I had already decided I needed and I didn't have to talk to anyone!

[megs]

Thanks for the replys everyone, thing I'm going to get a new black one, one that's fits the best from hein gereick York, I can keep the box one for a pillionlspare

[Chris Bird]

A couple of years ago, I decided that I needed a much better helmet. I was using a 50 quid marushin thing. I decided to go helmet shopping with comfort, and practicality being more of an influence than price. I ended buying myself an Arai RX-7 Corsair. It set me back 500 quid but I'll never regret it. It only gets three stars on that SHARP poo but it's the best helmet out there for me.

Didn't there used to be a different rating system though. I'm sure I read in bike magazine about the 'New Sharp' rating system that was gonna turn motorcycle helmet rating on its head. I'm fairly certain that the SHARP system is regarded as poo by most.

Don't quote me on that though.

[NTECUK]

To be honest we cant dish SHARP until someone in the know points out there tests are flawed.
But a quiet well fitting lid with good visibility is less likely to Get you in the position that you have to rely on its protection .

[Holdup]

To be honest we cant dish SHARP until someone in the know points out there tests are flawed.
But a quiet well fitting lid with good visibility is less likely to Get you in the position that you have to rely on its protection .

All i can say is its common sense to me but i cant prove its flawed at all

Take for example my Arai Condor http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/arai-condor

Tested on the right hand side and left hand side it got the lowest score possible of poor

When i fell off my bike onto my right hand side wearing my condor my shoulder was in the way so the point of impact that sharp tests never made contact with the floor and i cant possibly see how it ever would.

TBH the best advice you can follow is

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/content/fitting-guide

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/content/get-right-fit

[Stonesie]

I like Shoei, I went round every bike gear shop in the area trying lids on and thay were the only ones that fitted properly, so that's what I bought from HG Doncaster, but the fella told me to go away and come back on the sunday when they were having a 10% off day, they would have to order me one in the colour I wanted anyway but if I paid on that day I would get the discount. Saved me £30 which I promptly spent on a dark visor when I got home.

[megs]

After trying on loads of lids I settled for a black shoei Qwest. It fits great, has a pinlock visor and is really quiet. Got 40 nikker off too, cost me 230 but I think its worth it.

[barwel1992]

my gp tech was 5 star sharp and got wrecked by a pigeon

[andrewsmith]

my gp tech was 5 star sharp and got wrecked by a pigeon

Did it save you Dan??

[keith_d]

I'll go for:

1) Find a bike shop with a good selection of helmets, not just one or two brands.
2) Start at the £100 point on the rack
3) Try every full face helmet, working up until you find one that fits properly
4) Check it has the gold (ACU?) sticker on it
5) Note the make and model
6) Check the price on the internet
7) Go back, and if you can get them within 10% of the internet price buy it.

[barwel1992]

Did it save you Dan??

well i didn't come off so no idea but im sure and 1 star helmet would have done the same was actually a bit miffed at the damage as its more than i have seen from people comming off and hitting there head on the floor

[andrewsmith]

moving impact Dan: Your speed+ objects speed. That what happened to Massa the other year with the shock of Barracello's car.

was the said bird flying at you?
hitting the deck is a different force of impact, your speed only

[barwel1992]

no it flew in to the side of me and i took it out

not saying its a bad helmet but thought it would have done better