Helmets - Are they worth it?

Originally Posted by hovis

i thought Infinity had gone bust

(it must have just been the cardiff one)

Well, I'm getting emails from them saying that they are back in business

Originally Posted by Dave The Rave

I had Nitro before (for 4 months). It did the job, but I treated meself to Shoei XR 1000 and you will know why it is so much more expensive than Nitro as soon as you put your head in it. Go to few shops and try some new helmets on. But buy from internet. You can get XR 1000 for less that £180 with graphics these days! Bargain. I would personally never go back to Nitro. The Shoei is so much more comfier, and feels a lot more solid to my old Nitro.

I to got me a XR 1000 as well and it fits nice, also a little cut out so I can wear my glasses no problems. (other helmets might do this but my first one didn't)

I had a £100 Lazer helmet before my current £250 arai. I gotta say, the extra 150 squids is a worthy investment - the helmet is comfier, lighter, better ventelated and the padding inside hasnt become all squashed down like it did on my Lazer.

If you are using a helmet everyday, its worth investing in a good quality one IMO. Not mega-expensive, but the Arai condor (which I have) is certainly very very good and well worth its money.

Matt

[G]

Shoei XR1000 i have too. Lovely fit, noisey as hell though IMO, but really really light, i dont have much experience in helmets other than the nitro i did my DAS in.....it was poo

The aftersales service from Arai is excellent. If you drop your helmet they will inspect it for free and advise if there is any damage, also Arai dealers will service the helmet for free for 5 years after purchase.. They have trucks at all the big bike meets/races and can do services there too. Plus you can change the cheek pads for bigger/smaller ones if it's a little big/small.

My side pods were sticking and it was hard to get the visor on so I took it to Hein Gericke and they took it all apart, greased and cleaned it all for free! They said they only cos it's an Arai!

surely there is a difference in safety between a standard UK safety rating, and then the gold sticker? thats why i paid the extra ton

obviously fit was good, tried on a good few

[fizzwheel]

Do you have a £50 head ?

Personally fit over style every time, I find that I feel more comfortable in an Arai or Shoei ( I've got both ) My Shoei lasted three years of every day use before I retired it and replaced with an Arai.

Liz has had a string of cheap lids that after 6 or so months dont fit very well anymore... I think you get what you pay for.

I find that with the more expensive brands, the real benefit you get is, Better materials for the inner surfaces of the helmet, better vents, they are lighter and I find that they have a bigger slot to look through.

I ignored all temptations to fall in to snobbery when selecting my Shoei.

Having been a courier for more years than I care to mention, I do have an opinion on this.

I used a £100 Caberg for 3 years before destroying it in an accident (No head injury).

I can see why people buy Arai and Shoei. They are generally lighter and better ventilated. However the premium is too much for me to justify it. The Caberg was perfect for my old job and I have an HJC (Not sure which model, its the one in my avatar) which I use on track and occasionally road during the summer.

Get the best lid you can afford without getting suckered into the 'label' thing! If a cheaper one fits better and feels better get it, but don't go under £100 IMHO.

HTH!

cool, wow thanks for all the responses, definitely food for thought, I'm hoping to pick up another bargain at the NEC, got my Nitro 1200 plater orange replica there for £75 with a bag and cap, the RRP is £199 (obviously only fools pay rrp but still a nice saving), i'm ideally aiming between £100 and 200, but will see what the show has to offer, will try all the brands I can get my grubby mitts on
Much Appreciated