Helmet advice needed

[Beemer]

On 1/8/2018 at 8:47 PM, bornagainbiker said:

This probably isn't what you had in mind, but it is a pinhead motorcycle helmet:

 

Seems like the perfect helmet to me since you want to cruise and see the sights with it, right?

 

 

[Beemer]

1 hour ago, rick said:

I prefer to use "frugal bastard" instead

I prefer to use sensible PITA.

 

 

[VertigoTX]

You might consider using this service.  I've read good things about it, so I ordered it.  The results confirm my current helmet is an almost perfect fit.  I'm going to get my next helmet based on it's advice.

 

http://www.lidpicker.com/

 

 

[faffi]

Thank you for the link!

[faffi]

Looking at this list http://www.lidpicker.com/free-data/ I find it hard to believe that Shoei are more round and Arai more oval in general - that's certainly not how they feel on my noggin'. Perhaps the list is reversed or I read it the wrong way?

[shinyribs]

3 hours ago, faffi said:

Looking at this list http://www.lidpicker.com/free-data/ I find it hard to believe that Shoei are more round and Arai more oval in general - that's certainly not how they feel on my noggin'. Perhaps the list is reversed or I read it the wrong way?

Agreed. I wear long oval helmets. I can wear an intermediate oval, but only on certain occasions. I CSN personally attest that a Shoei RF1200 is an oval-intermediate oval, but that chart puts it very far in to the round spectrum. Hmm...

 

I do agree with them that the Scorpion AT950 is not overly oval. That's true. 

[rick]

3 hours ago, faffi said:

Looking at this list http://www.lidpicker.com/free-data/ I find it hard to believe that Shoei are more round and Arai more oval in general - that's certainly not how they feel on my noggin'. Perhaps the list is reversed or I read it the wrong way?

That's a hard generalization as Arai uses 2 pretty different interior shapes. Their schtick says that a round outer shell causes less chance of it grabbing on impact that might result in a fast decel. So their outer shells are all very round. And one thing they don't advertise is how little the air grabs that round shape - especially when you turn your head.

 

So compare to the Signet's innards, which are very narrow at the sides, the Shoies will be a bit rounder.

 

But my RX-Q, ( the Quantum-like interior) no way. it's far rounder than any Shoei that I tried a few years back.

 

I've found that Webbike World article to be pretty accurate - though it's well dated now.

[VertigoTX]

5 hours ago, faffi said:

Looking at this list http://www.lidpicker.com/free-data/ I find it hard to believe that Shoei are more round and Arai more oval in general - that's certainly not how they feel on my noggin'. Perhaps the list is reversed or I read it the wrong way?

From that graph, it would appear that all the Arai lean to a more oval biased shape, and the Shoei a more round biased shape.  Consider, that those within the inner brackets are probably all considered an intermediate oval for other sites.

 

I don't know how accurate all of their data is, but it seems to be collected data based on measurements and not subjective opinion.  In order to get the full report, you have to measure your head in 3 places and submit the measurements.  Within a work day, I had my results chart.   The chart shows that my medium HJC IS-17 is a great fit for me, which my head confirms.  There are several others listed that should fit well such as the Shoei RF-1200.

 

It cost about $15, and you get a $10 gift certificate.  I figured it would be worth it to narrow down the list of options for my next helmet.  I'll just be sure to order from some place that allows returns such as Revzilla or Amazon in case my selection doesn't work out.

[Beemer]

Have you considered skull binding? Reshaping the head might be the ticket. 😉

 

Granted, you may not be that cute but who cares.

 

[r1limited]

On 1/10/2018 at 6:35 AM, bornagainbiker said:

What is the difference between cheap and frugal you ask? 

 

Well, cheap is when you say: I really like motorcycling, but it is too expensive, so I just won't ride. 

 

Frugal is when you say: I really like motorcycling, so I will make cuts in other areas so that I can afford to ride.

 

Yes, frugal is much better--be frugal.

Nah

Cheep is when you like motorcycling want a awesome exhaust and drill holes in it as well as the airbox and frame

Frugal is when you sawzal the pipe off 3 inches from the heads, sawzall the passanger pegs and krylon the new paint job with on sale paint from ace hardware

[Beemer]

22 hours ago, r1limited said:

Nah

Cheep is when you like motorcycling want a awesome exhaust and drill holes in it as well as the airbox and frame

Frugal is when you sawzal the pipe off 3 inches from the heads, sawzall the passanger pegs and krylon the new paint job with on sale paint from ace hardware

I spotted a comma in a sentence, effing amazing! Cheers! Next you can work on using periods to mark the end of a sentence. (causes way less confusion.) Who cares about spelling?! 😏

The anticipation is immense! This is better than any daytime soap, eva!

 

Sorry, had 2. Jus messin' witcha, U B U.

[rick]

Never used my Sawzall on headers. Sure wished I owned one decades ago when I helped a buddy hacksaw thru the rear axle (both sides) on his XL175 (?) to get the wheel out. The axle was rusted solid in the bearings.

 

Seems Honda was frugal with the grease!

[r1limited]

1 hour ago, rick said:

Never used my Sawzall on headers. Sure wished I owned one decades ago when I helped a buddy hacksaw thru the rear axle (both sides) on his XL175 (?) to get the wheel out. The axle was rusted solid in the bearings.

 

Seems Honda was frugal with the grease!

Back in that time before that wacko cappin crunch on da sea wacko ship they used whale oil

[rick]

1 hour ago, r1limited said:

Back in that time before that wacko cappin crunch on da sea wacko ship they used whale oil

Arrr, matey, whale oil (maybe even whale jizz) would have been better than the spit Honda used

 

crazy how a simple tire change can turn into hours of sawing, followed by an axle, new bearings, and spacers (of course, had to cut them too.)

[faffi]

Finally found an almost perfect helmet  - for me. 

 

I ended up with an Arai Axces 3, the cheapest in the shop. If you can call a USD500 helmet cheap. Pinlock not included, another 40 bucks. Unfortunately the cheap one, I may add; I wanted a higher level helmet with a sun visor. But those had a slightly different shape that was narrower.

 

My head is probably of a rather unusual shape, because even the model I got should ideally have been 1/4 inch wider and a 1/4 inch shorter - and it is the widest and shortest helmet I have ever tried. 

 

Anyway, I bought one size above ideal for this very reason. The helmet is still very snug, but easier to put on and remove than anything I've owned or tried before. Also a plus is that while the head moves with the helmet, I do not bite my cheeks when I close my jaws. 

 

With the perfect size, M (57 cm or 22.45 in) the helmet was just tight enough on the sides that I knew it would feel uncomfortable after an hour or two. The L (59 cm or 23.23 in) just sits snugly with no pressure, but if I pull the helmet firmly forward, the sales-woman could get 4 tiny fingers between my forehead and the liner. However, since the helmet didn't drop down over my brows, not even when pulling on the chin bar, the sales-woman agreed to sell it to me, although she would have preferred me to go for the smaller version. I told her I would be more likely to crash if I was in pain, to which she agreed, and also since the helmet sat firmly in all directions it was deemed safe.

 

The Arais, all of them, also work splendidly with glasses.

 

I also tried a Shubert, and while not as painful as a Shoei, it felt "bony" like a Shoei. And the ear cavities were placed too low for my ears. 

 

So what I have learned is that Arai helmets fit me the best, with AGV helmets a clear second. And that Shoeis are still the worst for me, both in fit and also comfort; the interior feels harsh to me. Also, there are differences between one Arai to the next, and that goes for every helmet brand out there. Take your time and you should eventually find just the helmet your head need. 

[faffi]

BTW, the costliest  Arai helmet on offer was the RX7V Carbon with a sticker price of NOK 31.999, or  3800 American dollars 

[scotto]

@faffi Glad you found a decent fit.  From your original post I figured you'd wind up in an Arai, they usually fit rounder heads.  Though they are making models now for oval/long oval heads.  If you new helmet ends up being noisy, just try some foam earplugs.

[scat2me]

What is the quietest helmet for long rides ?  I use a G max and its noisy at high speeds.

[scotto]

@scat2me Finding a helmet that fits your head correctly (round, oval, intermediate oval, long oval, etc.) and snuggly will be your first step.  Having a small opening at the bottom of the helmet can help block out noise also.  The efficiency of the air ducting can also effect noise levels.  Getting a correct fit and using earplugs will give you a quiet ride.

Hope that helps.  Do a Google search on motorcycle helmet noise levels and you're bound to find some sites.

[faffi]

Thanks, scotto, I always wear ear plugs. Also fully agree with finding the best fitting helmet first, then worry about noise. Generally speaking, Schubert have always been known as silent. Or rather less noisy. But you can find a lot of info by googling. 

 

Oh, and you can fit an apple warmer or similar to most helmets, which will almost remove wind noise as we know it.