Helmet Reviews

[bagobones]

I have been meaning to start a helmet review thread for a while now. I have been riding for just under ten years now, and have had several helmets-some good, some great, some really crappy. Lets put up a few of our thoughts about the helmets we have used- not to attempt to be the final authority on the subject, but just to air our views and share our experience. Lets keep it simple.


First up for me:

2010 HJC FS-3

This is the first time I have ever owned a 3/4 helmet and this is the first time I had ever bought one from a local dealer.

Likes:

Good construction/finish
Soft removable interior pads.
Great side visibility though it took a while to get used to not having a chin bar.
Visor mechanism is smooth
Snell rating (how is that possible with no chin bar?)
Has interchangeable visors (full face or small baseball hat visor)

Dislikes:

AWFUL ventilation. You do notice when the top vent is open, but barely. Then again, your face is exposed so it's cooler that way.
This also has to be, without a doubt, the LOUDEST HELMET EVER. It's brutal! Even with custom earplugs in. I didn't realize just how loud it was until I went back to my Icon full-face. Riding with the visor open also makes the loudest whistling sound (it goes away when you turn your head to the side 15 degrees). When riding behind a big windshield, the buffeting is horrible-and it's not the windshield- I don't feel it when using a full-face.

This helmet is still in good shape after just one season, but I may be done with it since I can't take the noise anymore. I realize there is a trade-off for not having a chin bar and getting that wide field of view. There have to be better 3/4 helmets out there. This was my first.

[dt]

I have three helmets, but the one I use regularly is a plain white HJC FS-15 Full Face.



The FS-15 came out sometime in 2008 as a middle range full face in the $250-$275 range. I picked it up in late 2009 for around a couple hundred iirc and today it looks like they’re in the closeouts sections for around $135-$175. I had always used full face until early 2009, when I got a black HJC Modular Helmet. Although that was a good quality modular, it was too noisy. On a positive note, that’s when I started wearing earplugs and now it’s almost uncomfortable riding without plugs. So, the FS-15 was where I landed for a number of reasons. First, it was rated pretty highly (helmet of the year in one review). Second, I was attracted to the removable, noise-reducing chin curtain; something I’d never had in a helmet before. Lastly, I wanted to switch into a plain white helmet because I think they’re more visible to other drivers. Comments on specific areas:

Fit: The FS-15 fit is good. It straps on tightly and doesn’t grab wind when you turn your head back to look for passing lanes. The padding is stiff but not scratchy, and has stood up very well under lots of conditions.

Ventilation: The FS-15 has ventilation ports brow and chin. I barely can tell if the vents are open or closed; they just don't work. Due to the poor ports and the chin curtain, it’s also prone to fogging. The chin curtain can come out, but I usually crack the visor and let it vent that way. Both, of course, increase the noise level.

Visor/Visibility: No better, no worse than any other full face. The visor assembly is tight and locks down with a button on the left side.

Noise: The wind noise in the FS-15 is naturally still there and I wear ear plugs, but compared to other helmets, this one has been the best. Even when I turn my head the noise level doesn’t pick up. I have a shorty sport windshield that probably does something to redirect wind, but my head is above its top point.

Overall, the poor ventilation (heat in summer, fogging all the time) offset all the positives of the FS-15 and reduces it to a bummer. 

[maureen]

Arai. Period. End of story. 

[bagobones]

I'm not so convinced about Arai. I have owned two of them - one a Quantum 2, the first a Quantum F.

I have found them to be amazingly overpriced. If you scratch your visor, you had better get used to it or expect to spend at least $50+ for a new one.

I also found the liner material to be loose and sloppy. It always seemed like it was getting ready to fall out.

These Arai helmets, more than any others I have owned, seemed to stretch out on the inside over time. At the end of a riding season they had become very loose - almost to the point where I didn't want to use them anymore. If I went down one size, I felt like my fat cheeks were being squeezed and my brain was going to bust out of my head. So I wound up wearing an XL and using it longer than I probably should have (since these Arai helmets cost $400+ and I wanted to get my $ worth).

No you can't put a price on your own head, but for those of us who ride hard yet for whom money IS an object it's just tough to absorb a $400+ investment in a new one every season. Heck I don't even know what they cost now. I'll bet they are over $600. I have bought motorcycles that actually ran for less than that.

That crazy $ sent me searching for a more cost-effective alternative. I wound up buying two other helmets before the HJC I reviewed above. One was an Icon Mainframe, the other a Gmax 68. When some time frees up, I will write about them both.

Shiny side up.

[dt]

Icon Alliance Hi-Viz (Green or Orange) $220
One of the Editor’s Choices on MotorcycleUSA.

Don’t have one, but like the idea…

[danh600]

If I went down one size, I felt like my fat cheeks were being squeezed and my brain was going to bust out of my head. So I wound up wearing an XL

I found the same thing on Shoei Helmets. XL fit in the face, but a bit loose on top. Large fit just right, but squeezed my face until I turned red. The solution for me was to get the smaller face pads and a large helmet. Cost me an extra $50 but now it fits perfect.

I have this one. I really haven't worn enough helmets to give a full review. Nothing really to compare to. I know this one works for me.

[maureen]

I'm not so convinced about Arai. I have owned two of them - one a Quantum 2, the first a Quantum F.

I have found them to be amazingly overpriced. If you scratch your visor, you had better get used to it or expect to spend at least $50+ for a new one.

I also found the liner material to be loose and sloppy. It always seemed like it was getting ready to fall out.

These Arai helmets, more than any others I have owned, seemed to stretch out on the inside over time. At the end of a riding season they had become very loose - almost to the point where I didn't want to use them anymore. If I went down one size, I felt like my fat cheeks were being squeezed and my brain was going to bust out of my head. So I wound up wearing an XL and using it longer than I probably should have (since these Arai helmets cost $400+ and I wanted to get my $ worth).

No you can't put a price on your own head, but for those of us who ride hard yet for whom money IS an object it's just tough to absorb a $400+ investment in a new one every season. Heck I don't even know what they cost now. I'll bet they are over $600. I have bought motorcycles that actually ran for less than that.

That crazy $ sent me searching for a more cost-effective alternative. I wound up buying two other helmets before the HJC I reviewed above. One was an Icon Mainframe, the other a Gmax 68. When some time frees up, I will write about them both.

Shiny side up.

I usually get a response like this from people who haven't taken the time to get educated about Arai...or most helmets for that matter. Not trying to be rude, but if you took the time to research a bit or get fitted by an Arai rep, you'll learn that the helmets are able to be fitted with varying sized pads!

[bagobones]

I guess I wasn't thorough enough in my story. I was well aware that Arai pads could be swapped out, and they were - at considerable expense. In other words, I had to buy a helmet with the stock pads and then pay even more to custom fit it. Then the custom pads and the styrofoam underneath both wore out quickly and the helmet no longer fit right.

Where is there an "Arai rep" to custom fit your helmet for you? Not in any shop I have where I have seen them sold. Local shops around me at the time didn't have any extra pads in any size. I had to make an educated guess and order online.

It sounds like you're enthusiastic about your Arai. Why don't you write a review?

[dt]

This is the first time I have ever owned a 3/4 helmet and...

Going back to a full face with the SV? I’m pretty sure you can put Mohawk stickies only on full face helmets. 

[bagobones]

 

Bwaaaaahahahahahhhahhahhaa!!!!

[maureen]

I guess I wasn't thorough enough in my story. I was well aware that Arai pads could be swapped out, and they were - at considerable expense. In other words, I had to buy a helmet with the stock pads and then pay even more to custom fit it. Then the custom pads and the styrofoam underneath both wore out quickly and the helmet no longer fit right.

Where is there an "Arai rep" to custom fit your helmet for you? Not in any shop I have where I have seen them sold. Local shops around me at the time didn't have any extra pads in any size. I had to make an educated guess and order online.

It sounds like you're enthusiastic about your Arai. Why don't you write a review?

I apologize if you read/interpreted any hostility in my post---surely not my intent. I'm sort of shocked that there aren't reps down here. When I lived in Atlanta, a good friend of mine was the contact for many of the shops in the ATL metro and would do custom fittings! He also does trackday events and moto swap meets. I'll do some calling around and see what I come up with for some local contacts!

Hmm...an Arai review. I don't have too much to say other than it fits my head perfectly after many thousands of miles and a couple years, the visors are easy as pie to change out (I have a tinted and clear and always carry the one not in use in my tank bag), it's a bit noisy with all the vents open but nothing unbearable and I don't even feel the need to remove it while on short stops. It is very comfortable and isn't cumbersome. Simple design, ease of use, good technology that has been tested to be one of the best, it works for me! I guess the only negative I would see being a factor for most folks is the price; I actually bought my particular lid from a local guy who bought another racers lot. It was in the original packaging and the fellow wouldn't even let me try it on before handing him the cash---he was very particular about it being sold as BRAND NEW, which I thoroughly appreciated. $375 brand new from a private party.

Arai Quantum II

[bagobones]

Fuggedaboutit!!!

Hey that Quantum in the pictures with the sunset is the same one I had - it looks like you went so fast your face caught on fire. "Re-entry", right?

I liked it when I first bought it, it just didn't hold up for me, and fixing the various parts became VERY expensive.

[dt]

Oooo. That sunset photo is slick. 

[maureen]

Oooo. That sunset photo is slick. 

Thank you!