The Honda PCX / Forza / ADV150 / SH Forums

One thing I can tell you is that Shoei and Arai Helmets are made to a very high quality standards.
I know you could buy a helmet at half the prices of these, and I have done so, myself. But I alway come back to my Shoei for the comfort and fit.

On the sharp safety website, many Arai helmets get worse results than £40 helmets such as Box i.e. Arai Quantum, £450+, lowest score possible for left and right impact protection! The Box BX1 costs £35-50, often sub £40, and gets a much higher safety score than the above Arai and had quite good impact protection on both sides compared to the Arai.

Schuberth are the same.
Lovely quality liners and fittings, high price, low protection.

Been reading thru this. Lots of good info, but i've noticed some facts are missing and/or havent been addressed.

Used helmets are fine, but never when they've been down (doesnt matter how minor, unless its been factory recertified, its as good a garbage).

Majority of manufactures rate helmet lifespans at 5 years. At that time its estimated that the EPS (expanded polystyrene) does not meet impact standards and should be replaced.
Conversely, if you just crash in it, you've used the EPS and its time to replace anyway. Helmets are one-time crash items.
*No, dropping your helmet on the floor does not "break it" unless there was a melon in it when it hit the ground.

Brands. Many are good and reputable, but brand should be secondary to fit and feel. I wear Shoei because it fits me best, AGV is my 2nd best fit, and Schuberth is a close 3rd (NOT 2nd only because of the limited model range). Arai, HJC, and Bell are all terrible fits for me, every time i try them on.
gn2 mentioned previously to go to a dealership/store and try on a few. I'd say try on every lid that they have in your size. You will discover that certain brands/models fit you better than others. Find your best 3 fits then decide between brand/price/style/color last.

I highly recommend Shoei and Arai for starters, they can be pricey but anyone that owns one will tell you their worth. Its a helmet you will keep to the 5yr mark if you dont crash it and replace it first.
Arai specifically, has a wider range of helmet shapes from round to long oval, so there are more models to fit your "shape" of head.
Schuberth make great helmets, just not my kind of riding helmet, but i would imagine great for a scooter.

Open face / full face / modular / skid lid?
Totally up to you. Some think that in an accident you will have a choice on how your head hits things and which way you will do it. I just opt for full face 24/7 because i have never had that luxury when crashing lol. Modular full face is good too, very convenient for having convos, drinking, smoking, etc.

Price-wise, how much do you value your head? thats your price range.

Always buy an all white helmet.
Two reasons:
1: Its the most conspicuous (scientifically proven fact)
2: You'll look like the Stig

I've got an all white 4* helmet, but considering getting one of these in a size up for winter (to allow me to wear a balaclava as my current helmet is too tight for that).
http://www.ghostbikes.com/products/On-R ... va%29.html
£80, 5* sharp rated and everywhere seems to review the helmet as well made and comfortable. It looks good to in grey/black/white, but that's secondary to the 5*

I've settled on the Scorpion EXO 900 flip-up. Can convert to an open face in about a minute if one so desires. Good venting, comfy, no more noisy than any other helmet I've ever had, flip down sun visor. Hideously bright hi-vis

What most people don't realise about flip helmets is that the vast majority of them are not intended for riding with the front open.
AFAIK there's only one make which is ok for this.

I never ride with it flipped up. The scorpion converts to open face by taking the front off, and putting on the open face visor

gn2 wrote:Always buy an all white helmet.
Two reasons:
1: Its the most conspicuous (scientifically proven fact)
2: You'll look like the Stig

Isn't wanting to look like the stig the saddest of the sad?

you you wrote:

gn2 wrote:Always buy an all white helmet.
Two reasons:
1: Its the most conspicuous (scientifically proven fact)
2: You'll look like the Stig

Isn't wanting to look like the stig the saddest of the sad?

Only if you're wearing his Simpson Diamondback on your scooter or motorcycle.

Sh3p wrote:Been reading thru this. Lots of good info, but i've noticed some facts are missing and/or havent been addressed.

Used helmets are fine, but never when they've been down (doesnt matter how minor, unless its been factory recertified, its as good a garbage).

Majority of manufactures rate helmet lifespans at 5 years. At that time its estimated that the EPS (expanded polystyrene) does not meet impact standards and should be replaced.
Conversely, if you just crash in it, you've used the EPS and its time to replace anyway. Helmets are one-time crash items.
*No, dropping your helmet on the floor does not "break it" unless there was a melon in it when it hit the ground.

Brands. Many are good and reputable, but brand should be secondary to fit and feel. I wear Shoei because it fits me best, AGV is my 2nd best fit, and Schuberth is a close 3rd (NOT 2nd only because of the limited model range). Arai, HJC, and Bell are all terrible fits for me, every time i try them on.
gn2 mentioned previously to go to a dealership/store and try on a few. I'd say try on every lid that they have in your size. You will discover that certain brands/models fit you better than others. Find your best 3 fits then decide between brand/price/style/color last.

I highly recommend Shoei and Arai for starters, they can be pricey but anyone that owns one will tell you their worth. Its a helmet you will keep to the 5yr mark if you dont crash it and replace it first.
Arai specifically, has a wider range of helmet shapes from round to long oval, so there are more models to fit your "shape" of head.
Schuberth make great helmets, just not my kind of riding helmet, but i would imagine great for a scooter.

Open face / full face / modular / skid lid?
Totally up to you. Some think that in an accident you will have a choice on how your head hits things and which way you will do it. I just opt for full face 24/7 because i have never had that luxury when crashing lol. Modular full face is good too, very convenient for having convos, drinking, smoking, etc.

Price-wise, how much do you value your head? thats your price range.

Yes I've been trying to learn something from this helmet chat and you rang the bell for best comment and food for thought. The LS2 modular I purchased barely fits under the 2015 seat for anyone wanting to know and it does seem noisy to me, but I have no reference. And btw Steph's helmet graphics are 'Steam Punk' in the world of gamers... just wondered if she knew LOL.

I started off looking at cheap helmets, then i realised that a modular/flipup helmet was the most practical and then I got seduced by the bluetooth funtionality so I ended up buying a Lazer Paname Z-Line with Lazer Link.

It does seem to make a lot of noise at 50+ but then I just turn the music up!

Am saving up for a second one so that the wife can nag me when she is sitting behind me.

Like this one?

http://shop.lazerhelmets.com/catalog/pr ... ategory/6/

>Price-wise, how much do you value your head? thats your price range< except that is not always true, £40 helmets can be more safe and comfortable than those costing £400 (according to sharp and other tests).

At the low end the Box BX1 is a basic helmet but gets 4 stars on sharp (£400+ can get 1 star on some sides of the helmet!), is very well made and the lining is comfortable, MT Revenge Limited Evo i.e. http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcy ... t_cat/1294, costs less than £80 delivered and gets 5 stars on sharp, is ECU (europe), DOT (america) and ACU gold (track) approved, is well made and comfortable and looks great - you can even get a double visor for it which is some ways is better than pinlock as the mist-free action it's across the whole visor, not just mist-free across 1/2 to 2/3rds.

True, some expensive helmets may be slightly better functionality wise, may shave 100 grams or so in weight (those cheaper ones mentioned above do not weigh much, approx 1.4/1.5 KG's), and have a few extra features or be better at 70-100mph speeds, but for most scooter riders riding in town or lower speeds than motorway speeds, paying £300-400 more for a Shoe/Arai is a personal preference but does not mean it's that much safer in an accident.

SECoda wrote:Like this one?

http://shop.lazerhelmets.com/catalog/pr ... ategory/6/

Yeah, that's it , I think, but in dark grey and with the bluetooth stuff (battery, mic, earphone, charger, etc) in it.

http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcy ... rod/213488

This is the one I actually bought. The service was good.
It is comfy but pretty heavy and it is giving me a bit of neck ache, which is probably expected until I get used to it.
I pull out the cheek wings to get it on and off but it still hurts the crap out of my ears

gn2 wrote:Always buy an all white helmet.
Two reasons:
1: Its the most conspicuous (scientifically proven fact)
2: You'll look like the Stig

Disagree.

A naked fat man could be considered very conspicuous, but in a whole crowd of naked fat people, would one stick out more than the other(assuming the same age and obesity range)?

Most common car colors I see here are:
-White
-Silver
-Black

Don't see a lot of hi-vis yellow in traffic.

How come I never see cycling helmets that have a load of reflective material on them?is this something to do with a weakness of helmet material with stickers on them?

I notice that my helmet only had a reflective bit on the neck liner..
Doesn't it make safety sense to have the whole rider lit up reflectively from top to toe or there a reason why not?

Too much reflectivity is a bad thing as it's very distracting for those behind - a bit like when someone has head-lights out of adjustment or full beams on when they do not need them. I want to be seen, but not annoy a driver by their or other headlights reflecting too much back in their direction i.e. hills, bumps, etc.