Gear What helmet(s) do you wear?

[Dankotaru]

Due to unfortunate circumstances that had nothing to do with me, my much-loved Shoei rf-1200 'Recounter' had to be replaced. Which sucks, because it was a great helmet.

I thought about getting another rf-1200, but I don't like the current graphics as much as the recounter. I also wanted to consider a helmet with 'Mips' or some other rotational energy dissipation system. So after reading a lot of reviews on my top choices, and then spending several days trying out different helmets from my local dealer, I now have a Bell Race Star DLX.


The pros:
It's lighter than the rf-1200.
It flows more air than the rf-1200.
Is more aerodynamic with less drag and buffeting than the rf-1200.
It has a higher UK Sharp rating than the rf-1200 (5 star vs 4), is Snell 2020, and it's previous version is FIM certified (Bell says this replaces the ProStar and has exact same Flex and carbon construction).
It fits my head even better than the rf-1200 with less forehead pressure.
The vents all snap open and closed very easily with gloves on.
The pads and chin strap use magnets instead of snaps, and it's brilliant.
Widest view port of any helmet I've tried.
It comes with an auto-tint face shield.
It comes with a super nice helmet bag.

The cons:
It's louder than the rf-1200, but not by much. It has much more airflow though, so it's a little bit louder for a lot more air. I'm OK with the trade-off.
The rear plastic spoiler is creaky when you're handling the helmet, which makes it seems cheap.
It fits my face like I was wearing a bear trap. The cheek pads need to break-in, but right now, it squeezes my face HARD. Bell says they will lose up to 20% of their compression during break-in, so I'm counting on that.
No Pinlock on the face shield. Sure, it has an anti-fog coating, but we'll see how well this works in the winter. The Pinlock on my Shoei was flawless and never fogged up on me.

 

[Johnboy82]

Last helmet was over 4yrs old and the padding was worn to hell ,
just got the GT Air 2 ( Matt black to match the bike ) great fit and feels amazing, wish I changed long ago - not sure about getting the Senna Headset which it’s designed around/ with - it seems a bit expensive to me ( £200+ ) and to be honest I like my peace and quiet while riding ( apart from the exhaust noise ) and i like to be left alone - only break I seem to get these days with work and 3 kids 🤣🤣🤣

 

[Johnboy82]

Last helmet was over 4yrs old and the padding was worn to hell ,
just got the GT Air 2 ( Matt black to match the bike ) great fit and feels amazing, wish I changed long ago - not sure about getting the Senna Headset which it’s designed around/ with - it seems a bit expensive to me ( £200+ ) and to be honest I like my peace and quiet while riding ( apart from the exhaust noise ) and i like to be left alone - only break I seem to get these days with work and 3 kids 🤣🤣🤣

Not impressed with first try tonight - wind noise seemed awful to what I’m used too !!! Never normally bother with ear plugs but it’s a must with this lid , gonna call the dealer where I got it from tomorrow and see if they can do anything. Felt like I was in a car with the back windows open 😖 absolutely gutted after reading such good reviews

 

[Devilsfan]

Not impressed with first try tonight - wind noise seemed awful to what I’m used too !!! Never normally bother with ear plugs but it’s a must with this lid , gonna call the dealer where I got it from tomorrow and see if they can do anything. Felt like I was in a car with the back windows open 😖 absolutely gutted after reading such good reviews

Remember, there is NO "quiet" helmets...only "quiet(er)" helmets.

That said, out of all the helmets in 30 years I've owned this HJC RHPA-70 that I have is THE BEST full-face helmet I've ever owned. I paid $400 almost 2 years ago and you can get them now for much cheaper. They have the drop-down visors and pinlock system. Let's a very good amount of air through (I live in Florida where it's sweltering...daily!) and it's relatively quiet-er. I also wear earplugs and will never stop doing that! You should too. You may not think the wind is damaging your ears with a helmet on but studies have proved this to be not the case! Not sure how old you are but I KNOW I've lost some of my hearing by 20+ years of riding with no ear protection.

 

[Danny Linguini]

Remember, there is NO "quiet" helmets...only "quiet(er)" helmets.

That said, out of all the helmets in 30 years I've owned this HJC RHPA-70 that I have is THE BEST full-face helmet I've ever owned. I paid $400 almost 2 years ago and you can get them now for much cheaper. They have the drop-down visors and pinlock system. Let's a very good amount of air through (I live in Florida where it's sweltering...daily!) and it's relatively quiet-er. I also wear earplugs and will never stop doing that! You should too. You may not think the wind is damaging your ears with a helmet on but studies have proved this to be not the case! Not sure how old you are but I KNOW I've lost some of my hearing by 20+ years of riding with no ear protection.

For sure. I've tried many helmets over the years, at one time focusing on the ones rated the quietest, which turned out to be mostly a load of crap. Like you said, there really is no 'quiet' on a bike.

To compound the issue, I had the damnedest time finding earplugs that work for me. I must have some mutant ear canals or something, because I tried all kinds, and nothing fit right where it set tight and actually reduced noise AND stayed on yanking a full-face lid on and off my melon. Then I found Pinlock earplugs, which I've been using for several years now, and they're great. Easy to put in, fit tight and comfortable, they don't move when donning or removing the hat, and most of all, they eliminiate a LOT of wind noise. No more ringing ears after a ride. (Wish I could find something that works as well on butt-burn!)

Pinlock Earplugs - Revzilla

 

[Johnboy82]

I get the noise situation and would never expect a silent ride , however it ‘‘twas the massive leap in noise between the 2 helmets that surprised me. My original helmet was a Shark Skwal 2 ( the one with lights in ) and to be honest had issues from day 1. The newer GT Air 2 feels amazing on not lose in anyway and felt a much better fit , my head literally rattled around in the old one, I might have a play with the chin section and see if air is coming in there , but for the time being I’ll be using ear plugs , really don’t want to change the lid as everything else on it I can’t fault , and does seem so much better quality than others in the same price range , it’s just that damm noise 😫

 

[enro]

Arai Rebel Splash Red

 

[Uncle Meat]

My new Arai RX-7V. I got £335 off the list price as it's old stock.
It's a fantastic helmet but i'm not sure I'd have paid £789 for it.

 

[McGrumpy]

Ruroc Atlas 1.0 Fear (limited Edition)

He is loud, airy and the quality is .... well.
But he looks very good.

 

[Mercury]

Using a SHOEI Glamster here

PROS:
- Very lightweight! Only 1.100gr
- Very comfortable
- Fantastic field of vision, any side you look (it's huge! When looking forward, It feels like you are not wearing any helmet...)
- Really really slim/narrow! (It's sized almost like a kid helmet...)
- Ventilation is quite good. Enough for hot weather and not excessive in colder days (as I was expecting).
- Optic glasses fits well

CONS:
- Field of vision: it's so large that we can see all the clouds and get direct sun. Can be annoying at times...
- No internal sun visor, must use your own sunglasses. Getting a photochromic sunglasses very soon, useful when entering a garage/parking lot
- A bit on the noisy side (comparing with my older Shoei Neotec). I would say at least +25% noisier. I've been using ear foams when going for longer rides.


All in all: I just love it!

 

[MrFritz86]

Using a SHOEI Glamster here

PROS:
- Very lightweight! Only 1.100gr
- Very comfortable
- Fantastic field of vision, any side you look (it's huge! When looking forward, It feels like you are not wearing any helmet...)
- Really really slim/narrow! (It's sized almost like a kid helmet...)
- Ventilation is quite good. Enough for hot weather and not excessive in colder days (as I was expecting).
- Optic glasses fits well

CONS:
- Field of vision: it's so large that we can see all the clouds and get direct sun. Can be annoying at times...
- No internal sun visor, must use your own sunglasses. Getting a photochromic sunglasses very soon, useful when entering a garage/parking lot
- A bit on the noisy side (comparing with my older Shoei Neotec). I would say at least +25% noisier. I've been using ear foams when going for longer rides.


All in all: I just love it!

That’s a very nice lid
I’ve been in touch with Arai America to have the Rapide Neo/Concept X, maybe it will available in the near future
Love the retro look of these helmets.

 

[Atucker]

I just bought a SHOEI RF-1200 and couldn't be more unhappy. This thing has the most obnoxious wind whistle above 30MPH with the visor open. Anyone have a recommendation for helmet that you can ride up to 45mph with visor open and not need earplugs to deaden out the whistle. I've never experienced anything as bad as the SHOEI and have used much cheaper brands in the past. I hate to toss this one in the garbage, but ultimately its likely where it's going to end up.

 

[baugustine]

I just bought a SHOEI RF-1200 and couldn't be more unhappy. This thing has the most obnoxious wind whistle above 30MPH with the visor open. Anyone have a recommendation for helmet that you can ride up to 45mph with visor open and not need earplugs to deaden out the whistle. I've never experienced anything as bad as the SHOEI and have used much cheaper brands in the past. I hate to toss this one in the garbage, but ultimately its likely where it's going to end up.

anecdotely speaking, when I was at Cycle Gear trying on helmets a few years ago the manager told me the RF1200 was a good helmet for track usage (or supersport bikes) when your head is very much down. He did not recommend it for my CBR650F, based on the rider position. I ended up buying a Qwest instead based on those comments.

 

[Atucker]

anecdotely speaking, when I was at Cycle Gear trying on helmets a few years ago the manager told me the RF1200 was a good helmet for track usage (or supersport bikes) when your head is very much down. He did not recommend it for my CBR650F, based on the rider position. I ended up buying a Qwest instead based on those comments.

I would agree. When you're below the wind it's a great helmet, but any wind makes it completely unbearable with the visor up. The only thing I can compare it to would be an audible dog whistle. Such a high frequency/pitch that it is instantly nerve racking. Above 40ish and I have the visor down which makes it silent, but at lower speeds it's nice to get the airflow.

Any other riders that ride at lowers speeds with the visor up? I would love a recommendation for a good helmet. At this point I've resorted back to a cheap AFX that is somehow making a Shoei look like a candidate for donation or disposal.

 

[Burnie305]

For the guys rocking the Glamster, are your bikes equipped with a wind block or full deflector. If only the tech in that smart helmet Cross for theear muffs would transfer already for mainstream brands.

Im stuck between Glamster or the NXR (RF1200) and GT Air2

I did find a very neat YouTube vlog from a review team that does a thorough job in testing. So dilemma Glamster for style / gt air2 for sound control / nxr for snell rating. Leaning is in that order. Doing reaserch now to get my gear during the off season.

 

[Burnie305]

 

[imahungrybiker]

Arai Quantum J Cal Crutchlow & HJC RPHA 11 Pro Bludom

Both been used alternately for city commutes and touring!

 

[roadkillbuzzard]

HJC FG 17. Snell rated, fits like a glove and a steal for what it is. Neon red and black. HJC sells more helmets just like Honda does motorcycles. Good value.
Sometimes you get what you pay for and other times you just overpay. My old Shoei sits in the garage for nostalgia sake. The helmets with visors built in and modulars are weaker helmets. I suppose if it helps you see where you are going then you may not need the higher crash rated helmet.

 

[RedLeader]

Shoei Rf-1200 here. Noise is tolerable, especially since I wear earplugs. Was going to go solid white for visibility but this was too sweet to pass up.

 

[JH09]

HJC F70 in white. a good blend of safety, price and features. fits my head great. yes some wind noise, but the pinlock earplugs work well