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-   -   Which Helmet? Tips on buying a good helmet (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/ride-safe/19699-helmet-tips-buying-good-helmet-213.html)

is it true that EXO 1400 Carbon is not made of Carbon but its actually a TCT shell with a top coating of 3K carbon fibre? if yes, would a shell made of Carbon is safer than this one? I'm getting too critical here probably:confused:

Not sure about that mate, can't think of any way of testing it without drilling into the helmet. It has plenty of good reviews on Revzilla/FC Moto, feels extremely light, and the non-carbon version has a 4* SHARP rating. That's good enough for me, because otherwise the discussion quickly goes into the metaphysical dimensions, what is a carbon fiber helmet really? :D

Needed a new lid as my LS2 was ageing. Priorities were: priced 5k around, good fit, and available locally.

My first choice was MT Thunder 3SV. But I couldn't get the size and graphics combo that I wanted. Those that did fit were old stocks.

Other options available but not suitable were- SMK (bit heavy, didn't fit well), Axor (superb liners, size and color combo didn't match), Bilmola (funky).

Finally settled for fresh Feb'21 stock 'MT Hummer Quality Gloss Grey'. Price was ₹.5250. Fit is very snug, with no pressure points. Liners are good and comfortable but seems a step lower than my previous LS2. Have ridden few short rides with it, no long rides yet. There's no wind noise (atleast upto 100kmph on CB350). Air vents are good. Sun visor and D-ring strap are not available. I need to get additional smoked or silver visor for riding in bright sunny days though.

Thanks to Bhpian @neil.jericho for his help in deciding the helmet.

Newbie here, so apologies for both a longish post and if I am mis-speaking here.

I have read this and similar threads for many hours and scoured through Revzilla and several Youtube reviews across helmet brands and unfortunately I am more confused than when I am started - which I guess is to be expected :-) So I am posting my use case and requirements here to see if anyone has thoughts.

Use case: I am looking to be touring on my bike and most likely at low speeds. I expect to be averaging 40-60kmph and on an occasional open stretch may even go a few notches higher but never into triple digits. I will also be avoiding long commutes on highways and ship the bike if I have to. I want to ride on small roads, countryside and hills at a relaxed pace for maybe 4-5 hours a day at most and cover 150-200 kms. I am debating between BMW G310GS and the Interceptor 650. Why this power for this kind of riding you may ask - well I do want to have power on demand for tricky situations, good braking, fit & finish etc. I de believe I have to ride defensively, especially in India. Not a bike comparison, but I used to drive a BMW 335i in the US at sedate speeds but loved having the precision and drive of the 6 cylinder inline engine at low revvs and loved doing the quick 0-60 occasionally. I want to always ride at speeds where I am super comfortable that I can bring the machine back to a stop on demand.

Budget: I really don’t have a range and will spend what it takes to be safe as long as it is logical to drop that money. I am spending 3.5L on a bike and can/will spend 1-1.5L on gear if I have to. Out of that, if the hemet is the most critical part and if I need to spend 50K on it, then so be it.

Now the confusion is whether I am overthinking this whole helmet purchase. Functionally here is what seems important to me
1. Whatever it takes to be safe for my use case
2. Good fit without being claustrophobic, under 1500 g if possible
3. Good ventilation
4. Sunvisor seems like a really good thing to have
5. While graphics/color is not the most important thing, I am also into this as a lifestyle hobby and can pay extra money to get a better looking graphic version of the helmet I choose.

Now the confusion is on the varying opinions of what is safe vs not
1. Polycarbonate vs fiberglass vs carbon
2. Should I look at ECE or SHARP or SNELL
3. D-ring vs microfastener
And so on…

Here are the helmets I considered
MT Thunder: Surprisingly this met all of my conditions of ventilation, sun visor, graphics, fit at a surprisingly good price - under 10K. Where I am confused here is that there is some negative reviews in this thread, concerns of fake, reports of it not being safe. There is also the uneasiness that it is not a premium brand like Japanese brands Arai/Shoei or even AGV/Scorpion/HJC. Am I missing out by not investing in the R&D they may have done. More importantly is the better construction even relevant for my use case?

AGV K3: This seemed to have most it, but seems polycarbonate for 25K, should I be shelling out a bit more for carbon/fiberglass. Also is the microfastener ok?

HJC RPHA 11 Pro: Seems to be really have it all - fibreglass, D-ring etc. But misses out on sun visor. The RPHA 70 has it, but in HJC’s case I have no idea where to find it in India reliably. I read on this thread that it is in short supply. I am in Bangalore.

Scorpion EXO 1400: This also seems fantastic but not sure how to source it in India.

Bell SRT: No sun visor and does not seem to be available in India again. How does shipping from revzilla work? Clearing customs etc. works?

And in all of this, I am not sure if I am over thinking the helmet safety features like advanced material, D-ring etc. for my use case and dropping money on something I do not need to spend.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

That is a very good budget to buy high quality riding gear.

Some of us have been discussing this for over a decade and we still cant give you answers with 100% certainty!

To me, the absolute minimum standard should be ECE. I go strictly by SHARP ratings and will spend my money only on 4 or 5 star rated helmets. D ring vs microfastner was discussed a few pages ago, again, I wont say there is an absolute right or wrong answer there.

With your budget, you should skip MT helmets. They are great helmets for the price, but they fall slightly short on padding, visor quality etc when compared to a helmet that costs around Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000. Conversely, the expensive helmets are not 4 or 5x better than the MT helmet, but there is a difference in quality as you up the ladder.

The K3SV is one of the most proven and popular helmets in the premium segment. Again, with your budget, think about the AGV K6 instead.

The RPHA 11 Pro is a top of the line race helmet. Those dont come with sun visors.

Not personally a big fan of Scorpions for their overall poor show in the SHARP rating system.

It isnt worth buying a helmet that you havent tried.

If I can simplify the process, keep aside half a day to visit the big stores in Bangalore that stock riding gear. I always suggest Orion Motors in Koramangala for their wide range of options at different budgets, new stock and friendly staff. Try out different helmets that are in the higher price ranges. You will get an idea about what helmets suit your head and what dont. Check for padding and fitment. Be sure to check the import dates! Whatever you do, dont do an impulse buy on an expensive helmet, there are some popular stores that might want to push old stock off their shelves if they know that the buyer is ill informed.

Let us know how your window shopping goes and what are your main options based on your first hand experience. We can definitely help you finalize from that.

Thanks so much neil.jericho for a detailed response. It sure was helpful. Here was my experience from the different stores. While I am at it I thought I will give an overview of the store as well to help those in Bangalore and my impressions. Purely my experience… depending on who I met that day, so your mileage may vary. Please use it accordingly.

Motonation Lalbagh: Pretty helpful, I went mostly for jackets and showed me Schimtar and Macna. On helmets I wore the MTs and since they are the first I was wearing (after the current Studds I have) did not have a frame of reference. Felt reasonably comfortable. Decent stock of MTs but jackets was very limited.

Lets Gear Up: One of the most helpful stores and is in HSR. Even though it was clear to them I was window shopping, the gentlemen took a ton of time to to explain basics of gear to me. I was very focussed on riding jackets (they have some Rynox, Alpinestar, Solace and one Revit). My helmet experience was limited to Bell Qualifier. This was a while ago and I had not considered Scorpion at that time so didn’t try it. I felt the Bell Qualifier fit better than the MT. Planning to go back here once more.

Orion Kormanagala: I really wanted to like this store because of their spectacular selection but I felt the salesperson was very pushy - asked me to make a deposit for gear etc which no one else did - but it was just one person, there was another gentleman who was a bit more helpful but I did not find that attitude to help you as a rider like I saw in Lets Gear Up or Biking Spirit. I felt they were there to make a sale. They had a lot of jackets in stock but reluctantly showed it to me since I asked for removing the liner etc. I also felt pushed for sure to try and make up my mind and buy. I was even told stocks will be gone next week and other usual sales tactics. That being said they probably had the most stock of the major stores. Jacket lineup on Alpinestar and other imported brands are fantastic. From a premium helmet standpoint they had the RPHA 11 and the Caberg Carbon Drift Pro other than the AGVs. I tried all of them and liked the AGV K1... they didnt have the K3 in my size. Caberg was good too, but the Sharp 3 bothered me. RPHA 11 seemed very good, but the lack of sun visor bothered me.

Motonation HSR: Very helpful folks and did a detailed study on MT. I found the MT ok for the most part and since I have not worn helmets a lot while riding, maybe I could not find why they were not good for the long run. They showed me the MT carbon fibre one but there was no SHARP rating. They had Caberg Carbon Pro Drift maybe (I think, don’t remember well) and it was quite comfortable - but the same 3* SHARP issue.

Dainese: I went for AGV and almost no stock in my size. Just Dianese jackets and pants… left almost immediately.

Gear’n’Ride: This is in HSR and I felt it was more suited for renting. While they are helpful, limited stock on premium helmets and gear. Lots of LS2 and such. Also all the <10K jackets.

Ryders Arena: I found the manager/owner very knowledgable and they have great stock of premium helmets though not all sizes. I saw RPHA11, AGV K5, tons of LS2, HJC FG ST and finally an Arai. I dont know if I was enamoured with brand or not I thought the Arai was super comfortable when I put it on - they had an Axcess. He did say it was 1.5 years old import but seemed to tell me that the 5 year deadline starts from the time I start using it - I found this odd. But lots of great options in the store and I have a feeling I may end up having to buy there eventually. They were definitely recommending LS2 and I did find them reasonably comfortable. He explained to me the whole LS2 fake saga in a lot of detail (I asked him since I read in this forum) and also how the margins work on importing premium helmets, getting them certified here etc. Overall i really liked the options they had in the store.

After this I reached out to Motoworld who gets Arai from Performance racing in Mumbai and they have decent options in my size. I am wondering if I should take the plunge for the Renegade-V or similar. Pretty tempting…

Biking Spirit: Excellent customer service, loved them. The sales person took incredible amount of effort to explain what I should be looking for. I really want to give them my business on something. They had the Scorpion EXO 1400 and I spent quite a bit of time trying it. Felt pretty good though a bit snug. It was SHARP 4* and seemed to be a good option for 35K with sun visor, SHARP 4*, carbon fibre (1250 g) and decent reputation on Revzilla. I saw ton of Revit jackets both the Tornado and Airwave. Tornado has CE2 while Airwave is CE1. Tornado jacket + pants would cost 56K while Airwave would cost 32K. He seemed to indicate that for my riding CE1 is sufficient and advised to not get CE2 protection on Airwave since the fabric is not built for it. If I wanted CE2 he suggested Tornado. On the riding gear thread I will post the Revit vs Rynox qn since I don’t want to hijack the helmet thread.

So this is where I am overall. Based on availability my options seem to be HJC RPHA 11, HJC FG ST, Scorpion EXO 1400, with a bit of effort maybe AGV K5/K3 and of course several Arai’s.

But this forum has been super super helpful, thanks a bunch for everyone’s contribution - trying to do my bit to pay back. I will keep you guys updated on the journey. I still need to close on the decision of which bike while doing all this. Thats a different discussion :-)

Chipcruiser - if you have planned the budget for an Arai, just buy it. Don’t get confused or side tracked by anything else. Neil and other experts will guide you, but if I was ready to spend that much on a helmet now, it would be an Arai, nothing else.

Cheers

No one can ever overthink a helmet purchase buddy you're doing the right thing by taking the time out to research your options.

Under 1500g with a sunvisor is something you will have to get a fiber/carbon lid for. If it is polycarb with a sunvisor and weighs less than 1500 grams I'd be suspicious. A good fit can be had assuming you go for the right sized lid. Measure your head and refer to each manufacturer's sizing charts. If you go for a race lid which is what I am about to suggest, do not worry about the fit as it will need time to break in. As long as you know your head shape and circumference matches the manufacturers specifications, you should be fine. When speaking of graphics and colorways, just go for anything that is glossy as matte finish will be hard to maintain.


Get yourself a race lid. Shark makes excellent lids that accommodate for the use of glasses and provides a thick optically correct shield, Arai will give you the best in terms of ventilation, Scorpion's top race lid should allow you to size up with its unique airfit system that pumps up the cheekpads to tighten the fit, X-Lite/Nolan 803 is the best feeling in terms of liner material and weight distribution characteristics, Bell's race lids are supposed to be excellent as well at least they seem so on paper so do give them a look too. Avoid Polycarbonate. Not only because it is heavier but also because it is cheaper and will most likely be paired with sub-par liner materials, less optically correct face shield, poor ratcheting system etc. Go for a top of the line race lid and you should be sorted. The only circumstances where I would not recommend a race lid is if someone were to want a half face or convertible lid or a dirt lid or budget restraints. Otherwise forget all the touring nonsense with their fidgety drop-down sunvisors and just go for the best :thumbs up

I just love the AGV K3. It scores high on comfort for me. So picked up this stellar design from Dainese (Their service is the best). Checked out the fantastic Pista as well, but range was limited

chipcruiser, you didnt dip your toes in the waters, you jumped straight into the deep end of the helmets and riding gear pool! That was a very detailed and useful post :thumbs up I wont share any thought on the riding gear choices for now, as we have a separate thread for that and Ill wait for you to post there.

I will just share some thoughts on your experience and feedback, hopefully this will serve to help you and not confuse you any further.
- Now that you have a fair sense of the options, think about the type of helmet that you want. Do you want a premium top of the line helmet (a race helmet like IshaanIan suggested) or do you want a sports touring helmet (with a drop down sun visor). You win some with a race helmet, you lose some with a race helmet. Similarly for a sports touring helmet.
- Does the SHARP 3* rating really make or break a helmet choice for your? Or do you want a 4* helmet? Or do you want a 5* helmet? The reason I am asking is because you mentioned RPHA 11 and the Renegade V.
- This is most important, buy the helmet that fits you the best! Also be sure to check for import dates on the helmets. I am almost certain that any HJC helmet that you have seen is at least 15 months old. There is no point in paying the full price for a helmet that has lost this much of useful life. If the store sells it to you at a discounted pro rate price, then that makes sense.
- The Caberg Duke / Tourmax are twin helmets that give you 5* SHARP ratings as well, do see if you can try them out as well before finalizing.
- Again, there is nothing wrong with MT helmets. They offer great VFM and SHARP safety at very pocket friendly prices. But, when it comes to visor optics, quality of padding etc, a RPHA 11 is leagues ahead. Are these components 3.5x better than that of an MT helmet? Probably not, but you definitely get a better quality helmet with a RPHA 11.
- Arais are great helmets but, the lower end helmets get only 3* SHARP ratings. I have met track riders who will swear by Arais and I dont blame them. Personally, I would prefer a top of the line 5* SHARP rated helmet from a less premium brand like Shark, to a 3* SHARP rated Arai. Thats just me. YMMV.
- I am not sure if Performance Racing is still as involved in the business as they used to be. They closed down their Facebook page and their website has hardly any helmet options as compared to before. If I had to guess, they havent imported anything in some time. Thats just my educated ring side seat guess.
- If you are keen on an Arai, go for the RX7V. It is likely one of the best helmets that you can buy. You will still have a really good budget for the rest of your riding gear.
- Left field choice - buy 2 helmets. Get one with a drop down sun visor and another one that you like. Lets assume you get the AGV K3 and the HJC RPHA 11. You have the best of both worlds and it will still be less expensive than buying one Arai RX7V.

Happy shopping.

I would just get the Arai.

Trust me, once you get an Arai that fits you right, nothing else works. And that's something many Arai owners around the world will tell you.

So, after many days of digging into the world of helmets and certifications and rating and stuff, i had finally ordered an Airoh Valor from High Note Performance and also received it couple of days back. It cost me about 13k. I have no reference here so i would not know if this is better or worse than the other options out there since this is my first helmet. But going by the suggestions i got here i guess it should be good enough atleast for a start.

It was hard for me to zero in on one available here in india( I did not have any way to buy one abroad and bring down here) with all the certifications like SNELL, ECE, SHARP in mind and also on a budget of about 15k maximum. I always want to know a bit before taking the leap and it was no different in this helmet hunt. I started off with the hope of buying a HJC CL-17 or Scorpion EXO R410 after reading mostly positive reviews about it and also it was for around 9k . That was when i had first started to simply google about which helmet to buy. I read about SNELL and how it is the only certification required to be used in MotoGP. Then i dwelled into the ocean of ARAI's, AGV's and HJC's etc. The confusion only got worse with every other day of reading more and more articles on the topics like which brand to choose, which certification to give importance to, which type of helmet to buy etc.

One good or bad thing i had was the budget restriction. I could understand the dilemma chipcruiser must be in with the money to spend but spoilt with options. My budget was 15k and it ruled out ARAI and SHARP. I wanted a helmet for INT650, i was never going to go Track racing. So it mostly ruled out AGV K1 also. HJC's are at a scarcity for about 2 years now it seems. One of the shops i went to , the owner himself had a HJC for which he wasn't able to source a visor. It wasn't most encouraging for me. So i decided to leave HJC out too. I never got into MT, Axxor, SMK brands because i knew i had them to fall back on if i wasn't able to find anything in 15k range. BELL Qualifier has always had my attention and later on Airoh Valor and Fly Racing Revolt FS was also added thanks to the suggestions i got here. Now, back to more confusion which prompted me to dwell in more into the debate of ECE vs SHARP vs SNELL. After reading and understanding whatever i could, i decided on couple of things. SNELL need not be a stringent parameter in final decision. ECE is more than sufficient, SHARP can be an added advantage. ACU GOLD, SNELL not necessarily mandatory. Next was fitting, not everyone has the opportunity to try out helmets before buying, atleast in case of certain brands. I couldn't try out any of the three options i had. Hence comes the shell shapes. Oval, Long Oval, Intermediate Oval. Now i was certain my head was not oval or long oval, i could figure it out to an extant. Hence Intermediate oval was my best bet. The best to my knowledge i could afford was AIROH VALOR. Ordered and received. Chaps at HNP were very helpful. As it was suggested here and many more places, wore the helmet for a good amount of time for two straight days now, inside house ofcourse. Pretty happy with it.

Thankful to everyone who chipped in their bit in my decision making.

Congratulations on the helmet purchase Rajesh. The Airoh Valor is a helmet well recommended (at the price point) by our resident experts and Neil had posted about this particular helmet a few pages back also.

When you finally buy the helmet you want, photographs are mandatory my friend. Kindly rectify that as soon as possible :)

Cheers

Thanks and here are the pictures sir. On a flip side, is extremely hard to remove cheek pads in this helmet. Whoever is having I here, can you guys share how to do that? Perhaps a video reference would be helpful. Hardly anything in youtube also.

Regards

I almost finalized the Valor until I cane across this video

The EPS comes out with the cheek pads! A strange design. You can't wash them, you can get the helmet cleaning foaming sprays to clean them. From this video the technique is not clear of how to remove the cheek pads, as he demonstrates on the second helmet. So be very careful.

Cheers,
surjaonwheelz