Quoting an old post as this particular helmet is now available with Royal Enfield. Needless to say that it's a rebranded SMK El Dorado

RE NH44 full face helmet



This has both ECE and ISI certifications (a rare thing!) and talk of the town/highway!

Surprisingly the other colorful models only have the ISI certification. Check the Product Highlights section.

I've been looking to buy an offroad helmet for a while. The latest ISI shenanigans made me think helmet prices might go up in the near future, so pulled the trigger and bought the MT Falcon from Store4riders, plus the Scott Recoil XI goggles from Team Driven.



Buying experience:

The buying experience for the helmet was pleasant. I had requested Store4riders to NOT send my helmet via Indiapost, I live in a relatively remote location on the Himachal border, and post office people aren't always good at handling fragile stuff. They initially agreed over chat, but then called me later that the helmet was already shipped, and via Indiapost. The helmet was sent directly from the importer, Spartan in Chennai. The packing was excellent, helmet box inside cardboard box protected by some bubble wrap, so I have nothing to complain about. My head size is just under 57 cm, so I went with M, which is the same size that I go with for all my helmets.



Buying experience for the Scott goggles was alright too, unfortunately Team Driven's site isn't always updated with their real stock, so you gotta contact them via Whatsapp which can slow things down a bit. But with the lockdowns and general mayhem when I'd ordered, still happy that I got everything in a reasonable amount of time. I got an extra gold tinted lens from them too in the same order.

Other choices:

The only other helmet I considered was this Fly Racing one, but based on the good review of the Falcon by alphadog, and the 100% price difference, decided to go with the MT. I have never owned an MX lid before, so didn't want to spend too much.

I have no experience with MX goggles, so didn't look at any other options. The choice was mainly based on Urban Nomad's recommendation, and that a friend of mine has the exact same pair.

First impressions - MT Falcon helmet:

1. At 1400 grams it's not the lightest offroad helmet around, but can't say I can feel the ~100 gram difference over my Scorpion 1400 Carbon, it's pretty comfy.
2. Wind noise is unbearable for me over 70 kph. I was not wearing ear plugs this time, with them I imagine 80 would be doable, but not much more.
3. The peak easily catches the wind and pulls on your neck, so with the wind noise included, highways are a strict no-no.
4. Ventilation is great, I was sweaty everywhere but the head.
5. The fit and finish is great, my ears do get squished a bit more than other helmets that I have, but that's been my experience with all MT helmets for some reason.
6. For the 7250 price it's a fantastic little thing. They even include a Go Pro mount in there, and the strap is double D ring.



First impressions - Scott Recoil XI goggles:

They are fine, I have no experience to compare them against. The gold tinted lens isn't very dark, so riding in full sunshine might be difficult. 2199 was for the goggles alone with the clear lens, and then 1990 was for the gold tinted lens alone, which feels a bit silly

Got this just in time I guess with the new rules etc?

Arai RX-7X Tatsuki.

Purchased from Bikegear.in. Was brilliant as usual. Placed an order and the helmet was in India in 2 weeks. Due to the 2nd wave it was stuck with customs for the longest time. I think we can all agree clearing this would not have been their priority. And that’s absolutely correct.

Impressions
Haven’t used it once on the bike yet. But have walked around the house in it.
- My head size is 57.5cms and this medium fits bang on the money. No pressure points on the forehead or the ears.
- Getting the helmet on and off is tight and takes some effort. But once on you it just feels balanced.
- The interiors are comfortable and the materials used seem really nice. Comparing to my Shoei X-14, I’d say the latter has done a marginally better job.
- With what I have read, Arai has done a decent job on ventilation and wind noise. And will update here once I ride the same.
- Has the ERS system and seems like the pads come off easily when you pull on the tabs.
- Weight is 1.60 I think for the medium sized helmet. Will update how does that translate when riding.
- Visor switches on an Arai have always been a fine art. The older Arai I had, I never could get it right in the first go. However on this newer model they have made it easy. It’s just about aligning the dots and you should be fine.
- The helmet also comes with a pull down chin spoiler which I wasn’t aware of. Very Shoei’sq


Finally..


Had to unbox this in the boot of the car. Wife doesn't approve of these sporadic spurges.








This Koi fish is lovely.


And then this dragon.




While at it also got their “Air Wing” spoiler. Need to stick it on. Once on the helmet it’s a permanent fixture.
Pro tip : If you put on the spoiler, you lose access to the main air vents. However, if you have a pair of chopsticks lying around home, you should be able to slide them in operate the vents.








As i was waiting for the Arai, got a mad deal on an Airoh GP550 in a horrible colour. Solid Red!
I wanted a helmet I can use and abuse when I do track days. So why not?

When I compare the Airoh to the other helmets I have, it is quite evident why they cost as much as they do.

Impressions
- Got a medium. Bang on the money. Fits exactly like my AGV Corsa.
- Has a bit of a pressure point on the ears but I think with use the liner will ease out a little.
- The interiors are ok. But at this price point they have done a decent job.
- Weight is Nothing! I think it does come in at 1.3kgs if I am not wrong.
- Comes with an extra dark tint visor.
- The visor mechanism is the most difficult I have come across. It took me a good 30 mins to switch visors. I am not evolved enough to manage this quicker.
- Pinlock lens is included in the box.
- Has emergency release tabs on the cheek pads. So that’s a good thing.
- The materials used in the interior is where you will be left wanting. Does not feel as plus as the other manufacturers. I’d go to say my wife’s SOL seems to feel better than the Airoh.









Overall at the price this helmet seems to have superb features. Now to test it and update here.

Hope this helps!

Are you collecting MotoGP line of helmets? A few more to go

I didn't get your track use requirements for the Airoh GP550. One would wear the best on track, no?

Excellent graphics for the RX-7X

Hey. Completely agree in terms of usage on the track and that you'd rely on the best. I did not want to put the more expensive, newer lids through the grind for now. May be a year later once the "newness" has faded away, i will. For now the Airoh should suffice. Whenever that track day happens.

I recently made the decision to move on from my KTM Duke 390 and have finalized on a pre-worshipped Suzuki GSX-S750. The bike purchase is currently held up by RTO formalities since they have just opened up recently and seem to be stuck with a huge backlog of applications.

In the meanwhile, as I wait for the big bike to come home, I decided that my biking gear needed an update as most of it was 4 years old and I felt that the move to the Suzuki warranted better quality riding gear.

I thought I would start with the helmet upgrade first. I currently use an MT Thunder 3 SV, which I purchased back in April 2017 just before I brought home the Duke. The helmet has aged, with compressed padding and an internal sun visor that just refuses to stay up. The helmet has served me well over these past few years and has thankfully not had to undergo any test of its protection abilities.

I have set aside a budget of ₹ 35-40K (+/- ₹ 5K) for the helmet and after doing some basic research, have narrowed down my requirements to the following:

- Safety ratings – Bare minimum of being ECE rated. Anything higher is a definite plus.
- Comfortable inner lining – This helmet will be worn on my everyday commute to the office plus on weekend rides. Since most of my commute usually coincides with regular traffic, I’d prefer it if the helmet is light, well-ventilated and plush inside.
- No internal sun visor – Hated it when the MT’s sun visor just lost its ability to stay up and now am frightful of the same happening to any other helmet after 2 or more years of use.
- Pinlock-insert – Having used this on the MT, I do not think I can survive without the pinlock insert. Would prefer a helmet which comes with the pinlock insert inside the box and not as a separate purchase.
- Paint finish – The MT’s matte finish has properly faded considering that the helmet has been used for long hours under the sun. This has made me wary of matte finishes on helmets as a faded helmet loses its visual charm. There had been zero fade on my brother’s MT Blade with a glossy finish (even after 4-5 years of use) and this has tilted me towards a glossy paint finish on the helmet.

Considering these requirements and my budget, I believe I have the following options (in order of preference):

- HJC RPHA11 – Spartan Pro Gear has just launched the HJC range of helmets and they currently have 3 models of the RPHA11 up on the website. Of the 3, the RPHA11 Carbon suits most of my needs above, since the other 2 models are with matte paint. The major downsides that I can see with this are that it’s a racing helmet (so will be noisy on an upright naked bike) and it has a comparatively lower SHARP rating at 3 stars. Supposed to come with a tinted visor and a pinlock insert in the box so that’s a major plus. Also, relatively light at 1300g. Also, concerned about the heat since the Carbon is almost entirely black and this might cause issues under the sun.

- Scorpion Exo R1 – This is supposed to be FIM certified so a big plus on safety. Has decent paint options and I have read that it’s reasonable to be used on an upright naked bike. Comes with the tinted visor and the pinlock insert as well and weighs close to the RPHA11. Also, has some nice paint options. Only issue is that I would prefer to try it on before purchasing and I am not sure when in Bangalore I can try out the Scorpions.

Another option I have is to push the MT a little longer (it has decent safety ratings itself) and wait for my brother to come down from the Netherlands and carry down a better helmet, though the usual websites don’t show too much of a price difference. The problem is that I am not too sure when he’ll be flying down (the earliest being around January of the next year). Would it make more sense to pick up a decent Shoei from Europe (though I’ll have to stretch my budget for this)? Arais are out of range for me and have heard not-too-good things about AGVs at this price point (not too sure on the K6 though).

Are there any other viable options for my use case that I’m missing out? Not sure if I have missed out on any potential issues on the above helmets as well. Any inputs on this would be appreciated.

I always suggest that one tries and then buys riding gear. However, with the current market situation, I dont know what options in this price range, you can get to try out for yourself in Bangalore right now. Just call up a few popular stores like Orion Motors etc and ask what they have readily available.

- HJC RPHA 11 : Popular choice in India, the pricing of the latest batch is pretty good. Not sure if and when it will reach Spartan Pro Gear's retailers.
- Scorpion Exo R1 : I hear the store in Bangalore that used to stock Scorpions has closed down. You might have to order it from Lazy Ass Bikers in Bombay (the importer).
- Airoh GP 550 : Another top of the line FIM homologated helmet. You can find user reviews on this thread.

With regard to buying a Shoei, like the others listed above, you arent going to be able to try it before buying it. Also, do take into consideration which model of Shoei you are getting before you finalize. If will likely be an entry level or mid level Shoei. As compared to a top of the line race helmet from a less premium brand that is listed above.

I would go with a top of the line helmet from a lesser known brand for the same money.

Congrats on the brilliant ARAI. May I ask how much does it come to via bikegear.in? I'm wondering what the cost delta is between a Bikegear purchase and buying via Revzilla and shipping to an offshore address (with subsequent hand carry in).

On the Airoh, wouldn't it make more sense to wear the most expensive lids on your track days? Since you're likely to be pushing the bike at high speeds? I personally try to reserve a cheap workhorse type helmet much more for small local runs, where I don't want to feel like I'm handling china / gone for a run and therefore will have a sweaty head etc.

The Airoh as a track only helmet is not bad at all. If i am not wrong it is FIM homologated. And a lot of riders internationally use it on the track.
I used it this weekend and surprisingly was quieter than the Shoei X14. Had no pressure points post the ride. Due to the reduced weight no neck fatigue. And the ventilation was not the best but decent enough. Rode it in the rain and there was zero fogging etc because of the Pinlock.

The GP range if i am not wrong is produced in Italy. And their cheaper variants come out of China. Though their legacy predominantly stems from Motocross helmets. I think that's their bread and butter.

Cheers!

FYI, Spartan has started retailing HJC, website has details.

Hi guys!

Bought an RC 390 recently (my wallet is in pain -- I'm not ) hence I'm looking to get a starter helmet for the next 6 months or so.

Budget is 8k (will extend to 10 if there's a significant upgrade).

Went through this thread and I liked this lid: https://www.spartanprogear.com/produ...31389849157721.

Any thoughts? I wasn't too keen on MT but this seems okay-ish.

Any other alternatives I should consider?

What will happen after 6 months or so? You'll be ready for a 'main-course' helmet!

Consider HJC CS-15

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz

Haha, budget is tight right now. But more importantly, I'd like to visit a store and check it out in person before buying an expensive helmet like Shoei / Arai -- something I can't and don't want to do because of covid.

Btw, thanks for this great recommendation. Is it ECE / Sharp rated though? This was something which attracted me to MT.

Both the HJC and the MT are 4* SHARP rated, you can pick up whatever the heart/head wants Only difference is the MT Thunder3 comes with internal sunvisor, HJC does not, that should make the choice fairly easy.

Thanks! I did not see that mentioned anywhere -- could you possibly route me to the source of this? HJC is surely a better brand IMO, and I would anyday prefer a helmet without the internal sunvisor.