[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

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.

HJC CS-15: https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/helmets/hjc-cs-15/
MT Thunder 3: https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/helmets/mt-thunder-3/

Internal sunvisors are a real love/hate thing, makes it easy to narrow down the choices.

[AtheK]

Anyone using Caberg Drift Evo Pro Carbon , I am looking to compliment my RPHA 70 ST with a Carbon fiber helmet. Reviews are available for non pro version and generally good. Helmet also comes with pinlock and an extra smoked dark visor in the box and is decently priced as well.

RPHA 70 ST is a very good helmet but is a bit noisy and also that weight eventually catches up, so looking for something lighter and at 1280gm the carbon helmet looks nice. Motonation has it and I can try and buy, but I am concerned about the air noise, I want a lighter and quieter one then my current lid. So if anyone is using it a real-life review will be great.

[Benoit]

Hi,

My current helmet has become old. I am looking for a helmet around 5k. I am a noob when it comes to helmets. My usage is only within city limits. I do not go on bike trips. I want the helmet to be comfortable and have good visibility. For reference, my bike is a cbr150r green(2015 model).

Also, just like most people in the 20s, I am worried about the drastic hair fall issue. Someone I know said, branded helmets rest on the sides of the head unlike most helmets that rest on on the top of the head and they prevent hair fall due to helmets. Is this true?

Also, I need advice on where to buy it. I bought my current helmet at Rainbow, teynampet, Chennai. This is a very popular store. Should I visit any authorised dealers? How do I find them?

[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by Benoit

Hi,

My current helmet has become old. I am looking for a helmet around 5k. I am a noob when it comes to helmets. My usage is only within city limits. I do not go on bike trips. I want the helmet to be comfortable and have good visibility. For reference, my bike is a cbr150r green(2015 model).

Also, just like most people in the 20s, I am worried about the drastic hair fall issue. Someone I know said, branded helmets rest on the sides of the head unlike most helmets that rest on on the top of the head and they prevent hair fall due to helmets. Is this true?

Also, I need advice on where to buy it. I bought my current helmet at Rainbow, teynampet, Chennai. This is a very popular store. Should I visit any authorised dealers? How do I find them?

Spartan Pro Gear should be close to you, they have everything. My suggestion would be to up the budget slightly and get an MT Thunder 3, or the HJC CS-15 discussed above. Axor/SMK aren't bad either, but a Sharp rating makes things slightly better.

No idea about the hair fall thing, never thought about it really, helmets aren't exactly optional, gotta wear one. I've seen people wear them with balaclavas and stuff to protect their hair, never done that myself so no idea what difference that makes, if any. Not even sure if hairfall linked to helmet wear is a real thing or just a myth, Rossi still seems to have most of his hair, and dude practically lives inside his helmet

[surjaonwheelz]

There are some Helmet companies in the 5k range imported in the Southern India and distributed all over India:
KYT
NHK
Shaft
RideX
Bimola

KYT & NHK are known for their racing presence. Most of them are from South East Asian countries like Vietnam (RideX), Indonesia (NHK) & Thailand (Bimola). Shaft is from Columbia! KYT being part of Suomy group of Italy.

They have the craziest graphics!

But only their entry level lids are imported and if anyone has any insights please share their long term reliability and availability?

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

There are some Helmet companies in the 5k range imported in the Southern India and distributed all over India:
KYT
NHK
Shaft
RideX
Bimola

KYT & NHK are known for their racing presence. Most of them are from South East Asian countries like Vietnam (RideX), Indonesia (NHK) & Thailand (Bimola). Shaft is from Columbia! KYT being part of Suomy group of Italy.

The fact that we can see KYT and NHK on MotoGP race weekends is actually quite reassuring to me. They seem to be selling decently well in the south, especially with the younger crowd that likes the flashy designs. I believe both are Suomy related. I hear that new stock of KYT is supposed to be coming, but I dont think it has hit retail shelves yet.

Bimola is a relatively new entrant and has also done well for itself. Nice designs. I honestly had never heard of them before they landed in India.

I am hearing of Shaft and RideX for the first time!

[sukiwa]

Background: With SMK twister (Which Helmet? Tips on buying a good helmet) being older than 4.5 years ( last 1 with hardly any usage), I had started looking for a new lid. Among top 10 brands, I felt HJC had better combination of safety and affordability. HJC has good presence in India so I was sure that getting spares like visor, cheek pads shouldn't be a problem few years later. Next was model selection and I thought of keeping at entry to mid level helmets as I wasn't sure if fit would be perfect or not. I almost zeroed down to HJC i10 available in USA as it was their most recent entry level model and also SNELL-2020 certified. I had even contacted local HJC dealer about availability of i10 India and he had said Covid import issues, so no clarity. F70 was another choice due to new shell and partly due to visor having possibility of opening from both sides. Getting into $400 helmet directly without a fitment trial was too much a risk for me, so left it at that.

Buying: Few months back, fellow BHPian 'surjaonwheelz' had shared speculation that Spartan, Chennai would be bringing in HJC helmets along with model names. And towards beginning of this month, he buzzed me that HJC helmets are available on Spartan's website. Quick check made us realise that prices are really at par with US pricing, really competitive pricing. Next thing was to check for fit of HJC helmets. Among known contacts, BHPian 'ironshark' had recently picked up a HJC lid. Quick chat with him about fit and sizing and I decided to visit his HJC dealer. Luckily that person also runs a bike workshop so it was open as essential services during these pandemic days. I checked fit of CS-15, IS-17 for size M and L and came to conclusion that size M is perfect fit for me. IS-17 was offered at some discount however it was 2018 manufactured, hence I didn't go for it. All of this consumed 4 days since 'surja' had told me about Spartan & HJC. I thought of ordering HJC i70 on a Sunday evening and to my surprise my choice of colour and size was out of stock. I usually prefer white background and unfortunately all other available models were with dark background. I sheepishly clicked on 'notify me', a FOMO feeling had started. Such 'notify me' had never worked for me on other sites. Monday morning, I got email that i70 Tas model is available in size M and within next 10 minutes I had it ordered. I chose i70 over CS-15 (no internal sun visor) and C70 (felt top vent closure cumbersome to operate). Spartan delivered it in 4 days.

Riding impressions: Fit is quite snug. Although weight is same as my SMK helmet, it felt light. Putting on prescription glasses after wearing lid is a breeze, less hassles now if ride stop demands helmet removal. Viewport is way better and view is wider than SMK. Internal sun visor is also premium, I could notice difference when sunlight propped up briefly in these monsoon days. Closure buckle is very close to one end, can't hold it while wearing helmet.
I was under wrong impression that it would have D ring closure, I had forgotten that most international helmets sold in India are with ECE ratings. HJC uses D ring fastener for US market whereas in EU it uses micrometric fastener. My initial search started with HJC i10 meant for US market so even subsequent helmet reviews were from US market. I missed this crucial difference.
I have had couple of small rides (around 100 kms) so far and I noticed very quickly that I can't ride without ear plugs in this helmet. Noise is bit more compared to SMK twister. Wearing plugs also made me notice bike engine sound more now, wondering how this will be on day-long rides.
It has space for speakers though I am not going to add Bluetooth/communication speakers immediately. Monsoon weather isn't correct time to test ventilation, I am hoping it would be similar to SMK lid. Being a lid with internal sunvisor, area just above forehead is going to be less ventilated(sweaty) on long rides.

Sharing some photos
front


side profile


top


back

exhaust vent appears quite tiny, hope it serves its purpose well


bottom

padding and chin curtain. Padding is comfortable although not so soft to touch.


chin vents

I will keep this open all the time mainly due to Pinlock. Plus visor locking mechanism is too close to this button and with gloved fingers it's going to be pain.



visor quick-release mechanism, indents are solid



how it would appear while riding



Pinlock 70: I had completely forgotten that ECE helmets ship with it. A day before helmet got delivered, I ordered Pinlock70 via US site and had a facepalm on opening helmet box.



Had a small mistake while inserting lens, notice a spot in center of this image. This doesn't pose a problem in riding though.



Label on box. recently manufactured and imported unit. Covid wave 2 lock-down would have delayed shipment/customs clearance.



ECE rating sticker

Conclusion: Helmets are priceless. Getting a safer helmet is always costly and there is no upper price limit. I picked this due to constraints of my current budget and brand adaptivity. I don't know if I should directly jumped to HJC F70/F70 carbon, perhaps this was a less risky, slow & steady upgrade option.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Buying: Few months back, fellow BHPian 'surjaonwheelz' had shared speculation that Spartan, Chennai would be bringing in HJC helmets along with model names. And towards beginning of this month, he buzzed me that HJC helmets are available on Spartan's website. Quick check made us realise that prices are really at par with US pricing, really competitive pricing.


Pinlock 70: I had completely forgotten that ECE helmets ship with it. A day before helmet got delivered, I ordered Pinlock70 via US site and had a facepalm on opening helmet box.

Conclusion: Helmets are priceless. Getting a safer helmet is always costly and there is no upper price limit. I picked this due to constraints of my current budget and brand adaptivity. I don't know if I should directly jumped to HJC F70/F70 carbon, perhaps this was a less risky, slow & steady upgrade option.

You surprised me to this! Good choice

You can do a noise test with the vents opened and closed to see if there is any difference.

I'll collect the extra Pinlock Good to see all our discussions bearing fruit!

Cheers,
surjaonwheelz

[Red Liner]

Congrats Sukiwa and excellent photography! Enjoy your new lid in the rains!

[anjan_c2007]

Thanks guys for the valuable information and feedbacks on this life saving thread. I zeroed in upon a MT Thunder 3 SV Turbine helmet from Spartan pro gear and placed the order on 21/07. It was delivered by Blue Dart today 24/07 afternoon.

https://www.spartanprogear.com/colle...31389814882393

The packaging is quite good. More pictures after the content is unveiled.

[The Brutailer]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Thanks guys for the valuable information and feedbacks on this life saving thread. I zeroed in upon a MT Thunder 3 SV Turbine helmet from Spartan pro gear and placed the order on 21/07. It was delivered by Blue Dart today 24/07 afternoon.

Could you please share a short review of this (fit, comfort, noise insulation etc)? I'm very close to buying this lid. Much appreciated in advance, thank you!

Edit: Which size did you go for and did your expectations match (wrt head measurement)?

[swiftnfurious]

Can anyone list a few helmet models (full face) which are among the (most) silent in different price brackets ? I have a MT Mugello which was reasonably silent on my CBR 250, while I realized it creates a racket on my Versys at similar speeds.

Also a Caberg Duke II which is rather noisy on the Versys - yet to try on the CBR. So yes, would look for something which is silent on the Versys (I have the 3M ear plugs too, which is a work around for noise reduction, but again, yet to use it since I haven't had a long ride for few months now).

[wrongturn]

I was in this 'Which Helmet' dilemma aswell. Reading this thread and posts by some of the very esteemed and experienced members I'd made up my mind to but a HJC Helmet, HJC CS-15 to be very precise. I'd literally gone through all the online portals and had even found HJC CS-15 available for as low as ₹6.5k instead of the current trending ₹7.5k. I'd read and seen almost all the reviews of Helmets available under ₹15k.

Just before ordering I thought of getting a final advice from @Neil.Jericho and he gave a very valuable advice indeed. It was a simple advice - Try & Buy.



It was a brilliant advice indeed, following up I went to a Helmet store with a mind made up on getting a HJC, any HJC for that matter. The two available were HJC CS-15 and HJC C70. HJC C70 Euro version has no crash rating as the USA & Euro version are different. Both the HJCs felt claustrophobic, tried different sizes but something wasn't there, still decided to get the HJC C70 but the store owner (an enthusiast himself) suggested to try a few different Helmets from Brands like BELL, LS2 and MT before making the final decision. I was hesitant with MT since I've read a couple of negative posts about them here, specifically the MT Thunder 3. But ironically that was the Helmet that felt the best of the lot, it was a perfect fit, the balance was well distributed and was the least claustrophobic, at least for me. But I didn't want it, so the store owner said that he rides a Suzuki Hayabusa and he's got the MT Revenge (not the Revenge 2) and reassured me that MT Helmets aren't as bad as I thought they are and a couple of incidents (shady) aren't enough to write them off. Also, the new Thunder 3SV doesn't come with the D ring but with the quick release, and since it came with D ring people used it on track which it isn't made for. Anyways in the end it was the MT Thunder 3SV Turbine that I got for myself and I'm very happy with it. Also, about the cheaper HJC CS-15, I was told they are old stock hence the cheaper price, ₹6.5k instead of ₹7.5k.

Also, the Axxis Draken Helmets (made in China & also from MT) have a terrible manufacturing defect as was shown to me. The padding is loose in every piece and ideally the whole lot should be recalled but are now sold at a discount price (₹3300) when I inquired about them.



I got my MT Thunder 3SV Turbine for ₹6.6K, for almost the same price I was going to order the HJC CS-15 for, but I feel much better riding with it which might not have been the case with CS-15. All thanks to Neil. I ride a very humble RE Continental GT 535, that too within the city, for like 5 times a month and for that the MT Thunder 3SV Turbine is just perfect.

Try & Buy, the golden words and a very wise advice when it comes to riding gear.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

Could you please share a short review of this (fit, comfort, noise insulation etc)? I'm very close to buying this lid. Much appreciated in advance, thank you!

Edit: Which size did you go for and did your expectations match (wrt head measurement)?

The fit is quite OK for me and the comfort is quite better than our Indian branded ones. I feel it insulates noise more better than our makes. But maybe this is not quite cool for our roads where noise often triggers and influences the way we control the handlebar, throttle, clutch and the brakes of our bikes. The interior claddings are quite supportive for a well fitting helmet. I went for the M size. The expectations match for a good fitting. The manual says that the interior cladding adjusts with the head size after a while. I will post pictures soon. Welcome !

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

I zeroed in upon a MT Thunder 3 SV Turbine helmet from Spartan pro gear and placed the order on 21/07. It was delivered by Blue Dart today 24/07 afternoon.

Pictures of my MT Thunder 3 SV Turbine helmet that I received on 24/07.









Under adverse light conditions, yellow seems to be the safest colour. Yellow helmets would look odd. Helmet makers could at least offer a choice of yellow graphics. Upon perusing several makes available, yellow in the graphics were scarce to almost non existent. The closest I could come to was this shade of fluorescent green in a black background.

Even the safety gear for bikes could better sport a yellow shade in some form in another coloured background.