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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-230.html)

SPG has transformed to PowerSports now. You can visit the below link and checkout the MT gears https://powersports.in/

Sad to see them go. I got my riding jacket, boots and gloves from them. All were good quality and support was top-notch as well.

That said, what is your take on ratchets vs D-Rings? I am in the market for a new helmet and see that MT has watered down many of its offerings now to only offer ratchet fasteners. D-Rings are of course safer but given the availability, are ratchet fasteners considerably worse?

I have been absolutely impressed with the SMK Stellar and the customer service of the brand

I bought the helmet about 3 to 4 years ago. It is quite heavy and the quality of the padding can be felt as soon as you put it on your head. It is ECE certified and has a Pinlock. The sheer weight of the helmet, the quality of the sound insulating padding and the tight fit ensures that i can hear almost nothing inside the helmet and roaring traffic sounds outside are muted to levels which are just about enough to get your attention and keep you aware but at the same time are not intrusive or loud enough to give you a headache.

I rode down from Hyderabad to Goa in the last week of December 2021. In Goa, due to my carelessness sadly, the helmet slipped from my hand and it rolled over on the gravel road for a few meters. The visor was badly scratched and while i could still use the helmet in daylight, it was a disaster in the making for night rides

I sent an email to SMK and asked them if they could direct me to a showroom in Hyderabad (or Goa if possible) for the replacement of the pinlock visor. 4 hours later i had a phone call from a lady in the customer service department and they asked me for pictures of the helmet so they could isolate the model type. Once done, they called up their distributor in Goa and confirmed that he had stock of the pinlock of the model in question and sent me his address and phone number. I called that guy up and confirmed my arrival time for the next day.

24 hours later, my pinlock was replaced for 500 rupees Did i mention the value for money pricing of their spares?

An amazing helmet and super solid dynamic customer service. I am an SMK customer for life

Nice thread Neil! If I were you, if having a pin lock is not a necessity, I'd go with the ls2 simply because it's lighter, even with the padding. Though it's only by a little, it will still do wonders for the neck.

Spartanprogear has shut down AFAIK, I think the same owner has realunched with a new name www.powersports.in you can try to check with them if they have the spare visors.

Alternatively you can also reach out to motonation showroom to get the same.

Similar story here:
I needed to replace a 5-year-old Icon Airflite and was given a couple of warnings from the traffic cops in previous rides, it was time to consider something that had the ISI mark while not compromising on safety.
Powersports here in Bengaluru have a nice store and seeing their site showed a decent variety from HJCs, MT, Axxis, and Axor along with the likes of Studds and Vega. Going to the store and seeing a few brands that were not listed was odd but soon found out that those were not ISI certified and hence, not listed on the website. Chief among them was Caberg Evo Drift which fitted almost perfectly but no spare visors or pin locks were available. It was a tough decision to leave it out.
After trying out a few of the MT range, I settled on the Blade 2SV. HJC shells were not in stock or not ISI certified or something. Maybe those were the earlier imported ones before the ISI requirement. The MT Blade 2SV fitment was just ok and it did check a couple of items I was looking for in a new shell - pin lock ready, spare visors and pin lock inserts were also available and not expensive as others.
Now, coming to the usage and experience, the Blade 2SV does have some issues.
It's quite noisy. Anything above 50 Kmph or a good headwind, is a riot inside. Compared to the Icon Airflite which is known to be a noisy helmet anyway, the Blade 2SV was on another level. The top vent has a slot that is likely catching air, the sides where the visor locks in too seem to be the place where air leaks in and in the chin vent, even when closed. Any higher speeds mandate a pair of earplugs.
To compare, the Icon would require earplugs if ridden at speeds on the highways but nothing when in the city or slower village roads.
Next, there is no double D-ring though it's on the top of the price list in India. The ratchet is not bad but even after a full adjustment to the maximum level, the straps have 3 fingers space which is a bit much. The next lower tier in the MT range has the double D-ring system but it did not fit well.
Finally, the sun visor is not made well. There are distortions that to some like me can cause headaches after 15 to 20 minutes. I've picked a silver tinted visor and it hopefully will be enough to handle the early morning and late evening rides.
Should the Caberg get the ISI certification, I may consider that as the MT though comfortable, leaves a lot to be desired over the Airflite helmet.

Powersports folks are getting more shells or awaiting approvals to sell other shells and the staff is great. If there are other stores getting other shells like LS2 locally, it will be great to have a list someplace for folks to go and try, vs. tape measuring and buying online.

Thanks to everyone who chipped in with their thoughts and feedback. Im happy to share that my search has ended after I picked up a brand new LS2 Storm from Autoqueen in Cochin. The MRP is Rs 10,700. This past week saw the arrival of fresh new stocks at both Autoqueen and DJ Helmets. The best part is that the latest stock comes with a pinlock visor, so that is an additional expense that has been done away with. I have placed an order for a spare visor and should get it in the coming week. I will need a few days to break the helmet in and once I complete a few rides with it, Ill post some feedback.


Thanks for all your inputs hiren.mistry. It really was most helpful. Unfortunately, it looks as though SMK doesnt have enough shells of the Titan for sustained production and hence there is limited supply in the market. Had the availability situation been different, it would have been a very close battle between the SMK Titan and the LS2 Storm.

bravo82in, I checked a few sites and below are the weights of the helmets (in grams). For the Titan, I couldnt find accurate information as the company hasnt mentioned anything on their website, so I had to depend on other sources.

Axor Apex : 1600 +/- 50
SMK Titan : 1500 (Source)
SMK Titan Carbon Fiber : 1650 (Source)
LS2 Storm : 1400 +/-50
MT Blade 2 SV : 1650 +/- 50
KYT NFR : 1500 +/- 50
Suomy Stellar : 1500 +/- 50

For reference, two of the most popular sports touring helmets that were sold in India over the last 5 years are the AGV K3 SV and the HJC FG ST. The weights of those helmets are below
AGV K3 SV : 1590 +/- 50
HJC FG ST : 1600

I would suggest that you consider the LS2 Storm as its priced very close to the SMK Titan and is much lighter as well.

One of the people behind Spartan Pro Gear has started PowerSports International. Though PSI doesnt have the same dealer network as Spartan did, you should be able to easily find a spare visor for your MT helmet.

ashwin.terminat, I wouldnt say a micrometric / quick release system is considerably worse than the D ring system. While touring, a micrometric system just makes life so much easier for a rider. If you wear gloves while riding, you need to remove both of them to open up or lock, a d ring system based helmet. But you can open and lock a micrometric system based helmet, even if you have both gloves on. If you are going to the track, then yes, a D ring system is mandatory. But for day to day use, the micrometric system is easier to live with.

I have one top of the line race helmet for my track usage (imagined or otherwise). That has a d ring system. In the past, I used the Shark Race R Pro and now I am using the Airoh GP550.

And I have one mid range touring helmet for day to day usage and rides. That has a micrometric system. In the past, I used the Nolan N86, AGV K3 SV and now I picked up the LS2 Storm.

Grimlock, thankfully the latest batch of LS2 Storms come with the pinlocks.

trailsndirt, you shouldnt have space to slide in three fingers after tightening the straps to the maximum extent possible. That is really unsafe. I would suggest that you sell this MT helmet and get yourself another one that fits you well.

Thank you so much Neil. This will be of great help to me and other forum members.
My apologies, the one I ordered online was SMK Gullwing Tekker modular helmet weighing 1700 +/ - 50.

Going a little off topic; Last week when I was surfing the YouTube, I hit upon a video testing the helmets based of “Hammer Test”

https://youtu.be/4ua2gd5oP4o

Is this how a helmet is to be tested? While the integrity of the outer shell is important I believe it’s the inner shell that matters the most. Isnt it the inner shell which absorbs the shock and prevent coup and counter coup injuries? What say guys?

Cheers
Bravo

Unfortunately the quality of most Indian YouTube content is very lacklustre. Especially when it comes to gear reviews, 99% videos are just reading the specs out loud. Only when I'm truly desperate for information will I click on desi content.

Coming to your conclusion, it's absolutely correct that what matters is the transmission of force to your head. How the EPS foam and the inner liner compress to absorb impact before it can reach your skull.

The shell has only one job: to transfer the impact over a large area so that it's distributed over a lot of the EPS. Obviously it needs to be strong enough to prevent anything penetrating inside, but the way it cracks is also important, this is why fibreglass (which shatters/crackles) is preferred over polycarbonate or thermoplastic (which develop sharp fault lines) when it comes to shells.

Channels like the above have to be banned in the interest of public safety. Atrocious. Its stuff like this that paints such a bad light of people in our country who actually know what they are talking about.

A helmet has to absorb the impact and dissipate the energy so that your skull and brain does not receive that energy from impact. Period. If you run head on into an iron bar (usually pointing outside on trucks carrying construction material) nothing is going to save you.

May god help us all.

Any good helmets with decent ratings under 5,000?

Recently I've gotten into motorcycling, and I didn't expect to spend much on a helmet, but after reading a couple of forum posts and looking at different ratings and tests, I've gathered that standard ISI-certified helmets from brands such as Vega are lacking in terms of protection, and different ratings (such as SNELL or SHARP) are preferred.

What are some good helmets under 5,000 INR? I will also try to source them locally, as I can try the helmets then, and make sure it's a snug fit.

I was looking at SHARP ratings, and unfortunately most of the models with a good rating on the EU website don't seem to be available in India for a reasonable price (by Indian standards), or even within my budget for that matter, but I have found one helmet that I think is alright.

MT Mugello
https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/helmets/mt-mugello/
https://ridersjunction.com/product-c...ts/mt-mugello/

The above helmet is under 5,000 INR, and also has a SHARP rating of 4/5.
Are there any other good helmets within my price range? I do not care about graphics, or how it looks, it could look like the most eccentric helmet in existence and I would still buy it as long as it provides adequate safety.

Also, how do standard ESE-certified helmets compare to these? There are some Royal Enfield helmets that boast ISI/DOT/ECE certifications, but are apparently rebranded Vega helmets - are these any good?
https://www.amazon.in/Royal-Enfield-...dp/B089H2VM9W/

What about Axor helmets? The "Rage" series seems to be priced quite lucratively, and also boasts ISI/DOT/ECE ratings, are these any good?
https://www.amazon.in/Axor-Rage-Pyth...dp/B097ZKN7WT/

Also, from my understanding, ECE/ISI regulations have to be revised, but many of these helmets don't list the revision of the standard they're following.
How can I know if they're following an up-to-date standard, and not the first revision of it published 20 years ago?

I know this is not what you want to hear, but buy the best helmet you can afford. It's your head we're talking about! That being said, price and safety are not always directly correlated. A 60k Arai isn't 10 times more protective than a 6k Axor.

Judge a helmet's safety using the ratings. ECE 22.05 is the minimum you should go for. The Indian ISI standard is actually based on the ECE standard; the difference is ECE mandates testing whereas ISI doesn't, so you don't really know if an ISI helmet is safe enough until you test it in a crash :Frustrati

SHARP is a level above since they actually assign ratings on a scale of 5. But this is a UK government initiative, so not a lot of helmets actually get SHARP rated. The latest (and therefore safest) standards are ECE 22.06 and FIM, but it'll be a while before you see helmets of that level come down to a reasonable price point. Snell is a racing standard and you don't really need one for regular everyday use IMHO.

If you want to prioritise safety on a budget, MT has their latest Blade and Thunder models which are 4 star rated on SHARP and cost around 8-9k. Their budget-er brand AXXIS has ECE 22.05 helmets at around 3k, but you do get a polycarbonate shell for your money (which is rare at that price point).

Hope this helps! Ride safe.

Some choices are -

Axor Apex: Pros - fully loaded - Featuring pinlock, double d ring, ISI, DOT & ECE, They have an online store that's quite reliable & spares like visors, pinlocks are easily available. Cons - Quite heavy at 1.5kg+ & has wind noise because of the dual visor setup.

SMK Stellar- Pros - Also featuring Pinlock, no dual visor so should be more silent. Cons - Is somewhat heavy too & comes with a micrometric buckle. Priced at 5k now, It was 4.3k a while ago.

SMK also seem to have something new called the Typhoon costing around 6k (probably cheaper offline) with an ECE and ISI rating, comes with pinlock and dual visor. Seems nice.

The Axor rage seems to be a copy of the LS2 FF 352 -LS2 is better as it comes with sharp 4, ECE, and some of the latest ones have the ISI logo on them too. Biggest pro is the weight - 1250+- 50 gms. Cons - no pinlock, and comes with a micrometric buckle, spare visors are a little more expensive than the above helmets though. This ones priced at 4.7k.

MT I think has the Hummer series close to 5k, with the ECE, DOT, ISI and Pinlock Cons - Micrometric buckle, Spare visors are going to cost the same as the LS2, Pinlock has to be bought separately.

While there have been alot of talks and speculations about the genuineness of Ls2 being sold in India, the new variants of Ls2 which comes with ISI should be genuine.

IMO, Ls2 should be a worthy choice (have used Ls2 in the past and had not faced any issue with the same)

Kami, this is not entirely true. The Indian Government has upgraded the ISI standard to match the prevailing ECE norms. A lot of riders on this forum are / were using imported helmets that were ECE certified, so the new Indian made ISI helmets offer do offer really good protection. More on this, later in the post ....

Up until recently, SHARP ratings were a very good way to filter through what was being imported and sold in India. In the current situation, there are probably less than half a dozen SHARP rated helmets that are available.

In theory, if a motorcyclist has a fair budget and is looking at buying a new helmet, first look for
a. ISI + ECE + SHARP
b. ISI + ECE
c. ISI only

Given the lack of SHARP rated helmets, pick a helmet that has both ECE and ISI certification. Helmets like the SMK Titan are ECE + ISI certified and are sold in Europe. Also consider the Axor Apex, it falls within your budget and has got good feedback from riders.

Check the websites of these companies. It will list the standards. It should also be there on the back of the helmet and in other marketing material.