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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-61.html)

Yes. Heard the same. SparX available here in Calcutta. Have used SparX for a while, hence looking to try a different brand. It's a nice helmet to have at that price point though, no doubts about that.

Junglee has some Sol and Nexx helmets listed.

I would suggest the Airoh's over the HJC's since the Airoh's are super light weight and excellent in their finish and quality.

Due apologies to the regulars on this thread and let me start by giving the context of this sudden post. I am putting up the details of my bluetooth helmet in response to a query raised regarding the same in another thread. For specifics, please check out the link http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post3056928. Since that thread is devoted to the RE Thunderbird, I feel this place is more appropriate for an update on helmet bluetooth.

I had wanted a bluetooth helmet, so as to be able to communicate with fellow riders. The problem is that the price for a good blue tooth kit (imported) is upwards of Rs. 15,000. Add to that the cost of a good helmet and you are talking of some serious money, which as a percentage of my bike's onroad price was too high. Solution: Imported a helmet from a chinese manufacturer, who is a supplier to some European brands.

Functions:
The helmet has a single dial for controlling the bluetooth functions, located on the outer left side, below the visor. The dial can be rotated back and forth for increase and decrease of the volume. Pressing the dial will connect or disconnect a call. A long press takes it into pairing mode and it can be paired with other devices and/or helmets with bluetooth kits.

The manufacturer claims a range of 100 meters for connecting with other helmets and reliable connectivity upto speeds of 120 Kmph.
It has a single headphone slipped into the lining of the left side of the helmet. The whole left side cushion is created different from the right side, so as to isolate the left ear from wind noise etc and provide a better sound. As per the manufacturer, reason for the single left side speaker is that if you have speakers on both sides, you may miss out on the street sounds, which are critical for a rider to navigate the road and traffic.

Actual working:
I use a company provided blackberry, which has connectivity problems in general. It will sometimes pair with the bluetooth on my Linea and at other times play truant. Using it with the helmet has been difficult for the same reasons. When it does connect There is still some noise. I have tried the connection with a Samsung DUOS mobile and it was better, but cannot comment much on it, as I have not had the chance to try it out for a longer duration. My friend has an identical helmet and he finds it to be working well with his Samsung mobile.
Since my friend lives in a different part of India, more than 2000 kms away, we have not had the chance to test the claimed 100 meters range for helmet to helmet connectivity. I doubt if it will be more than 50 meters in the real world. Which is still good enough for a small group.
My helmet is one size larger than my head's size and hence the wind does get in and I am not able to enjoy the complete acoustic effect of the way the speaker is built in and expected to function.
At speeds above 60, the wind noise starts building up and one has to really strain to hear the sound from the speaker. Beyond 70, I cannot hear anything.

What is my view:
I really like the quality of the helmet, cushion, finish and the fact that it has a bluetooth. But the bluetooth has turned out to be more of a novelty than a functional advantage. The wind noise and connectivity have reduced my ability to benefit from the feature. I would like to hear comments from someone who has used a more expensive/ better set up and if their experience is any different from mine (I hope it is).

Make shift Solution:
Rather than buying a helmet with an inbuilt bluetooth, it is better to buy a good kit separately from the helmet. This way, when you change the helmet, you can transfer the kit to the new helmet. While I chew on this problem, I got myself a simple jabra set up, which is rated among the top 10 bluetooth kits by some websites and costs about Rs. 3000/- (not sure of the exact price, wife bought it). It has a long stand by time and handles wind noise well. Also, because the ear phones fit into the ears, they cancel out the road noise better. Of course I may be compromising my ability to hear road sounds.
I am still experimenting and looking for a better solution.

Thanks in search. So in your opinion it's not worth. And a better option would be to add an external bluetooth device to the helmet. Right ?

For bluetooth, I'm using this easy-and-cheap method posted by a fellow BHPian. The Bluedio headset costs around 700 bucks, has a mic built in it. Provides a battery life of 4 hours. I use it rarely, mostly for music. Call quality is good at a standstill, however I have no idea about the same on high speeds.

Link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post2781227

Hi Friends,

I have a Cross Helmet that I have been using for the past 5 years now. It is in Good shape. Apart from a few falls and a few scratches, there is no damage to it as such. By Falls I meant, It was kept on the bike, and fell due to some or the other reason. The helmet has served me very well and the inner cushioning is also in pretty good shape for a 5 Years used Helmet.

My question is, what is a good time to replace the Helmet? is there a recommendation of sorts for this, Or I can keep using it as long as I like?

Helmets should be replaced at least once every 5 years. Of course, it should also be replaced immediately if it is subjected to impact such as falls, scrapes, etc. as the structural strength of the helmet might have been compromised.

That said, please dispose off your helmet since you have already dropped it a couple of times. Don't even use it for the neighborhood grocery shop errands.:)

Please remember, the cost of replacing a helmet is a LOT lesser than medical expenses and trauma associated with an unfortunate incident (God forbid).

Ok, the question was in my head for long enough, I will get one ASAP now, since I have a confirmation on this.
I totally agree on the Part about the importance of helmets,
Some of the Budday Gifts in the past 3 years to friends and family have been Helmets too :D
While I knew, that after any accidental impact the helmet should be changed immediately, I didn't know that careless falls from 3-4 Feet from the ground might be detrimental. I will have to be extra careful with the helmet from now on!!

Exactly! Though I should mention here that a higher end helmet with Bluetooth may be good enough. We need comments on that.
with an open face helmet I do not think it will be effective. As mentioned in my post, I am trying a Bluetooth with earphones instead of headphones. They do work fine mostly. Have to try out the setup on a slightly longish drive.

Thanks a lot bro for your unbiased review about the bluetooth helmet.

Folks,

Please suggest a helmet for a lady, she drives an activa. I should be able to buy the gift Locally.

TIA

Check this link bro. Hope it helps. Goto page No.5 of the following link.

http://www.spartanprogear.com/Helmet.aspx?mc=1

Saw 2 full face helmets with flowers & butterfly.

Bought a new lid. A SparX again. Two reasons:

1. Loved the Rebel graphics since the first time I saw it, about 2 odd years back.

2. Airoh was the other choice, but wanted to try out the helmet for sizing before buying. So, getting it online from Bachoo was ruled out.

Nice looking lid @dreamseller. Can you please report back on the wind noise at speeds of around 100 km/h? And how much did you pay for it? Whats the locking mechanism - D-ring or quick release?