[grazd]

Thanks all. I checked out a few stores, and all of you are absolutely right. The heavier helmets with lots of padding are also quite challenging to put on with glasses, feel like it'll snap the temples of my frame when I'm trying to push it thru the padding. And this a big pain cos I have to do lot of multiple short runs around town. Plus My eyeglasses are pretty slender and expensive can't afford to frequently get new ones.


Looks like it'll have to be some cheap low quality stuff, sigh!
Hopefully it's better than nothing. Thanks for the advice.

[Yusha]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

A question to those who own the MT range of helmets. Does water enter into the helmet during a rain even if the air vents at the front and back are closed? Are the air vents waterproof once closed?

Speaking for myself, I have been using a MT helmet, Track Spirit Matrix, since 2015. I have never had water ingress in the helmet even while riding in heavy Mumbai rains with vents open.

Though I feet the vents in my helmets are useless. Very little internal air flow through the vents.

Hope this helps.

[veerameti]

Originally Posted by grazd

Plus My eyeglasses are pretty slender and expensive can't afford to frequently get new ones.

Looks like it'll have to be some cheap low quality stuff, sigh!
Hopefully it's better than nothing. Thanks for the advice.

It is better to get a pair of sturdy glasses for riding purposes and go for a safe helmet even if it is for city use only. Don't go for rimless glasses.
You can go one size larger if you feel the padding is tight.

-Veera

[am1m]

Originally Posted by grazd

The heavier helmets with lots of padding are also quite challenging to put on with glasses, feel like it'll snap the temples of my frame when I'm trying to push it thru the padding.

Same issue so I have a sturdier and cheaper pair of glasses that I use when I'm on the bike. I also use them when I'm reading in bed so I don't have to worry about falling asleep and bending them.

[ranjitnair77]

I picked up an Arai XD-4 on a recent visit to the US. My existing helmet is a Scorpion EXO-920 modular helmet and I wanted a safe, premium and a touring/dual sport focused helmet. It was a toss-up between the Shoei Hornet X2 and the XD-4 and I picked the Arai mainly because of its clean and understated look.

Positives

• Superb fit and finish on the outside.
• Extremely premium and comfortable lining on the inside.
• Terrific venting. I get a massive front vent, eyebrow vents and top vents. The overall venting is simply spectacular and is extremely useful for our hot, sweaty weather.
• Massive viewport. Makes my Scorpion feel claustrophobic.
• Minimal buffeting at higher speed.
• The peak is stable and useful with minimal vibration at speed.
• Installing a communication system is easy.

Downsides

• No drop-down sunvisor. Arai doesn't do that.
• Fiddly double d ring straps. Hard to do with gloves on.
• A visor change is not straightforward.

People say that there is no going back once you try on an Arai or a Shoei. I see what they mean.

The front. You can see the massive vents and the eyebrow vents which really help on a hot, muggy day. There is a mechanism on the right to lock the visor into place.



The side. Installing a Sena was a 10 minute job. Clickers on the top for the top vents.



Massive diffusers at the rear. I love the way air is channeled through the top vents. The little plastic tabs help adjust that.



Premium interiors and liners on the inside that can be removed and washed. You can pull out the chin curtain to improve the seal.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

Downsides
No drop-down sunvisor. Arai doesn't do that.
Fiddly double d ring straps. Hard to do with gloves on.

I will list these as positives. D-rings are safer, no two ways about it and once you get used to strapping it, there is no looking back, just that, you can not do it with your leather gloves.

While my current HJC comes with a drop down visor, I do not like it, nor use it. And you can't really rule out, the visor not going up if you press the release button [may get jammed because of debris etc] and flipping the visor up with your thumb in less than ideal lightning conditions is safe and sure shot. One of the reason why Arai does not have this mechanism.

Arai does make the best helmets, please update with your experience with your usage in due time. Thanks, and ride safe .

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Sheel

I will list these as positives. D-rings are safer, no two ways about it and once you get used to strapping it, there is no looking back, just that, you can not do it with your leather gloves.

While my current HJC comes with a drop down visor, I do not like it, nor use it. And you can't really rule out, the visor not going up if you press the release button [may get jammed because of debris etc] and flipping the visor up with your thumb in less than ideal lightning conditions is safe and sure shot. One of the reason why Arai does not have this mechanism.

Arai does make the best helmets, please update with your experience with your usage in due time. Thanks, and ride safe .

Actually the reason why ARAI does not make the drop down visor is the visor is traditionally stored in the forehead area of the helmet. This part is therefore hollow. Hollow means more susceptible to head injury and less impact resistance. This means it's banned on the track.

To get around this, Arai introduced a visor that clips on the stock visor on the front and drops down using clicks. Its okay, i didn't find it work that well, was annoying and i got rid of it and now use sun glasses with the lid.

This drop down visor is useful in the city though. I have an AGV with it.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

This part is therefore hollow. Hollow means more susceptible to head injury and less impact resistance. This means it's banned on the track.

Arai takes its safety seriously, not that others do not, but they really want to slim out the error margins.

I personally am carrying separate visors for the past ~15 years and will continue to do so.

[Red Liner]

Great video explaining helmet safety by ARAI.

https://youtu.be/NO7lBYsxhMw

[ashishk29]

Got a new lid from motocentral pune:
The HJC FG-ST. 16,000 MRP.
Highlights:
1. Kevlar fibreglass composite shell.
2. built in sun-visor.
3. DOT, ECE certified.
4. SHARP 5 star rating.
5. Comes with a pinlock visor in the box.

Alternatives I considered:
AGV K1, which was about 18k. Chose against it because it was a bit too sport oriented, and was still a polycarbonate shell. It also doesn't have a sun visor.
I loved the fit of it though. Incredibly snug fit. Oh also the chin vent operating is incredibly bad, considering that the switch to open/close the chin vents is on the inside. Good luck operating that with a glove on.

What I like:
1. The fit is great. Snug with no wiggle room, but not too snug.
2. Visibility is great.
3. Sun visor comes in handy.
4. Air flow is pretty good.

What I didn't:
1. Wind noise does amp up near the 100kmph mark.
2. I noticed slight fogging on the sun visor instead of the main visor.
3. Didn't have a chin curtain in the box. Motocentral graciously enough just threw in a chin curtain out of his stock.
4. NO retro-reflective paint :( I was expecting some reflective stuff on the back of the helmet.

[CarManMotorcycl]

After 4 1/2 years of everyday use of my MT Blade SV and a fall it was time to go for a new helmet. With respect to my experience with the MT Blade it was a mixed bag.

Positives:
1. VFM at the time i bought it.(It was for 5900/- in 2015 which has rose to 8000/- in 2019)
2. The helmet had saved me from a fall at 60kmph.
3. Spares are readily available on the Spartan website

Negatives.
1. WIND NOISE. The helmet makes a racket above 70kmph! The whistling sound is annoying and extremely bad for your ears.
2. The comfort pads have lost its shape and size, they contract after about 2 1/2 years of daily use.
3. The internal sun visor gets fogged up easily.
4. They say the Visor is scratch resistant but in reality it is not.

The time when it costed 5900/- i would've definitely recommended this helmet but now it is in a price point where you can spend a bit more money and get a better helmet.

New lid options considered
1. HJC CL-17
2. FlyRacing Revolt F-S
Both are Dot and Snell M2015 certified not ECE 22.05 which i thought about at first but after reading about the M2015 testing i came to the conclusion that it is closely matched of or better than ECE. Both have Polycarbonate shells

HJC CL-17: The HJC was considered because it was the most economically priced Snell Certified lid and it came from a reputed brand. The problem was even though it was the correct size i really couldn't get comfortable in it, it was a bit heavier than the MT and it only had a single density EPS liner. The Comfort pads were of decent quality though.

FlyRacing Revolt F-S: You must be wondering which company this is, and how was this one selected over the HJC? Well, first of this is also a Snell Certified lid and the comfort it offered was the main reason why i was inclining towards this one. My friend has the same helmet and same size as me and i immediately felt at home wearing it. The second reason was it had a dual density EPS liner, for me a Dual or Triple Density EPS liner is a must(Thanks Fortnine) and the comfort pads were also of good quality. The cherry on the cake was it came with a smoked visor . The only negatives i found out was the visor has a tendency to fog up for a second and it is a bit fiddly to open the visor.

Some picture for your viewing pleasure. The graphics may seem in your face, but as a 21 year old man i am a fan of it! Excuse me for my dirty bedroom.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by CarManMotorcycl

FlyRacing Revolt F-S: You must be wondering which company this is, and how was this one selected over the HJC? Well, first of this is also a Snell Certified lid and the comfort it offered was the main reason why i was inclining towards this one. My friend has the same helmet and same size as me and i immediately felt at home wearing it. The second reason was it had a dual density EPS liner, for me a Dual or Triple Density EPS liner is a must(Thanks Fortnine) and the comfort pads were also of good quality. The cherry on the cake was it came with a smoked visor . The only negatives i found out was the visor has a tendency to fog up for a second and it is a bit fiddly to open the visor.

Some picture for your viewing pleasure. The graphics may seem in your face, but as a 21 year old man i am a fan of it! Excuse me for my dirty bedroom.

Nice graphics! The 21 year old me would have really liked this design. I havent seen Fly helmets for sale in India so far, where did you pick it up from? How much did it cost?

[CarManMotorcycl]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Nice graphics! The 21 year old me would have really liked this design. I havent seen Fly helmets for sale in India so far, where did you pick it up from? How much did it cost?

Hi, the lid costed me around 140$ from Revzilla which my brother brought it for me to India and it costs around 13500/- in India. You can buy it from either https://www.customelements.in or https://www.ahhelmets.in/.

I am not associated to either brand.

[Sebring]

SMK turned out to be the best value for money. I'm currently using Nolan and Shoei and am worried someone might steal these pricey possessions, so wanted something cheaper without compromising on quality. As luck would have it, SMK opened first of its kind exclusive showroom in Jayanagar 3rd Block, Elephant Road. Helmets are arranged neatly and are fantastic in quality, (priced around a fraction of what the big boys charge) - Rs 4000!. This is an incredible deal. The brand will rock the global market for sure. By the way, I hear that LS2 available in India are fakes, so buyers beware

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

very pleasantly surprised to see that SMK helmets is available for sale there. This might be a first in the helmet industry and is certainly a proud moment for Indian manufacturing.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

I picked up an Arai XD-4 on a recent visit to the US.

Originally Posted by //M

Couple of pics of the Arai XD4 as it arrived few weeks back.

Hope the both of you have had sufficient time to play around with your new toys

How do you guys manage the visor cleaning, especially when touring on the road? Those four screws thing seems more annoying than the regular arai mechanism.

Any fogging issues? Is the shield optically correct?

And finally have you guys used goggles with these? Which ones fit? Can you use it with the visor?

And a quick review of pluses and minuses so far from both of you would be nice. These are expensive Apex predator helmets (as Anthony of revzilla would say), some candid feedback would be nice for the forum.