I had a pretty cheap helmet for a while, but changed to Arai Viper GT at the beginning of this season. The Arai is better in every aspect. There is no fogging up with the visor down standing at a traffic, it is very comfortable etc. I think it's worth the money.

One other thing is to note that the full face helmets with the flip up front (entire front of helmet raises up) do NOT give you the same protection as a true full face helmet.  It doesn't have the same frontal or side impact protection.  They look cool and are pretty convienent, but don't get one thinking it is the best of both worlds. 

As far as "loud" helmets go, I base my opinions on the differences I noticed between the Scorpion Exo400 and Exo700.   Going from one to the other, it is noticable.  I guess aerodynamics would be a better description.  Less whistle from the vents (even though the 700 vents better), drag when you turn your head, and a better seal around the visor.  Good point about the ear plugs.  I have never ridden with them. 

The wife really wants the Joe Rocket, Good and Evil in Pink.  Problem is that I can't find it in a small anywhere!!  Anyone have any suggestions?  Dealers can't order it, it's been discontinued.

I am leaning towards a medium Joe Rocket also..it's that or a scorpion.  Not sure the scorpion model.  It had a sun shield inside.

Help me find a small Joe Rocket in pink!! 

And yes I am over that $150 budget I was going to spend, but these felt the best to us.

Bottom line is you really need to try them on. You can get an expensive helmet that fits like crap and your never wear it. You can get a not so expensive helmet that fits great and will protect your head just fine. That being said, I wear an Aria Quantum 2. tried to wear many others but did not like the feel. So, go to the local shop, try them all, then go online and find the cheapest one.

Quote from: scduc on May 29, 2009, 04:31:18 PM
Bottom line is you really need to try them on. You can get an expensive helmet that fits like crap and your never wear it. You can get a not so expensive helmet that fits great and will protect your head just fine. That being said, I wear an Aria Quantum 2. tried to wear many others but did not like the feel. So, go to the local shop, try them all, then go online and find the cheapest one.

Dude... I have already tried them on.  Been trying on helmets all day!!  Got it picked out and everything.

You might be SOL on the pink J Rocket in small.  They make a pink Deviant that looks pretty good. 

I currently have an HJC  Axis AC-12, and a Shoei RF-1000.  Both are good helmets, but the RF is far better in all areas. 

I'd strongly agree with the people telling you to try them on before ordering, I'd also suggest you spend a couple of minutes wearing, and take it on and off several times while at the store.  My Shoei was purchased at a local Cycle Gear, as they were the only place I could really find that had both Arai and Shoei helmets, with a far larger selection of Shoei's.  I was temped to purchase one online after I figured out what size I needed, but the people at the Cycle Gear had been pretty good, and offered assistance when needed.  I happened to walk in on a one day 20% helmet sale so I just pulled the trigger.

I spend a fair amount of time with a helmet on my head (both on and off road), and with a slightly screwed up back and neck I'm much more happy with the Shoei then the HJC, but I'm comparing a sub $200 helmet, to one I picked up for around $350.  Depending on how much time you ride, I prefer to spend a little bit more, for a much better experience.  Overall these helmets probably offer the same, or similar protection, but comfort wise they are leaps and bounds apart.

Hope this helps!

This much is true.  Cycle Gear has pretty good sales sometimes, and also closeouts. 

And I'm pretty sure motorcycle shops don't like the come in and try them on, then order online,  advise.    I mean, it happens all the time, but if it is a shop you like, and they treat you well, it might be a good idea to buy something from them to keep them in business.   Shops going out of business due to online sales hurt all of us. 

I did fine a Joe Rocket Good and Evil in pink for the wife online.  I ordered it this morning.  I would have bought it at a shop if I could have found one that had it or could even get it.

Now I have to find something for me.  By trying them on, I narrowed it down to the joe rocket good and evil or the scorpion exo 700 or exo 1000.  I would LOVE the 1000 with the internal sun shield but I just can't get it for the price i want.  If i could find it on sale I would get it no questions asked.  So really its between the joe rocket and the exo 700.  I like the feel of both.

Quote from: juddmyers on May 30, 2009, 11:32:55 AM
I did fine a Joe Rocket Good and Evil in pink for the wife online.  I ordered it this morning.  I would have bought it at a shop if I could have found one that had it or could even get it.

Now I have to find something for me.  By trying them on, I narrowed it down to the joe rocket good and evil or the scorpion exo 700 or exo 1000.  I would LOVE the 1000 with the internal sun shield but I just can't get it for the price i want.  If i could find it on sale I would get it no questions asked.  So really its between the joe rocket and the exo 700.  I like the feel of both.

The EXO-1000 is one of the heaviest helmets available, and most people don't think the internal visors are that great yet.  But if you like it, by all means, go for it.

Personally, I'd buy the EXO-700 before a EXO-1000 just for that reason.

Quote from: filterban on June 03, 2009, 03:14:58 PM
The EXO-1000 is one of the heaviest helmets available, and most people don't think the internal visors are that great yet.  But if you like it, by all means, go for it.

Personally, I'd buy the EXO-700 before a EXO-1000 just for that reason.

sunshields are truly awesome for a 2ndary helmet that you can throw on for dawn or dusk when you need to change rapidly

not so much if its your only lid and you are forced to use it all the time. speaking as someone who owns both, id take my suomy full face with 2 shields, or a clear shield and tear offs if i had to choose one

ymmv


edit: actually i swapped shields the first time today, and not something i want to do all the time. i thought i would snap a tab on the shield or the pod covers during reinstall for sure! (made it through ok luckily)
i put a tinted shield on the full face, and rock fullface when its bright or foggy (defogs better) and take the sunshield lid for shifting sun conditions  [moto] so far so good

You guys have been great.  I am going to back up and punt and start all over.  I ordered our helmets online and they charged me and everything, on a saturday.  Then I got a call from them on monday and they did have either helmet. They gave me a full refund, of course it took DAYS to get my money back.  That's not their fault, it's the banks, but they shouldn't have charged me till they knew that it was in stock.

anyway...........

back to the drawing board.

I was 100% sure about the exo1000 till i read the last couple posts.  Now I am unsure.

hjc makes some fine helmets and motorcyclecloseouts.com sells some at discount literally 80-90 dollars for a 160 helmet bc its last years graphics, dot and snell certified.. so all good.

as long as it has a legitimate dot or snell or ece 2204 certification, any of those certifications is a safe helmet.  all legal helmets in the US will be dot certfied at the min, the other two are optional certs.

shop within your budget and get something that fits perfectly above all.  a 800 dollar helmet is useless if it fits incorrectly.  a 80 dollar helmet will  save your skin more than an ill fitting 800 dollar helmet if it fits perfectly.

+1 on motorcycle closeouts.  In your price range they offer a lot of options, including Shark.  Here are my thoughts on what i see deal wise.  YMMV though.

The Shark brand helmets have scored very highly in many safety tests and I'd recommend them highly (one of my helmets is the RSR2).  Their visors can't be beat.  From 99 to 249 there's a number to chose from.  The RSR2 is their top of the line race helmet and the RSX is their top of the line street helmet.  The RSI and S series are their "budget" helmets.

Another I have second hand experience with is the GMax with LEDs.  My brother uses this and has been extremely happy with it.  For 99.00 it's a steal.

The HJC FS-15 Elbowz II is also on there for 199.  I'd love to buy it but I'd have to change my name to Imelda because my helmet collection would start to rival her shoe collection. LOL.

They have a number of KBC helmets from 99-119.  Mladin used to race in them (Race 1 or something like that later replaced by the VR-1).  I love their graphics but they are one of the few helmets that really don't fit my head well (medium too tight and large too loose).  Good deals on all of them though.  I particularly like the "vr-1x solid" helmets for 89.  Mr. Incredible used to wear a KBC I seem to recall so maybe he'll pipe in with his experience or you might PM him if one catches your eye.

Honestly if it were my cash I'd spend the extra 50 and get the RSR2 (Duhammel Dragon or Red Foggy Replica).  It's as good in quality, materials and finish as any helmet on the market (including the RX7 and X11) and it's safety scores are impeccable (and better than the RX7 and X11).

Best of luck to you.  Ride safe.

+1 on Shark RSX/RSR and Motorcycle Closeouts.  Shark helmets are very high quality but they don't seem to fit me right.  So try one on first.    Good online vendors are New Enough, RevZilla, Motorcycle Superstore, and Motorcycle Closeouts.

I just bought a SparX S-07 for $107 from RevZilla.  What a fantastic helmet!!  It's probably the best helmet I've ever worn... better than my Shoei RF-800, better than my visor-leaking KBC Tarmac, and in nearly the same class as a Shoei TZ-R which is $300 more.

If I can say anything, it's stay away from Competition Accessories (compacc.com).  I tried to buy a TZ-R from them last weekend; they cancelled my online order without telling me because they didn't have the helmet in stock. When I tried to call them, their answering system proceeded to hang up on me after putting me on hold for 10 minutes.   

After three or four tries, I was finally able to reach someone and find out my order was cancelled.  Freakin awesome.