South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

Take a sledgehammer to a cheap helmet and you'll find the protection to be pretty good as regulation pretty much forces good protection. Too me a heavy helmet offers more chance of fatigue and therefore accidents and when you do there is more weight slapping your neck from side to side.

I found my Arai great but put a Shark on and it's like I don't have a helmet on even when they are a bit heavier. I ended up with a cheap one (BKS) for the commute and a cheaper one for touring (Lidl) because I couldn't find the combination of glasses-friendly, sun visor, flip front and high visibility for my budget. The BKS one is fine and the LIdl one is OK but a little uncomfortable for long stints (mostly because of the added intercom).

I've got a GT Air Shoei thesedays..built in dark visor sounds geeky but really works well....oh and the lid fits perfectly too

Having spent nearly 2 hours trying on every helmet in dameralls I was left with a choice of only 1 that fitted, a shark legion.
Does the job, drop down Sunny and pinlock
Comfortable but have taped over the front vent as it froze my nose!!!

Over the years manufacturers seem to change the shell shape so I've never been able to stick with one brand as I've often found that come time for a new lid the latest models have changed shape and no longer fit properly. I'm currently using a HJC RPHA 10 PLUS which fits me well and offers a good combination construction and price, especially as I managed to get mine for £125 from lidsdirect.

Hjc Lorenzo 99 here. Seems pretty good

+1 for the GT Air.

I got mine to replace a Schuberth S2 (fantastic lid) and I have worn it alongside a Shoei Neotec that I used during my time as a BloodBike rider.

All very good helmets, but I like the GT Air the most

My first helmet was an Arai chaser, very nice it was too. Be warned about the visor changing/removal process. I managed to break the inner pieces once, cheap to replace, and the outer ear pieces twice, also relatively cheap. But you shouldnt need to break things when removing the visor.
Other than this, I really like the helmet, it fits well and is relatively quiet.

My new helmet is the Shoei GT Air, this also fits well, it does have the internal visor, which I wasnt sure about but is actually a great thing to have during spring and autumn with the low sun in the mornings and evenings.
I do have to say from my experience that this helmet is really noisy, now I am not sure if it is because of the way the wind moves over my bike, or just the design. I now wear ear plugs for any ride out.

I agree with some previous statements about buying from the shop that helps you, this is how we keep them in business, so we can try on expensive safety equipment.
I am not sure if, as I havent tried to take a helmet for a test ride, whether shops let you do this.

I've had nothing bur trouble with my GT Air. Its always been prone to misting. Adjusting the pinlock makes no difference and the visor regularly goes out of alignment so it can't be snapped shut without forcing it sideways. And shut or not, correctly aligned or not, it whistles.

Every Shoei dealer in Dorset has had it apart, serviced it, fitted new visors etc and on every occasion before I'm halfway home the visor won't close and I've got a patch of mist over my right eye. Crescent had a look at it a couple of weeks ago and made it worse and now they won't touch it. Send it back to Shoei they said. Did that a year after buying it when the poppers which hold the removable lining in place became detached from the shell. It took Shoei six weeks to stick them back on and I had to buy a spare lid (cheapo AGV K3 which doesn't mist, is as comfortable and much better vented - noisier though).

I am completely cured of my Shoei habit. Unfortunately I have a Shoei-shaped head. However I have high hopes for a couple of the new Schuberth coming out shortly. The R2 looks hopeful. I went into CW BMW dealers last weekend in desperation and tried on some Motorrad lids (made by Schuberth). The BMW Sport was really nice. Perfect fit and quiet. And in matt black the BMW sticker on the back isn't lacquered over and can be removed. At £479 its not cheap but if the new Schuberths don't suit that's what I'll be getting.

Bell Race Star carbon. Dead comfortable fit on me noggin, no problem with glasses, less wind noise than most, ACU approved....and did I say light - 1250grams.