Guys, after being out of the cycle market for decades I'm back in the game, but a confused as to why so many DOT helmets with good features cost hundreds less than others! Am I missing something or it it just brand markup?
Material affects weight and cost. Poly are cheap and heavy, fiberglass weighs less but are thick and fancier matrix mix materials such as carbon fiber, kevlar and fiberglass weigh less and cost more. Try on several different brands as some are shaped differently - round vesus oval. Shoei and Kabuto fit me the best and have good airflow.
A friend of mine has a $120 helmet that passes DOT here in Australia and I have a $900 Shoei GT Air that far surpasses the DOT but that didn't sell me on it. I was sold on it after I tried many others then put the Shoei on and thought "Awww crap" and handed over the money. No buyers remorse for me so that says a lot for a $900 helmet.
Also another good point for Shoei is how quiet they are at speed, and how well they seem to cut the air and reduce buffeting. My wife and I both use Shoei and Sena 20S headsets, and at times it honestly feels like we are sitting in a car talking, instead of half a mile apart on motorcycles.
I have found a little higher price buys lighter and better materials inside also.
I have a HJC and its fine and I have used it off and on for 6 years.
As thats time to trade as those that make a helmet say I tried a Shoei RF1000 a couple of years agao and it fit like a glove.
So Now I have a Shoei Quest and like it ($300ish) and it also fit great.
The major difference is how nice the inside is to my head as in feels better and doesnt get as smelly from sweat (as its hot down here) so there is that .
If you have a big head then the fit is the main thing as cheaper helmets meet same safty standards as some costing twice as much.
If they meet DOT and some say snell also then the safty is good as it gets because lets face it , hitting something at 70mph is bad and the difference is a moot point at that time.
I have a nice Nolan 3/4 with built in face shield and built in flip up sun shield. I had it a few years and is still like new. I also have the wine/burgundy Valk. It is a little lighter in color but looks good. Nolan are good quality, made in Italy and not as pricey as others. Mine is an N42, has place for Nolan Bluetooth set up and are well under $200 on Fleebay and other internet outlets.
Just ordered this, they ship in December. I know it's a big chunk of change $ but if you add up all the features it's almost a wash on price for all the features. I'll let you know what I think of it after riding around for a while.
Interesting how fast competitors will reply and what bells and whistles be added in their helmets. I hope with such type of helmets and technologies used more and more people will start wearing them.
I have a 2014 Wine Red F6C also and went with a Pearl White unit. Since there was no color match I opted for the visibility factor. I also put a reflective strip just above the DOT lable. I elected to purchase the Scrorpion GT3000.
What about protection of other body parts ? I have Bionic 2 Tech Jacket from Alpinestars and wanted to upgrade to Forcefield Rib Protector (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/forcefield-rib-protector) with Forcefield Pro Sub 4 back protector (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/forcefield-back-protector-pro-sub-4) but such setup did not work. I mean it works great on bike but there is no way to survive in it when off the bike. Too heavy and uncomfortable to walk around in it. Also I put pads in jacket for shoulders and elbows and they are not even close to protection that Tech Jacket provides. During crash they will definitely move from their positions. The next option that I want to try is http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-manis-jacket. What do you guys wear if any ?
Just remember even IF you take great care of it i.e. popping the liner out regularly to wash it (shampoo and air dry) you still need to replace it in 3 years. That's providing you don't drop it and damage it before the 3yr runs out. Scorpion put out a new modular helmet GT3000 that is awesome it retails in the $350-$400 range.
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