Choosing a Helmet

Macs

Macs

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What should I be looking for in a helmet? Off the forum everyone says go cheap as possible, but I don't really trust a 60 dollar helmet saving my noggen. I had a Bell Vortex last season (had my M1 but didn't go for my M2) and I liked it, but I had fogging and fitment issues after a couple months.
 
You just answered your own question. How much is your head worth to you? Remember, you only have one. Rather save on other less important stuff than your gear.

Also, full face helmet would be the best choice when comparing to half helmet, 3/4 helmet or even a modular.
 
I'm looking for a full face. Price isn't everything, I can't get a Shoei or Arai to fit my head properly no matter what I do. I was just wondering if anyone had a good Neutral shape helmet at a good price point in mind. When I bought the Vortex the guys at the store said it was the single best bang for your buck helmet out there, and I would definitely agree if I could wear it for a long time without it fogging and going loose after a month and a half even though I bought the right size.
 
Macs said:
I'm looking for a full face. Price isn't everything, I can't get a Shoei or Arai to fit my head properly no matter what I do. I was just wondering if anyone had a good Neutral shape helmet at a good price point in mind. When I bought the Vortex the guys at the store said it was the single best bang for your buck helmet out there, and I would definitely agree if I could wear it for a long time without it fogging and going loose after a month and a half even though I bought the right size.
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Your head should either fit Shoei or an Arai. Arai has 3 types of helmets for types of head shape. You may be aware of that. Now, if your helmet if fogging up have you tried leaving the face shield open just a tiny bit? That's what I do with my arai. Or you can buy an anti fog shield that gets attached to the current shield. You can pick it up ( made by arai) for $30-40.

Second, if the helmet is going loose after a month it means you bought one size big. What steps did the seller take to get you that helmet. Do he measure your head? Did he look at your head and figured what shape it was? Once the size and shape is determined, You should try two sizes on and leave them on for 15 minutes at the store. This way you'll know if it's way too tight or appears to feel loose.

I have an intermediate shaped head and have an arai rxq. My head was between sizes and went with the smaller one. After a month it now fits great.
 
You could also try getting larger liners to put in the helmet to make it more snug.

Sometimes my visor fogs a bit but if I just 'aim' my breath a little down it prevents that
 
You really need to go to a big bike store to try out different helmet brands. Like we have GP Bikes or Royal Distributing. I went to GP when I needed replacement for my Shoei RF-1000. I tried literally 7 or 8 different helmets. Arai come with 3 different head shapes (one of them fit me perfectly but was very expensive), then I tried Suomy, AGV (really wanted AGV helmet), Shoei TZR, RF-1100 and X-12, plus a couple other brands. After all this trying, RF-1100 and TZR fit me the best, I picked RF-1100. So it's all about finding the right lid for your melon.
Fogging can be battled in many ways - install the wind breaker over your nose, and under your chin, apply anti-fogging stuff to the inside of the visor (the one used for diving), buy aftermarket "curtain" that completely blocks air from going up to your visor, etc etc.
 
If the Bell fits go with another Bell or keep your existing one. I found the stock shield on my RS1 to be decently fog resistant... though I think it's due to better venting in that helmet.
If your fogging is severe you can pick up a dual-paned shield designed for winter use: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/69/47170/ITEM/Bell-Star-RS-1-Revolver-Vortex-Snow-Helmet-Double-Shield.aspx?SiteID=SLI|Bell%20Star%20Shield&WT.MC_ID=10010

I have a dual pane for my old HJC and it works amazingly well. I bought it with a breathguard but didn't find it to be necessary.
 
Ive found that with different types of goggles, rain-x has helped against fog... if you're looking for a cheap alternative...

problem is..well this is a helmet, so id suggest you take the visor OUT before you apply it... and then wipe it off really well (cause the smell would be uncomfortable after a while)
 
Went with another Bell Vortex actually. Went into a local store up north and once again, the higher end helmets just wouldn't sit right or be comfortable. Turns out last year they sold me a size up instead of a size down. I'm happy, it fits really snug and the graphic is SICK

I'm gonna use FogDoc on my visor. I use it for paintball all the time, idk why it didn't occur to use it for this as well.
 
Like others have said. Buy what fits right. I'm currently using a Scorpion EXO-500 (replacing a EXO-700). Fits my head well, and is a fairly nice helmet. I prefer Snell or ECE cert so I can still play on the track if I ever get enough $$$ again.
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