Helmet recommendations

[SRTie4k]

I'm finally going to spring for a new helmet, my current lid (Icon Domain Decay) is going on 8 years old and has started to fall apart. I've been looking around, but there's just so many helmets out there nowadays.

I'd like to spend no more than $500. My head is the typical oval shape, not round. I'm looking primarily at one for street bike use. What I want in a helmet in order of importance:

1. Lightweight
2. Quiet (low wind noise)
3. Decent airflow
4. Room for speakers/mic for Scala Q3

I was considering the Icon Airframe Pro. At 3lbs its light, but I'm having second thoughts due to many people claiming its noisy. Looked briefly at the Bell Star Carbon, but have heard its kind of awkward and seems to be kind of hard to find. Read a review of the AGV K-5 last night, and it sounds pretty decent (and I like the flip down sunshade) but I'm not crazy about the fact that most of the vents are difficult to manipulate with gloves on.

I need some recommendations. Gimme what you got.

[nhbubba]

Get a Bell RS-1 on clearance while you still can. $600 helmet that was MSRP'ed at $400, now selling for $200. Great build. Not a POS polycarbonate shell. Excellent liner. All the right ratings.

I'm a little pissed they discontinued it. My read is that it didn't sell as well as they wanted because people looked at the low(er) MSRP and figured it wasn't as good as the Arai or Shoei. It is. Just as nice as my Shoei Qwest.

I'm contemplating picking up another one as a backup while I can.

The only downside is the helmet was discontinued and the stock is likely to be older. Which means older date codes. Which is potentially a problem for racing and/or track days. .. But for street riding it would be great.

[MattR302]

I've got a Shoei GT-AIR, it's a slight oval shape. The venting is good, it has speaker pockets at the ears, comes with a pinlock insert, and it has the drop-down visor. I do get a slight whistle if my head is pointed a little to the right, but that could be because of the Sena bluetooth I have mounted, or the shield just needs to be tweaked to seal better.

Honestly, I don't use the drop-down visor all that much. I usually keep a $5 pair of sunglasses in my helmet when I'm not wearing it, and use those. That way, when I get to wherever I'm going, I have a pair of sunglasses to wear.

CompAcc has a few graphics on sale for $380 now.

[csmutty]

Just bought a bell. Coming off of a top of the line shoei I was impressed with the materials and quality of build.

[RandyO]

I had a Bell once, it was the quietest helmet I have ever owned, it was also the heaviest, I replaced it with a Arai Signet, not quite as quiet, but much lighter and better ventilated, the Arai was tight on speaker space

currently I have a Shoei TZR, not sure if Shoei still makes that model, good compromise of quiet and weight and has decent ventilation, fits my Autocom headset no problem

[golden chicken]

I like my Bell RS1 more than my old HJC, but it's heavier than my HJC. Neither are particularly quiet even with earplugs. I think Shoei has the reputation for quiet lids.

[markbvt]

Lots of great helmet options on the market now. Just find something that fits you well.

I'm a big fan of Shark helmets for this reason: they fit me better than any other helmets I've tried, which translates into all-day comfort. And they're damn nice helmets. I just got a Vision-R Series 2 delivered a couple hours ago; Revzilla has them on sale.

--mark

[Dmitry]

Get a helmet that fits your head, that's my first advice, also something that can survive an impact, wind noise will not kill you...

I have always been Shoei man, then around 2010 got Arai and it was very, VERY good, problem is that XR7 that I got is a shallower oval than Shoei and I didn't like lack of space in front of my jaw, especially after face-planting on dirt (wearing Arai XD-3) So I got another Shoei, now 5 years later I got a Schuberth C3 and it is quieter than Shoei that I'm used to, because it's modular head opening is much smaller and it seals tight against my chin (Shoei curtain didn't do that) in fact it was so tight that I had to shave my beard to get comfortable, but there is no air getting in now, so no noise and in the winter much warmer face

[PainfullySlow]

About the only thing that I can offer for a suggestion is to find a lid that fits you first. Everything else is secondary =) I did a quick check for the Icon Domain Decay on webbikeworld but it is too old to be listed I think and Icon shell shapes range all over the place. Check this out: Motorcycle Helmet Shapes - webBikeWorld

Once you know your basic head shape you can begin to look at brands that have the features you want in the price range you are looking for. If anything in the Bell line interests you, look me up and I will see what I can do to help you out.

Oh, and the reason you are having a difficult time finding the Bell Star Carbon is because it was very popular and it has been discontinued as there is a new Star lineup coming from Bell in the next month or two.

[SRTie4k]

Appreciate the help. I actually ended up doing a bit more research on the Bell RS-1 Liner and it sounded like a pretty decent lid, and I found a Large on Sportbike Track Gear for $200, so I went ahead and bought it.

Plus I love how tacky it is, matte black with a stupid bright dayglow stripe.

[TheIglu]

The best fitting helmet you know is the best fitting helmet you have tried on.

I never knew how well a helmet could fit until I spent an afternoon with Patricia at Seacoast (who no longer works there, but Paul from Motomarket does).

Head shape is so important in helmet fit/comfort. Even though you bought one already, I'd still encourage you to head up there to get your head sized appropriately, especially concentrating on shape.

[Sheppo]

I find a Scorpion to be a very good deal on an awesome helmet. Souhegan Motorsports has a great selection in stock. I am on my second. The first was crash tested and I was happy with the results ..... Carlie was great up there in helping me. After my first and the incedent, I went to a Shoei and will never go back, it fogged at the slightest inclement weather or temp change ( ie: night time ) a pinlock shield was mandatory. My Scorpion has a thicker shield and doesn't fog as easy. My head is also egg shaped. No pressure points and I've warn it 10-12 hours at a time very happily.


Sorry I should have used my reading skills and noted you already bought one. Good luck RADA uses a Bell and loves it.

[SRTie4k]

I need to get my head sized/measured at some point. Not that I've ever noticed discomfort from any of the helmets I've worn, maybe I've just gotten lucky in that regard; my Icon is comfortable (but heavy), my 509 (Fly) is comfortable, the HJC I wore was passable, the Bell dirt helmet I had was comfortable, my buddies Arai was comfortable...I think I just have a universal head.

[Dmitry]

I find a Scorpion to be a very good deal on an awesome helmet. Souhegan Motorsports has a great selection in stock. I am on my second. The first was crash tested and I was happy with the results .....
.

Lucky you, I tried to like Scorpion when my buddy was a distributor because I'd get a screaming deal on them but every one I tried had this pressure spot on my forehead that made me insane after 30 minutes... It is a good lid if it fits you!

[SRTie4k]

Just want to thank nhbubba for the recommendation on the Bell RS-1. My large felt a bit tight at first, but it's now relaxed enough that it feels perfect. Rode with it last night and this morning and I love it! Light weight, VERY comfortable and premium compared to my Icon, fits like a glove, and best of all it looks totally ridiculous with the stripe. Best bang for the buck helmet I've ever owned.

Oh and the transitions shield is amazing. Why doesn't every helmet company offer one of these? The transition is so seamless you don't even realize it's darkened, and it doesn't seem to affect optical clarity much at all.

[nhbubba]

I just bought another RS-1. You know, as a spare. I need spares.. right?!
Kind of thinking of buying an MX-9 Adventure too.

[OneCheekRider]

Kind of thinking of buying an MX-9 Adventure too.

I bought a MX-9 adventure on closeout for $100 during the holidays. Great helmet, but not as com friendly as the other Bells with speaker pockets and such. Still got my Sena SMH10 on there and working well.

[Kawi Ken]

And if anyone thinking Modular.
Here's a great deal =
KABUTO Ibuki Modular Helmet - 2Wheel
Compare =
Kabuto Ibuki Helmet - RevZilla
I just ordered one after seeing some great reviews.










.

[reks95]

I just bought another RS-1. You know, as a spare. I need spares.. right?!
Kind of thinking of buying an MX-9 Adventure too.

Ha! I just unboxed the spare RS-1 I bought on closeout for xmas.

[duganc1717]

Just want to thank nhbubba for the recommendation on the Bell RS-1. My large felt a bit tight at first, but it's now relaxed enough that it feels perfect. Rode with it last night and this morning and I love it! Light weight, VERY comfortable and premium compared to my Icon, fits like a glove, and best of all it looks totally ridiculous with the stripe. Best bang for the buck helmet I've ever owned.

Oh and the transitions shield is amazing. Why doesn't every helmet company offer one of these? The transition is so seamless you don't even realize it's darkened, and it doesn't seem to affect optical clarity much at all.

Totally agree, I have been singing the praises of the Bell Rs1 since I bought mine two seasons ago. The Transition shield absolutely rocks, other than it seems to fog rather easily.

[nhbubba]

I'm kind of annoyed they canned the RS-1. My take is that it didn't sell well because it wasn't priced high enough. ("What's your head worth!!" crowd.) Bell seems to have responded by releasing a replacement that costs 50% more (on par with rest of market) but isn't 50% better.

[reks95]

Revzilla made it sound like they sold tons of them.
I wonder if they canned it because it was eating into Star sales.

[nhbubba]

The regular plane jane Star is cheaper but doesnt' include most of the new "premium" features in the upper Star models. The Race Star costs significantly more but does add the multi piece foam thing, which I think is cool.
My "50% more but not 50% better" claim is probably an exaggeration. But I think the plane Star is not much of an improvement while the Race Star is a lot more dough, although probably a worthy improvement.
The Pro Star or whatever their mac daddy carbon helmet is called is over a grand MSRP. I can't justify that.

My new RS-1 arrived yesterday from Sportbiketrackgear. I bought it through ebay not realizing it was SBTG that was selling it. Absurdly fast shipping and great bang/buck. I like those guys. 1/2015 build date too. Not that it matters for me anymore.