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Looking for a new helmet. Requesting input.

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1TallTXn

1TallTXn

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Joined
Jul 12, 2005
Messages
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Location
Cleburne, TX
First Name
Nathan
Last Name
Seery
I'm looking for a new lid.
My current Shoei TZ-R is about 2.5yrs old and has is fair share of nicks and scratches. I'm not in the slightest worried about its integrity.

The main issue I have is that I bought a large and after a bit of breaking in, its really too big for my head. I need a medium. And as time has gone on, its gotten more and more floppy on my nogin. I didn't notice it too much till I wore my brother's RF1000, in medium, the other day and realized how its supposed to fit again!

While I've been drooling over the Shoei X-11 since I got my first HJC, I still don't like that sticker price :eek2:

So I'm on the hunt for a new lid.
I'd really like something with a removeable liner. Not required, but would really like it.
Good venting is a must. Its hot in the TX summer in case you hadn't noticed. My TZ-R vents great in the winter, but not so well when it gets hot :giveup: The HJC AC-11 I had prior to that wasn't much better.

Gimme your input!
 
Shoei RF1000!!!
They're light and comfortable, that's what I'm buying next.

I've looked into buying an Icon, but they're heavy. Now, if you want a real deal on an HJC CL15, I have a brand new, Red/silver, size large for $75 shipped.
 
Galo said:
Shoei RF1000!!!
They're light and comfortable, that's what I'm buying next.

I've looked into buying an Icon, but they're heavy. Now, if you want a real deal on an HJC CL15, I have a brand new, Red/silver, size large for $75 shipped.
Click to expand...
I've got a CL14 as a pillion lid. decent helmet, but I think I'll have to pass this time around
 
Symax II with tricked out jet pilot dark visor to impress your friends and intimate your enemies, about USD 210 from New Enough last I looked.
 
I like my Arai Profile. I won't own another helmet without a removable liner.
 
Go to Cycle Gear and Motoliberty and try some on and wear them for a while. I like my Scorpion EXO-700, but I get a bit of a hot spot on my forehead. I thought I liked my Arai, but I was wrong...

Also, at Motoliberty they'll measure your noggin and tell you what sizes will fit you :mrgreen:
 
:ponder:
wonder91178 said:
Go to Cycle Gear and Motoliberty and try some on and wear them for a while. I like my Scorpion EXO-700, but I get a bit of a hot spot on my forehead. I thought I liked my Arai, but I was wrong...

Also, at Motoliberty they'll measure your noggin and tell you what sizes will fit you :mrgreen:
Click to expand...


+1 on Scorpion. I like my Scorpion Exo 400. It seems to vent well, but I don't have anything to compare it to. (My previous helmet - back in the day - was a Kawasaki brand open face).

Hmmm. I wonder if they could open a MotoLiberty in Houston?
 
Another vote for Scorpion here. I have the EXO-1000 which has internal sun shade and "Nike" style air pump giving a great fit. Quality is excellent for the money. Venting is good - the least problems with fogging of any helmet I've had. Pretty quiet too. Only downside is it's slightly heavier because of the bladder and sunshade, so if you don't need those I'd recommend the EXO-400 or 700.

I've had HJC, Nolan & Shark helmets in the past. Shark are pretty good, but expensive and hard to find outside Europe.
 
I have a flip up CL-MAX HJC and I love it.
Due to to the fact that I have to wear glasses to drive,that kind of helmet was the logical choice for me. The linear is removable, the price is around $ 180.
I have no problem with cooling while riding and I love to be able to flip it open while waiting at the traffic light. Does not get any better for cooling.:trust:
 
falcon20x said:
I have a flip up CL-MAX HJC and I love it.
Due to to the fact that I have to wear glasses to drive,that kind of helmet was the logical choice for me. The linear is removable, the price is around $ 180.
I have no problem with cooling while riding and I love to be able to flip it open while waiting at the traffic light. Does not get any better for cooling.:trust:
Click to expand...

+1, its what I have now. But like 1TallTXn I bought a size too large initailly and its staring to rattle around now. Its clean, just my head shrunk or something.:lol2:
 
I really like my HJC CL-SP, but like so many others here, I bought it a size too large. Really makes me mad at myself, too. As soon as I put it on, I should have boxed it back up and returned it for a medium. But noooo, I thought it would be ok. Now it annoys the crap outta me. I'll probably get a new one before too long, even though it's just a few months old.
 
ceddec said:
+1, its what I have now. But like 1TallTXn I bought a size too large initailly and its staring to rattle around now. Its clean, just my head shrunk or something.:lol2:
Click to expand...

Depending on which size you have and what size you want to change to, you can change the comfort liner to resize the HJC. I sent a question to HJC customer support and was told there are only 2 EPS shell sizes for the SyMax and fitting is done via the thickness of the foam in the removable comfort liner.
I ordered a smaller liner and thicker cheekpads from Sierra Electronics and everything worked out fine.

I would venture to guess their other helmets can also be resized in the same manner. For the SyMax I was told XXS thru Small and Med thru XXL are the breakpoints. It may not necessarily be the same for other models.
 
wonder91178 said:
Also, at Motoliberty they'll measure your noggin and tell you what sizes will fit you :mrgreen:
Click to expand...


Then they'll sucker you into buying a $400 helmet when you were looking in the $200 range. :mrgreen: Just kidding. I was actually impressed by the guy that helped me today because he was actually paying attention to what I was saying about what I wanted in a helmet (to my wife) and suggested I try on an Arai. The price had me balking but as soon as I put it on, I was pretty much sold. Once I realized that it had pretty much everything I was looking for, it was a done deal.
 
Thanks for the input y'all. :thumb:

I made the "mistake" of buying a Shoei and while I don't doubt the protection of HJC and the like, there really is a, perceived at least, quality that isn't there in the HJC's. Single largest thing for me was the shield. It stays up no matter the speed on my TZ-R where as the AC-11 slapped shut at ~45mph.

I'm not looking for a flip front. I can see where they'd be really handy for those with glasses. I don't need those just yet, so we'll see in the future.

Bro bought a Scorpion. I wanna say it was a EXO-400. Nice looking helmet. But it hurt his head after about 20min of riding. Traded it back in on a RF1000. Our heads are about the same shape. I'll try it, but I suspect it ain't gonna work.
 
I'm a huge Arai fan after moving up to a Corsair from a Shark RSI. If price is a factor, wait for closeouts. I've seen Shoei X11s and Arai Corsairs hit $400 because of "last year's graphics." After visiting MotoLiberty constantly, I just couldn't stop myself from pulling the trigger when a deal sprang up and I've been shocked. Not just an improvement in ventilation but also in comfort and stability. Absolutely worth it.
 
I hate to say it, but I don't know out of all of the helmets I have tried over the years that any of them really vent as well as the X-11 does. I got one and love it, especially in the summer. I have a Shark for cooler weather as sometimes the X-11 vents too well :)
 
1TallTXn said:
Bro bought a Scorpion. I wanna say it was a EXO-400. Nice looking helmet. But it hurt his head after about 20min of riding. Traded it back in on a RF1000. Our heads are about the same shape. I'll try it, but I suspect it ain't gonna work.
Click to expand...
Another thing I noticed about the Scorpion, it is a LOT heavier than the Arai I have. I know a lot of people will balk at spending upwards of $300+ on a helmet, but I am starting to realize the quality of the Shoei, Arai, Suomy, Shark and others in that price range.

I think it's funny how people always push the brand they wear, I'm guilty of it also, but I still readily admit the hot spot on my forehead that I get from my Scorpion.

I'm hoping to try a Suomy on for size next, but this time, unlike the Arai I got, I'll try it on and wear it around the store for 15 - 20 minutes...
 
Like Kim said, go try them on and wander around the store for a while to verify that the fit is right and doesn't create any hot spots. Since they have quit making the OGK FF4, I have to find a new lid myself. Right now the Shark RSR2 seems to be the only one in the running as it so far has been the only helmet I've tried on that fits my head shape properly without the chin bar touching my Leno-esque chin.
 
Y'all really aren't helping my interest in the expensive helmets :thpt: :lol2:
 
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