What's your helmet choice and why?

[weasel01]

I'm in the market for a new helmet and like most things I do I'm researching my best choice.

Wondered what you all use, like (or dislike).

Thought since we all have great taste in motorcycles we might have similar tastes in brain buckets.

[Altritter]

I wear glasses, so I saw my only realistic choice was between a 3/4-coverage (Yank-style) football design and a modular helmet. Swallowed hard, put down the cash for a silver (for visibility) Shoei Multi-Tek, decorated it with reflective sharks' teeth in strategic areas, and never looked back.

(Takes only one T-bone (in a previous riding existence) to make one a believer.)

[nhmaf]

  I've tried different mfgrs over the years, but have found that my head seems to fit Shoei helmets pretty well - they seem to work well with "long" heads with a certain oval shape like mine.   I wear glasses, but I am also a firm believer in full face protection, so I've gotten quite adept at taking my glasses off/putting them on through the visor opening of full coverage helmets.   I am planning to buy a new Shoei RF-1000 helmet later this year, probably in white or yellow or other visible/non-dark color.  I don't need to spend an extra $100+ on fancy factory graphics, and I want a comfortable, QUIET, well-protecting helmet that at least meets current SNELL safety standards and isn't super heavy or "creaky".  I also insist on fiberglass and/or carbon fiber construction over potentially shorter-lived polycarbonates.   I've friends who like the Nolan flip-up chinbar helmets, but I personally can't stand them.

[Justin B.]

I wear an HJC Symax modular in cool weather and a 3/4 or 1/2 helmet when it's 100 plus in the shade...

[steve_wicks]

I have an old Arai (complete with nomex lining) from my car racing days, but it has a very narrow appeture so it aint suited for traffic.

I've also got an HJC, with opening vents, but the wind noise is terrible ........how do you know what a helmet is like until you've spent some time wearing it at 120 km/h??

[Motu]

I like an adventure helmet - peak and visor.I've finally had to retire the Nolan N70 and have a KBC - I miss the peak,they are so handy in the sun.In summer I wear an MX helmet with goggles on back roads,so much cooler.

[Bengt_Phorqs]

HJC Symax 2 year round.  I like full coverage because statistics show that in about 75% of m/c accidents the rider will land on his face first.  I like a visor for riding in the sun but I'm not going to spend $650 for the Arai. The feature on the HJC that solves this is the retractable sun visor.  At $285 I thought it was a good value.

[SCJJR65]

I have a Fulmer modular helmet for cool or rainy weather, and a police-cop style shorty helmet for the hot and steamy weather SC is known for!  

[drewboid]

My fiance found the HJC modular to be noisy. We went with the cheaper Shoei full coverage and are very happy with them.

[k_enn]

I now go with a basic, no frills, HJC full coverage.  First, I agree with others that full coverage is better.  Second, it is still Snell rated (a whole 'nother topic of discussion for me) so it is roughly comparable in protection to other more expensive helmets.  Third, it is relatively inexpensive.  Considering that the inner shock-absorbing material in any helmet will deteriorate in a couple of years, I don't plan on investing a lot of money in helmet that I will replace in two years or so.  

I once had the BMW helmet with the swing-up chin piece.  I liked it alot, but it was very expensive.  After about four years or so, it no longer fit properly because of deterioration of the inner material.  That's when I decided to go for more basic helmets.  

k_enn

[Bob_Roller]

I've been using a Scorpion EXO-200 (at least I think that's the model number !!!), for the last 3 years, it was the only helmet that fit me properly .

I was a bit leery about a helmet made in China, but it did have the latest Snell rating .

The vinyl lining is coming off of the interior now, but so far that's the only complaint about it .

[suraklyn]

 I've tried different mfgrs over the years, but have found that my head seems to fit Shoei helmets pretty well - they seem to work well with "long" heads with a certain oval shape like mine.   I wear glasses, but I am also a firm believer in full face protection, so I've gotten quite adept at taking my glasses off/putting them on through the visor opening of full coverage helmets.   I am planning to buy a new Shoei RF-1000 helmet later this year, probably in white or yellow or other visible/non-dark color.  I don't need to spend an extra $100+ on fancy factory graphics, and I want a comfortable, QUIET, well-protecting helmet that at least meets current SNELL safety standards and isn't super heavy or "creaky".  I also insist on fiberglass and/or carbon fiber construction over potentially shorter-lived polycarbonates.   I've friends who like the Nolan flip-up chinbar helmets, but I personally can't stand them.

+1.  I've had two Shoei RF-1000 helmets, and I've liked them both; quiet, quite comfortable, and I like the added Snell safety.  I also wear glasses, but I invest in Oakley glasses/sunglasses that come with straight ear pieces, and it's real cake putting them on and taking them off while I have the helmet on.  My only dislike on the RF-1000 is that all pieces of the interior padding can't be removed for cleaning... oh well.

My last RF-1000 I got from some motorcycle dealer in TN, and I bought it through eBay; it was over 100$ less going that route.

[Lucky_Lou]

I have a Cadberg in blue ....its the full face with lift up front and i like the built in sun visor as far as im aware its the only one with the internal shades..of course i could be wrong on that one.
Lou

[sixfifty]

i've been very pleased with my scorpion exo-700.  i'm on the second right now, and the first would have lasted another season had it not seen that last physic-defying drop (which included a bounce, spin, slide and a roll).

the vents actually work, and the breath guard does an excellent job of keeping the shield from fogging.  the liner is removable if you're into washing them.

the shield has a fairly effective twist-to-remove system.  i use plexus and a diaper to clean it, and they're very scratch resistant, even with a thick coat of bugs.  the shield also has a nice ratchet mechanism that will hold it up easily at in-town speeds, and allow some airflow at highway speeds if necessary.

on the down side, there's no room for head phones, which is fine for me because i've gotten away from that.

they are fairly inexpensive (~$200) and snell approved.

[stockman]

I have an HJC Symax flip up going on 5 years. It is still working well but I think I will replace it with a regular full face possibly with blue tooth if i can afford it. There is one called"Element" I think that didn't look so bad price wise. I want my wife to get  a full face too. She rides her bike to work also (Vulcan 800 classic). With a full face she won't have to put it on in front of a mirror to see how she looks, because if she gets a dark shield  no one can see her face anyway. That will be a time saver.