South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

I have mostly used HJC I find them light weight definitely the carbon one I have at the moment and quite and very comfortable the AVG one I had the visor flicked open from time to time when checking over your shoulder which I found off putting other then that I have stuck with the HJC lids

Whatever takes my fancy

I started out with an HJC with a Desperate Dan cartoon print on it, had it for a few years till the lining went manky so I upgraded to a matt Shoei Raid 2 with Pinlock insert, It was a complete revelation and fitted nice but alas no removeable lining. My current lid is another Shoei an XR1100 in matt black this time with removeable lining, pinlock visor and whisper strip chin curtain and I love it

BMF wrote:....current lid is another Shoei an XR100 in matt black this time with removeable lining, pinlock visor and whisper strip chin curtain and I love it

+1 Shoei XR1000, comfortable and good fit , removable lining, pinlock, D ring, quiet and a good sharp rating. This is the helmet I use when I'm 'out on the bike' However I also have a cheap (£35) Viper Rs222 used for popping to the shops. Leaving it on the bike not caring if it gets nicked, bumped etc. Noisy as hell, good fit though Sharp 4*
Sharp Viper RS222
Ebay Viper RS222

Shoei GT Air, because I was told they were good. Reasonably quiet and very comfortable. But the vents do little on a hot day its a sweat box and it is constantly fogging up at the first hint of a bit of a chill or dampness in the air.
Fitted a new visor and pinlock at vast expense before a trip to Wales last week and it made no difference whatsoever. As soon as it rains or gets cold, it fogs. Doesn't matter how many time you refit the pinlock or how much you adjust the pins to get a better fit.

Also have a AGV K3 as a cheapie spare (£130). In many ways I prefer it. Its not immune to fogging but its better than the Shoei. The chin vents shovel gale force wind into your face which is very nice on a hot day,but they also blow onto your face the rain water which runs down the inside of the visor so it feels like its raining inside the helmet.
Not as quiet as the Shoei but not far off and very comfortable with plenty of room behind the chin bar.
The pinlock is positioned too low though so the top edge of it cuts across your vision.
Overall the AGV is a good lid for the money while the Shoei should be better.

Not sure what to buy next but I'm put off Shoei. Maybe a higher grade AGV or a conventional non-flip Shuberth.

Cuckoo wrote:

BMF wrote:....current lid is another Shoei an XR100 in matt black this time with removeable lining, pinlock visor and whisper strip chin curtain and I love it

+1 Shoei XR1000, comfortable and good fit , removable lining, pinlock, D ring, quiet and a good sharp rating. This is the helmet I use when I'm 'out on the bike' However I also have a cheap (£35) Viper Rs222 used for popping to the shops. Leaving it on the bike not caring if it gets nicked, bumped etc. Noisy as hell, good fit though Sharp 4*
Sharp Viper RS222
Ebay Viper RS222

Sorry Cuckoo, I made a typo it should've read XR1100 but very good for all the points you make too

Shoei el Capitan xr1100...Two reasons why I bought it. Because it was the only one in the shop that match my leathers And other reason Ermmm no I think it was the only reason why.
Had this lid for about 3 years now and because I am out in all weathers I have to say that it's more suited for winter times, my head is kept super warm and cosy. As soon sun hits it then your head will boil in it within minutes!. [even though it got all the vents] ....if you have any hair I wouldn't recommend this lid. Would I buy another one ? No. Because design makes my head looks big

I wear a Shoei XR1100 spent a bit more than I wanted to at the time, but alot of the helmets I tried on never felt quite right possibly not being used to a bike helmet at the time, not sure. Tried a Shoei seemed comfortable then the assistant up-sold me this one as it came with a pinlock and had a wider opening for greater visibility. Also by the time I bought the pin-lock for the cheaper model there wasn't a lot of money difference.

Would like a open faced helmet so I could wear it with goggles and a silk scarf, but talk of lesser protection ect made me chicken out lol

Ask for an opinion on a forum and you'll get a different one from everyone who replies, be it which bike/ leathers/ boots/ gloves/ tyres/ oil/ pads/ helmet/ van/ tyre warmers/ generator/ chain you should choose. Everyone who responds seems to feel the need to justify their choice, but in the end only you should be the one deciding what you buy next.
I've used Arai for 30 years now, only considering something more cost-effective when I got into a brief phase of trashing lids after starting racing. I looked around and nothing was anywhere near as comfortable so I negotiated a deal as an ACU licence holder with the importers and got the next Arai at a reduced price..

Remember, if you have a ten dollar head, wear a ten dollar helmet. The choice is entirely yours.

Happy shopping

Scotty wrote:Ask for an opinion on a forum and you'll get a different one from everyone who replies, be it which bike/ leathers/ boots/ gloves/ tyres/ oil/ pads/ helmet/ van/ tyre warmers/ generator/ chain you should choose. Everyone who responds seems to feel the need to justify their choice, but in the end only you should be the one deciding what you buy next.
I've used Arai for 30 years now, only considering something more cost-effective when I got into a brief phase of trashing lids after starting racing. I looked around and nothing was anywhere near as comfortable so I negotiated a deal as an ACU licence holder with the importers and got the next Arai at a reduced price..

Remember, if you have a ten dollar head, wear a ten dollar helmet. The choice is entirely yours.

Happy shopping

You have ht the hammer on the head there Scotty and I love my arai but now they have changed the shaping the only comfortable one is the rx-7v and don't want to spend over £500 on a helmet.

I'm not so bothered about the price (within reason). I want a lid that's comfortable, reasonably quiet, dry, with working vents and doesn't mist up.
I'll let you know when I find one.

I like the warning on my last lid something like " This helmet does not provide protection from all foreseeable impacts".
In about 1985 I bought a Nolan polycarbonate full face lid, after I stoped using it my brother had it, after he sold his bike that helmet stayed in his shed window for over 10 years until he moved and he gave it back to me for a laugh, by this time the Sun had changed the blue plastic to brown in places almost like a sun tan. We decided to test the strength of it, expecting it to be brittle I hit it with a large dead blow mallet which bounced off many times we never managed to even crack it. compared to YouTube videos of non approved helmets that shatter with one hit, even lesser brands that are certified will easily protect you.

Lazer Monaco Pure Carbon Flip.

Comfortable, very lightweight and the visor is photochromic ? It gets dark when the sun comes out.

Moley551 I am actually glad to read that because Nolan is one of the helmets that is going into the shortlist for trying for next time

Ruffian wrote:Moley551 I am actually glad to read that because Nolan is one of the helmets that is going into the shortlist for trying for next time

An Nolan and X-lite are basically the same helmet but different branding so that's me happy too