Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Best Helmet?

[WeeJohnyB]

Your current helmet does not fit you, put it in the bin now and never wear it again.....if it can do as you describe with a little bit of wind, imagine what would happen if it hit anything.....it would come clean off!!!

Fit is vital...'an Arai head'....check before you buy

Arai or Shoei are 'the chosen ones', but there are plenty of other good makes obviously. Buy tri-comosite or equivelant

£350 is ok, but not great...J&S had some great deals on Arai in MCN last month.

I know a small Arai fits me as I've had a few, so usually get one off a website, usually a UK supplier somewhere, but check how old it is and that it has the EC2205 stamp and an ACU sticker if you ever plan to use it on track.

I bought my new helmet, an Arai RX7 Gibernau rep off a website from a shop in Japan. Very cheap, but no ACU sticker, although easy to get ahold of, but the main thing is the fit is different to European heads and it did press on my forehead for the first few wears (Doh!), now perfect.

WeeJohnyB

[ziggi]

You got to try some on. I loved the look of the Arai RX7 - bought one and hated it. It just didn't fit me right, particularly when seated on the 996. I always got neck ache with it because the cut at the back was not enough for me to tilt my head up enough to look though the visor properly. Went straight back to Shoei - X-Spirit - for my head it's the best fit and nothing comes close.

[Gizmo]

Shoei X spirit for me, light and very comfy. Weight makes a big difference on neck strain at high speeds so i always look for a light weight lid.

You can also buy the 2 cheek pads and skull cap internals with a Shoei, it means you can adjust the fit with different size pads if needed, it needs to be in the same size shell though . I change the cheek pads at least once a year to stop the helmet moving as the pads soften up.

I bought a Raid 11 when i was waiting for my new Rainey rep X spirit. Based on the reviews and good press I thought it might be less noisy than the X spirit but as comfy, it wasn't, I could tell straight away what you pay the extra money for.

[Jools]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

Shoei X spirit for me, light and very comfy. Weight makes a big difference on neck strain at high speeds so i always look for a light weight lid.

You can also buy the 2 cheek pads and skull cap internals with a Shoei, it means you can adjust the fit with different size pads if needed, it needs to be in the same size shell though . I change the cheek pads at least once a year to stop the helmet moving as the pads soften up.

Good plan. My Shoei XR1000 fitted nicely around my head, but it did push back into my face at speed. I reckon that bigger cheek pads would've made it much better.

The Roof lid that I have now is a superb fit around my head, but the chinbar on that moves towards my nose as well now that it's got a few thousand miles on it - more hamster cheeks required.

[Mello-Yellow]

"The one that fits the best regardless of the price."

was what i was told when trying helmets for the first time.

Shame you cannot try them out on then bike as i had an arai that fitted a treat in the shop but when on the bike the wind pressure(50 + mph) forced it back just enough to be very painfull on my ears. Great when going slow in town, pain everywere else.

Went back to shoei and been fine with everyone of those.

[chicken]

Originally Posted by WeeJohnyB

....if it can do as you describe with a little bit of wind, imagine what would happen if it hit anything.....it would come clean off!!!

Good points WJB - not going in the bin yet though cos I still need to get home.

(I would say though it was more than a "little bit" of wind - hurricane-force winds appear to be classified at 74mph and can knock you off your feet )

I wonder if anyone has a wind tunnel that lets you test out helmets then??!

[Gaz 748]

Arai, still the best, on my 4th one.

Astro Race plain grey.

[sparkin]

Davida and a pair of goggles,be a man!!

[chicken]

Like this man?



No thanks, I want to keep my face.

[KeefyB]

Another Shoei fan here.
Got the XR1000,lovely fit and the vents/visor mechanism is the best out there,recommended.
Tried the Arai Corsair and just did'nt like it,...now use it as my wet weather/winter helmet!