I got another New Helmet!

[racoon]

Well, I'm at the hotel for the night, a couple of hours ride from where the Spyders in the Delta rally is being held. I'll ride over in the morning.

I plotted a route to avoid the interstate freeways, which I now think was a mistake. I expected it to take longer than the freeways, but I underestimated the number of idiots in really big 4-wheel drive trucks on all of the backroads. I was thinking 6 hours, it took almost 10.

At one point I was behind a guy who was doing 30 MPH in a zone marked 55 MPH, and because it was a single lane country road I couldn't get around him.

I did see a couple of Harley riders, and they both gave me the salute.

I also smelled at least 6 areas where someone had run over a skunk. I didn't see the roadkill, just smelled the aftermath.

And my helmet that I love really doesn't fit as well as I thought it did.
For short rides it's been great, but about 4 hours in my forehead started hurting, so I tried to shift the helmet around a little without stopping and taking it off. Then one of my ears started hurting.

I have a really "nice" red line across my forehead, where a seam in the lining is located.

I am not a happy rider.

 

[Smitty42]

Prior to acquiring my Spyder, I rode ATV's for many years, but the doctor said no more, so I had to give it up. I had numerous styles of helmets over the years, of which majority were from Scorpion. I kept my Scorpion modular helmet, but my brother, who's is a retired ISP motor officer, recommended I go with a 3/4 helmet. Decided to go with the Scorpion Covert 2 in cement gray. I like it because it has a removable mouth/chin guard.

 

[troop]

Well, I'm at the hotel for the night, a couple of hours ride from where the Spyders in the Delta rally is being held. I'll ride over in the morning.

I plotted a route to avoid the interstate freeways, which I now think was a mistake. I expected it to take longer than the freeways, but I underestimated the number of idiots in really big 4-wheel drive trucks on all of the backroads. I was thinking 6 hours, it took almost 10.

At one point I was behind a guy who was doing 30 MPH in a zone marked 55 MPH, and because it was a single lane country road I couldn't get around him.

I did see a couple of Harley riders, and they both gave me the salute.

I also smelled at least 6 areas where someone had run over a skunk. I didn't see the roadkill, just smelled the aftermath.

And my helmet that I love really doesn't fit as well as I thought it did.
For short rides it's been great, but about 4 hours in my forehead started hurting, so I tried to shift the helmet around a little without stopping and taking it off. Then one of my ears started hurting.

I have a really "nice" red line across my forehead, where a seam in the lining is located.

I am not a happy rider.

Yeah .. Helmets can be frustrating I spent over $700 on a new Shoei J Cruise II/Sena SRL Mesh combo last fall. The quality of the Shoei is absolutely amazing. I wore it around the house for an hour without issues, but like you, after 90 minutes or so it just doesn't feel great. It is not painful at all, but just not $700 great. Over the years, I have owned helmets from Shoei/HJC/Scorpion/Bell/AFX/Z1R/Micro Dot and others. My main go to now are LS2 helmets. Can ride for hours without issues. Helmets and heads are not created equal

 

[WisconsinDavid]

I bought an inexpensive winter/spring heavier and warmer helmet. I like it so far, a Ryzer Exo Scorpion. But my summer touring helmet (which is loud, so I wear earplugs) is a Klim Carbon. I like the lightness and also the ratchet strap instead of D rings on the Klim. Both helmets flow air well. The Klim has a transition shield and the Scorpion a drop down sun visor. I like the transition.

 

[troop]

My wife says I have a helmet fetish, but I say there's worse things to spend money on. I've bought three (3) new helmets in the past seven (7) months: (Shoei J Cruise II, LS2 Advant flip back modular and a LS2 Drifter)

Well ... Make that four. I bought a second LS2 Drifter in pearl white from Dennis Kirk, on clearance for $137. Gonna be my hot weather/high viz helmet, like for Sturgis next week.

 

[vito1943]

For starters, I never even thought about the color of my ride when looking for a new helmet. I started out 40+ years ago wearing whatever color was available, but after a few years I realized that overall white was the most visible color (red might be more visible during the day, but looks black at night). Helmets, even by a trusted manufacturer, change over time and so do our heads. I used to think HJC were great bargains, seeming as well made as Shoei but half the price. In recent years I found that HJC helmets press the sides of my head and become unbearable after about an hour. My Shoei modulars (Neotec 2) never get uncomfortable but are heavy. Recently I bought an LS2 Copter in solid White and it was only $140, by far the cheapest helmet that I have bought in at least the last 25 years. It seems very well made, is comfortable, decently ventilated, and has an easy to use drop down sun shield. I like this inexpensive helmet every bit as much as I like my $650 Shoei.

The 5 year life expectancy of helmets is, I believe, a marketing and liability issue for the manufacturers. Obviously if everyone threw the old helmet in the trash at five years and bought a new one it would be a boon for the helmet industry. And if an old helmet ends up contributing to head injuries of a rider, the manufacturer could use their 5 year advice as part of their defense in a lawsuit. If I lived in a hot climate, such as when I lived in San Antonio, and rode pretty much every day, the helmets seemed ready to dispose of within about 3 years. Riding for only the warmer months in the Midwest, and rarely more than a few times a week, I expect my helmets to be good for at least 7 or 8 years or possibly more. This assumes that the helmet is not involved in even a minor crash and that I never have dropped it on a hard surface.

Just a note about safety. I think adding a Brake Free light to the back of a helmet can make your riding much safer. It senses deceleration so that even when slowing by downshifting rather than braking, cars behind me will see the light get noticeably brighter, just like brake lights in a car.

 

[Mrmikey]

I had a helmet, an LS2 with a flip down sun visor, and like Racoon, it was my favorite. I found that after more than two hours, it would press on my head right above my eyes and give me one muther of a headache. No padding at all on the brow line. So I ended up switching to a CKX with the flip down shield.
When I was riding my Voyager, all I used was a skid lid (which I prefer) and it was great. With my Spyder, I have to use a 3/4 because of the wind with a shorter windshield.

 

[pegasus1300]

You will also be amazed at how much cooler your head is in a white helmet.

 

[racoon]

So let's talk baseball!

My first motorcycle was a red Yamaha Seca 550. I got a great price on it because the owner of the Yamaha shop was one of our "friend group" and the Seca was actually a couple of years old and still in it's original shipping crate.

He also sold me a helmet, but I have no idea what brand. I had the same problem with the front of the helmet and he offered a suggestion.
He said I need to buy a baseball. Then pull back the lining, and use the baseball to compress the area of hard foam. He said to use a swirling/twisting motion of the baseball sort of like you were juicing an orange. Do it just a little, then replace the lining and wear it for awhile.
Repeat the baseball move as needed until the fit was to my liking.

So I bought myself a baseball.

When I opened up my HJC helmet I found something interesting in the lining.
There was actually a seam sewn into the lining on the area of my forehead.
So I went to work with the baseball... and a butter knife.

I used the baseball to compress the general area, and I used the hilt of the knife to create a shallow indentation where the seam in the lining lay.

It fits me much better now, and definitely doesn't cause pain or red lines on my forehead.

But I also learned that some helmets work well with round heads, and some work better with oval heads.
So now I'm wondering if need to find a shop with a really good helmet specialist.

 

[troop]

So let's talk baseball!

My first motorcycle was a red Yamaha Seca 550. I got a great price on it because the owner of the Yamaha shop was one of our "friend group" and the Seca was actually a couple of years old and still in it's original shipping crate.

He also sold me a helmet, but I have no idea what brand. I had the same problem with the front of the helmet and he offered a suggestion.
He said I need to buy a baseball. Then pull back the lining, and use the baseball to compress the area of hard foam. He said to use a swirling/twisting motion of the baseball sort of like you were juicing an orange. Do it just a little, then replace the lining and wear it for awhile.
Repeat the baseball move as needed until the fit was to my liking.

So I bought myself a baseball.

When I opened up my HJC helmet I found something interesting in the lining.
There was actually a seam sewn into the lining on the area of my forehead.
So I went to work with the baseball... and a butter knife.

I used the baseball to compress the general area, and I used the hilt of the knife to create a shallow indentation where the seam in the lining lay.

It fits me much better now, and definitely doesn't cause pain or red lines on my forehead.

But I also learned that some helmets work well with round heads, and some work better with oval heads.
So now I'm wondering if need to find a shop with a really good helmet specialist.

I have a billiards cue ball for the exact same purpose

 

[Quickdraw]

So let's talk baseball!

My first motorcycle was a red Yamaha Seca 550.

My first bike was the 1982 red Yamaha Seca 550 as well. Paid $1,400 for it.

 

[racoon]

My first bike was the 1982 red Yamaha Seca 550 as well. Paid $1,400 for it.

View attachment 250535

Yep. That's the one!

 

[Rdrnr]

I just got a Schubert modular. Love it. I added the Cardo I had on my LS2

 

[Bubby-D]

When I took the PA Lean to Ride 3-wheel course last Oct, I had to have a full face or modular, and bought an LS2 Assault full face due to the very low price of $125. I wore it when I brought my RTL home and found that during my hour and half ride, the helmet was uncomfortable, noisy, and the visor was very easy to fog up.
Fast forward a month and I bought an HJC i91 and I like it. Added a Cardo Packtalk Neo and it makes the rides comfortable. Last month I bought a Bell Lithium Mips Tech full face and that helmet is incredible. Comfy fit, quiet, and fits the Cardo with the 40mm JBL speakers perfectly. I wear specs and both helmets accommodate them very well. May swap out the HJC for the Bell SRT.

 

[vito1943]

One of the biggest problems with picking the best helmet for oneself is that there are few if any places where a rider can try on various brands and models and try to figure out what works for him or her. Years ago I would attend the annual International Motorcycle Show held every early February in Chicago and my primary activity at the show was looking at and trying various riding helmets and clothing items from the different vendors. Sadly, that annual event ended several years ago and I have yet to find anyplace comparable to sample various helmet brands. I've visited some large motorcycle dealerships where you might find at least a few varieties to consider, but not as many choices as I would prefer to have.

 

[Mrmikey]

I'm somewhat in the same boat as vito. I'll go to a dealership, try on a helmet and think, "this is really comfortable' - a week later it's on the shelf in the closet where I now have 5 helmets. A collection of full and 3/4.
When I was riding my Voyager I had one helmet, a lid that was super comfortable, and I could hear the radio perfectly with ear plugs in to quiet up the little bit of wind noise that I'd get past the windshield.
My SE6 has a lot lower windshield, so I use a full or 3/4 now and ear plugs with no radio. I'm not a fan of the look of the higher windshield on a Spyder, which is why I haven't got a higher one. That and the ridiculous price of them.

 

[racoon]

My local Harley-Davidson dealer advertises as having a helmet specialist on their staff.

 

[jdgretz]

I just purchased a Schuberth S3 on sale. Before purchasing, I found a dealer who had one in stock (not the on-sale version but still an S3), so I had a chance to try one on, it was very comfortable. I wore it for about 15-20 minutes at the shop and then ordered one. When it came in, it again fit fine and I started riding home. After about 45 minutes or so, it became quite painful on my forehead. *sigh* I'm working at breaking it in but it isn't fun. I just ordered a set of helmet inserts that will give me an additional 5mm of head space, front to rear. I'm hoping this will resolve the issue.

I will say the Schuberth is quieter than the Shoei, and as much as I dislike purchasing stuff to replace stuff I already have that works, I'm liking the new in helmet comm system. I dislike the ratchet strap, but that appears the direction the top tier helmets are all going.

Yes, I too, miss the International Motorcycle Shows. In its heyday they were great - lots of great gear to see and test fit and a bunch of manufacturers bring their entire line of bikes to demo.

jdg

 

[Mrmikey]

After about 45 minutes or so, it became quite painful on my forehead.

I've got one like that also, bought it figuring, 'this is the one' then the forehead pain starts.