Arai Curse?

bucko said:

So the first helmet I ever bought was an Arai RX7-RR4. It's a bit beat up now, so it's helmet shopping time. I'm not too keen on dropping a crazy amount of money on a helmet, so I've tried on all the $200 dollar-ish helmets and hey all fit like garbage! AGV makes my ears fold, Icon and HJC have funny pressure points and the list seems to go on forever.

Am I doomed to riding with expensive helmets from now on? Or is there some magic brand?

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The reason you pay more is for that extra comfort. Well other features as well, but you get what you pay for.

I rocked a $250 HJC that was actually pretty comfortable. Just got to find your right fit.

Check out the GMAX GM68S... cheap helmet, but a good helmet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8-Ohke9q6Q

I love my HJC...

PinstripeMonkey said:

Check out the GMAX GM68S... cheap helmet, but a good helmet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8-Ohke9q6Q

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+1 I just bought one today. Rode it home. It has awesome airflow, comes with a tinted visor and has LEDs in the back of the helmet

Shoei and Arai...the only 2 I have owned that I still own and still wear. Trust me, when you start with the best...its hard to downgrade.

Then again, I figure my life and my head are worth roughly 500-600 bucks, so another 50-100 bucks for cushion adn comfort is ok for me!

Also, think about this...how long has that expensive helmet lasted you? I have a buddy that swears he will never spend over $250 for a helmet...but he always complains about comfort, wind, vents, the fact mine are washable, the strap flapping, etc etc etc...and he buys 3-4 in a 2 year span...I bought one.

i love my HJC CL-SP
it rocks

plus i think it has the easiest shield changeout around i am constantly flipping between my iridium visor and clear visor come night fall

I had to change all the time when I just had my Shoei...albeit, they are soo simple to change, but now, I just have the Shoei with clear, and the Arai with dark tint...

It would be cool if they made shields that were auto darkening kinda like a welding mask obviously not as dark though.

bucko said:

So the first helmet I ever bought was an Arai RX7-RR4. It's a bit beat up now, so it's helmet shopping time. I'm not too keen on dropping a crazy amount of money on a helmet, so I've tried on all the $200 dollar-ish helmets and hey all fit like garbage! AGV makes my ears fold, Icon and HJC have funny pressure points and the list seems to go on forever.

Am I doomed to riding with expensive helmets from now on? Or is there some magic brand?

Click to expand...

It can be hard to go down from the nice brand(s). Have you tried the Scorpion EXO-400 or EXO-700 on yet? I have a 400, and it's the most comfortable helmet I've owned. Just a thought.

FordForever said:

It would be cool if they made shields that were auto darkening kinda like a welding mask obviously not as dark though.

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They do and its for a helmet i've been lokking at for awhile

I tinted my motocross riding goggles. A faded tint on the visor would be cool...

i own a shoei x-11...most comfortable aerodynamic helmet ever..spending the extra money is definitely worth it...it's light weight and very comfortable and the vents are great...f*** cheap helmets..if u can afford a $5,000 - $10,000 bike u can afford a $600 helmet

FordForever said:

It would be cool if they made shields that were auto darkening kinda like a welding mask obviously not as dark though.

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Here you go: http://www.wikidesigns.com/

if you have a 100 dollar head buy a 100 dollar helmet, think about it. broken bones heal, mush brains dont.

and I don't really care that they're all DOT and SNELL cert'd, theres a reason some are 6-700, and that reason is why I wear my Shoei RF-1000. never will I buy anything but a Shoei.

I love my exo-700, it does whistle a bit, but it also keeps my head cool

Ok everybody on here seems to be an expert on helmets saying that if you buy a 150 dollar helmet then you have a 150 dollar head. However when shopping for a helmet I did lots and lots of homework. Every single review site said that once you get to 150 bucks all helmets provide the same safety, as long as they are DOT approved(and snell), that's why we have these standards ain't it? I'm no expert by any means but I love to do research before buying anything, not because I'm broke but because I work very hard for my money(as we all do) and I hate throwing away money.

So from my homework this is what I learned, once you start paying 250+ on a helmet, you are paying for comfort, noise reduction, wind, how cool it keeps your head, etc etc. After all this I went with a 200 buck Sorpion EXO 400, I couldn't be more happier with my little helmet, great reviews. Feels awesome(for me) and looks good. I recommend it.

my only gripe about scorpion is that they dont have more color/graphic options for the EXO-1000 yet
I wan tto upgrade, but i also want a cool looking helmet other than solid color

Snakebyt said:

my only gripe about scorpion is that they dont have more color/graphic options for the EXO-1000 yet
I wan tto upgrade, but i also want a cool looking helmet other than solid color

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That's my only gripe about Scorpion as well - give us some options like Arai, AGV, and Shoei...

I went from what I thought was a nice helmet (HJC) to an AGV and its like night and day. Id rather spend the extra money on a nicer longer lasting helmet.