Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc...

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Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/10/2008 2:55:29 AM    camaro_forums Posts: 683 Joined: 12/31/2007 Status: offline      Well it's that time. I'm looking to get a helmet, due to me getting a bike this weekend. I had some cheap 100 dollar helmet last time I rode back in 05, I think it was HJC and anytime I rode it more than 30 minutes it cut into my ear and was very uncomfortable. I rode my brothers bike last summer and he has an Arai Quantum 2, and I loved it. It was very lightweight and was comfortable riding over an hour.     I guess my question is this. Is there really much difference between the 200-300 dollar helmets and the 400-500 dollar helmets? And can you tell the difference by just trying them on at the store? I might just get them online, since that seems to be the cheapest, but I'd like to try them on before buying. Am I going to wish I had spent the extra money for the Arai/Shoei or will a KBC/HJC (top of their line) helmet be good enough?     Any personal experience and help you can give me will be much appreciated.     P.S. I'm also looking for gloves and a leather jacket. _____________________________ 07 Blue/Silver 600RR Mods: Carbon front fender, 03-06 integrated taillight, Hotbodies flush mount signals, CF tank protector, Shogun frame sliders Post #: 1

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/10/2008 7:38:12 AM    Jump1979man Posts: 455 Joined: 12/12/2007 From: Council Bluffs, Iowa Status: offline I would go with Scorpion.  I own a motorcycle shop and sell them along with other brands.  I personally push the Scorpion the hardest because they are the best helmet you can get for the money. Before I started my business I had a Suomy Extreme Gambler....arguably the best helmet on the market....Well, the Scorpion helmets that cast a fraction of what the Suomy costs are VERY close in comparisons.  They are not better than the Suomy due to weight and such but for the difference in price you cannot go wrong with a Scorpion EXO-400 or EXO-700. PM me if you want a great deal on one. (in reply to camaro_forums) Post #: 2

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/10/2008 8:03:11 AM    skical Posts: 347 Joined: 9/30/2007 From: Rancho Santa Fe, California Status: offline Just make sure they are Snell approved. All Arai and Shoei are. Not sure about the others. Yeah, it's a big deal, if you care about your head. (in reply to Jump1979man) Post #: 3

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/10/2008 11:02:05 AM    Jump1979man Posts: 455 Joined: 12/12/2007 From: Council Bluffs, Iowa Status: offline FYI, Scorpion is both DOT and SNELL Rated. Suomy is also certified to British Standards. (in reply to skical) Post #: 4

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/10/2008 7:29:09 PM    lungfish13   Posts: 88 Joined: 9/14/2006 Status: offline Definitely make sure it's DOT approved.  Snell is a plus.  More importantly, make sure the helmet fits.  Each manufacturers helmet will fit differently to include differently models of the same brand.  The biggest difference I've noticed with pricey helmets is the aerodynamics of the helmet (also ventilation) and convience features like removeable liner.  I currently own a Shoei RF-1000 and X-11.  Hands down the X-11 is most comfortable helmet I've worn, but that doesn't mean that the less expensive helmets aren't any good.  I've met alot of people that swear by EXO-700.  Doesn't hurt to try one out. (in reply to camaro_forums) Post #: 5

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/10/2008 7:33:59 PM    Nauree Posts: 2578 Joined: 6/16/2007 From: Ponchatoula, LA Status: online Id take ECE or whatever approved over Snell. (in reply to lungfish13) Post #: 6

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/10/2008 7:42:11 PM    mhonda98   Posts: 152 Joined: 10/10/2007 Status: offline I will agree the shoei and arai are well worth the money.I had an HJC and bought an arai rx7 model and it felt twice as light and better ventilation for sure. If you want personal experience, with my arai three years ago I highsided racing doing about 130mph landed on my head never blacked out. I thought the 600 dollars was well worth it and never wear anything but Arai now. HAHA _____________________________ SPEED KILLS BUT IT GETS YOU THERE QUICKER! (in reply to lungfish13) Post #: 7

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/10/2008 10:24:15 PM    SpiritRR Posts: 2101 Joined: 8/3/2007 From: the Paddock Status: offline Oh it's worth it...but you get double the satisfaction if you buy that Arai or Shoei (or new Bell Star, woot!) on closeout or at deal time. That way you get a top shelf lid for mid-price change. Now is a great time with so many outstanding merchants making room for new '08 models. If it weren't for the new Bell, I'd pull the trigger on a new X-11 Rainey rep from these guys...getting a $610 helmet for barely $400 makes me feel warm and fuzzy...plus Wayne Rainey is god. _____________________________ (in reply to camaro_forums) Post #: 8

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/11/2008 1:40:43 AM    camaro_forums Posts: 683 Joined: 12/31/2007 Status: offline Well hey thanks for the help guys...I'm just going to try on some helmets at my local place and see what one I like. Then I'll see if I can get a good deal online, but thing is I need it soon...cuz I'm getting the bike this weekend hopefully. And I'm not going to want to wait a week to ride it. I'll definitely check out the scorpions. so is the exo-700 better than the 400? _____________________________ 07 Blue/Silver 600RR Mods: Carbon front fender, 03-06 integrated taillight, Hotbodies flush mount signals, CF tank protector, Shogun frame sliders (in reply to SpiritRR) Post #: 9

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/11/2008 2:05:49 AM    El Tigre Posts: 62 Joined: 6/11/2007 Status: offline I ride street and dirt so I know that helmets vary from manufacture to manufacture. But go try them on and see what helmet fits you best. I'm just going to say that back in 05 I totaled my old bike bad and the arai rx7 corsair wired helmet that I had held up very well. I had a very harsh impact on the left side and it cracked and everything but I was ok. Just walked away with a concussion and battle wounds... So now I stick by them, not to mention it’s a very comfy helmet plenty of vents and all the goodies. Go try on a rx7 corsair and lemme know what you think.   Justen _____________________________ 03-cbr600RR Full Moriwaki, PC3, HRC filter&stacks, Scotts damp, CFM clamps&rearsets, FG 43 R&T forks, Brembo master cylinder&levers, wave rotor, 520chain 04- crf450 full fmf powerbomb, uni filter, renthal bars, IRS suspension (in reply to camaro_forums) Post #: 10

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 3/31/2008 8:52:28 PM    dhaninugraha Posts: 30 Joined: 4/14/2007 Status: offline I have two helmets for my daily commuting, a Nolan N62 Classic (gloss black) and an Arai RX7-RR4 (Colin Edwards replica). the N62 is quite comfortable, the fit isn't so snug yet firm enough so it doesn't shake loose on my head. it's pretty light too, I can wear it for a long time without feeling like wearing a bowling ball on my head. good sound insulation, though a balaclava would help reducing noise better. the visor is really easy to remove and install, since it doesn't have that oh-i'm-gonna-break visor mechanism like the Arai. however, the visor fogs up very easily when fully closed, despite the chin vents have been fully opened. but personally, I like the RX7-RR4 better. it's even lighter than the N62, it flows more air to the interior (which makes it feel cooler on a hot sunny day), and the visor won't fog when it's fully closed (despite the vents only open halfway). despite its snug fit (size M), it feels comfortable around my head and cheek. while wearing my SonyEricsson's earplugs, the padding holds the earplugs in place, unlike the N62 which won't hold it as good, meaning I have to correct the position some times (which is really annoying while wearing gloves). _____________________________ 2007 Honda CBR 150R Keihin PE28 carb Shindengen Step-1 CDI Andrion XP ignition coil NGK Iridium plug DBS exhaust Bridgestone Battlax BT45 100/80 & 130/70 (in reply to El Tigre) Post #: 11

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 4/1/2008 9:51:24 AM    G3NESYS   Posts: 415 Joined: 5/22/2007 Status: offline ive read there is really no difference between the exo400 and exo700 i have the exo400 sting and its really comfortable, its like a pillow around my head, lol and its only $150 i rode for a few hours straight saturday and it never got uncomfortable _____________________________ **2001 CBR F4i** Powder coated rims, swing arm, frame, triple clamp "F4i" Heel Guards (in reply to dhaninugraha) Post #: 12

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 4/1/2008 10:17:24 AM    woot Posts: 734 Joined: 7/24/2006 From: NS, Canada Status: offline I went with the Shark helmet. Much better price than the Soumy's I was looking at. It also met ECE 22-05. Snell I was told is kinda silly - it was designed for car racing where in an accident you'd hit the same part of the helmet repeatedly (head on the roll cage). On a bike you hit a few places - but most of the time it is one big whack, and a few lesser rolls. It makes sense to rate a car helmet and a bike helmet differently as they will have different stresses. Ranked in order of my understanding: DOT SNELL BSI ECE 22-05 _____________________________ 2000 CBR 600 F4 Full M4, -1,+2 520, Speedohealer (-11.4%), AutoCom Pro, Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS/MP3, Cobra FRS/GMRS , Vortex sliders, mirrored windscreen, Cortech bags and Aux Fuse box. Safety wired and ready to go (in reply to G3NESYS) Post #: 13

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 4/1/2008 10:55:00 AM    Jump1979man Posts: 455 Joined: 12/12/2007 From: Council Bluffs, Iowa Status: offline If I recall BSI is the best rating.... If I remember right.....I had some info on it about 6 years ago....who knows if I can find it again... < Message edited by Jump1979man -- 4/1/2008 11:01:14 AM > (in reply to woot) Post #: 14

RE: Question about Arai, Shoei or Kbc etc... - 4/1/2008 11:27:05 PM    camaro_forums Posts: 683 Joined: 12/31/2007 Status: offline Thanks guys for the help. I ended up going in and trying on a lot of helmets. Was gonna get a scorpion, but then found a dandy HJC for 170 bucks. Tried it on and it fit so nice! The fit was really large, I wear an XS in it, and others I wear a Small and sometimes Medium. But the fit was great! It doesn't have stuff rubbing on your ears, it almost has a pocket for them hollowed out, and it was snell and dot approved so I snatched it up. Here's a picture I haven't had any problems with it and I've ridden for 2+ hours already straight. _____________________________ 07 Blue/Silver 600RR Mods: Carbon front fender, 03-06 integrated taillight, Hotbodies flush mount signals, CF tank protector, Shogun frame sliders (in reply to Jump1979man) Post #: 15

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