motorcycle helmets

[Miranda]

I think we have some motorcycle peeps on TE besides our full house of bicycle peeps.... thus, gear question for you...

What's a lightweight option for a helmet? This is for recreational street riding.

I have a bad disk in my neck from degenerative disk disease. Heavier on the head = more discomfort in the neck.

Ops? TYIA.

[OakLeaf]

It's really all about fit. Try on lots. The way a helmet balances on your head can make as much difference in how heavy it feels, as the actual mass of it. If they'll let you, sit on your bike (or a similar bike in their showroom) to get an idea of how the helmet feels when you're in your usual riding position.

I forget where you are ... is there a National roadrace coming up soon? The vendors' midway at the track is a great place to find a huge selection of riding gear to try on.

Just like bicycle helmets, getting lighter and more comfortable means spending more money. Over $200 or so, safety differences are minimal and you're buying comfort. (But a solid white, black or sometimes silver helmet can save you $100+ over a pattern, and $200+ over a racer replica in the same model.)

For the shape of my head, I've been wearing Shoei RF series pretty much the whole 19 years I've been riding. It's an economical choice for a high quality helmet (and it actually fits me better than some of their more expensive models, which I've bought a couple of times and kind of regretted). But everyone's head is different.

Be aware that there's been size inflation in helmets just like in all other kinds of clothing. (How much fatter do people's heads get?!) If you wore a small more than five years ago, try an XS now. If you wore XS then, you may have to find a grey market youth road helmet from Europe to get something that fits.

[Miranda]

Thanks for the that feedback. Yea, that's true I'm sure about trying alot on. Just like bike helmets, brands are diff. I'm a Giro girl myself.

Well, the borrowed helmet from a friend I had was too big for me anyway. That was part of the issue. But, the friend mentioned that they do make motorcycle helmets in carbon fiber as well. Which we all know alot about that on TE. And yep, I would expect lighter to be more $ for the comfort.

Appreciate the advice.

[artifactos]

I have this helmet in silver: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...44-Helmet.aspx

I no longer have any need for it, so I should probably sell it.

I knew I wanted a modular helmet (flip-up front), so that limited my options to begin with. I then looked at my options by budget and went and tried a few on. This one was by far the most comfortable for me, and I'm sad that I will probably never use it again. It's a good helmet, and (surprisingly) not too heavy!