Buyers Guide to Motorcycle Helmets
Buyers have choices in motorcycle helmets. First and foremost, a helmet is a safety device. If your helmet is more than five years old, you need to buy a new one. Even if it has not survived a motorcycle crash, it has had plenty bumps and outlived its DOT or Snell Laboratories certification.
Bikers are die-hard for helmets or no-helmets. To guide your next purchase of a helmet, look at what you need it to do and how often you will wear it. Next, examine the helmet which suits your needs. Last, buy or order the correct fit from the right place.
What do you need it to do?
The non-biker will always answer, "To protect your head." No-helmet bikers don't wear helmets for protection. They wear them to follow the helmet laws in states they traverse, and only when they must. Half helmets, or turtle shells, are usually the choice for this biker.
Casual cruisers and hobby riders choose three-quarter helmets. "Bonnets" are the choice offering the wind in your face experience of a turtle shell while protecting the head with more helmet coverage.
The sport biker needs aerodynamics and chooses a full face. Full face helmets are designed to be worn at greater speeds and offer the best protection. Sport bikers wear their helmets every time they ride, so these helmets are lighter-weight polymer with extra padding.
Modular helmets are gaining popularity with all bikers. They are a hybrid of the three quarter helmet and the full face. The face of the helmet is hinged to flip up. While riding much like a full face, the visor and chin protector unit can be flipped up for extra vision or conversations without removing the helmet.
Motocross helmets are full face helmets with no eye protection. Motocross riders use goggles which fit over the helmet to resist mud and debris entering through the visor. While not normally DOT compliant, they are the best choice for off road biking.
Drawbacks to Consider
Half helmets provide almost no protection in the event of a crash. By design, the cap will catch air, making the lid want to float off. This air drag pulls at the chin strap. For long distance wear, this may not be a good choice. While DOT acceptable, this helmet is not certifiable.
Three-quarter helmets do not have a chin protector. The standard shade on this helmet offers little or no protection. Replacing it with a clear or smoked visor will provide a better riding experience. After 2008, Snell Laboratories will no longer certify three-quarter helmets.
Modular helmets offer more wind noise than full face. Snell Laboratories does not certify any modular helmets.
Full face helmets can hinder some peripheral vision based on their design for straight line riding. These should always be properly fitted to ensure adequate range of vision.
The Perfect Fit
Helmet sizes vary wildly by manufacturer. Even models by the same manufacturer do not adhere to a size standard. In motorcycle helmets, a "large" is different by shell shape and size. Best advice: Try before you buy. Research on the Internet about models is advised, but blind purchase is not.
If purchasing at a dealership, choose one which offers a salesperson to fit the helmet for you. A knowledgeable salesperson is an asset in purchasing the perfect helmet. Some dealerships offer large selections, but expect you to try all of the helmets for yourself. You may just miss the perfect helmet because you have not tried it on yet.
Specialty shops offer the best fitting services. When available, attend helmet shows. Manufacturer representatives are expert at fitting, and offer direct ordering of specific fits. Many suppliers offer different pad sizes which can be interchanged in shells to create a custom fit. Sometimes changing the cheek pads of a smaller helmet will give you a better fit than the next size larger.
The Price Tag
It would be nice to think that safety has no price, but alas, helmets can be expensive. Premium manufacturers, like Shoei and Arai, offer helmets in the price range of $375 to $700. HJC and KBC offer large selections of good designs in the range of $100 to $400. Fulmer and Dolan cater to the lower priced end. Some DOT approved models are less than $100 and top out at nearly $250.
Remember, the most important guide to buying a motorcycle helmet is your own head. Put it in a lid.
