Helmet brand recommendation

[EricTh]

 

I saw a Nippon helmet that cost around  500 baht. Is this a good brand and will it crack easily in an accident?

 

I am not looking for high end helmet but a middle range helmet.

 

Where's the best  place to buy a  helmet in Chiang Mai?

Edited March 24, 2019 by EricTh

[Liverpudlian]

Most helmets here are virtual egg boxes, i would recommend calling in at a super bike dealership only.

[Pilotman]

My strong advice would be not to skimp on the helmet. It may well save your life in this place. 500 Baht doesn't come close.  I wouldn't roller skate with such a plastic lid.  I know a lot of farangs think its hard or 'macho' to ride around bare headed, but they are just asking to be killed or seriously injured.  A reasonable helmet that will do the job in most cases will cost you around 10,000 Bhat. Higher end will be upwards of 30,000. Check on line for suppliers and watch for a Kite Mark of some kind. 

 

Now wait for the people who disagree.  Your call of course.   

Edited March 24, 2019 by Pilotman

[Vacuum]

Don't know about brands, but you should definitely get a full face helmet. Do a search on this (not helmet manufactuers) but actual injuries, most of them are face injuries.

[Pilotman]

7 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Don't know about brands, but you should definitely get a full face helmet. Do a search on this (not helmet manufactuers) but actual injuries, most of them are face injuries.

My spare is a  full face AGV ( 13,000 Baht equivalent). My day to day is a Caberg EGO, double visa (one clear, one tinted)) . Cost was approx 30,000 Baht. 

[KNJ]

10 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Don't know about brands, but you should definitely get a full face helmet. Do a search on this (not helmet manufactuers) but actual injuries, most of them are face injuries.

Concurr, in my youth, I did not, off at 100HPH and 4 lost teeth later.......regrets

[DILLIGAD]

‘Real’ helmets are made here and not expensive. I wouldn’t recommend any cheaper brands as they are not for ‘safety’, they are just to appease the ‘KeystoneKops’ only.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KarlS]

2 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

‘Real’ helmets are made here and not expensive. I wouldn’t recommend any cheaper brands as they are not for ‘safety’, they are just to appease the ‘KeystoneKops’ only.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Name the brands of 'real' helmets made in Thailand which reach any kind of international standard - I will not be swapping my(expensive) Shoei helmet for one these "real" helmets anytime soon!

[Pilotman]

13 minutes ago, KNJ said:

Concurr, in my youth, I did not, off at 100HPH and 4 lost teeth later.......regrets

mate of mine a few years back had to have the whole of his jaw restructured after wearing an open face helmet and having an off at speed.  It looked cool, until he near killed himself and spent a few years having plastic surgery.  In fairness, he was fairly ugly before the accident and the surgery didn't improve his looks one bit;  as I kept telling him.  

Edited March 24, 2019 by Pilotman

[canthai55]

Helmet 2 Home

Unless you have a fat head - like me. 

http://www.chiangmailocator.com/chiang-mai-shops-6390:helmet-2-home

[johng]

Name the brands of 'real' helmets made in Thailand which reach any kind of international standard - I will not be swapping my(expensive) Shoei helmet for one these "real" helmets anytime soon!

https://www.real-helmets.com/

[KarlS]

3 minutes ago, johng said:

https://www.real-helmets.com/

Are any of those helmets certified to international standards? 

[canthai55]

Shoei - expensive - yes

But many helmets are just as good - some better - for less $$$

The days of having to spend $700 + for a good helmet are over

https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/

My LS2 does as well - and better - than some helmets costing 4 to 5 times as much

 

[KarlS]

36 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

Shoei - expensive - yes

But many helmets are just as good - some better - for less $$$

The days of having to spend $700 + for a good helmet are over

https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/

My LS2 does as well - and better - than some helmets costing 4 to 5 times as much

 

There are no"cheap" 4-5* helmets on that site. You will not know how well your LS2 performs until you have a high speed coming off. 

 

I have a scarred up Shoei which suggests I might not have survived without it. (the result of being rear-ended by a hit and run bas****d

Edited March 24, 2019 by KarlS
correct typo

[DILLIGAD]

There are no"cheap" 4-5* helmets on that site. You will not know how well your LS2 performs until you have a high speed coming off. 
 
I have a scarred up Shoei which suggests I might not have survived without it. (the result of being rear-ended by a hit and run bas****d

Imagine how the OP’s 500b lid would have held-up!


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[canthai55]

43 minutes ago, KarlS said:

There are no"cheap" 4-5* helmets on that site. You will not know how well your LS2 performs until you have a high speed coming off. 

Do some research. Read about different brands on that site.

I know that my LS2 performs just as well as a Schuberth - which cost many times more.

All helmets tested the same way. Why would one - undergoing the same tests - not perform as another - under the same test criteria and receiving the same score ?

As said - the days of $700 lids being required are over - unless you are a brand snob

[Kwasaki]

Another topic done to death in Thailand, get a fullface one that fits your head and you feel comfortable with 2500 to 3500 can do it in a Honda motorcycle main dealer shop.

If you come off your bike over certain speeds and your helmeted head hits one of the many obstacles along side the road doesn't matter what make it is.

Learning bike safety skills riding roads will keep you safer. 

[scubascuba3]

Are any of those helmets certified to international standards? 

Yes, when i was looking the Triton 7 was DOT approved, around 2000 baht. I would have bought that but as i was going to the UK i bought one there instead. I used to have a Shoei and Shark helmet but no need to spend that much anymore

[thaiguzzi]

3 hours ago, Pilotman said:

mate of mine a few years back had to have the whole of his jaw restructured after wearing an open face helmet and having an off at speed.  It looked cool, until he near killed himself and spent a few years having plastic surgery.  In fairness, he was fairly ugly before the accident and the surgery didn't improve his looks one bit;  as I kept telling him.  

58 years old.

Stopped wearing a full face helmet aged 18.

That's 40 years of motorcycling (not mopeds or scooters...) with open face or ... shock horror... beanie helmets.

Well over 200k miles, not kms, inc this wonderful country.

Each to their own.

[KarlS]

1 hour ago, DILLIGAD said:

Imagine how the OP’s 500b lid would have held-up!


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Exactly but when the Moto GP riders start wearing cheap Thai helmets I will have to reconsider!

[SteveK]

A 500 baht helmet will be as much use as a sheet of newspaper wrapped around your head.

 

Shoei or Arai are the best, both have a slightly different fit. Good fit is crucial, it should be tight but not uncomfortable, a loose fit will be worse in a crash and more annoying to live with.

 

HJC are almost as good as the top two, but about half the price. An HJC saved my life once, and have only ever bought from them since. I also own a £500 Arai but rarely use it now because it just doesn't fit as well as my HJC helmets.

 

In the UK a lot of people seem to ride with cheaper helmets, but they are all much, much better than the ones sold at Big C. I would say a decent HJC helmet, proper gloves and a back protector are all a must if you ride regularly in Thailand -you can buy all three for 10,000 baht.

 

Decent bike gear makes the difference between being able to stand up, dust yourself off and go home, and ending up in hospital for several weeks having operations and skin grafts.

Edited March 24, 2019 by pr9spk

[brokenbone]

i buy the smallest egg shell shaped helmets i can possibly get,

it lets me store 2 under the seat and still leaves me with room

to carry home food from foodland.

the smallest ones are those styled ones that are usually to be found in a stall at the sunday market. cost usually below 500.

brand appear to be harely davidson,

or at least that is often printed on them

Edited March 24, 2019 by brokenbone

[jackdd]

A 1000 baht helmet might be ok at low speeds

At 2000-3000 you might get a Helmet which offers proper protection, but feels cheap, is heavy and loud

For >3000 the protection only improves slightly, but you will notice a big difference in build quality and weight

 

Keep your eyes open for a sale if you don't care much about the color, my GF got a HJC IS17 which normally costs about 6k THB for just 3k THB a while ago (at Paddock in BKK)

 

I currently use a HJC Rpha 90, bought for maybe 14k in Germany, costs something like 20k+ in Thailand, but imho this is not worth it. Yes, the build quality is of course better than a 8k helmet, but not so much that i would consider it worth it. When this one gets replaced i will buy something for less than 10k.

[cornishcarlos]

I picked up a nice HJC lid in Paddock couple years back, it was 5000 baht on special and is a great helmet. There really is no need to spend 20k on a helmet unless it's the only brand that will fit your alien shaped head ????????

[Pilotman]

25 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

58 years old.

Stopped wearing a full face helmet aged 18.

That's 40 years of motorcycling (not mopeds or scooters...) with open face or ... shock horror... beanie helmets.

Well over 200k miles, not kms, inc this wonderful country.

Each to their own.

you have been very lucky mate. 

[mark131v]

2 hours ago, pr9spk said:

A 500 baht helmet will be as much use as a sheet of newspaper wrapped around your head.

 

Shoei or Arai are the best, both have a slightly different fit. Good fit is crucial, it should be tight but not uncomfortable, a loose fit will be worse in a crash and more annoying to live with.

 

HJC are almost as good as the top two, but about half the price. An HJC saved my life once, and have only ever bought from them since. I also own a £500 Arai but rarely use it now because it just doesn't fit as well as my HJC helmets.

 

In the UK a lot of people seem to ride with cheaper helmets, but they are all much, much better than the ones sold at Big C. I would say a decent HJC helmet, proper gloves and a back protector are all a must if you ride regularly in Thailand -you can buy all three for 10,000 baht.

 

Decent bike gear makes the difference between being able to stand up, dust yourself off and go home, and ending up in hospital for several weeks having operations and skin grafts.

A very bold claim which frankly I think is a pretty much down to past hype about those brands...

 

A bit of research on:

 

https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/

 

Shows there are many brands with many 5 star helmets AGV, Caberg, HJC, and Shark all have 5 star helmets as do plenty of other manufacturers

 

I really do not understand this infatuation with Arai and Shoei they seem overpriced and overhyped and as somebody said earlier if your bonce hits a lamppost at speed no helmets going to help, the rest of your post is spot on!!

Edited March 24, 2019 by mark131v

[mark131v]

Just noticed this but does reinforce the point that if you hit an immovable obstacle at speed no helmets going to change the outcome

 

 

Rip fella...

Edited March 24, 2019 by mark131v

[SteveK]

The thing I find unnerving about motorcycling in Thailand, is that it is only a matter of time before you wind up driving behind a truck carrying an unsecured load of nasty looking pieces of metal or wood. I've seen hundreds of vehicles in Thailand that are overloaded and appear to be carrying dangerous loads that are held in place with gravity alone.

 

And, has been mentioned, it won't make any difference what gear you are wearing if a piece of steel rebar comes off the truck as it goes over a bump and spears you. It also won't help if you slam into a wall, or drive off a cliff edge. MotoGP/IOM TT riders seem to crash quite a lot at speeds of 150mph+, they almost always seem to just slide along the tarmac and then get up and walk away. Although they are wearing the best quality leathers, you wouldn't want to be in them on a hot afternoon in Bangkok.

 

And yes - Arai and Shoei helmets are grossly overpriced, and other competitors, as you mentioned are just as good for most riders, the best advice would be to try a few and see which brand fits your head best. I quite like the look of the Shark helmets, but their premium range is not far off the price of Arai/Shoei. Caberg are famous for their flip-up models, a friend of mine swears by them but I always thought that the hinge mechanism can only make the helmet weaker so never bought one.

 

I should have said "Shoei and Arai are considered the best".

 

 

Edited March 24, 2019 by pr9spk

[mark131v]

2 minutes ago, pr9spk said:

The thing I find unnerving about motorcycling in Thailand, is that it is only a matter of time before you wind up driving behind a truck carrying an unsecured load of nasty looking pieces of metal or wood. I've seen hundreds of vehicles in Thailand that are overloaded and appear to be carrying dangerous loads that are held in place with gravity alone.

 

And, has been mentioned, it won't make any difference what gear you are wearing if a piece of steel rebar comes off the truck as it goes over a bump and spears you. It also won't help if you slam into a wall, or drive off a cliff edge. MotoGP/IOM TT riders seem to crash quite a lot at speeds of 150mph+, they almost always seem to just slide along the tarmac and then get up and walk away. Although they are wearing the best quality leathers, you wouldn't want to be in them on a hot afternoon in Bangkok.

 

And yes - Arai and Shoei helmets are grossly overpriced, and other competitors, as you mentioned are just as good, the best advice would be to try a few and see which brand fits your head best.

 

 

Always remember the Guy Martin one at the IoM TT where the bike turned into a fireball...

 

 

that would have been me hanging up my leathers post haste and sticking to 4 wheels only, those guys need a wheelbarrow to carry their balls around in....

[SteveK]

14 minutes ago, mark131v said:

those guys need a wheelbarrow to carry their balls around in....

Maybe someone could lap the TT wearing a 499 baht Big C helmet? That would be real balls.

 

Seriously though, the guys that ride the TT must be born with a piece of their brain missing, how anyone can go around a bend at almost 200mph, and be 2-3 inches away from a wall with spectators sitting on it is beyond me.

Edited March 24, 2019 by pr9spk