About Helmets

[Aref Zaki]

can any one help me?

i want to know about helmets price (INDEX, MT, BILMOLA etc) in bangkok...

 

thnx

[CharlieH]

Buy cheap , and you may not ever get the chance to buy better.

 

Dont penny pinch, your life may depend on it.

 

[Pilotman]

Two things you should never buy cheap, tyres and helmets. 

[lopburi3]

But almost all traffic deaths here are motorcycle riders life expectancy with best helmet may not be that great if involved in such an accident.    

[geoffbezoz]

3 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Two things you should never buy cheap, tyres and helmets. 

But there are millions of Thais earning a pittance. A cheap helmet is all they can afford. Do you not agree that a cheap helmet is better than no helmet ?

[Kwasaki]

20 minutes ago, Aref Zaki said:

i want to know about helmets price INDEX

The 1500 baht up Index are ok, I like H2C helmet from Honda motorcycle shops. 

[Pilotman]

1 minute ago, geoffbezoz said:

But there are millions of Thais earning a pittance. A cheap helmet is all they can afford. Do you not agree that a cheap helmet is better than no helmet ?

That's Hobson's choice if ever there was one. A cheap plastic helmet can itself cause injury as it breaks and shatters on even a minor crash. The fact is, if you can't afford a good helmet, you shouldn't be riding a motorcycle at all, notwithstanding that the Thais do it all the time, and they die all the time.  We all know how dangerous Thai roads are, riding without a good helmet seems to me to be utter madness.   

[Pilotman]

6 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

you forgot women

oh i don't know.  In that example, it's been known for cheap to be good too. 

[CGW]

7 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

But almost all traffic deaths here are motorcycle riders life expectancy with best helmet may not be that great if involved in such an accident.    

Agreed, the best helmet in the world does little if you get run over by a truck, the odds of which are high if you are in a city like Bangkok

4 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

But there are millions of Thais earning a pittance. A cheap helmet is all they can afford. Do you not agree that a cheap helmet is better than no helmet ?

I would say no, besides instilling a false sense of security, a poor fitting cheap helmet can actually cause injury - if it actually stays in place.

[geoffbezoz]

9 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

That's Hobson's choice if ever there was one. A cheap plastic helmet can itself cause injury as it breaks and shatters on even a minor crash. The fact is, if you can't afford a good helmet, you shouldn't be riding a motorcycle at all, notwithstanding that the Thais do it all the time, and they die all the time.  We all know how dangerous Thai roads are, riding without a good helmet seems to me to be utter madness.   

That's all well and dandy when you are not earning a pittance and have a car or perhaps no need to work.  However how on earth do you think a Thai could get to work, to earn his pittance to feed the family, when they can only afford a motorcycle.  Walk a few KM each way !!!

 

And whilst "cheap" is a relative term,  yours and others comments regarding cheap helmets being dangerous are largely unfounded according to this article .  Which would suggest that it is better to wear a cheap helmet than no helmet.

 

https://billyscrashhelmets.co.uk/buyers-guide-cheap-crash-helmets-vs-expensive-crash-helmets/

 

[darksidedog]

It staggers me the amount of people especially kids who ride around like the roads are a racetrack  without a helmet. Often without mirrors either so they have no clue what is going on behind them. I bought myself and my son very good and expensive helmets and thank god we have never needed them. With so many accidents happening close to home it is an absolute idiot who goes on Thai roads without one. And Yes, I am aware of what that means to the accident and death statistics. Darwin again.

Answering the OP anything less than 1,000 Baht is like throwing your money out the window as far as safety is concerned. Decent ones that will truly help will be three times that or more.

[Pilotman]

1 minute ago, geoffbezoz said:

That's all well and dandy when you are not earning a pittance and have a car or perhaps no need to work.  However how on earth do you think a Thai could get to work, to earn his pittance to feed the family, when they can only afford a motorcycle.  Walk a few KM each way !!!

 

Why ask me?   I wouldn't ride a motorbike in any environment without one of my good helmets on my head, what they do and why is a matter for them, just as it is for every individual.  It doesn't detract from the obvious good sense, that good helmets save lives and not having one is very risky indeed' 

[Pilotman]

2 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

It staggers me the amount of people especially kids who ride around like the roads are a racetrack  without a helmet. Often without mirrors either so they have no clue what is going on behind them. I bought myself and my son very good and expensive helmets and thank god we have never needed them. With so many accidents happening close to home it is an absolute idiot who goes on Thai roads without one. And Yes, I am aware of what that means to the accident and death statistics. Darwin again.

One of my Thai nieces bought a new 150cc bike, first thing she did was take off the wing mirrors because 'they didn't look cool'!  You can't argue with that level of stupidity, as I told her. 

[sammieuk1]

Most helmets here have a <deleted> mark instead of a kitemark but that could be down to translation????

[mike787]

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

But almost all traffic deaths here are motorcycle riders life expectancy with best helmet may not be that great if involved in such an accident.    

Look at it another way.  In the emergency room, us doctors call motor all riders that come in via ambulance "Donorcycles", as organ donor.  Personal choice on what I am about to say next.  First helmet are great!  Second, "consider" this:  if you sustained a cervical injury or below that spine level, you have to ask, do you won't to try to live with with that disability and quality of life?  Also, can you afford that in Thailand or anywhere?  Who will take you to the toilet, bath, feed you, continue with all the physical Therapy required.  It is a personal choice.  

[metisdead]

Some unhelpful posts and replies have been removed. 

 

A post containing inappropriate language has been removed as it was not helpful either.  

[cornishcarlos]

You don't always get what you pay for !!

Whilst no-one will argue that a 300 baht Tesco special is going to much more than satisfy the law to wear one, spending 25,000 doesn't necessarily give you the best protection either..

 

The Sharp tests carried out in the U.K are fairly stringent I believe and this is what I found;

 

Arai helmets only 3 out of 14, listed, get a 5* rating..

Shoei helmets only 3 out of 13, listed, get the 5* rating..

Schuberth helmets none received a 5*..

 

Caberg which are on average less than half the price of above, got 7 out 13 listed 5* !!

 

Cheapest 5* helmet listed was 70 GBP or 2800 baht, made by Nitro.

 

Personally, I wear a 700 baht Index to the market and a 5000 baht HJC for anything longer... Up to you what you wear or don't wear...

 

 

[eisfeld]

2 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

Personally, I wear a 700 baht Index to the market and a 5000 baht HJC for anything longer... Up to you what you wear or don't wear...

I'm a bit surprised by your choice given that you seem to understand how important helmets are and that there are huge differences between helmets. A big chunk of accidents happen within a very short radius around your house because people think they absolutely know the area and its pure routine. That's where their attention and situational awareness is low which catches many off-guard. Do yourself a favor and done the 700b baht helmet to someone who can't afford much and wear the HJC for every ride. It's not like its gonna cost a ton more in running costs.

 

If you are afraid that they might steal your HJC at the market (valid concern) then a cheap helmet lock would be the solution.

[Pilotman]

https://www.carbibles.com/best-motorcycle-helmets/

[geoffbezoz]

3 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

You don't always get what you pay for !!

Whilst no-one will argue that a 300 baht Tesco special is going to much more than satisfy the law to wear one, spending 25,000 doesn't necessarily give you the best protection either..

 

The Sharp tests carried out in the U.K are fairly stringent I believe and this is what I found;

 

Arai helmets only 3 out of 14, listed, get a 5* rating..

Shoei helmets only 3 out of 13, listed, get the 5* rating..

Schuberth helmets none received a 5*..

 

Caberg which are on average less than half the price of above, got 7 out 13 listed 5* !!

 

Cheapest 5* helmet listed was 70 GBP or 2800 baht, made by Nitro.

 

Personally, I wear a 700 baht Index to the market and a 5000 baht HJC for anything longer... Up to you what you wear or don't wear...

 

 

You have just reinforced the ref. I put in my earlier post that cheaper models can actually be safer.  Of course you will never convince some TV posters with money to burn, or face to save, that the fact they had sufficient money to buy a more expensive helmet, in fact they could have bought a safer helmet cheaper. There are also those who bought the grossly overpriced "designer" helmets. Again no safer, yet they will never admit that looks at a stupid price provide you with a safer helmet. Exactly as your posts indicate.

 

And I still maintain, along with many other reports from around the asian communities, for those Thais that can only afford a 500 baht helmet, then it is safer to wear that then none at all.

[cornishcarlos]

15 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

I'm a bit surprised by your choice given that you seem to understand how important helmets are and that there are huge differences between helmets. A big chunk of accidents happen within a very short radius around your house because people think they absolutely know the area and its pure routine. That's where their attention and situational awareness is low which catches many off-guard. Do yourself a favor and done the 700b baht helmet to someone who can't afford much and wear the HJC for every ride. It's not like its gonna cost a ton more in running costs.

 

If you are afraid that they might steal your HJC at the market (valid concern) then a cheap helmet lock would be the solution.

 

The 700 baht Index helmet is just for walking to the market, it's a tough area ????????

[VocalNeal]

-I believe that helmet shells made of fibreglass are better than ones made of ABS plastic. The rest is foam liner and strap. So if there is a choice between two helmets you like pick the one with the fibreglass shell.  

-In this climate ventilation is crucial as it is unpleasant wearing a sweaty helmet. So pick on with the most vents. Also my personal choice is a white helmet for less sunlight heat absorption. 

-Full face is better than open face but again climate comes into it so one may decide on open face but realize it may not offer exactly the same level of anti-gravel protection. 

-Fit is also important as one may not be comfortable in an ill fitting helmet so decide not to wear it to ride to 7-Eleven !!

Everything else is cosmetic. 

 

So fibreglas shell, good ventilation, full or open face and that is fits properly. This means a trip to shop that has a range of helmets. However once you have found a brand and size you like repeat orders maybe done on-line.

 

What price one pays is up to the individual and not always in indicator of performance. 

 

If you find a rock hidden in the grass at 100 kph it probably won't all matter anyway!

 

So what did I end up with this time? Shark X-Drak 

[dick dasterdly]

Annoyingly, it took me a few years to find a decent helmet that fitted and 'worked for me' as I can't wear a 'full-face' helmet.  They make me immediately nauseous.  Psychological I'm sure - but knowing this doesn't help!

 

After visiting various shops etc. trying out various 'full head, but not face helmets' (if that makes sense!) - and finding nothing that didn't 'slosh around' on my head, I'd pretty much given up, until going to a private hospital one day that had a stall selling decent 'bike helmets, including those that weren't 'full face'!

 

Pure luck - but trying out numerous helmets made it very clear to me that there is no point buying a helmet without being able to try it on first to see if it fits.  So internet shopping just wouldn't work in my case.

[eisfeld]

4 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

-Fit is also important as one may not be comfortable in an ill fitting helmet so decide not to wear it to ride to 7-Eleven !!

I think you raised an important yet many times underrated criterion. If one can find a full face helmet that is nicely comfy then one has zero reason to not wear it. Comfort is pretty much THE argument for people to not wear a helmet. For me, having found a pretty comfy full face helmet has completely changed my behavior. I *want* to wear it for every ride because it is actually more comfitable than riding without a helmet because it keeps all the crap like bugs and little stones away from hitting my face. I also get way less irritations in my eyes from wind or exhaust gases. Bonus point for eliminating the wind noises.

[eisfeld]

3 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Annoyingly, it took me a few years to find a decent helmet that fitted and 'worked for me' as I can't wear a 'full-face' helmet.  They make me immediately nauseous.  Psychological I'm sure - but knowing this doesn't help!

I had the same when I started out riding. I forced myself to wear it anyways and it got better with time. Now I have zero problems. It's just a matter of getting used to it. Try to wear a full face helmet for short durations in a relaxed environment, increase usage slowly as you get more comfitable with it. The helmet will also break in a bit with wear which reduces pressures in your head. I bet it wont take a month before you are completely fine with a full face helmet.

[VocalNeal]

My Shark is quite a thick helmet so others may decide on something thinner or less bulky. I also chose open face because I don't ride a sport bike at high speed anymore and because i can put it on and take it off without removing my glasses. Another convenience that may result in others being more inclined to wear rather than not in everyday life. 

Also new ratchet strap latches are very convenient not like the old fiddly double D loops.

Yes some helmets are noisier that others but earplugs are cheap, if not super convenient. 

 

[dick dasterdly]

18 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

I had the same when I started out riding. I forced myself to wear it anyways and it got better with time. Now I have zero problems. It's just a matter of getting used to it. Try to wear a full face helmet for short durations in a relaxed environment, increase usage slowly as you get more comfitable with it. The helmet will also break in a bit with wear which reduces pressures in your head. I bet it wont take a month before you are completely fine with a full face helmet.

I think my problems started whilst wearing a cheap helmet (on the back of a relative's 'bike) when I first came here - with the visor down to protect my eyes, as it was dark and so no point in wearing sunglasses.  Unfortunately, I was hit with a minor form of food poisoning and went from feeling fine one minute, to 'stop NOW, I'm going to throw up'!

 

After doing so (and a couple of stops on the way back home to repeat the process.... feeling as if I couldn't breathe) - it left me with a claustrophobic feeling about having my face covered in ANY situation☹️.  (e.g. even under a sheet at night when cold....)

 

Consequently, whilst I genuinely appreciate your suggestion, I know that it wouldn't work ☹️.

[monkeycu]

15 hours ago, geoffbezoz said:

But there are millions of Thais earning a pittance. A cheap helmet is all they can afford. Do you not agree that a cheap helmet is better than no helmet ?

A cheap plastic helmet makes a great hanging flower pot