Helmet Like Alternatives

[INTJ]

I bought a good quality full face helmet to wear on the ER6-N, I can't stand it, vision is restricted and its too hot.

This has been gathering dust on the shelf for a couple of months now, I wear a cheapish open face helmet which is great. The problem is, it looks horrible.

I was thinking about an "alternative helmet" - something quirky to suit the ER6-N, with an open face and a degree of protection. Perhaps something from the military ? Or a British Bobbys helmet ? I was looking at some Kevlar ex SWAT helmets on ebay, they looked quite cool.

Ideas ? Would be good to get something locally though, but I do think wearing a Thai Police helmet here is taking the p*ss, although I have seen farangs wearing them.

Cheers

[thaicbr]

UUUUMMM coconut shell, builders hat, bicycle helmet(the type with all the vents. get a down hill one some have visors to). Or sieve that will keep ya cool.

[LivinLOS]

Depends how many spare heads you have..

[INTJ]

A wok with a chinstrap

[Netfan]

I have a KBC full face which is fine, but if you want a bit more vision, and its cooler in both temps and looks, you could try this one.......

[Dave the Dude]

I believe in spending however much you think your skull is worth.

Which reminds me of this roadsign I spotted in Jamaica (says it all, really)

Dave

[mcgriffith]

I saw some decent open face helmets at Carrefour a few weeks ago, flip up clear visor, TUV certified, for 399 B.

Was a closeout no doubt, 800 B (I think) original price.

Surely 399 B for a decent helmet is not too much?

I bought one to replace the identical model (Avex Dragon) that I paid full price for, that was stolen off my bike at an ermmm....late night venue here in CM.

Before the Arai/Shoei/OGK crowd chimes in- yes I own some of these $700 helmets as well....

[Thai Chi]

.......quirky to suit the ER6-N......this one should do

[Pdaz]

Sorry... My head is worth more than 399.00 Bht... Here in 'fun city' I never ever tire of laughing at some of the <deleted> that the locals will wear on their heads while riding a motorbike... But of course the average Thai in Pattaya has had no road safety training, little comprehension of the likelyhood of head injury and a 'devil may care' attitude to safety anyhow... What never ceases to amaze me is that supposedly well educated and inteligent farangs think it's 'cool' to emulate them... Hot? .. Yes. Inconvienient? .. Yes, sometimes.. Limited vision? Not if you look around like you are meant to.

<deleted>... You only have one head.. If you are gonna ride a bike, wear a decent helmet. Those plastic 'buckets' they sell in Big C are useless. Same for all the 'toy' helmets.. You may as well wear a paper party hat.. Same goes for the hockey helmets and cycle helmets.. they may give some impact protection but they won't stop your jaw being smashed off or your face being dermabraided flat by the road surface.

Use your loaf.. while you still have it and wear the full face lid you initially bought.. You'll be glad you did..

I religiously wear my Arai even if ''only going to 7'' You won't get a second chance !

Sorry if this sounds like a lecture but there is enough stupidity and senseless death in Pattaya already..

[Zzinged]

The term 'helmet-like' is quite disturbing.

Have you considered a modular helmet like this one?

Link to another larger photo showing open and closed positions

Flip the chin bar down when riding, when you stop flip the whole thing up and out of the way.

Wikipedia entry:

Modular or "Flip-up"

A hybrid between full face and open face helmets for street use is the modular or "flip-up" helmet, also sometimes termed "convertible" or "flip-face". When fully assembled and closed, they resemble full face helmets by bearing a chin bar for absorbing face impacts. Its chin bar may be pivoted upwards (or, in some cases, may be removed) by a special lever to allow access to most of the face, as in an open face helmet. The rider may thus eat, drink or have a conversation without unfastening the chinstrap and removing the helmet, making them popular among motor officers.

Modular helmets are designed to be worn in the closed position for riding, as the movable chin bar is designed as a convenience feature, useful while not actively riding. The curved shape of an open chin bar and face shield section can cause increased wind drag during riding, as air will not flow around an open modular helmet in the same way as a three-quarters helmet. Since the chin bar section also protrudes further from the forehead than a three-quarters visor, riding with the helmet in the open position may pose increased risk of neck injury in a crash.

As of 2008, there have not been wide scientific studies of modular helmets to assess how protective the pivoting or removable chin bars are. Observation and unofficial testing suggest that significantly greater protection exists beyond that for an open face helmet, and may be enough to pass full-face helmet standardized tests, but the extent of protection is not fully established by all standards bodies.

[Bard]

It's your head man so it's up to you what you do with it.

For me it's only high end helmets, Shoei, Arai, AGV and so on with either or both Snell or EC approval. There are plenty of well vented versions, you also have flip-ups, Half face and so on. To go with SWAT, Army or anything else is the same as using nothing. I had a lowside on my bike and a massive smack to the rear of my head, I had no pain or any problem after at all thanks to a good helmet, a cheapskate helmet in ABS bounces and I would get whiplash, how much would that cost me? Using a non approved helmet would have created a lot of damage, maybe put me in coma, permanently brain damaged or killed, who knows... Luckily I never save on safety gear so I never have to find it out.

Think it over, looking cool might screw you up when you need it to work.

Cheers Bard

[basjke]

It's your head man so it's up to you what you do with it.

For me it's only high end helmets, Shoei, Arai, AGV and so on with either or both Snell or EC approval. There are plenty of well vented versions, you also have flip-ups, Half face and so on. To go with SWAT, Army or anything else is the same as using nothing. I had a lowside on my bike and a massive smack to the rear of my head, I had no pain or any problem after at all thanks to a good helmet, a cheapskate helmet in ABS bounces and I would get whiplash, how much would that cost me? Using a non approved helmet would have created a lot of damage, maybe put me in coma, permanently brain damaged or killed, who knows... Luckily I never save on safety gear so I never have to find it out.

Think it over, looking cool might screw you up when you need it to work.

Cheers Bard

I agree with you Bard that you need a quality helmet especially when you drive a big bike.However I'm not so sure if there is a big difference in ABS,fiberglass and other materials in which they make helmets.For sure one material will break or split earlier then the other but i think the major protection you get from the Styrofoam filling and the way it fits on your head.

[AceCafe]

Best thing I've bought in recent years is the Caberg Justissimo flip/modular. And that inner sun visor is excellent.

[BigBikeBKK]

Hiya Ace!

I'm not familiar with "Caberg". Where's that brand from?

I love my Italian Airoh Mathisse RS Modular/Flip helmet, and indeed, the "jetfighter" sun shade is very handy and looks pretty cool too.

Airoh helmets are available at FastCorner and I hear PandaRider has them too.

Happy Trails!

Tony

[rolypie]

Ive recently bought a hibrid helmet, its like an off road full face helmet so there is plenty of air circulation but it has a concealed visor for high speeds the best of both worlds trust me!

[LivinLOS]

I was looking for a vented MTX helmet with visor for local short hop use.. Whats the make ??

[AceCafe]

I'm not familiar with "Caberg". Where's that brand from?

I love my Italian Airoh Mathisse RS Modular/Flip helmet, and indeed, the "jetfighter" sun shade is very handy and looks pretty cool too.

Airoh helmets are available at FastCorner and I hear PandaRider has them too.

Caberg are Italian too. Not sure if there is a Bkk outlet by now.... I had ours brought over by a friend a few years ago. 10,000 baht each which was a steal, far as I'm concerned. Another club member bought his standard open face Caberg in Norway for the equivalent of 15,000 baht.

That Airoh modular looks the biz...... I presume Fast Corner are Bkk? Where? And how much for that lid?

I have really only ever used The Paddock for my bits and pieces shopping in town.

Cheers

[AceCafe]

Ive recently bought a hibrid helmet, its like an off road full face helmet so there is plenty of air circulation but it has a concealed visor for high speeds the best of both worlds trust me!

Any chance you can post a photo of it? Nice to hear other folks reccommendations....... even nicer to see the lid "in the flesh!"

Also, if it's not a local and easily found one....... where d'you get it and how much? (Says he presuming you are in Thailand, and bought said helmet here!)

[ArNaSu]

Have a look at the motocross style real helmets. Thats what I use around town. Almost as cool as open face good viz and I think reasonable protection, certainly much better than the stuff they sell at the supermarkets.

[PeaceBlondie]

This bit about "restricts my vision" always bugs me. Like a certain most honored but unmentionable personage, I am blind in one eye, and need all the peripheral vision I can get. Never, ever, have I owned a full face that restricted my vision, and I have owned a dozen of them. Same with heat: I have motored in several 42-degree C climates, and never passed out, even though I am otherwise slightly prone tp passing out. Modular helmets are great; my Nolan N-100E did me well until the foam hardened. But there is no sense in riding with the chin bar flipped up, unless you wish to donate 199K baht and months of painful surgery to a chin re-building specialist.

Okay, you can dismiss these remarks as coming from an immature, young, super-stud macho Peter Pan...

[LivinLOS]

Yeah but the real one no visor IIRC..

Cop a stone chip to the face at a tonne, or in the eye at any speed.. And you will wish you used a visor.

[AceCafe]

There are some new (Thai) crash helmets on the block. They are very comfortable, lightweight, well padded and have a mirrored visor.

Obviously not up to Euro safety standard but if anyone wants a “run-around” lid, these are good….. I wore mine on the Ultra in the rain and it cut a lot of noise out, and it was nice to have a full visor but on an open face lid in the rain.

Mine is size M which is 57-58. Depending on where you shop, retail for around 850 baht.

[neverdie]

The old saying, "$2 head, $2 helmet" comes to mind.

[thaicbr]

ACE is that the 'Snell' helmet your talking about. i had one far superior to the index helmets even though its the same shell but the Snell has much better lining.

Allan

[Bard]

The old saying, "$2 head, $2 helmet" comes to mind.

Think the saying came from Bell actually, not sure but I think so. It is very very true though.

Cheers Bard

[BSJ]

I don't get it....really I don't! helmets suck! A helmet is only good for holding a face shield/visor. Whether it's a $2 helmet or a $200 helmet if it saves your head and you end up a paraplegic or quadriplegic you would probably have preferred death as your life is well and truly over. And if anyone thinks being a paraplegic or quadriplegic is OK, then I do feel sorry for you!

Flame away if you must, but have a good think about it before you answer.

[neverdie]

BSJ,

I understand what you are saying, but it comes down to increasing your chances as far as safety goes, then theres the comfort factor, performance & other features which relate to the use of the helmet as well. I always laugh when people talk about the look.....to me its probably the last consideration, but then again Ive also been known to ride along with a plain coloured helmet.

Theres no point having a helmet that looks the part, if its not the part. Sadly though there is nothing like having a car body around you, perhaps a roll cage & body armour as well......the human body isnt designed for massive impacts, its all about increasing your chances.

[Netfan]

I don't get it....really I don't! helmets suck! A helmet is only good for holding a face shield/visor. Whether it's a $2 helmet or a $200 helmet if it saves your head and you end up a paraplegic or quadriplegic you would probably have preferred death as your life is well and truly over. And if anyone thinks being a paraplegic or quadriplegic is OK, then I do feel sorry for you!

Flame away if you must, but have a good think about it before you answer.

Your argument would be a good one, if it was based in fact. Just read any of the thousands of motorcycle forums around and there are story after story about how a helmet saved someone's head from being split open, smashed, etc. And strangely enough, i have yet to read even one post anywhere from someone who says "i wish i hadn't worn my helmet because now i'm paralyzed". You don't want to wear a helmet, no problem (although your long-term medical care does contribute to overall health care and insurance costs). And if you think that paraplegics / quadriplegics are better off dead, then i do feel sorry for you.

My helmet is actually comfortable. I like wearing it. I get compliments on it - which i don't about my head. So it turns out i'm better off wearing it anyway.

[ultime]

There's some nice helicopter/jet pilot like helmet for sale around 1,500 bahs, it has the sunglasses incorporated

Available at a plane shop in Amarin at Chit Lom BTS, 2nd floor

[Zzinged]

ACE is that the 'Snell' helmet your talking about. i had one far superior to the index helmets even though its the same shell but the Snell has much better lining.

Allan

Snell is a safety standards certification, just like DOT. Snell standards are higher than DOT standards, and are among one of the world best.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_he...s_and_standards