Where can I buy a helmet which is up to Western standards in Chiangmai ? Any brand name recommendations ?

I seem to remember American Dept. of Transportation standards to to among the toughest, and they also put a limited life-span on helmets of just a few years (a couple?). In Chiang Mai, I might be concerned that such a helmet might be way past that kind of date.... Not a big market here for 10,000 baht++ SHOEI helmets, so likely to have been sitting around for a long time. I'd also be concerned about copies, for there are many of those, too. Check the Mai Sai and Tachilek markets...

Give 'German' Joe' or 'Dangerous' Dave a call at 251-186. They'll know for sure, and might even be able to order from Bkk or overseas for you. Very tuned-in to the current biking scene, unlike me, to be sure

Edited February 20, 200521 yr by Ajarn

The 1st question you need to ask yourself is how much do you want to pay?

Top of the range farang helmets - Arai & Shoei - are available from a few shops in Chiang Mai. The best Arai helmets go for approximately 17,000 - 23,000 baht. Shoei is a bit cheaper.

If this is out of your price range then a “good” Thai standard helmet - Index or Space Crown - is approximately 800 - 1,000 baht. And you get what you pay for here!

Another option is to check out Prida on Chang Moi, right hand side, just before the Thai Military bank. He did have a selection of full-face Nolan, export rejects - wrongly labeled sizes - for 2,000 baht. My mates who have bought & used them say they are the real thing, genuine farang Nolan helmets, which are just about as good as you can get, without going into the top dollar bracket like Arai & Shoei.

If you want a list of Chiang Mai bike shops to check out then go to

http://board.gt-rider.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=633

I personally use Arai, & swear by them for safety & the odd knock on the head, although some people might say there’s been one knock on the head too many. It’s been 10 years since the last big altercation with another vehicle, and I’m still riding as good as & as far as……..my 20th Lao trip is coming up next week (eat your heart out all you armchair riders.)

The motorcycle accessory shop on the first floor of Prantip Plaza has a selection of imported helmets - Arai I think. You will pay for quality.

The motorcycle accessory shop on the first floor of Prantip Plaza has a selection of imported helmets - Arai I think.  You will pay for quality.

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Wimpy, if you are serious about protection, buy a quality helmet. In this part of the world, that is Shoei or Arai. You should go to their websites and find a model that suits you and the type of riding you do. The various models have lots of features that may or may not be important to you. Fit is extremely important so you need to find a shop that can help you with that. Once they determine your size, they can order the helment for you.

Index is a brand you see a lot in Thailand and they are cheap. I really don't know they perform, but Shoei and Arai are tested extensively and known to be the best. Index, I doubt, have any standards other than cosmetic.

Try a shop called Sa Moto on West side of Mahidhol Road. Sa is a great guy and a very knowledgable rider. He'll be happy to sell you a cheap helmet, but if you tell him you want something god, he will order it for you in Bangkok.

About price, you should call the Arai dealer in Singapore and ask them for a price. Arai has a poliyc of not letting their dealers quote prices on the internet. If you can get the helment for 20% or less above the Singapore price, you are doing well.

Great advice. I wear a Nolan 100 full-face with a hinging jaw that works perfectly if you wear glasses. They retail for $229 in the US and on US websites. I'm planning to get a new one in April - either in Houston or through Competiton Accessories website.

But I wear about a 7 7/8 head. You almost never find a high quality helmet in CMai if you're what the Thai consider XXL or XXXL.

And do buy a full face if you don't want extensive maxiofacillary surgery that would run $10,000 back home; maybe only 150,000 baht here.

How much is your brain worth?

Fit is extremely important so you need to find a shop that can help you with that. Once they determine your size, they can order the helment for you.

Agreed FIT is extremely important.

But you can’t determine your correct size & fit until you’ve tried the helmet on!

So don’t pay for the helmet unless you’ve tried it on & are confident that it fits well. All helmets aint are the same fit! What fits well in one model range is not a good fit in another model range.

For example on a visit to Bkk several months ago I was after a particular Arai helmet - the same as I have now, which is a perfect fit for me - but they had none in stock.

I then tried the same size in 2 other model ranges of Arai - both cheaper & more expensive – and the fit was terrible!

In Chiang Mai, at the Fast Corner Shop in Pantip Plaza, I figured I was 1 size out on the helmet – 23,000 baht - & wanted to try the next size up to be sure which one I wanted, but they would not get one in unless I paid in full in advance = NO deal! When you are forking out that much money, make sure you are getting something that fits well & is comfortable.

The golden rule is try the helmet on & be satisified with the fit before you pay anything!

I live in Japan where both Shoei and Arai are made.

I use an Arai helmet and am very happy with it but as has been discussed even here with all the discounting possible taken into account it still costs over 15.000 bahts. Size is very important and differs between helmet series within the same make. I cna check the prices in Tokyo if you are interrested

http://www.arai.co.jp/jpn/fullface/rr4_t.html

This is my helmet and I am very happy with it

Where can I buy a helmet which is up to Western standards in Chiangmai ? Any brand name recommendations ?

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Helmet for what?

Another option is to check out Prida on Chang Moi, right hand side, just before the Thai Military bank. He did have a selection of full-face Nolan, export rejects - wrongly labeled sizes - for 2,000 baht. My mates who have bought & used them say they are the real thing, genuine farang Nolan helmets, which are just about as good as you can get, without going into the top dollar bracket like Arai & Shoei.

He still has them, got one this morning. It sure looks like the real thing comes with leaflets in Italian etc. but they don't have the latest models. I think he only has the Nolan N37. It appears to be a nice helmet with a much better ventalation system than the cheapo full face thing I used to use.

Price was 1500 Baht. You pays your money and takes your chance and hope you never have to find out just how good it is.

Anyone found a jacket and gloves combination that don't make you look like you just fell in a lake?

But I wear about a 7 7/8 head.  You almost never find a high quality helmet in CMai if you're what the Thai consider XXL or XXXL.

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Uh. that is considered a XXL or XXXL even in Farangland and might require a special order from a local shop. : )

But I wear about a 7 7/8 head.  You almost never find a high quality helmet in CMai if you're what the Thai consider XXL or XXXL.

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Uh. that is considered a XXL or XXXL even in Farangland and might require a special order from a local shop. : )

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Again, as has been mentioned, you never know till you try it on. I was buying a new Suzuki GS500E in Harlingen, Texas, and that Nolan 100 (ONLY XL) was the only thing that fit me. Now that I've worn it for for 35,000 km, it's a bit loose on me. But my Bell was XXL, and another helmet series was XXL. By the way, that XL Nolan 100 weighs 1,650 grams!

Yeah, in farangland sometimes they don't have exactly what you want, in the right size and fit. Heads are weird things. Between San Antonio, Orlando, Houston, and Atlanta, I'm sure to find the right one. Chiang Mai, I don't know - although I will head down to that place on Changmoi.

Trouble with the Nolan 100 is that it doesn't have a D-ring that hooks inside the seat, so you may be carrying an expensive helmet where you didn't want to (unless you decide folks in Chiang Mai aren't thieves)

The Nolan I bought from the shop on Chiang Moi is an XXL. I don't think they have XXXL but I have quite a big head. Bigger than the average farang I would have thought.

It doesn't have a D ring either but you can still clip it in using the secondary strap on the chin strap. It's not super safe but at least it looks as if it has a D ring.

Oh forgot to say thanks to davidgtr last time. Good call my man.

Went to Prida on Chang Moi road today and bought an XL Nolan N37 for 1,500 baht. He also has an N29 (or N27) for 900 baht. The cheaper XL didn't fit me, but the XL model N37 fit. Even a choice of color styles! Great. Thanks for the tip. My roommate knew about the place - had taken me there last year, when they didn't have the Nolans. The manager (older baldy Thai guy with lots of employees) convinced me it's a genuine Nolan (embossed on the shell). He says the Thai importer went out of business with money problems, not qulity or safety problems. Yeah, I can see that, selling full-face helmets that start at 900 baht, above where the Thai helmets leave off.

a little late to this posts, but where in Chiang Mai can I get accessories/spare for Arai XD3 (transcross2) such as lens, and visor covers.

a little late to this posts, but where in Chiang Mai can I get accessories/spare for Arai XD3 (transcross2) such as lens, and visor covers.

Ground floor Pantip Plaza to the left when you come in main entrance.

I paid 16K for mine , ARAI jubilee helmet