Helmet recommendations

[RubberSideDown]

^

OK- I agree it looks like a nice helmet- Motorcycle Superstore is closing some models out, and they ship to LOS- the reviews are pretty mixed, though:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/18264/i/arai-corsair-v-helmet

Wait they don't seem to ship to LOS - at least I don't see it in the checkout options...?! Or maybe it depends on the model chosen? Bell RS-1 for $200 would be quite the deal.

It's possible- some manufacturers don't allow their products to ship overseas- they won't ship a Shoei helmet, i.e.- I forgot about that.

[RubberSideDown]

I just checked their site- I looks like they've dropped international shipping for everywhere but Canada, UK, and OZ- that has to be recent as I bought a jacket from them not long ago and shipping to LOS was no problem- they were probably getting screwed by Paypal scams.

[b19bry]

This is what Revzilla says about Shoei and Arai head shapes:

Another consideration as we look at this list of helmets is head-shape. Arai covers a broad variety with a long-oval Signet-Q, intermediate-oval RX-Q, and neutral oval Vector 2. Shoei comes close, but is missing a true long oval. Round oval is covered by Shoei with the Qwest or the Multitec, the RF-1100 and the GT-Air are on the long side of intermediate-oval, and the rest fall in-between. Arai has consistently been heralded as the master of fit and this is evidenced by their commitment to running the gamut of headshapes.

http://www.revzilla.com/shoei-helmets-vs-arai-helmets

As I said above, all Arai (and Shoei) made for Asia are round. So if you buy an Arai in Thailand, none of this applies. They're all round. If you buy them overseas, you're good.

Having bought Arai both in Europe and Asia (and also not having an especially round head) I have to disagree with your statement that all their helmets in Asia are round. I also find it strange that 2 of the major vendors would take such a marketing decision, on what basis would they be making such a decision ?

Where did you get this information ?

[12Gon]

All the Shoei and Arai I have ever tested in Asia has been round. I guess they would take that decision on the fact that 95% + of their customers here would have a round head:)

Daveboo, Shuberth worked fine for my long head. However, too little airflow for my liking. Have you ever tried Nexx helmets? Seems really good: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/nexx-xr1r-carbon/ they have them at Panda rider.

Also, webbikeworld have head-shape section on their web page. not sure how it works with Asia shapes though.

Good luck

[chris1dna]

Sorry if it's been said but you must try them on first. Long head. Short head. No matter. I have the longish head thing as well and the Arai helmut line quantum fits me tops. I think the quantams are called something else now. Shoei. (Sp). Arai. It doesn't matter till ya put em on yer noggin. Just my two cents.

[dave_boo]

Sorry if it's been said but you must try them on first. Long head. Short head. No matter. I have the longish head thing as well and the Arai helmut line quantum fits me tops. I think the quantams are called something else now. Shoei. (Sp). Arai. It doesn't matter till ya put em on yer noggin. Just my two cents.

Thanks; one of the reasons I was asking about local options. Figured there'd be some general pointers as into the 'correct' helmet and locations to prevent me from riding around all and sundry trying to piece it together on my own.

[RubberSideDown]

I just emailed Shoei to ask whether they manufacture different shell and pad shapes for different markets- if they reply, I'll post it.

[b19bry]

I guess they would take that decision on the fact that 95% + of their customers here would have a round head:)

And that information came from where exactly ?

[nikster]

I guess they would take that decision on the fact that 95% + of their customers here would have a round head:)

And that information came from where exactly ?

I can't find the link for the Arai site where I found the info some years ago. This one still has some information, namely that they make different shapes for different markets:

http://www.araihelmet-europe.com/site/home/your-comfort/the-right-size/

"To achieve this perfect fit, different shaped outer shells (in fact different shapes for Europe, the United States and Asia) and different inner shells are needed."

Other indications:

- There is no Arai head shape chart in Asia. This is a little graphics with different head shapes and the corresponding Arai models. There is one for the USA. Official importer FastCorner never heard of it.

- I tested an Arai Profile in the USA in L, it fit perfectly and even had a little room on my forehead. I was unaware of the Asian shapes so I made the mistake of ordering an Arai Profile in L from FastCorner when I returned to Thailand. Has a strong pressure point on my forehead and is basically useless to me. I wore it one day and got a headache for the next 3. No returns either, so that's 19,000 Baht down the toilet.

- Others have told me they make different shapes for Asia... before I did all this... but I didn't listen... 555

- I tried Shoei & Arai in the shop many times, they've got so many great models.... never fit.

Shoei does the same thing, see here, last question:

http://www.shoei-helmets.com/faq.aspx

Why do they do it? People in different places have different head shapes.

[nikster]

I just emailed Shoei to ask whether they manufacture different shell and pad shapes for different markets- if they reply, I'll post it.

Yes they do, see here

http://www.shoei-helmets.com/faq.aspx

Edited December 23, 2013 by nikster

[RubberSideDown]

I just emailed Shoei to ask whether they manufacture different shell and pad shapes for different markets- if they reply, I'll post it.

Yes they do, see here

http://www.shoei-helmets.com/faq.aspx

Well, OK, then- fair enough, but it doesn't confirm that, say, the GT-Air produced for the US is different than the GT-Air produced for Asia- it mentions different helmets, not different sizes/shapes within specific models. Maybe that is indeed the case, but hopefully they'll confirm it via email..

Yes, Shoei produces completely different helmets for different markets around the world. Not only are the physical shape and fit of the helmets different for the various markets, but homologation standards vary as well. Since the homologation standards vary by country, a helmet produced for one market may not be legal for use in another. Shoei recommends that our customers purchase helmets only from authorized Shoei dealers within their own country to ensure homologation compliance.

[b19bry]

I guess they would take that decision on the fact that 95% + of their customers here would have a round head:)

And that information came from where exactly ?

I can't find the link for the Arai site where I found the info some years ago. This one still has some information, namely that they make different shapes for different markets:

http://www.araihelmet-europe.com/site/home/your-comfort/the-right-size/

"To achieve this perfect fit, different shaped outer shells (in fact different shapes for Europe, the United States and Asia) and different inner shells are needed."

Other indications:

- There is no Arai head shape chart in Asia. This is a little graphics with different head shapes and the corresponding Arai models. There is one for the USA. Official importer FastCorner never heard of it.

- I tested an Arai Profile in the USA in L, it fit perfectly and even had a little room on my forehead. I was unaware of the Asian shapes so I made the mistake of ordering an Arai Profile in L from FastCorner when I returned to Thailand. Has a strong pressure point on my forehead and is basically useless to me. I wore it one day and got a headache for the next 3. No returns either, so that's 19,000 Baht down the toilet.

- Others have told me they make different shapes for Asia... before I did all this... but I didn't listen... 555

- I tried Shoei & Arai in the shop many times, they've got so many great models.... never fit.

Shoei does the same thing, see here, last question:

http://www.shoei-helmets.com/faq.aspx

Why do they do it? People in different places have different head shapes.

Thanks for the info, you live and learn. That's a surprise to me, like I said I'm not especially round headed and have bought Arai in Europe and Asia never had a problem.

[nikster]

^ The topic of head shapes is not all black and white really. I find SparX S07 fits my head perfectly, yet it's listed as a round helmet on webbikeworld.

So the unfortunate truth is, you have to go and try them out, no way around it.

Tested Schuberth C3 Pro recently, found it too round as well.

[Didn't know Arai made a different shape for Europe as well - I thought it was just Asia and west... ugh, oh well]

[nikster]

I just emailed Shoei to ask whether they manufacture different shell and pad shapes for different markets- if they reply, I'll post it.

Yes they do, see here

http://www.shoei-helmets.com/faq.aspx

Well, OK, then- fair enough, but it doesn't confirm that, say, the GT-Air produced for the US is different than the GT-Air produced for Asia- it mentions different helmets, not different sizes/shapes within specific models. Maybe that is indeed the case, but hopefully they'll confirm it via email..

Yes, Shoei produces completely different helmets for different markets around the world. Not only are the physical shape and fit of the helmets different for the various markets, but homologation standards vary as well. Since the homologation standards vary by country, a helmet produced for one market may not be legal for use in another. Shoei recommends that our customers purchase helmets only from authorized Shoei dealers within their own country to ensure homologation compliance.

True. I just assumed they do the same as Arai. Hard to believe Arai produces the exact same model with the exact same name and the exact same size but different shapes in the USA and Asia. Yet that's exactly what they're doing.

Would be good to get confirmation on Shoei. The RF1100 and GT Air are both oval according to webbikeworld. The Shoeis I tried were Neotech, Multitech, and X12 and I think they're all round. RF1200 is supposed to be round too.

Edited December 23, 2013 by nikster