I'm thinking of buying a Shark RSI helmet with rrp of £250. Will I get any better protection from say a £350 Arai? Or is it better durability of the lining etc and finish you pay extra for? There doesn't seem to much if any difference in harp ratings no matter what price level....
That'll be 'sharp ratings'.............
The Shark is pretty decent - I have an S500 (first lid) that I keep as a spare incase the Shoei gets a bit grim smelling or anything 😉
If a Shark fits you better than an Arai it will offer better protection. Shark seem closer to Shoei in fit (in my experience anyway) so if the Shark fits well it is a better bet anyway 😉
You are beyond the point at which diminishing returns set in I guess - a £250 shark should be a pretty good helmet. If it fits and feels comfy then why not?
I have an Arai head they are just so comfy, if it fits well then go for it.
Price has very little to do with protection - as any pathologist will tell you, the sole function of a helmet in a high speed crash is to prevent brain matter from messing up the road.
Get something that is comfortable - it all depend on your head shape, I've got a Shoei head. All Arai and Shark helmets (and I have tried many) just feel uncomfortable. So make sure you try as many helmets as possible before settling on one.
Another issue is how much draft and wind noise various helmets make.
I bought a Shark RSI just over a year ago, paid £200 though. Bought online after trying on loads of different helmets in Fowlers. Narrowed it down to the Shark RSI and an Arai model, the Shark feeling a bit more comfortable to me.
Very comfortable helmet (for me), good quick release visor system, and I consider it to be quiet at speed (although this is my first helmet so can't compare with any others).
Tried a few on the other day, came down to Arai and Shark for fit. Arai felt snugger at the rear but otherwise they felt much the same. Haven't road tested them, but from what I've read the RSI is pretty quiet but Arai gets mixed reviews.
I swear by Arai (RX7). Ride a lot of km's & they are comfortable, stable at high speed & don't have issues with misting. (quite noisy though but I haven't found any helment where you didn't need earplugs for the highway).
I used Lazers when I raced motocross & they were also very comfortable...
From friends that had Sharks (when they were particularly 'trendy' because of Carl Fogarty)I heard they are quite a different shape to Arai but of course that was best part of 10 years ago. (damn I feel old)
Get a comfy one - the shock absorbing material is the same inside them. Comfort, ease of cleaing, sound and style will be the difference.
Fit is the main thing - I used to sell helmets.
Different Arais have different shell shapes so some will suit better than others. How long have you tried them on for? If you're unsure about fit I'd say keep it on your head at least 15 mins to check comfort.
Above £200 you're paying for removable liners, better venting, fancy paintjobs, rider sponsorship etc. Lighter, better vented helmets are for track use and are noisier so a £500 Arai isn't a great touring helmet.
The ideal lid is actually carbon fibre for less rotational mass in an accident and a double skin design so the outer shell tears on the road leaving the inner shell free to slide thus preventing the helmet gripping the road and twisting your head.
HJC make an excellent carbon model for £200ish and I think Lazer have developed a double skin helmet now. I use an Arai but the fit and features of the HJC are just as good so that'll be my next lid.
If you go for an Arai - they actually offer a custom fit service for customers who can't achieve a perfect fit. It's a FREE service done by the area rep but you'll have to ask coz you probably won't be offered it and you have to arrange an appointment.
namastebuzz - thanks for the heads up (haha). Must admit I didn't look very closely at the HJCs, after a chat with the salesman he took me to the Arai and Shark. Will take a look, thank you.
No correlation between price and protection. Buy on fit and comfort. Haven't looked but I expect that's what everyone else has just said...
No worries oldgrump - just take your time and make sure you get a good fit at a price you're happy with.
Most of the Arais come with a free pinlock visor system which really helps with demisting so is worth having. Arai also have excellent back up for spares and warranty claims and you get loan helmets too so the extra money does bring benefits.
I was always happy for customers to spend a whole morning trying on lids. A good shop will sell you the best helmet for you even if it's not the most expensive - then you'll go back again for other stuff coz you trust them.
Best helmet I ever had was also the ugly-ist - can't remember the name (possibly Everoak) but it was a full custom fit/build, even down to them custom making the cheek pads as none of the 'standard' ones fitted me right - also paid extra for a leather interior.
Since then I've bought decent ones in sales (last year's riders custom paint is often well-discounted) - normally pay £100 for good quality Shark/OGK/Nolan/HJC. And replace when they need a new visor...
br- Down to £100 from what???
As has been said before, fit is the most important thing. I used to ride 40k miles per year, Arai being my brand of choice. The good thing was the ability to wash the liner and insert new cheek pads when they were getting worn.
Which ever brand you buy make sure you wear earplugs, either disposable foam or custom moulded for a better fit.
I have a Shoei head (Kato's old model) and never felt the need to wear plugs, but ended up doing so.
The replacement was an Arai & is noisy as Hell.
Both around the £250 price point.
The Shoei was a little better in the rain as it's visor seemed more pointed and so the rain ran left - right far better.
Insert into the mouth piece solved misting up of the inside.
My old helmet was a Shark and my new one is an Arai. I preferred the visor release on the Shark but the pinlock on the Arai is great.
Fit is the most important thing, and when I compared the Arai to a Shoei it was obvious that I have an Arai shaped head. Choice is limited though when you get down to my head size (xxxs.....)
I have a black X-Lite and it's:
cheap
comfy
different.
Currently have
Shoei X-Spirit Norick
Shoei X-Spirit Vermullen
Arai RX7 - Edwards Yellow
Shoei Interceptor
Axa X7
AGV X Vent evo
Quietest is the AGV, AXA is a winter hack helmet, Arai is comy windy and noisy. Helmet of choice is one the Shoei X-Spirit's - light, comfortable, well vented, easy visor replacement, pinlock insert provided as standard, excellent customer service - i took mine to a different shop from where i bought it from when the little rubber nose/ breath deflector wouldn't fit. They replaced the full helmet without even asking for the receipt.
Don't care what it was stickered at, but a £100 is a price that suits - and as I've been riding for 30 years I've a reasonable view of what fits and quality.
And when you look at the price of visors...
My head only fits some RST helmets, and x-lite (oddly, noleen (sp?) which is part of the same company don't fit!)
Best fitting helmet I found was a medium MX helmet from some unknown company, which is wierd as I have a XXL head! That and my 661 strike, but thats a MTB not an MX lid.
Mail order is OK(ish) but bear in mind that 2 helmets, in the same manufacturer/size/model can be subtly different. Find one that fits, then try 2 or 3 identical helmets on just to be sure its as good as possible. Reputable mail order companies wont let you return helmets that don't fit for obvious reasons.
Worth mentioning that the Sharp ratings have been widely criticised (and not just by the companies that got bad Sharp ratings!) There's some clear issues with their methodology, including testing helmets with ill-fitting headforms, and putting excessive significance on side-impacts (Sharp say "Our information gathering shows that helmets often suffer side impacts in crashes", which is true, but the medical evidence shows that they're a minor consideration in head trauma). Even leaving that aside, the CE standards and US Snell standards can't agree on dwell times, weight input, etc. So all the testing is suspect, though still better than nothing.
Get one that's comfortable, they're all CE approved though yes, some are better than others. But you'll spend the vast majority of your time not crashing, so IMO comfort, visibility and noise levels are actually more important. When my old HJC started to wear out, it became so uncomfortable that it was massively distracting on a long ride, and that's unsafe in itself.
For value for money, sometimes spending more is better. I've had 30000 miles out of my current Arai Astro R... Now, it was £250 but it's lasted 3 times as long as my £90 HJC, so it's actually cheaper per mile, and it's still nicer to wear today than my HJC ever was. I spent £180 on my old Arai Condor, wore it for 10000 miles, smacked my head on the back straight at Knockhill with it on, thought it was dead, but Arai safety tested and refurbished it and 3 weeks later I had it back, and wore it for another 10000- any other brand, I'd have thrown in the bin assuming it was knackered but Arai's health check gave it a second life. It's still good today, just that it's a spare now.