Seeking helmet opinions

Understood and no idea of what seller the others are referring. My points were general numbers and I get it. Heck man, no way to know how many of just Arai helmets I sold from like 1995 to 2014 or so thru the dealerships I worked ?
At one point, the J&D Walter people made the statement that I sold more Arai that they did... LOL. For a period of years, I would but every medium and large Corsair / Corsair X once they went on closeout at a distributor.
Maybe was just me and my staff at the time, but we opened every helmet box to check size and graphic, and while there, noted the build date on the box beside the description label.

 

...the point being, there is no gradient in the testing/approval on helmets and that should be noted. ***NOTE, I have seen many a test data.

Conversely, safety apparel now does - new EN 17092 A, AA, AAA ratings (armor, etc)

 

https://www.flyracing.com/formula/

 

This 'advice' is mostly conjecture and unquantifiable personal experience. The FIM GP list of approved helmets seems to be the best starting point for any racer: https://www.frhp.org/ It is easy to find the non-GP approved models with the same materials without the fancy spoilers or aero features.

 

If Shoei fits you well try AGV. I made the switch because AGV has far nicer durable interiors. They fit the same as Shoei.

 

I think the reason on not having the dates is that they drop ship from the supplier, mine was less than 3 months old. If it would have been more than 6 months I would just return it.

I always try to buy the current model and I keep a pretty close eye on when the helmets were released so it gives you an idea of the worst case scenario if you got one of the first production helmets. Also I think this time of year has fresher inventory versus buying in the winter.

 

I showed up at the first race of the year at Grattan a few years ago with a helmet that was 1 month outside of their recommended date, I just forgot to check the date, the tech guy let me pass.

 

I recently went with a Shark Race R helmet after trying a bunch of the not Shoes or Arai brands. Interior of the Shark is wonderful and the weight is low.

 

Respectfully will argue that. I wear Shoei X14 and the new X15 ( X-SPR Pro ). Nothing AGV makes fits even close, IMO. Subjective of course.
But helmets seem all over the place, as the Shark Race R Pro and the X-Lite X-803 are great fits for my noggin. Lighter weight is a mega plus also.
Being an "Arai guy" since about 1993, even surprised myself liking those other brands and fit. The Corsair X is basically the same helmet as the RX7-RR4, save a few "updates".
Shoot, even the HJC RPHA 11 is one I use weekly.

 

Thank you for everyone's comments!

I'm most comfortable in a large Shoei or medium Arai however I haven't cared much for the Arais I've worn simply due to the visor lock design. Frustrating method of operation to say the least.

DoM is always a factor in my track helmet purchases and I have good folks at few of the local dealerships to help with that if need be and with that said, I'll be in the showroom Friday checking fitment of some of the other brands mentioned in this thread.

Thanks again, everyone!

 

I don't think there's a single reason to spend more than $600 on a helmet. Any higher than that and you're paying for brand name and graphic design.

My life has been saved by Icon, Shoei, Kabuto, HJC, and most recently KYT. In terms of value for the money, KYT is where I've landed and they're where I'll be staying until I can't get them anymore. Like the second post in this thread mentioned - they're crazy light, super comfortable, cheap (ish), and I and a bunch of other MotoAmerica guys have crash-tested the shit out of them.

Plus, if you like supporting Beeb members, @gpstar748 is the USA importer of the brand and he and his dealer network try very hard to make sure you feel taken care of.

 

I'm a fan of the technology but not being able to try one on anywhere before dropping that kind of coin is going to push me back to my trust Bell Race Star Flex. IF they want to become mainstream they need to get their product out there for folks to put their hands on it.

 

Sorry to thread jack but have a similar question -- has anyone tried/used Airoh helmets? I've got a Bell-shaped head (in medium), but am looking to try something different. I'm up in Canada and there are no local dealers here. There are some good deals on their top-line GP550 or GP500...

 

I for one am very happy 6D, Fly, and to a degree Bell, have gone beyond EPS and a shell. There is finally real data about impacts and brain injuries and these new helmets are targeting those areas of vulnerability. Until very recently, tests, and designs, were focused on skull injury, now they are also including shifting brain injury. I’d be interested to see test results from all the helmets getting FIM or ece 22-06 certification. See how much they differ in performance while meeting the criteria.
With so many variables, it is impossible for any of us to quantify how well a helmet works based on our own impacts. New standards like ece 22-06 and FIM are a step in the right direction.

 

They do finally have real distribution through parts unlimited so now basically any dealer can get them.

 

I can understand that. I have an extremely oblong head... wear a 7 5/8 fitted hat, tightly, and my head looks super small from the front. Shoei's even put a little too much pressure on me front and rear... the 6D liner is different.. and has a sort of net fitting in it, allowing for an extremely wide range of heads to find comfort without pressure points. Their money is spent on R&D, not paying sponsorships or ad campaigns, and there is a cost there, but they have achieved superior protection across the industry with this philosophy, and continue to improve their technology.

I've hit my head so many times, my last time getting knocked out was a first gear tip over on a dirtbike in the back yard. I was out cold for about 2 minutes. I was wearing a bell with FLEX technology. My dad was able to wake me up, and I was able to answer all his questions about who the president was, what day it was, and all that. But after cooling down on his porch, I slowly realized I couldn't remember anything I had done that day leading up to the fall, other than the fall itself, and oddly couldn't even remember anything at all from the last 6 months or so, but felt completely coherent otherwise, and drove home terrified. It was the worst feeling of my life.

After switching to 6D I have hit my head harder than ever twice, and haven't had a single concussion over many impacts.. from getting hit so hard after a turn one fall in a flat track race, my helmet was chipped, and my carbon leatt brace got completely sheared in half without leaving even seeing stars or having any concussion side effects at all(will post a video later), to some very hard BMX get offs(wearing full face moto lid) on paved pump tracks, and even pretty hard MTB get offs in their open face MTB lid.

There's plenty of video of SX guys having the same results. All the SX guys and even top teams switching to 6D were not doing it for money, because they're not paying anyone. Just look at Eli getting knocked into the shadow realm soon as he went back to bell after leaving gieco... he's far from the only one.

That said, FLEX technology is definitely better than the rigid setup of foam under a hard shell. Cannot for the life of me figure out why anyone would still be riding rigid... it's pretty unreal honestly!

https://www.6dhelmets.com/innovation/

 

I hit my head really hard about 3 weeks ago in my Shoei dirt bike helmet. Rung my bell so good I was seeing stars and hearing those video game noises. Felt it for 2 or 3 days. Bike looped (like a super fast snap out from under you before you know what happened) on a rocky hard enduro section and the swingarm smacked the top of my head like somebody hit me with a huge baseball bat. Pretty sure it was the rear axel/swingarm since the bike came down flat and i was pinned under the back wheel. Here are pics of the damage. I already knew Shoei was my street/race helmet brand of choice but now i know their dirt helmets are as well.

 

From what I can find is that Fly is using the UK developed and manufactured in China Rheon labs product as their website has the Ruroc Atlas helmet featuring the same stuff?

 

I would think distributors like WPS & PU would practice FIFO with helmets like they do with tires?