Talk to me about helmets :)

[Mr Squarekins]

Evening everyone.

My Shark helmet has seen better days so i'm due a new helmet.

I ride sports bikes, but have been gently attracted to the idea of maybe a flipfront helmet for a little convenience.

I'm a little in the dark about their relative safety. Any insights?

Either way, I fancy a Shoei this time, so welcome any thoughts. Thanks.

[Tribal Chestnut]

Not flip fronts, but happy with my X-Spirit 3 and NXR 2.

Had a couple of the old GT Airs too & been happy with them.

[Sporall]

Go and try one and any other makes you can and see what fits you best. I tried a Shoei but it turned out Schuberth fitted me better. My C3 Pro is extraordinarily comfortable but if I'm honest it's not the best when it comes to being prone to steaming up. A Pinlock insert helps a lot but you still need to be cracking it open then, it it's raining, you can get rain water on the inside of the visor.

Generally, they can also be heavier than a FF and perhaps noisier.

From a safety POV, they're not a disaster and meet the required standards but not certified for track use. My C3 Pro is a 3 star Sharp which is no worse than many FF lids. Having said that, a lid can be designed to achieve 5 stars but could also be staggeringly uncomfortable. I'd argue that you may be better off with perfect comfort and fit in a 3 or 4 star lid rather than a 5 star one that doesn't fit as well.

Perhaps look at MIPS options too.

Edited by Sporall on Monday 20th December 20:03

[JulianHJ]

I currently have a GT-Air, which is great, but I think for my next helmet I'll be getting a Neotec 2. I watched this interesting video a couple of hours ago which might be useful.

[Krikkit]

Got myself an AGV K6 this year and blown away by it. Depends what fits your head of course.

[vonhosen]

Shark Evo GT is a great all round everyday helmet.
I have one for general duties & keep a full face for more focused stuff.

[bgunn]

Mr Squarekins said:

Evening everyone.

My Shark helmet has seen better days so i'm due a new helmet.

I ride sports bikes, but have been gently attracted to the idea of maybe a flipfront helmet for a little convenience.

I'm a little in the dark about their relative safety. Any insights?

Either way, I fancy a Shoei this time, so welcome any thoughts. Thanks.

If you fit a Shark well, then you've got a round(er) shaped head and you'll find a Shoei (generally) pinches the sides of your head as it's designed for more oval shaped heads. If it doesn't, it'll be too loose.

I would love to have a head that fits Shoei lids comfortably because there's much more choice, but found a Shark Spartan GT Carbon fits me best.

[paddy1970]

Get one with the new ECE 22.06 rating.

[SAS Tom]

Flip front and helmets with internal visors aren’t great with sports bikes. They can block your vision due to the visor aperture.

[Mr Squarekins]

Thanks. Agreed, fit is everything, so it may come down to if a Shoei works for me. I'll look at Shark modular too based on the thought above. I quite like the look of the bmw carbon7 too in the same price range.

Another full face is not a deal breaker of course, its just that there's load of situations when a flip front might be good. If i bought two white ones, maybe the missus wouldn't notice

[Drawweight]

I’m really really tempted by the Neotec 2 but it’s pricey. I made the mistake of trying one on and it’s really really comfy. I would have liked to compare it with the C4 Pro but they didn’t have any in stock.

And the Mrs wants a new helmet too and that plus the Neotec specific Bluetooth means it’s heading towards over a grand

[duudiz]

I have a Shoei x-spirit 3 and it’s a cracking lid. So light, comfortable and looks the part.

[Sporall]

bgunn said:

If you fit a Shark well, then you've got a round(er) shaped head and you'll find a Shoei (generally) pinches the sides of your head as it's designed for more oval shaped heads. If it doesn't, it'll be too loose.

I would love to have a head that fits Shoei lids comfortably because there's much more choice, but found a Shark Spartan GT Carbon fits me best.

Me too, tried a few and wanted them to work but it was never going to happen. I also have a an older Shark Spartan, nothing special but soooo comfortable. I fancy the newer GT version but haven't tried one yet so don't know if the sizing convention is the same; only two shell sizes apparently.

I just bought the last visor for the Spartan it'll ever have due to age so would like to replace it soon.

[RizzoTheRat]

Schuberth fit is pretty similar to Shoei, so worth a try if you have a Shoei shaped head.

Flip fronts are fantastic if you wear glasses. A little bit heavier but I don't find that an issue with my C3. Schuberths also tend to be very quiet.

[Mr Squarekins]

The bmw carbon7 is a Schuberth I think. Looks like I need to spend a morning trying a few. Covid and masks make that a little rubbish, but nothing hurts (head and wallet) like a badly fitting helmet.

[bgunn]

Mr Squarekins said:

The bmw carbon7 is a Schuberth I think. Looks like I need to spend a morning trying a few. Covid and masks make that a little rubbish, but nothing hurts (head and wallet) like a badly fitting helmet.

Depending upon where you are, Motolegends are very good at fitting lids and are prepared to spend the time with you to do it right.

[barryrs]

I went in to Fowlers in Bristol with the view of buying a GT-air in Matt blue but as it happens they had a Neotec on the shelf (flip version of the GT) and I was sold.

It’s a great price of kit, really comfortable, has the ability for intercom integration, anti fog insert and built in sun glasses/visor.

Circa £430 ish

Edited by barryrs on Monday 20th December 21:25

[Mr Squarekins]

duudiz said:

I have a Shoei x-spirit 3 and it’s a cracking lid. So light, comfortable and looks the part.

Yes, that's nice. Muddies the waters even more. Got to try a Shoei first, but the experience above suggests that I might be out of luck.

I'm hoping to get 10% off if I ask nicely at this time of year.

[Kawasicki]

I buy Shoei mainly, in size medium. They are uniformly tight fitting for the first couple of months… after that perfect.

[trickywoo]

I’m another x spirit 3 fan.

Besides the quality and comfort what stands out for me is how stable it is and how light it feels on the move. It’s not that light in weight but the aerodynamics make it feel a lot lighter at speed than other lids I’ve had.