Helmets

I am thinking about buying a small sports bike come spring/summer, but I want to research the safety equipment a bit first. what things should you look for when buying a helmet? does a cranium cap ( the ones that look like a WWII helmet) protect the same as a full helmet. Is it easy to breath in a full helmet with the visor down? are there different grades of materials, or are they pretty much made all the same? Thanks for you help, I want to do this right.

The carnium cap works better than nothing, as long as it is DOT approved and not an actualy helmet from WW2, but as for protection, a full face helmet is much better.

No they are not hard to breath in visor up or down.

My favorite helmet is arai. extreamly light which your neck will thank you for after hours of riding, well ventalited and great protection. I dont know as much about materials, so i wont just type to see my self type, but im sure one of the knowlegeable user on AF can cover me

Hope this helps, and glad to see your taking the time to research safty.

Seriously :bigthumb:

I would advise against the WW2 helmets. They offer little if NO protection at all. If you go down and happen to smack your head its the side of your head that will take most of the beating not the top, so no those WW2 helmets wont do a damn thing. They are gay as hell IMO. Anyways back to the REAL helmets. Yeah Arai and Shoei are the best money can buy. The main reason they cost more is of course NAME brand and quality. They are super light yet offer great protection and have very good ventilation systems. You can buy the cheaper helmet such as HJC or KBC just as long as you look for the SNELL/DOT rating. I have an HJC and an ARAI and like the HJC but LOVE the ARAI. Like XV said its light and doesnt hurt your neck after long rides.

As for the fogging up, almost any helmet you get will fog if your stopped at light and breathing right on it but you can buy things for that. "FOG CITY" is one thing you can buy its about 15 bucks and it goes on your visor and prevents any kind of fogging. Works really good.

thanks for your responses guys. I appreciate the help. one thing I forgot to ask, about how much would I be looking to pay for the arai or the shoei??

of course, I know no amount of money is comparable to your life, just need to factor in for budget wise.

Shoei and Arai may be great helmets, but you're buying the name... Expect to spend well over $300 for either... and that's for a plain jane one...

I LOVE my HJC-AC11 helmet!!! It is a full-face helmet (IMHO the ONLY way to go with helmets). I had a helmet before (KBC) with awful ventilation, and it was heavier than my bike itself... The AC11 is newly redesigned as of the 2003 riding season. The ventilation is VERY good, and adjustable in 4 of the 6 vents. Provided with the helmet is a fog-mask-thingy that actually comes up over your nose (many only cover your mouth) and I NEVER get fog in the helmet--even at temps under 45*F. They also give you a "bug screen" that goes in the bottom of the helmet to keep creepy-crawlies from coming up the opening at the bottom. I spent $250 (which was one of the more expensive prices for this helmet b/c it has chrome decals on it... my brother has the same helmet and it was less b/c of his decals). I honestly can't say enough about this helmet, it's cool in the heat and warm in the cold. It's made of a composite, which is not the lightest, but I don't have any problems with it.

Do not skimp on your helmet, I have a full face Aria. It is also my third helmet by Aria, the last two served their purpose the 2 times I crashed.

Yeah, once you crash, the helmet is useless, dont forget that. Any kind of crack and its time to replace it

thats good knowledge to keep in mind. I am hoping, I can find a good used 600 bike for about 2000 max, hopefully lower. I dont want to spend more than 2500, but if thats a unatainable goal, I would go higher, just setting a base level of what I want to achieve.

Always look for SNELL or ANSI approvall and of course DOT.I like a full face for the protection of of bugs,rain and debris.Read the manufactures age limit and saftey precautions.Those ww2 helmets are more for show than go.Quality helmets vary in price from appr $160 to $600.



Elrod on the V-Rod

thats good knowledge to keep in mind. I am hoping, I can find a good used 600 bike for about 2000 max, hopefully lower. I dont want to spend more than 2500, but if thats a unatainable goal, I would go higher, just setting a base level of what I want to achieve.
You can find used 600s for that, but they won't be "spring chickens"... Think early 90's, and at that price, don't expect a Honda... the dang Hondas resell for usually 1.5 to 2x the price of any other company for a given "era" of bike... :(

Honestly, I am not looking for a bike with alot of get up an go to start with, thats why buying an older bike isnt that big of a deal. even if its been scratched up, I bet I will prolly dump it a few times practicing. I'll spend the big bucks when I am comfortable and feel I can handle a bigger bike, then I'll opt for a new one. I am just having a hard differenciating between the ATV's and Bikes in the paper.

http://www.cycletrader.com/
have fun

full face is best for learning full face is best period then again i count the days till i can leave mine at home lol

thanks for the link. Hopefully I can find one close to me, that I dont have to travel far.