Modern Vespa

Hello all MP3 fans,

I am reading your forum for some time now, I have also introduced myself some 3 month ago.

My 400 has had some mods now and I am happy with all your advices sofar.
A GIVI AirFlow windscreen, fabulous thing, A leg and knee-cover which I adapted so it's now stable at all times an very protective.

The next step is changing my older open face helmet.
Not easy, open gives me the feeling of safety viewing in more angles, more open air contact and easy on/off.
But safety, keeping warm(-er), using a F5 intercom is less now.

I was wondering what headpieces you all over the world are wearing and also why that model(-s)??
I like to make a good choose and I think all your experiences together will, perhaps, make the choose easier.

I understand that head size and shape will make your choice also influence the brand and model.

Thanks for sharing your story with me and the rest.

Greetings from , now, wet and cold Luxembourg.
André

I have a half helmet that I like because of the built in face shield that retracts into the helmet and springs down into place and also a full face Shoei Multi tec that I love.. I wore the Shoei today when I rode to work..

I wear a Schuberth C3, a flip front helmet, it is the quietest lid I've ever had. (previous lids include Shoei, Arai, AGV, and HJC) I'd rate Shoei as excellent, expensive but well worth it. Arai are also excellent but damned expensive. The finished peeled of my AGV the first time it was exposed to cold weather, an unimpressive lid. The HJC wore so badly in its first year the dealer gave me a new one under warranty, the replacement held up must better but still wasn't in the same league as the Shoei.

The Schuberth can be noisy with a windshield if the height isn't a good match but is excellent on an unfaired bike. I got an MP3 500 Touring with the adjustable two piece Give shield and a GTS with no shield.

I used to have an open face as well but gave that away the day after I got hit by a car. I hit my head on the road pretty solidly and the front of my fullface was scratched up pretty badly, the thought of what would have happened if I'd worn my openface that day was a little to vivid.

By the best fullface you can afford, your trying to protect yer noggin, not making a fashion statement!

Nolan N103, a modular or "flip-up" style. Great helmet, and I'd buy another. But the sizing is crazy: You need to get one or possibly two sizes larger than you'd expect. Mine is a 2XL, and it's a little tighter than my old Nolan N102 in XL.

Best feature is the internal sun visor (aka "VPS shield"), which unlike the N102's external sun visor, won't deploy on its own in a gust. Another feature I like is the ratcheting chin strap (think snowboard binding). I know some people dislike this style, but I like it a lot-and hate D rings. It also has a provision for a bluetooth headset, but I haven't purchased that.

The N103's main (clear) visor comes with an anti-fog layer, similar to the "pinlock" system, but I learned on the N102 that the thing scratches if you look at it sideways, so I didn't bother installing it on my N103. Even so, fogging has never been a problem.

Modulars are always a little heavier and a little noisier than full-face helmets, but IMO it's well worth it.

Retails for about $300.

My favorite helmet is a Shark Evoline 2. It's a completely convertible helmet. You can ride with the chin bar down or you can spin it all the way back so it locks in place behind your head, making it basically a 3/4 shell helmet. It also has a built-in sun visor. I believe they're made in France, so you should have an easier time finding a dealer in Luxembourg than we do here in America, and I'd highly recommend at least checking it out...

I also prefer a half-shell helmet so I can use all of my peripheral vision, but I do like the safety of the full face. I find the Evoline 2 to be a good compromise in that regard. It does have a little bit bigger face opening than my other full face helmets...

Mark

Wear module [flip-up] helmets, have several to choose:
Caberg Duke or Nolan N103.
Why module? - wear glasses and so much easier to deal with.
Of the two the Caberg is the better helmet, in my opinion - lighter and quieter than the Nolan.

Cheers,
Mark

I have a Bell Revolver Modular helmet. Cheap helmet. I wanted a modular, so I bought it. Very, extremely, horribly noisy. Smaller field of vision.
I also have a full face Scorpion, don't know the model off hand. It is very quiet, comfortable, and lighter than the Bell. Bigger field of vision.

I have speakers in both my helmets so I can listen to my MP3. In the bell, the volume on the speakers and the MP3 has to be turned all the way up to be able to hear the music at highway speeds.
In the Scorpion, it does not. I don't think I have ever had to turn up the volume as much as I have to in the Bell.

Caberg Duke not available here in the colonies unfortunately but the OP should be able to check one out. Had a pretty good review here. http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/caberg-duke/review.htm

I agree with CubsKing99.

I use the Shark Evoline Series modular helmet. I have had two Evoline Series 2 and both have been "tested" and found great from both a safety and vision point.

Currently, I am using the Shark Evoline Series 3.

Around town and at slower speeds I use it in the "jet" configuration, at speen and heavy traffic, I use it in the full face configuration.

It is a French company based in Marseille, France. I have seen several Moto GP, Isle of Man TT and Dakar riders using Shark helmets.

www.shark-helmets.com

I wear a Nolan N43 Trilogy helmet. It can be configured a number of different ways depending on the "look" you are going for the level of safety you want. It can be done totally open-face or open-face with a full-face plastic shield. Either of these options can be configured with a removable, reinforced chin guard. Also, it has a internal sunshade that doesn't catch the wind since it is under the clear shield.

Besides the configurability, I really like the WIDE field of view both horizontally and vertically this helmet offers.


http://www.nolanhelmets.com/images/helmets/n43trilogyncomviews.jpg

I wear a NEXX XR1R. I really like it.

URL: [url]www.nexx-usa.com[/url]

My wife and I are big fans of Scorpion helmets---we've each got a half helmet (with drop-down visors) and full-face helmets from them. They're not the absolute best helmets or the VERY lightest to be sure, but the EXO 500s especially are very full featured between their standard anti-fog shields, the quick-change lens system, air-bladders at the cheeks for a custom fit, lots of venting, integrated sun-shield and reasonable weight...again not a primo helmet, but a heck of a great value for the dollar and very well reviewed. I especially like the EXO 500 Oil in neon which combines pretty cool styling with the hi-viz color scheme.

I like my Scorpion EXO900 convertible helmet in Hi-viz neon.

Man I like those Shark helmets, but damnit, they only seem to come up to an XL...about two sizes too small for me (I can just fit some XXL open-type helmets, anything closed I seem to need a 3X).

I've been running with a Scorpion Exo 900 convertible modular since Day 1 and I like it so far. Maybe a *tad* heavy. Noise depends on the screen you have I think, but it's been acceptable up to 70MPH on the freeway and in strong winds on city streets. I don't have to turn my audio up too loud for comfort in order to hear it.

I have several lids that I wear, some often, some not so often depending on weather, mood, phase of the moon, that sort of thing. I always wear a helmet and gloves, sometimes I even wear other stuff, pants, jacket, etc. Here's the list. The first 3 are my favorites.

For Crappy weather White Schuberth C3 full face flip-up
For Nice warm weather Black Arai SZ/C open face
For Street stylin' Red Bell Mag 9 open face
For Social stylin' White/Grey Airoh TR-1 convertible
For Living dangerous Black HJC CS-2 2/3 cat bowl
For Suicidal moods Black Fuel HH 1/2 cat bowl

LL75

hi my helmet and "AIROH Mathisse RS" a very good helmet even if a bit heavy, and high speed a bit noisy.

Seems we have about the same size punkin'. XXXL Scorpion, and XXL Shark 3/4 face. Happy riding!

Caberg Hyper X
Modular Helmet with awesome visibility when in Full Face mode, XL size around 1550grams so not heavy to wear, my only complaint is that it is noisy but as i am deaf who cares

Web Bike Worlds Review
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/caberg-hyperx/review.htm

I prefer full face helmets for safety. I like my chin. I have an Arai Signet-Q. It matches my long oval head-shape. I have a scala bluetooth headset mounted on it.

Super comfortable. Huge visor, great visibility.

I have been wearing a Nexx XR1R Carbon Helmet for a little over a year. Would never to back to a non Carbon Helmet, it is just so light and fits my round head perfect.

I use a Shoei Neotec.

In Spain was using a Schuberth C3, but before relocating to california I needed to sell it (in europe they dont have the DOT).

The Shoei is quite similar, but I like a bit more the way the sun visor is handled.

HJC CL-33 3/4 style. I also have a Shoei full-face auto racing helmet, but I much prefer being able to see (and thus avoid accidents) than tunnel vision and having accidents.

Different strokes...

John

I can't verify the truth of this, but according to my MSF course info, there has never been a single accident in which the rider claimed his visibility from inside the helmet was the cause. By the time the helmet would be in your vision in any kind of impeding manner you should already be needing to turn your head to see that far to the side.

I agree with you.

I did say different strokes... <grin>

I have excellent peripheral vision, and frankly, the more you see, the more information you have to make good riding decisions. 40+ years of continual riding tells me this is a good thing.

YMMV


John

I'm afraid even the type of helmet can be like a "religion war", perhaps a delicate topic.

IMHO, any other type of helmet different to a full face is just a "ticket avoider"... but hei, I use a modular, someone could also blame me with "that is not a real full face helmet"

I belong to several forums and the open-faced versus full coverage helmet debate isn't allowed on some for all the understandable reasons. What none of us need is to be preached at by those "who know what's best for the rest of us." If people can't make up their minds about which helmet to wear they're the rightful prey for those who sell helmets, cheap or otherwise. If someone feels it's their mission in life to direct others in their buying decisions they can always do so via direct contact - pm in this case. That leaves the rest of us to consider the merits of comfort, quality, fit, etc., and we can make our own decisions about safety issues.

Time to move along...

LL75

Note: For purposes of clarification I edited this post. Sorry to anyone for not being more specific in the original version.

We wear Nolan helmets partly because of their price and air flow in the summer heat. Since none of us have the same shaped head, you first need to find out which helmets fit your noggin the best, then go from there. Webbikeworld is the best place to compare helmets w/o buying them first.

In my opinion, nothing is more important than fit. I'd do a lot of research on fit first (round head, oval, intermediate oval, etc...) to narrow it down.

For instance, I have a more oval head and I hate Nolans because they are definitely in the round category. Different companies also have different size tendencies (i.e. Shark helmets fit a half size larger than listed)

If you're really lucky, you'll have a well stocked store near you where you can try on each helmet you like. If you have to buy online, do a ton of research first because returns may be free, but return shipping can get expensive.

have you ever been test on your peripheral degrees? I'll bet it less than standard street helmets. not racing or specialty lids.

[/quote]have you ever been test on your peripheral degrees? I'll bet it less than standard street helmets. not racing or specialty lids.[/quote]

Ummm... ok.

Have you read the original post? That's what I responded to.

Larrylarry75, I do believe you had a point.

André, I apologize for the recent tenor of this thread.

'Nite all...

John

With the Nexx XR1R Carbon Helmet, you can't see the edges of the helmet. It has a very wide opening.
I have really good peripheral vision too.

I like the visibility with my CL-33. I think it might be a little on the loose size, but I am one of those guys who always winds up between sizes.

I also have a Scorpion EXO-100 when I do short runs and an EXO-700 for full face. I am looking at maybe the Bell Mag-9 or an EXO-900 transformer for the next one.

Either way, its gotta be able to take a J&M for the dual bander...

Hello everybody,

thanks for all your advices, tips and reflections according your private choises.

I have created a list of all your suggestions and go the a bikes and more superstore to start fitting each.

Than I go to reduce the list and add my /your advices and see what's the best choise /helmet(s) for me.
Thanks again.

I wish all our fans in the New York area all their strength, nowledge and motivation to overcome the catastrophy of last week.


André

Larry sorry to interferr in your 'quote'.
I am not ok with this thought (if I understood it correct with my limited enlish)
I think all have the right to ask what helmet the wear and whats the reason of it.
Finalcial, shape, options, quality, angle of vision etc
The do not push me into a certain brand or model.
Therefore these questions should not be forbidden in any forum.
Freedom of speech and thinking.

I hope i don't hit someones head with saing this, if yes, i am sorry.

André

First thing you need to figure out is, if you have a round or long head. That will pin down what helmets you want to look at.

This is what I wear.
Came in today.

BELL Vortex.

Absolutely LOVE this helmet.
Extremely quiet, light and comfortable.

Now that is just plain shit hot.

Another thing, and what I believe is most important, is do your research and don't buy something just because it happens to be cheap/on sale. If you've done research and found a helmet that has high reviews and quality ratings and you happen to find it on sale, great! Lucky find! However, if you're at a "Motorcycle SuperShow" or some other motorcycle convention/show and see a cheap helmet you've never heard of that looks neat and the salesman says is awesome, don't buy it right away. He could be selling you cheap junk that just barely passes whatever inspection is required for where you live. Use your phone if you have internet on it, and look up the helmet he's offering you to be sure it's a good one. If not and the show is multi-day, go home and look it up, then come back and get it if it's good. Never make an impulse buy on an unknown helmet. That's your head you're betting cheaply on!

Also check the expiration date of the helmet if buying it off the shelf from a store. I know of a store that was selling helmets from 2005! And yes, helmets do have expiry dates. The foam padding inside can only last so long, even if you never crash with it on or drop it.

I wear an Arai RX-Q. My wife wears a Nolan N104.

We have both worn various HJC and Scorpion helmets over the years. They had their pluses and minuses. Mainly lower price points.

Our current helmets are new to us and higher up in price. But the quality is there. Bought the Arai on EBay from a dealer. Bought the Nolan from compacc.com. Both were brand new and well within the 5 year manufactured window.

Just make sure it fits and feels good on you. Nothing like a headache from an ill fitting helmet after a couple hours in the saddle.