Modern Vespa

Since you're in the UK, I would recommend going to a shop that does helmet fitting like Motolegends. It's one of the only places outside Japan that I know does fitting.

They can adjust the padding of the helmet to get it to fit perfectly. Arai and Shoei are the brands that support this, and they both have reputations of being among the best.

I'm currently stalking an Arai but what I can glean from this discussion is that there is no sell-by date on an helmet, although the advice is to replace them after a certain time. How do you determine what that is? I would suspect that a flat black helmet will age out faster from sunlight than a white one but I wish there was a date code, like on tires so you could see if you were ready to replace it. I get discomfort, fashion, damage and all those motivations but how much better is the latest Arai compared to the one that was just discontinued?

Over the years I have found that Bell helmets in size xl fit me perfectly. I've tried other brands but Bell does the trick for me. I do like the MIPS technology some of the Bell helmets offer and usually their helmets are reasonably priced.

Helmets used to have their manufactured date on the strap. Neither my Arai or Shoei do now though.

I answered my own question, I tore apart an Arai to see what I could see and the small print says it's warranted for 5 years then it should be destroyed and replaced. I don't know if that follows for all helmets but its probably a good guide.

There once was a helmet store in Gilbert that sold many brands. I bought my first helmet there. They had a fan set up that blew ~40mph, so you could see how loud your helmet was. Internet sales happened, they closed.

Grunion, I'm a big fan of Ian, aka Bert Large on Doc Martin.

What about many U.S. regional racing series mandating helmets less than five years old?

I have always heard five years. I can't wait for five years to be up on this LS2.

I had a crash on the Aprilia a few years back. Left turner and I dumped it to keep from hitting his car. That cut both ways because he avoided an insurance claim and a ticket for failure to yield right of way, but the police also would not take a report because there was no contact with his car.

Anyway, I was wearing a GMAX modular that I bought used. I really liked the helmet, but when I went down I felt the side of the helmet hit the pavement. Good lord, when I think about it I can still feel that impact and remember how thankful I was that I wasn't wearing my half helmet. But I went out and bought a new helmet right away, because impact. There was no real visible damage, but it hit the ground.

I wondered what to do with the GMAX, so I put it - full disclosure - on FB Marketplace for free. Almost immediately I had a taker and we met and I handed it off to him.

My thoughts were helmets are not mandatory in Michigan. This guy wanted a helmet, but didn't want to (or couldn't) spend the money to get one. And, even though it bumped the ground, it's still better than no helmet. So, it was a win all around.

I love you guys but I ain't ever wearing one of your nasty-ass sweatsponges of a used helmet. There: I said it.

You pull out the liner and you wash it. You could even use baby shampoo for delicate sensibilities.

I feel the same way when I see used unmentionables at Goodwill.

Why ... would ... you ... even?

Christmas present list

• DiBiasio
  

An engineer who works on safety standards told me years ago that the only important thing is fit, and which safety standard the helmet is tested to. His explanation was that the helmet is tested according to the standard, so while the manufacturer of the $2,000 helmet will tell you that it's safer than the $100 helmet, they can't actually demonstrate it. His advice was to decide which safety standard I'm comfortable with, then buy the helmet that meets that standard and fits best, regardless of cost. I made no effort to verify his claim.

I mostly followed that advice. I found HJC and Shoei helmets fit me the best, but as I spend a lot of time in my helmet year round, I choose to pay for the better comfort that the Shoei provides. I have also found that they last longer than the HJCs I've used. I wore the Neotec for several years, but when it was time to replace it the Neotec 2 just wasn't the same fit. These days I wear the GT Air II. I sometimes miss the convenience modular offers, but on long days the superior sound dampening of the full face is much appreciated.

Standards. Sometimes they mean something ... sometimes not.

I've got a Shark Skwal full face helmet that is really comfortable but requires ear plugs if I'm riding at higher speeds because the wind noise is awful. When I bought the GTS, I ordered the matching Vespa VJ 3/4 helmet because I'm a moron and thought it would fit under the seat (research, what's that?). I really like the Vespa helmet though and it's what I've worn almost every time. I wear earplugs with that one too if I'm going anywhere far/fast.

Damn it! Frankly I'm surprised to learn that I was ever ON that list...

JBlacklund, I knew we would see that Pith Helmet and prop-fake pipe in a future post. You are looking good my South Dakota neighbor.

This helmet discussion apprears often - perhaps because it is a prime piece of safety gear on two wheels.

Best wisdom put forth is try them on for a correct comfortable fit. Locally (Minnesota) we have a motorcycle assessory store called Cycle Gear, Amazing selection of everything and tons of helmets to try on. In just this last year, I replaced my old HJC Helmet with a "Sedici Sistema II" without bluetooth for $239.99. As I posted earlier, I am a fan of the Flip Front. Also, for easy on and off I wear a back cotton durag. I wash the durag ofter - keeps the inside of the helmet clean and looking like new for years.

Bob Copeland

Five year helmet life ? Is that once it's start being used? Do companies throw away helmets that my have not sold in that time? Or destroy them?, l would like to see just what goes wrong with a 5 yr old helmet. I might agree if it's used every day, otherwise I'm not convinced the shell is going crack in that time. If the insides deteriorate that's one thing but just to say it's unsafe after 5 yrs? Not buying into that. However if you like buying new ever 2 yrs,or when ever you want- more power to you. Otherwise nope.

Anyone try the Bell Mag 9 Sena Helmet? Seems like a nice open face helmet with the pull down visor for $200.

Best wisdom put forth is try them on for a correct comfortable fit. Locally (Minnesota) we have a motorcycle assessory store called Cycle Gear, Amazing selection of everything and tons of helmets to try on. In just this last year, I replaced my old HJC Helmet with a "Sedici Sistema II" without bluetooth for $239.99. As I posted earlier, I am a fan of the Flip Front. Also, for easy on and off I wear a back cotton durag. I wash the durag ofter - keeps the inside of the helmet clean and looking like new for years.

Bob Copeland
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Bob even though you're smiling that's a scary picture of you. Spitting image of a CHP Officer about to write me a ticket! They wear flip up helmets by me. They also rock kick ass mustaches like yours.

Motonirvana, that Bell helmet you posted looks great. How is the ventilation ? That's a very important issue here in South Texas

The best helmet will be the one you researched and found to your liking.
Everyone you ask will give you their 2 shekels worth of advice. What to look for and what is important has already been stated , written about and discussed at length.
Despite all the research and advice it is also possible that you may get a helmet that fits right when you try it on but a few weeks later you may feel it isn't delivering or works perfectly.
What I have found is the fit and look one can test out and come to like one or the other but how it handles with road noise is something you will only know when you ride the roads wearing it and how it performs for you.
The hope always is that we make a good decision based on all the available info. Everyone of us may have a liking for a specific brand/model and or have had a bad experience with another brand and thats that.
Let us know when you get your helmet.

Great tip on the soccer ball. I have a Shoei I bought during the pandemic (made for round heads) - I did try it on but it becomes mind-numbing at the 90 minute to 2 hour mark. I'm going to try this as a last ditch effort (with and without the strap). I literally was thinking of posting on FB marketplace today when I read these. Other than jaw area - fits fine (tried smaller foam inside) and I'm Irish-American - cheeks of beef:)

My next purchase would be the Arai Quantum (I think that's right) or I like the suggestion for Bell and Torc - I think those are both great for round heads. I love the Arai graphics (oriental in different paint schemes) but I know what you mean - we are normally in Vespa culture (it seems) going for a different aesthetic.

I'm sure my Arai has the date of manufacture stamped on the D ring