???For reasons that need not be discussed here, I must buy a new racing helmet within the next month. In what I hope will be a "lively" exchange (for lack of a better word), please give me your recommendation for the BEST production road racing helmet on the market and reasons. This is not just for entertainment - I really do value and appreciate all your help!
Mike Allsup
WERA, CCS, ASRA,
AFM, USGPRU,
MARRC-755; CRA-19;
NESBA, CHAMPION SBC,
NASCAR/Busch Charter
MC; AMA (Life Mbr)
Black Rock Sportbike Racing, LLC
"ThunderDuck" (Don't Ask)
There are the ussual suspects ( Arai, Shoei, Suomy), but I went for Shark S800 last year and I loved it. This is a mid priced model but the top of the line stuff ( RSR2 and RSX ) models should be pretty close to the top in comfort and strenght. Just look at how many GP and WSB racers use them. Check out their website www.shark-helmets.com.
I've been bashing in Suomy's since 2001. I've worn and smashed AGV, Arai, Bieffe, Bell...and Suomy.
I did some work with a team in 2003, and one rider had a tendancy to crash an amount. The Suomy's were great. We could count on that he would come back concious regardless of the walls or things that he hit.
Worth just reading what the BSI standard is all about. Suomy and some other manufacturers use it rather than Snell for the safety of their motorcycle riders.
Linky... http://www.suomy-usa.com/ssafetya.htm
I've been really happy with the fit. The interior is removable, and replaceable with different pieces for a truely custom fit. The racer graphics are busy, but I still like them. They have a shield that is UV resistant and allows water to shed off. I like it more on overcast days to take off the glare...well, it's great in the rain, too.
Hope that gives you some ideas...
The "Best" Road Race helmet is the one that fits... ;)
I went to a Motorcycle Show and tried on all the brands, one after another, and the Helmet that fit my head the best was an Arai...
They are all formed a little different...I were and XL Arai and the fit is awesome...An XL Shoei has a different mold and didn't fit the countours of my head as well as the Arai IMO...
The best thing to do is try them all on...
I tend to beleve that a $500+ Arai is going to crash better than a $100 KBC, not to mention it is going to have better ventalation etc...
SD is right about the BSI Standard...But IMO the best helmet is the one that fits...
;D
I love my Soumy and I crashed hard on the street with a professionally fitted Arai and I prob would have been better off without. I like the Soumy because they are well vented and I really like the visors on them. The graphics are crazy, but that's what makes them fun. Plus to me they are the lightest weight and easiest to move around in. Just my .02
<-- another Suomy fan. The Spec1R just fit my lil' pinhead better than the Shoei, and even the Arai. Even before I crashed my Arai, I wasn't happy with the visor mechanism (pretty cheezy for such a 'spendy' lid)... and crashing in the Shoei gave me a kick-ass headache.
Suomy is destructively batch tested, and if the test helmet fails, the whole batch fails. More importantly, the Suomy is rated to the softer British standard. The problem with Snell rated lids like your Arai is that Snell is a car standard, and a car racer might hit his head on the same rollbar multiple times. Bike racers don't crash that way, so we need a softer helmet that absorbs more G-forces to cushion our brains better.
Not scientific, but I haven't been knocked out since I started crashing in Suomy lids....
I bounced my Arai on the ground 5 or 6 times in my crash at Gingerman last year. Didn't even have a headache. I bought another one! ;)
Theres a big conspiracy with the SNELL requirements .. search for it and your find it ( i cant think of the write up) but baiscally it said the softer/cheaper helmets were better.
My bit is find one that fits correcltly, the good helmet shops will instruct you on how thier supposed to fit.
Personally i do think weight is part of the equation as to wheather your going to have a head injury, so the newer lighter models are much better.
Kimmy !! you comming out to race this year ?
Just because you read it in a glossy magazine does not make it true. Not even close.
Talk to people who have actually crashed at race speeds - slow and fast. Talk to racers who have landed on their heads from 15-20 feet in the air onto asphalt. Talk to racers who have had a bike land on them after a highside or hit by another rider if they crash mid pack. These are things that can happen worst case scenario on the track because THAT is what your helmet needs to protect against.
QuoteTalk to people who have actually crashed at race speeds - slow and fast. Talk to racers who have landed on their heads from 15-20 feet in the air onto asphalt. Talk to racers who have had a bike land on them after a highside or hit by another rider if they crash mid pack. These are things that can happen worst case scenario on the track because THAT is what your helmet needs to protect against.
Uh, I'm in!
Hey Stevie!!! :D
I'll be 'up on the bridge' again this year. I doubt I could squeeze into my leathers right now even if I had the extra $.
Should have my act together for '07 tho - ain't gonna quit til' I git white plates MUAHAHAHHA!