Full Face for beginner

jimmurt

Hi,

I wanted some advice on buying a new helmet.

I'm in the process of buying a 125 and am now looking at helmets.

I want to get a full face, something medium price range. Budget is around €250 to €300. I'm a Intermediate Oval head shape and since I live in Spain will be looking for something light and with good ventilation.

Thanks

Carlosthejakal

The best thing to do is go to to a big bike shop and try on as many as you can. It's like buying clothes even though they are labeled the same size we are all different. Arai don't suit me but my mate swears by them

Then once you find one that fits pick a colour if your fussy.

jimmurt

Carlosthejakal wrote: »

The best thing to do is go to to a big bike shop and try on as many as you can. It's like buying clothes even though they are labeled the same size we are all different. Arai don't suit me but my mate swears by them

Then once you find one that fits pick a colour if your fussy.

Yeah I was going to do that but wanted an idea of what I wanted in terms of features before I went in. Also if I narrowed it down to a few helmets from different manufacturers I could check the size guides and reviews and have an idea of size as well.

There's a few accessory stores nearby but I want to walk in a bit more informed that I am now.

I'm reading reviews online but good to get some here too

Paulw

Sizes can vary greatly from brand to brand, and even from style to style. I wear a large Shoei Neotec (flip lid), but tried a different brand once (not sure what it was) and found a medium was slightly large on me.

Definitely go to a store or two. Try on different makes/models/styles.

As for features - pinlock is brilliant, some have built in sun visors, but more important is the safety and comfort of the helmet. Weight, noise levels and ventilation is important.

Lumen

I got a Shark with an integrated sun visor. That feature is dead handy.

I have pinlock but it seems a bit pointless. On my last helmet I just cracked the visor open a notch.

Hotblack Desiato

Pinlock or similar is pretty much essential for urban riding in winter, unless you like holding your breath at traffic lights... Fogging may not be an issue in Spain!

Gremlinertia

Based in Spain i would say ventilation and a sun visor would be things to look at firstly, also because you're going to spend up on 250-300 perhaps think about the interior of the helmet, would some of the padding be removable so you could wash/freshen it up.. I'm a big fan of pinlock too.

Cienciano

Gremlinertia wrote: »

Based in Spain i would say ventilation and a sun visor would be things to look at firstly, also because you're going to spend up on 250-300 perhaps think about the interior of the helmet, would some of the padding be removable so you could wash/freshen it up.. I'm a big fan of pinlock too.

I'd agree with gremlin here. Internal visor is vital in Ireland, probably essential in spain. Removable padding is handy too, a helmet is awkward as fúck to wash properly, being able to throw the lining into the washing machine would be nice.
Pinlock is a sort of double glazing on the visor, it prevents fogging up in cold or rainy weather, probably not to important in spain.
Personally, I'd go with a flip up style of helmet.
http://www.fc-moto.de/Airoh-Phantom-Flip-Up
Just an example of one, it's handy in hot weather to be able to open it if you stop for a minute or are driving slow or in heavy traffic, especially if it's warm.

KonFusion

I've a Shark S900. Great lid, 4 stars on the SHARP system.

This is the one http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/237398

Ventilation is very poor though FYI.

jimmurt

Thanks for all the answers.

If pinlock is a feature on a helmet I like then great but since I´m in Spain then it´s probably not a show stopper.

I was looking at some helmets with the dropdown visor. This is probably a stupid question but could you not just use shades inside the fullface rather than the extra cost of buying a helmet with one?

I don´t think I´d be popping them on and off every 5 minutes so I probably do not need something as integrated as a dropdown visor.

Lumen

jimmurt wrote: »

I was looking at some helmets with the dropdown visor. This is probably a stupid question but could you not just use shades inside the fullface rather than the extra cost of buying a helmet with one?

I don´t think I´d be popping them on and off every 5 minutes so I probably do not need something as integrated as a dropdown visor.

Yes, you can use shades inside a full face, but you can't sit on an integrated visor or accidentally leave it at home. Also, it's easy to flip the integrated visor up and down while riding along at speed (e.g. going through a tunnel). That would be trickier with sunglasses.

amacca

re: wearing sunglasses inside a full face.

I've found it a pain..... literally. A proper fit in a helmet is quite snug, the handles which hold the glasses on (forgotten their correct name) get pressed into the side of the head leading to pressure pains in front of and behind the ears where they make contact

Also a pain to adjust as they tended to either ride up so they hovered above the bridge of the nose or get dragged back tight against the face so your eyelashes brush uncomfortably off the lenses.

I'd look carefully at the design of the handles or the helmet before expecting this to work without a hitch. Where I mostly see people doing this is in cafe racer style bike brochures with half face helmets or that david beckham travel documentary where they look like they came straight out of the bonneville promotional brochure.

I used to use a tinted visor but swapping it out was a pain (in this country at least where conditions are so variable)

Integrated visor well worth it if you don't want the above hassle imo

And regardless of the conditions I've found pinlock to be essential compared to the leaving the visor open a bit, put a bit of washing up liquid on the inside crack that came before....well worth the 20/30 euro or so. but then again maybe I expel a lot more hot air than most.

Hotblack Desiato

I wear glasses and sunglasses of various shapes and sizes and have never found any of them a problem when wearing a lid. That said, I'd still bring the lid when buying the glasses, and vice versa

Not much chance of getting a prescription internal visor :pac:

rock22

jimmurt wrote: »

Thanks for all the answers.

If pinlock is a feature on a helmet I like then great but since I´m in Spain then it´s probably not a show stopper.

I was looking at some helmets with the dropdown visor. This is probably a stupid question but could you not just use shades inside the fullface rather than the extra cost of buying a helmet with one?

I don´t think I´d be popping them on and off every 5 minutes so I probably do not need something as integrated as a dropdown visor.

Even without going through a tunnel, the light can change significantly with shade from trees or buildings. You can flip up the sun visor but you cant take off the glasses safely.
I have ridden in Spain, italy etc. and in the summer i can assure that if you enter a narea which is darker/shadded you weill need to flip up the viro much more often than every five minutes. You might suddenly have little vision.
And, has it is now a common feature, you might not be paying extra for it.

I will reiterate the advice you have been given, go to a local shop and see what you like and feels comfortable.

CJhaughey

I like open face lids, yeah I know they aren't as safe as full face but they are much nicer to wear.
I opted for a Nolan N43 Air, has integrated sunshade, full length visor and a removable chin piece if you don't like the open face look.
Ventilation is very good on it and it comes pinlock ready as well.

Hotblack Desiato

rock22 wrote: »

Even without going through a tunnel, the light can change significantly with shade from trees or buildings. You can flip up the sun visor but you cant take off the glasses safely.
I have ridden in Spain, italy etc. and in the summer i can assure that if you enter a narea which is darker/shadded you weill need to flip up the viro much more often than every five minutes. You might suddenly have little vision.

That's defintely a feature I'm hoping my next lid will have, but I've managed OK with sunglasses on going through tunnels in Italy, Spain etc. but wearing light/medium tinted sunnies rather than very dark. The important thing is to have UV protection, once you have that it's perfectly safe for your eyes to adjust to bright light, so light or medium tints give you the ability to see in dimmer conditions while maintaining protection in bright conditions. In many countries it's the law to turn your headlights on in tunnels because most drivers wear sunglasses anyway and aren't expected to take them off for tunnels which may be 50 or 100m long...

jimmurt

I've been down to a few shops near my house and also read a lot of online reviews and youtube clips.

The helmet I've zero'ed in on at the moment is the HJC RPHA ST which is basically the RPHA 10 with the Sun Visor. Listening to the advice here and in the shops, this is essential here in Spain.

It also has the Pin lock in the box has a lot of other good features (good ventilation, lightweight, comfortable interior etc.). It's also more suited to intermediate head shapes than round which suits me. I've tried a small and it's quite snug.

Of the 3 shops I saw the lid the price is quite variable due to different graphics etc. but one of them has discounts on all helmets at the moment and there is one for €300 (or close to that if I remember correctly).

I'm going to go down there again next week to try it on again and check the price but I think I'm happy with this one.

Anyone here own an RPHA series helmet or tried one?