Well, as the title states, what kind of helmets are you all wearing to keep that money maker safe? I am now wearing a Bell Race Star with a Sena 20s hooked up. I like the helmet, although I must say, its not all its cracked up to be. First the good:

- The comfort of this helmet is amazing, it fit my head perfectly (size medium). Its snug and doesn't have any pressure points at all. It slides on over the noodle with ease and sits right the first time without having to adjust or seat it correctly on my head. The breath guard doesn't hit the tip of my nose or put any funky pressure on my cheeks at all. I give it a 3/5 and Ill get to why shortly.

- This helmet also doesn't seem to fog up at night or early morning like my previous helmets have in the past.

- The visor on the only has two points that it locks, if you will, into place - all the way up, or all the way down. Theres no positive clicks in the middle, its either open or closed, although it is able to be cracked when down to let some airflow in. This is nice because when its up, its up, and it stays there. Freeways at 90 behind a JD Customs fairing with a 12" and 14" shield it stays up and doesn't rattle around or want to drop down on its own.

- Removing the visor is cake, the easiest Ive ever encountered. I can't really explain it but you literally push a button and it comes off. Then jus click the new one into place.

- Its not too heavy or too light. I like a little weight to my stuff, gives me the feeling of quality. This being carbon fiber is just right, my head doesn't get fatigued on long rides which is a big thing, obviously. It also doesn't seem to want to break your neck when turning your head from side to side when going down the road.

- I absolutely love that the chin strap has a magnet on it so you don't have to tuck and fold it all weird to get it to fold away. It just folds through the D rings like all others and than folds back and snaps in almost second nature now. The check pads are also held in by magnets which is hand for removal.


Now for the bad:

- As stated above, I give it a 3/5 for two reasons. Number 1 being that I have a Sena 20s installed and there is no pocket for the speakers to sit in. Ive tried multiple positions to get around this but Its just not possible. I have friends who have different model Senas with the same helmet and have no problems whatsoever. They are just there and then touch the tops on my ears and that drives me nuts! and that leads me to my second issue being that I cannot wear glasses with this helmet. I have some thin framed Oakleys and even those dig into my head and annoy me after about half hour of riding. Also, I think the speaker putting pressure on my ears and pushing them into my head might have something to do with this. I run a clear visor for now as I commute to work when its dark in the mornings and leave in the afternoon. Im waiting for the photocromatic transition shield to come out for this particular helmet, so hopefully that will solve my issue.

- The top air intake vent and rear exhaust vent seem to do absolutely nothing for air flow. I will say that this helmet doesn't get too hot, but I still like some air flow to my head and that just doesn't happen.

- This helmet also is not as quiet as I expected. In watching reviews from various distributors selling the lid, it was expected to be one of the quietest helmets out there, well that just simply isn't the case. I came from an Arai Signet-Q that was much much quieter than this. It even has a neck roll and chin cover to aid in this, but the seems to do nothing as well.

All in all I like this Race Star. Im eager to get the transitions visor and enjoy it without sunglasses, even though Ill probably still need them because those never get dark enough. Would I buy it again..eehh probably not, unless I got a damn good hook up again. Luckily I didn't pay full retail ($700.00) so Im not upset about it at all. Im more disappointed that everyone, and I mean everyone, I talked to about this helmet made it sound like a total game changer. It isn't at all, sorry. I came from an Arai that I loved dearly which was compromised by our wonderful Southern California drivers and sh*tty asphalt. Before that was a Simpson Outlaw Bandit that was manufactured in the last year and that was total dog sh*t. I don't even want to go into how much that helmet sucked. Before that was an older Simpson Outlaw that was purchased in 2012 and that one was great, it didn't have any of the problems the newer one did. Unfortunately that was also compromised by the windshield on a corolla, but it saved my head and I still have it hanging on the wall for that reason.

Lets hear what you guys and gals have and why you love it or hate it. Ill honestly probably end up moving on to another Arai in the near future.

 

arai all the way for full face. Best liners for heat and they are also removable, never fogs with great ventilation and they look so damn sexy. The middle one is from japan special order. Also light in weight so its easy on the neck and great peripheral views when looking left and right which are a big plus for me for safety. Worth every dollar.

Also rocking a half helmet, HD. Not too light on coverage, very comfy, great for shorter rides around town but still dot certified. One of their more expensive half helmets.Obviously not as safe as a full face. Also has good venting and a soft durable liner.

 

Years ago, when we started to do longer tours farther from home, I made the switch to a Nolan modular.
Now riding with a Schuberth modular; comfortable, light, quiet, excellent peripheral vision and saves the face from the wind seared leather hide look.
Also works well in a crash, as I found out...

 

Oh and regards to noise.... mine are all noisy. Doesn't bother me...I always wear ear plugs when I ride. I don't want to be deaf when I'm 60. One of the better habits I always recommend regardless what helmet you wear. Wind noise can easily exceed over 85db , and the longer you ride, the higher chance of long term hearing loss over time.

 

Earplugs, so you cant hear **** going on around you!

 

i have an icon full face and a 3/4 helmet for hotter days.

 

I wore a Akoury AK88 for years but switched to a Shoei GT-AIR. It's an outstanding helmet. Journey TC-5

http://www.shoei-helmets.com/helmets/gt-air.html

 

ear plugs don't remove sound completely. It lowers the loudness of your surrounding area. I can still hear most things including my fellow riders at a red light.

most loud occupations wear ear plugs. It doesn't mean your deaf from all noise. Try it for a week. You'd be surprised. It also will save yourself from developing Tinnitus in the future. Safety first.

Dr. Bigbadpoppa

 

shoei gt air is a great helmet. Arai defiant is also a similar choice for non race helmets made for more up right riding position.

 

Shoei X14. Love it. You can never go wrong with a top end Shoei or Arai.