• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Helmet brands - advice wanted

merrittgene

2006 K1200GT, 1986 K100
I'm looking for a new helmet.

Of course, fit is everything, but I think I'm looking at either a Schuberth C3 or Arai Vector 2. (I've always had Shoei before, and I've never been fully happy with the fit and noise level. I don't think I have a Shoei head.)

So, knowing that opinions are like elbows (everyone has two), I'm looking for helmet recommendations from other riders.

(I wear a normal-ish Large, and ride 10K-12K miles a year. I'll certainly add an intercom to the helmet...either my old Autocom, or move to a Scala G2)

What do you have, what do you wish you had?

What do you like/what do you hate?

If cost were not a factor, would you choose differently?
 
These guys do the best fitting out there:

http://www.theservicepavilion.com/

Find out when they will be close to you & go see them. The young lady not only started by measuring my head, she judged my shape & picked the helmet that she thought would be the best match for my shape. Then, she inserted & removed pads enough times that I got a perfect fit around the crown of my head. After perfecting the crown fit, she moved on to the cheek pads & fit those perfectly. Just to be sure we had the correct shape, we tried another one on & verified that it did not fit better.

All this is included in the purchase price. They price the helmets 10% below retail I think, with custom fitting being part of the deal. If they have what you want in stock, you take it with you, if not, they take your payment & ship it out when they return to base. In my case, I wanted the newest color out there & had to wait a few weeks for it to come off the boat. It was barely out there when I got mine.

I saw them at the International MC show in San Mateo. They were also at the Rally in Redmond.

Now, I also saw Shuberth at the MC show. I found the guy who seemed to know the most & all he could do for me was go larger & larger until the dang thing sat on the top of my head... I'm a very long oval shape & that made the helmet dangeroulsy loose on the sides. I told him if he could custom fit me, I was laying cash out right there, but no dice. I really wanted the features in their helmet, but a fit was not to be had.

Service Pavillion got my money & have a VERY happy customer. No more sore spot on my forehead after riding! :clap
 
I didn't get the level of service that JStrube did with TSP, but they do a good job. My experience is to generally expect to have the helmet shipped.

I am also a long oval and wear the Arai Profile. I originally thought I wore an XL, but at the motorcycle show in Dallas, the Arai rep said I wore a large, and proved it. So at the TSP booth, the TSP rep tried lots of helmets, and ended up agreeing with the Arai rep. TSP also has a trade in program, which doesn't add up to much money saved, but it is better than an over-sized paper weight.

Even with all that attention, the wind noise remains substantial, and I am hard of hearing. So I currently wear a pair of Big Ear headphones/ear plugs, but am waiting for them to plug up with "micro fine ear wax" again and will be trying Arizona Al's headphones/ear plugs next, as I understand his design doesn't allow for ear wax preventing use of the headphones.

Good luck, and let's hear what you end up with.
 
I have an Arai Quantum II and now an RXQ. I am not familiar with the Vector. I can say I love the RXQ. It is much quieter than the QII. The airflow is great, and, it is ducted to hit your temples, not your eyes. My QII hit me in the eyes and gave me dry eye. The airflow in the RXQ is very cooling and well done. The helmet is light, too.

So I am happy with the Arai and would buy another.

I would not buy the pin system for the dark shield again. It is a pain. Just having a separate dark shield that I interchange would be better.
 
Greg, I find my helmet to be pretty noisy too. Earplugs are mandatory for me. That was one reason I was hoping the Shuberth would fit...

My comments are mainly on the fitment of the helmet. I've been to too many shops where they will just pull one off the shelf & see if it fits, not knowing about how it should fit. "how's that?" to me is not a good question. I don't know how many Arai helmets I've tried at local dealerships, not to have ever had one actually fit, along with all the others out there. I never knew about the shapes until the young lady helped me from TSP. Granted it was near the end of the day & there was not a line of customers at the booth.
 
Schuberth C3 without a doubt... best helmet I have had in the past 15 years. If you are going to go intercom, the integrated system is a must. See my comments in other threads:

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=50499&highlight=schuberth

and here:

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=48328&page=2&highlight=schuberth

and check out all of revzillas videos on the helmet for a pretty detailed explanation of the helmet and the SRC comm system.

On fit: I ordered mine from Germany... I am a pretty round head. I took a measuring tape measured my cranium per their instructions, and ordered the size that corresponded. The fit has been perfect, but I know I lucked out since I have a pretty average head shape. If your headshape is something special try it on first. Webbikeworld also has good reviews and explanations about head shape to brand fit.

Cheers!
 
I don't have a perfectly Shoei-shaped head, but their helmets fit me ok. The main reason I continue to buy them, besides reasonable pricing, is that, if and when I need a replacement faceshield, I can go into any shop any where and find it. With a fancier or specialty brand, that's not happening.
 
Don't buy anything until you try it on! I have worn Arai's for years and looked at several different makes, maybe 15 different brands. Schuberth wouldn't even fit on my noggin. Several others fit, but poorly. I would not buy a helmet without trying it on first.
 
Guess I have a Shoie type head. The multitec fits me well.
I now have to buy a new helmet after being run off the road 3 days ago at 50mph by a hit and run van.

Shuberth looks interesting but $300 more than my shoie and no local place area to try one on.
Love the flip down shade inside.
 
The Helmet Shop in Daytona lets you try on helmets before you buy. I have an HJC IS-MAX bought from them last year. The retractable sun shield is a welcome feature that really works and the helmet is well vented a plus in the summer heat.
I wear ear plugs if traveling long distance so noise is not a problem. I ride a 2004 R1200CLC, 2006 HD FSXTI, & 1980 R100RT with a URAL sidecar.
Ride Safe :usa :usa
 
Last edited:
The Helmet Shop in Daytona lets you try on helmets before you buy. I have an HJC IS-MAX bought from them last year. The retractable sun shield is a welcome feature that really works and the helmet is well vented a plus in the summer heat.
I wear ear plugs if traveling long distance so noise is not a problem.
Ride Safe :usa :usa

What bike do you ride and how is the HJC for wind noise? I find that some helmets may be quiet on one bike, but noisy on another because of the difference in fairings and windscreens.
 
The Helmet Shop in Daytona lets you try on helmets before you buy. I have an HJC IS-MAX bought from them last year. The retractable sun shield is a welcome feature that really works and the helmet is well vented a plus in the summer heat.
I wear ear plugs if traveling long distance so noise is not a problem.
Ride Safe :usa :usa

The helmet shop doesn't carry shuberth.
I liked the fit and quiet of the shoei and it has proven itself .....literally to me.
It took 3 rapid impacts in a row deccelerating from 50mph and I didn't feel it.
If the insurance comes thru I'm thinking Crystal White this time.
 
I have a new Nolan NCom-103. It fits my oval dome perfectly. Very comphy despite being a little heavy. It is noisy on my R12RT. If I could quiet it down it would be perfect for me.
 
FWIW I went looking for a new helmet this year. For the last 10 years or so I've had Nolans. Been satisfied with them though they are noisy, but I do have to admit that i threw away the under chin guard which I learned very recently has a significant impact on noise reduction.. Never said I was smart.

At the NYC motorcycle show I checked out the new Schuberth C3 with high expectations. Bottom line I was very dissapointed. The quality is no better than the Nolan, it is lighter but I tried on 3 and none fit well at all. I tried to get the attenttion of a salesperson with no luck. Maybe I missed something in the fitting but I left there think Shuberth is way to many $$$ for the quality.

The Sheo Quest was nice but I have to say I was smitten by the Aria RX-Q. Great fit on the top of the heat and then you adjust cheek pads to get them just right. Very light. A bit more $$ than I hoped but the quality and fit were perfect.


Came how a bought RX-Q...waiting for the two foot of snow and ice to disappear and try it on the road.

If you can live with a full face, the Shoe Quest and Arai RX=Q are worth a look
 
N103 works for me!

I got a Nolan 103 when they first came out. I liked it so much I picked up a new one with a new design at the NYC show. The folks from Cima International that were at the booth were great. I'm giving my old one to the Mrs. The Bluetooth setup works great with my iPhone. I haven't had a chance to set up both helmets to intercom over the Bluetooth.
 
I would highly recommend the Shoei Multitec. I have a whole shelf of different helmets and that is the one I like to ride with. I ride an RT and this helmet is relatively quiet, doesn't whistle in the wind, has a good field of view and I love the flip front for the convenience at stops and to talk to people.
- Good luck
 
I had a BMW System helmet that unfortunately ceased to exist after an unwanted encounter with the local asphalt.
The next helmet is likely going to be another BMW System Helmet (System 6 is the current, I believe). Loved the fit and sound level of the last one.
 
I would highly recommend the Shoei Multitec. I have a whole shelf of different helmets and that is the one I like to ride with. I ride an RT and this helmet is relatively quiet, doesn't whistle in the wind, has a good field of view and I love the flip front for the convenience at stops and to talk to people.
- Good luck

Got my replacement Multitec today, went white. Used a a local shop that is also online.
Got a great savings too. Over $100. :groovy
W/ sales tax too, still cheaper than other onliners or list.
 
Back
Top