HJC Helmet bought:)

CL Max flip design I bought has done me very well, the first two months wearing it. Its breaking in very nicely and I cannot help but wonder WHY I spent so much before on Arai and Shoei and BMW helmets! The CL Max went for 154$ and I had my doubts but "NO" more....I tried it out and its a fine wearing rig. I do not have the electrics, that many have been opting for in their new fangled helmets, like Blue Tooth, etcetc, but I'm not likely to need that stuff either, as I ride to GET AWAY from that. Why so many are buying gadgets in their helmets is beyond me. Anyhow, don't let the cheaper priced HJC, Scorpions and others scare you into thinking its(they) are junk helmets, because its far from that and I rode with the "so called" best helmets before. Randy PS; those Chinese are pesky little entreprenuers and getting into everything, including our m/cs by BMW....It figures, as a major player today and in many years past now, the Far Eastern block would catch up. My new HJC is made there and probably half of my previous ones too. We cannot avoid it and we had better learn to compete. Sorry for the political entre! Randy

A friend needed a new helmet and opted for the HJC FS-15 Carbon. You might expect that a carbon fiber helmet would be pushing $1k -- all of the ones I've seen are. But the HJC is a $400 helmet. It's Snell rated, and amazingly light to wear. I bought an expensive Shoei X-11 to get a very lightweight helmet, but the HJC is significantly lighter. Hmmm, I will have to look into this when I need to replace mine.

Cl-15

I've had my HJC CL-15 for a few months now as well and I love it. It's very comfortable and fits my fat head. I wear an XXL and my huge jaw and cheeks fit in it a bit snug, but it's still comfortable enough for a 10 hour riding day. It isn't the flip-up model, but if you're looking for an inexpensive helmet, it's pretty badass.

A few years ago, Motorcyclist magazine ran a major article on helmets, that really stirred things up.

One of the best helmets they tested was one priced at about $110 from Parts Source.

I rode with an HJC for years, and it worked just fine. I think the more expensive ones just have more features.

New SHARP Ratings

There are British (Euro ) ratings called SHARP that reveal much about less expensive helmets. I am one who likes to save money, or spend wisely. I am a returning student and stay at home dad at 46. I have very little excess capital for farkles.
I was wearing a KBC Force RR that came with my wife's bike. It fit well and had a nice finish-However, it was noisy a hell and it's SHARP rating is a 1 out of 5. I looked far and wide and ended up with an AGV Miglia flip face that I really like. I sprang for the additional tinted visor as well and it was still under $165 (incl. shipping). The company is Italian and has been around for a long time. The SHARP rating is a 4.
There are less expensive helmets out there, it just takes a little research. The same goes for gear, parts and other equipment. I never intend to be a whore for the marque or pay extra for a label. I understand wanting top quality, but there is some gear out there that is terribly overpriced. I won't knock anybody that wants to pay high dollars, but it won't be me.