Does an 'ideal' DOT Helmet even exist?

[talldude]

Hey ya'll.

After doing some research and reading the article from Motorcyclist magazine about the helmets, I've decided I want a DOT helmet.

My wishlist is:

DOT approved,
Comfortable
Excellent Ventilation
Quiet

I read a review on the Z1R helmet mentioned in the article and it sounded like it didn't live up to my comfort and ventilation requirements.

So do any of you use a DOT helmet that meets the above standards? I do realize that it comes down to trying them on but I'm hoping for some advice that will point me in the right direction. It seems like the majority of helmets with advanced features are also Snell certified.

Thanks.

[jonnythan]

... Is there something wrong with Snell certification? The vast majority of full face helmets out there have both DOT and Snell certifications.

That Motorcyclist article concluded that Snell is not necessarily better than DOT, and that DOT-only may have an advantage in certain circumstances. But the overall message was that all helmets, even non-Snell helmets, were quite capable of protecting your head.

[Sev]

Ventilation and quiet are two opposed variables. Too be good in one you must be poor in the other.

Ventilation requires that air move through the helmet, while a quiet ride requires exactly the opposite.

[talldude]

That Motorcyclist article concluded that Snell is not necessarily better than DOT, and that DOT-only may have an advantage in certain circumstances. But the overall message was that all helmets, even non-Snell helmets, were quite capable of protecting your head.

Well, the way I read it was that the DOT only helmets transfered significantly fewer Gs to your head in a crash which is what I'd prefer. They did note though that the Snell certified helmets transfered significantly fewer Gs than the max allowed for the standard of 300. All except three came in at under 200Gs.

Ventilation and quiet are two opposed variables. Too be good in one you must be poor in the other.

Is this true even if you close the vents?

[Lion_Lady]

Ventilation and quiet are two opposed variables. Too be good in one you must be poor in the other.

Is this true even if you close the vents?

YUP. The vents covers stick out and disturb the smooth profile of the helmet. Wind moving over the bumps makes noise.

P

[halouis]

i like my Z1R full face just fine. it got very good safety ratings. the vents seem fine to me. i've ridden on some humid foggy nights with the vents open and the face shield stays clear when i'm riding.

make sure if you're buying a helmet to try on as many as you can and really take your time. i've got a big head. i really thought XL would be my size, but after spending a lot of time between the Lg and XL. trying both on. walking around the shop with them. shaking my head up and down left and right, i decided on the LG as the right size. and have been happy.

LASTLY. i'm a very claustrophobic. i always thought i'd never be able to wear a fullface. but i have no problems whatsoever.

[talldude]

Thanks for letting us know Hal.

I'm going to a shop tomorrow and will try them on and see how they fit.

I'm also going to try out the flip up helmets since I think most of them are only DOT approved and I wear glasses. My only concern with them is how they would hold up in a crash.

[halouis]

i wear glasses too. it's definitely a bit of a pain to put them on, but you just have to get used to the order. it's 2nd nature to me now.

glasses off -> flip face shield up -> put on helmet -> put glasses on -> flip down shield and go.

reverse when taking it off.

i do like the idea of those fliphelmets, but i too was worried about how safe they were. let us know what you decide.

[talldude]

i do like the idea of those fliphelmets, but i too was worried about how safe they were. let us know what you decide.

Well, just got back from 3 shops and trying on a lot of helmets and boots. I looked at and tried on several of the modular helmets. Some of them inspired zero confidence. For example the KBC one that had an imprint on the helmet that said "This does not protect against chin injury". Not sure if that is word for word but its damn close.

Looking at the locking/unlocking mechanisms on the Nolan & Shoei lids were much more confidence inspiring. They both required that you push up on a bottom button which then pushes a top button which you then squeeze together and lift up. Pretty cool. That way you wouldn't need to worry about it being pushed up because the button on the bottom was pressed during a crash.

The funny thing is that I had gotten so used to putting on my glasses through the face shield by the time I checked out the modulars, that I was still putting them on the same way! I did try using the lift up part to put the glasses on. It just wasn't that big a deal to me. I still had to 'thread' my glasses on either side of my head where the helmet was so I don't see the point (for myself) of using a modular with all my unanswered questions.

After all the helmet 'try ons' I'm left with many fit questions. Gonna ask them in the helmet size sticky though.

[Somemonkey]

I'm also in the market for a new helmet. From talking to the instructors at the MSF, they suggest buying a snell and DOT rated helmet.




1976 Honda CB550