Total Motorcycle Community Forums

So..

Question is, how much of a difference is there between that $100 HJC (or any other 'low cost' brand helmet) vs the $300+ helmets?

Are you paying for fancier paint? Quieter material? Or just the name?

Anyone know of a good place to find actual crash test/impact demo info between brands?

I think it's a little of everything. Arai makes a good helmet. The first one I got was an Arai. Then I had an accident and I had to replace my helmet. I didn't want to spend the $350 bucks the second time around. So I did a lot of shopping. I found that in some of the lower end helmets the quality of the materials was not as good as the Arai or a Shoei but I feel like they will protect your head just as well. If you get a helmet with a Snell rating it should offer just about the same protection as any other Snell rated helmet. The big thing that I noticed when shopping for less expensive helmets was the material that meets with your face wasn't as nice on the some of the lower cost helmets as my Arai. I also found the venting wasn't as extensive in the lower cost helmets which could be bad if you live in a hot climate. You could also have more issues with fogging on the visor with less ventilation.

The number one most important thing when selecting a helmet over all other things is does the helmet fit good? Is it comfortable on your head? If it leaves any red marks from pressure points keep shopping. The best thing you can do is find a helmet that is comfortable and get it regardless of cost.

I ended up with a Nolan X-Lite helmet that is great, just as good as my Arai and quieter because of the visor design. I ended up paying $99 for it! I got it online but only after I had tried one on in a local store. By the way the bike shop wanted over $300 for the very same helmet. I spent a few weeks searching for this deal and there are others out there if you're willing to take the time to look for them.

Pick up the latest issue of Motorcyclist. there is a very good independent test of helmets comparing the various safety standards (DOT, Snell, ECE, etc) and how well they protect your noggin.

The results might surprise you.

You can't really go wrong with a DOT approved helmet. Higher price generally means you're getting the name, with maybe some improvements in weight, venting, and features.

if the helmet fits, buy it.

If you take the time to read through all this, (a bit of a pain - the files toward the end (last 6) are easier to read) http://home.comcast.net/~gbowersjr/BlowingTheLidOff.htm You will note that the DOT helmets compare surprisingly well with the more expensive ones and in certain cases, could actually be better.

Works for me.

For the money, the scorpion EXO-400 is a nice helmet, $130 MSRP... I've got the EXO-700 and the venting and padding material are very nice.

I'll second the motion for the Scorpion. Top quality at a very good price. I got my EXO-400 for $130 (including shipping) from helmetharbor.com. I had a $80 Vega before (not a bad helmet for the $) and the difference is like night and day.

i have a shoei and the vent system sucks compared to my icon helmet that cost alot less. i dont like the high end helmets cause it seems you really are only paying for the color scheme, they offer the solid colors for less but not that much less cause they know youll just go have it painted ha

is there a better helmet for longer heads? a little background...every helmet i try is just a little to tight forehead to back...after about 4 hours of riding, mine started to give me a little bit of a hot spot just above my hairline...i took a break for a bit...then soon enough just went home...with just a little irritation...

For a more oval fit instead of round, try a KBC helmet Model VR-1. Like yourself, I had a lot of trouble finding a helmet that fit well and comfortably, until I found my KBC.
The KBC costs a little over $300. CDN.

I got a black one and then I put some reflective decals on it. The decals I got are black so they don't show in the daytime, but they sure light up at night when light hits them.
Decals are available in quite a variety of shapes and colours, so if a person does not want to pay for graphics, decals could be applied.

http://www.helmetworld.com/%20kbcvr1solidcolors.htm

OK, that's the last edit. I can't seem to get the link to work.

I like my $85 HJC cs-10. It's lightweight, quiet, comfy, cool, and the dark visor went right on and really cuts the sun. Too dark for riding rural roads at night, though. Okay in city night traffic.