Rate your helmets

17308 Views 39 Replies 34 Participants Last post by gruntled, Dec 22, 2013

Red Herring

Discussion Starter · May 27, 2006

I have the HJC Cl33 ( http://www.hjchelmets.com/cl33.htm ), and absolutely love it.

It fits well, has great visibility, it's quiet, and does nicely in the wind.

I also tried a Bell Mag8, and did not like it nearly as much. The visor cut off some visability, and the face shield does not come down as far, which keeps rain out.

I would highly recommend this one if you are looking for anything less than a full face!

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gpsnut2003

· #2 · May 27, 2006

Good idea.....

i have 2 helmets. both full face. and one is better than the other.

one is a HJC Kast CL14, and it's probably the most comfortable helmet that i have ever owned, it's a bit high on the wind noise but.
im also not a big fan of the attachment method that HJC uses for their helmet visors. i have broken mine once when trying to fit a tinted visor.

luckily there are spare parts avalible for the HJC range.
it took so much effort to put the tinted visor on, that i now just leave it on, and have not put the clear one back on. if i have to ride home in the night, i just leave the visor up, and live with the cold wind blast.

the other one is a CMS hemlet, it was replaced for no particular reason other than the fact that my dealer gave me the HJC free when i bought my Maj.

the CMS is noisier and less comfy than the HJC.

the differences in these two lids can be represented when you compare thier respective prices.

CMS = $189 AU
HJC = $299 AU

my next lid will most likely be a Shoei, or Arai. might even consider one of those flip front ones.

the downside to a really good lid like a Shoei or Arai, is that prices start from about $600+ AU

jason.

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Robert Colley

· #3 · May 27, 2006

I also have 2 helmets A Nolan N100E Modular on sale for $135.00 that I like when I'm on my bike but the wind buffs it around when I'm on the scooter. So for my scooter I picked up a Nitro NT100 color matched and high tech style goes with the better looking Galaxy Blue majesty for $79.99. The helmet is very light and vis is great other than a little wind noise it is perfect for me.
Rob

Bobb

· #4 · May 28, 2006

I'm on my third Nolan N100. It's light, cheap and comfortable. A bit noisy as modulars tend to be but I never ride without earplugs.

For my riding [long distance] you can't beat the convenience of a flip up for eating, smoking, taking etc.

goodideadave

· #5 · May 30, 2006

My bride and I both have Scorpion EXO-700, which we got for around $164 at a local shop. We also sprung for the smoked visors for very sunny days, which, since this is California, is most of them. Very happy with them, good in the rain, not too noisy. We both have hearing protection.

myhrdly

· #6 · May 30, 2006

I have the Scorpion EXO-400. I also sprung for the tinted visor!! It's great! At 5am it's a bit dark so I have the clear shield on, then in the afternoon switch to the dark tint!! No need for sunglasses! I agree with the above about the wind and rain!! In fact I was very impressed on how the rain just rolled off!! Coarse I only got caught in a light rain once so can't say for sure in a down pour!!!!!!!!

Scoot Magazine did a report on several helmets and the Scorpion 700 was rated the best! I couldn't find a 700 in my size so seeing that the only difference in the 700 and 400 was the material it was made of, I bought the 400!!

All in all I love it!

I give it a 10!!

gpsnut2003

· #7 · May 30, 2006

http://proracer.com.au/shop/productview.php?id=43&PHPSESSID=08cea9b37b7d140e01378975f3ccfd82

what do you guys and girls think about this one.

it's a hjc symax flip front unit. i yried one on today at my dealers, and found it to fit very nicely. im thinking about one for my next lid.

anyone here have one ? what are your thought's ?

jason

outZider

· #8 · May 30, 2006

I have the CL-MAX: http://www.hjchelmets.com/clmax.htm

I like the flip face. I was originally going to get a less expensive helmet when I purchased this scoot, but it fit so well and was so convenient that I had to have it, and bought one for my wife, too.

llcj2112

· #9 · May 30, 2006

I also have a CL-Max helmet and it fits me comfortably. A friend - who has a Nolan flip face - tells me it isn't as good as his because the latch mechanism is plastic, not metal. I hope never have to put it to the test.

Ride safe,

Larry

outZider said:
I have the CL-MAX: http://www.hjchelmets.com/clmax.htm

I like the flip face. I was originally going to get a less expensive helmet when I purchased this scoot, but it fit so well and was so convenient that I had to have it, and bought one for my wife, too.

Ishabaka

· #10 · Jun 17, 2006

This may be a dumb question but are the flip-face helmets proven to provide as much protection as a full-face helmet? They look nice but I have always been worried about the latch mechanism failing with a hard hit.

Blue_TMax

· #11 · Jul 26, 2006

gpsnut2003 said:
http://proracer.com.au/shop/productview.php?id=43&PHPSESSID=08cea9b37b7d140e01378975f3ccfd82
what do you guys and girls think about this one.
it's a hjc symax flip front unit. i yried one on today at my dealers, and found it to fit very nicely. im thinking about one for my next lid.
anyone here have one ? what are your thought's ?jason

Hi Jason, have you seen the new Nolan flip face? I think it is called an N102 and goes for AU$399, a lot cheaper than the HJC.

Tried one on yesterday and found it to be very comfortable but they only had my size in grey so didn't purchase.

Blue_TMax

· #12 · Jul 26, 2006

Ishabaka said:
This may be a dumb question but are the flip-face helmets proven to provide as much protection as a full-face helmet? They look nice but I have always been worried about the latch mechanism failing with a hard hit.

Actually that is an interesting question.

The chin piece on a full face helmet does indeed protect your face - however it is also responsible for damaging your neck in certain circumstances. There has been a lot of publicity lately about KTM and BMW developing a neck piece to protect the upper spine, similar to what F1 drivers use.

I understand that in Australia there is no standard for the chin piece, in fact they cut the chin piece off when they test the helmet. Apparently they cut it off because it gets in the way of the helmet tests.

Personally I find that to be quite odd.

As for the chin piece latch failing I would suspect that the company would be very worried about being sued so would make sure the design was absolutely fool proof both in use and in an accident.

gpsnut2003

· #13 · Jul 26, 2006

Blue_TMax said:
have you seen the new Nolan flip face? I think it is called an N102 and goes for AU$399, a lot cheaper than the HJC.

i looked at the nolan N102, and found that compared to the HJC one, it was a lot more "flimsy" feeling in the flip mechanism.
the nolan one had a lot more movement (sideways) when in the raised position.

it just didnt give me the impression that it would be long lasting.

and since i looked at the flip front units, i have moved on, and my next helmet will be the one from Reevu, that is as soon as it's released here in oz. can't wait.

i would import one now, (even at the current asking price of about $700AU)
but i would be worried that if i got pulled over, and the cops noticed that it didn't have the ADR sticker on it, i would get a fine.

http://www.reevu.com

jason

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Black Sheep

· #14 · Jul 26, 2006

I also have the HJC CL-Max flip front helmet. But I have only flipped the front once or twice. When I get a new helmet, I'm just going to get a full face without the flip front. I thought it would be convenient having the front open up, but I haven't used the feature enough to see the benefit. Besides, it's noisy as hell and I think a standard helmet would be quieter.

Jason, did you really have that much trouble with your tinted visor? The CL-Max and CL-14 use the same visor and it just took me a few times to get the method down. Now I can change from dark to clear in 15 seconds! My problem was I kept trying to wedge the clips in. But it turns out that if you just push towards the back it snaps right in.

gpsnut2003

· #15 · Jul 26, 2006

Black Sheep said:
Jason, did you really have that much trouble with your tinted visor? The CL-Max and CL-14 use the same visor and it just took me a few times to get the method down. Now I can change from dark to clear in 15 seconds! My problem was I kept trying to wedge the clips in. But it turns out that if you just push towards the back it snaps right in.

yep, sure did. i just leave the tinted one on now.even at night. i just ride with the visor up.

jason

drjcl

· #16 · Jul 27, 2006

I have a silver Nolan N-102, it is great, and matches my majesty perfectly.

sanford12

· #17 · Jul 27, 2006

HJC CL-SP flat back works great with my height 5'10" no buffeting

spirilis

· #18 · Jul 27, 2006

good to know, I don't have my Maj yet but I bought the HJC CL-SP white and I'm 5'11"

bigbw

· #19 · Jul 27, 2006

I just replaced my original vega that I got when I bought the Maj with a Shoei RF1000.. I can't believe the difference, all those vents aren't just for show and it is much quieter..

Blexcroid

· #20 · Jul 28, 2006

Ishabaka said:
This may be a dumb question but are the flip-face helmets proven to provide as much protection as a full-face helmet? They look nice but I have always been worried about the latch mechanism failing with a hard hit.

Although Snell will not certify ANY flip face (modular)helmets at this time, ALL modular helmets are DOT approved.

I just bought my second Schuberth modular this past weekend. (My first one is RIP) Although it costs $500, it is the best fitting helmet and most comfortable helmet that I have owned. The built-in, flip-down sunshield is a HUGE feature.

When I had my accident in December, I took a direct hit on the side of the helmet. The clear visor was mangled, but the helmet maintained its integrity and the joint did not break. 8) I know I got what I paid for-- protection!

I am planning to take the old helmet and saw it in half at the impact point to use as a demo for what happens internally to helmets when dropped or in an accident.

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