Helmet Review

[Damean]

 

Ok. I'm the worlds biggest proponent of "You get what you pay for". That being said, I took a chance. With the money involved, I figured it wouldn't hurt to bad if, well, I got my money's worth. So, I ordered the helmet you see above from an Ebay store( http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...A:IT&ih=002 ). And I have to say, I'm reasonably impressed. It does feel a little plasticish, but the finish isn't to bad. DOT rated, and just as quiet as my Fulmer with it's full face visor. And quite a bit warmer. Make no mistake, you do get a bit of wind noise. OK, a lot of wind noise, but I can't really complain about anything else. And for the "to my door" price of $64.95, I wont try.

 

I am curious, though, for anyone who has a Nolan N-Com or similar style helmet. Is it just the design of the helmet that makes it noisy, or are yours quiet? While it may not be worth an extra $200 for some to cut the wind out of the equation, it probably would be for me. Or, I could just get a bigger wind screen

[Tony_K]

What is the country of origin? I am always curious about this.

[MattP]

Man, I honestly wish you the best. The price of a new helmet is a little outta hand when you get north of about $200, as fas as I'm concerned. BUT, Bell Helmets had a great ad many years ago that read, "Buy a $100 for a $100 head". I'm not saying you have a $64.95 head but you get the point.

 

All I would say is that if that thing gives you any(!) reason to doubt it, go a different route. I hope I never go down at any speed, but if I do, that split second before I hit the ground WON'T be spent wondering if I paid too much for my Shoei X11.

[Damean]

Tony, I have no idea. I would imagine somewhere in SE Asia, but that is a guess.

 

Matt, I'll admit the shear cheapness of it scares me. I'm tempted to throw it against the wall until it breaks, then buy another one if it held up well. But, I guess we'll have to see.

[Mark_Hogan]

I have a Nolan N-com and it is pretty noisy. I assume the noise mostly come from the flip face hinges, plus some from the flip down sun visor. Thing is, I love the sun visor, the flip front, PLUS it is the most comfortable helmet I've ever had, so I can deal with the added noise. Unrelated note: I was riding along the east coast last weekend when what was left of Hurricane Noel was passing by Delaware. I got hit by a crosswind so strong, it popped one side of my visor out. I had to pull over to re-attach. Freaky!

[DonB]

Does it list anywhere who made it?

[Damean]

The helmet says it was made in China.

[Toml]

The ebay link says...

 

"MADE BY EXL SPORTS. EXL IS AN AMERICAN COMPANY THAT SPECIALIZES IN MOTORSPORTS HELMETS AND ACCESSORIES!"

[soboy]

Looks good and the price is right. I don't believe for one second that the ridiculously overpriced fiberglass helmets that a lot of people wear are safer than a polycarbonate helmet that passes DOT standards.

 

Motorcyclist did an extensive testing story on helmets and the ones that did the best job protecting your brain in an impact were the under $100, el cheapo polycarbonate ones that were only DOT approved. The priciest helmets did the worst in their tests. The Z1R, a very cheap helmet, beat them all. Turns out that the stiffer, more expensive fiberglass helmets transmit more g-forces than the el cheapo ones: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/

 

This article is a must read for anyone who rides bikes and values their brain.

[Lawman]

This article is a must read for anyone who rides bikes and values their brain.

 

Isn't that what they call an oxymoron?

[Mike05]

This article is a must read for anyone who rides bikes and values their brain.

 

Isn't that what they call an oxymoron?

 

+1

[HexHead]

All modular helmets will be noisier than a quality full face. However, the difference between my Nolan X-1002 and my Suomy Spec1-R is pretty small.

As for the cheap flip up helmet, even though it's DOT approved, I'd be concerned it uses a plastic latch for the flip up chinbar. Nolan uses metal latches.

[velomoto]

Matt, I'll admit the shear cheapness of it scares me. I'm tempted to throw it against the wall until it breaks, then buy another one if it held up well. But, I guess we'll have to see.

The only way to tell how a helmet will perform is with a test which measures the force transmitted to the user's head. Pretty much any helmet will hold together in a crash - or to put it another way, it doesn't take a room full of PhD's to design a shell which won't break. If OTOH you're looking for a helmet which is quiet yet well vented, light weight yet sturdy, uses quality materials which won't break down quickly over time then you'll need to look to a vendor which does some R&D.

 

Another important consideration is fit - buying a helmet without trying it on may result in a nice shelf ornament. Helmets, like heads, come in different shapes. Sizing across brands is inconsistent - I'm an XL in Shoei but a XXL in Schuberth. A properly fit helmet will be safer and more comfortable. For little more than the no-name helmet on eBay, here's an $80 Bell helmet which one may be able to try on at Walmart: LINKY This helmet may not be any better than the eBay model, but at least one could see if it fits.

[Knifemaker]

This article is a must read for anyone who rides bikes and values their brain.

 

As with any other article of this type I feel it got real political....

 

I will stay with what I have know feels good on my head and what I feel is safe for my brain...and yes this is my Arari. I have to try it on and see how it fits no guessing.

[Lineareagle]

As someone who has gone down at 70mph and took a good wack on the head as they flipped through the air.

I can tell you that I repurchased a $700.00 helmet Shuberth C2.

Now the thing to remember is the insurance company paid for a new helmet no questions, and the Shuberth is the only helmet that fit me perfectly and I like everything about it. So for me it is a no brainer, hmmm.

I know it has passed the most rigorous tests and I know from experience it passed my test, worth every penny.

This is NOT someplace where I am going to try and save a couple bucks. My $.02 CDN thats $.035 US

[velomoto]

My $.02 CDN thats $.035 US

[BigAL]

This is NOT someplace where I am going to try and save a couple bucks. My $.02 CDN thats $.035 US

 

We Hate You.

AL (Who is NOT going to Whistler this year..... )

 

(OK, Maybe I will. I ALWAYS do. )

[RFW]

Motorcyclist did an extensive testing story on helmets and the ones that did the best job protecting your brain in an impact were the under $100, el cheapo polycarbonate ones that were only DOT approved.

There is a simple reason for this. More expensive helmets are usually Snell-approved. The Snell approval requires the helmet to protect against unrealistically high impacts that are almost never encountered in "real" accidents, since the vast majority of impacts are when you fall and tour head hits the pavement. Forward motion as you slide along the roadway does not subject the helmet to any significant stresses at all.

 

The result is that the tougher Snell approval needs stiffer internal "padding" that tansmits more moderate-level impact (of the sort that DOES exist in "real" accidents) to the head. This is why many experts think the DOT approval requirements are more realistic for the overwhelming proportion of accidents.

[BigAL]

Ok, here's what I found. Not much.

 

There's no EXL passing the DOT tests in 2004, -05 or -06. There's a record of a NexL helmet failing compliance testing in 2001, -02 and -03. Could this be the same company ?

DOT testing

There IS a record of SNELL compliance of an EXL helmet, EXL-1107 . EXL on Snell page For the company name it says HM Distributing. I have a call into HM now, waiting to hear back on any information I can get from them. Like where these things come from. HM Dist. The phone number on the website has been changed to: 260.375.2308, I left a message inquiring into the EXL company.

There's no EXL company on the web. Not in the US anyway. There IS a Korean company though. http://www.exlsports.co.kr/ it's in Korean. Sorry, the only 4 words I know are Hello, good-bye, and Kim Chee.

 

There are other discussions around the web concerning EXL, and other discussions within which EXL has been mentioned -- here and here2 and here too, but discussion starts with exl luggage (read the comments below the product review). Mixed reviews all around, but none from anyone who actually smashed one.

 

So, a little more info, anyway. I'll post if HM Dist LLC ever gets back to me.

 

I am inclined to think, however, that you get what you pay for. Which, after all, is why many of us chose to spend the extra money to buy a BMW. So why cheap-out now on a safety related item?

 

Tires and helmets.....worth the money, I think.

 

OH, I just realized that, looking at the shipping map on the Ebay site, it appears the helmets are shipped out of the midwest, Indiana maybe. HM Dist is in Indiana. May be a connection.

[LuckyLeif]

...since the vast majority of impacts are when you fall and tour head hits the pavement. Forward motion as you slide along the roadway does not subject the helmet to any significant stresses at all.

Yet a large proportion of crashes occur on curves many of which are equipped with steel guard rails. I'm thinking I might want the extra protection from shell penetration in the scenario of helmet hitting guardrail. I read the MCN article when it came out a few years ago -- not certain whether I want to replace the Aria with another one.

[BigAL]

Hmmmmm. The plot thickens.

 

I found THIS helmet while searching around. It looks like your pictures....is it the same helmet?

 

Here's the company -- RC MOTORCYCLE HELMET INC and here's the company info .... Read the description. It looks like one of those funny websites where Chinese make English signs. Terrible English. or is it Engrish ? hmmmmm.

 

Now check out the company address: 537 Rock Road, Rutherfordton , Canada . As far as I can find, there is no such place. But there IS a 537 Rock Road, Rutherfordton , North Carolina, shown here.

 

(This is fun)

 

Now check out the contact info for RC Motorcycle Helmet, INC . Phone number area code is 828 -- North Carolina. So is the Zip code. It's in NC, not Canada. Boss' name is Armando. I called, the number's disconnected.

 

OK, now check out RC Motorcycle Helmet (China) Inc. DOT helemts, sold in US and elsewhere, and guess who the contact person is? Same as above. Some guy named Armando.

 

Click HERE for what appears to be the real company...same address as RC anyways.. in China.

 

Damean, if this looks a lot like your helmet (and I think it does, comparing the limited photos posted), then I think you can see where they're made.

 

 

If not, it was a fun exercise in web sluething.

 

Like anyone else, I hope you never need it, and if you do, I hope it holds up for you!

[Damean]

Hmmmmm. The plot thickens.

 

I found THIS helmet while searching around. It looks like your pictures....is it the same helmet?

 

Here's the company -- RC MOTORCYCLE HELMET INC and here's the company info .... Read the description. It looks like one of those funny websites where Chinese make English signs. Terrible English. or is it Engrish ? hmmmmm.

 

Now check out the company address: 537 Rock Road, Rutherfordton , Canada . As far as I can find, there is no such place. But there IS a 537 Rock Road, Rutherfordton , North Carolina, shown here.

 

(This is fun)

 

Now check out the contact info for RC Motorcycle Helmet, INC . Phone number area code is 828 -- North Carolina. So is the Zip code. It's in NC, not Canada. Boss' name is Armando. I called, the number's disconnected.

 

OK, now check out RC Motorcycle Helmet (China) Inc. DOT helemts, sold in US and elsewhere, and guess who the contact person is? Same as above. Some guy named Armando.

 

Click HERE for what appears to be the real company...same address as RC anyways.. in China.

 

Damean, if this looks a lot like your helmet (and I think it does, comparing the limited photos posted), then I think you can see where they're made.

 

 

If not, it was a fun exercise in web sluething.

 

Like anyone else, I hope you never need it, and if you do, I hope it holds up for you!

 

Well, that is the exact same picture they use on their Ebay site. It's the same helmet.

 

 

As for the rest of you, you are scaring me The thought of them not actually being DOT rated bothers me. A lot. Is there a way to independently verify if a helmet is indeed rated? I sent the company an e-mail asking before I bought it. It also has the obligatory DOT stamp on the helmet as well. But what little BigAl dug up is kind of damning. May have to pull the trusty Fulmer back into service till I can verify it's rating.

 

You guys are great, by the way. Never quite expected 3 pages of opinion off of a review

[Tony_K]

You guys are great, by the way. Never quite expected 3 pages of opinion off of a review

 

You could have guessed after your inital post in this forum about this helmet when no one here had one or cared to have one. BUT when YOU did get one you would hear all about it.

[BigAL]

Now, just because they're imported from China doesn't mean they're poor quality....

 

I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

 

From: http://www.nwcn.com/topstories/stories/NW_110707BUB_date_rape_drug_toys_SW.1ea88f9e0.html

 

" Latest Recall: Chinese made toys containing Date-Rape Drug

 

"WASHINGTON, D.C. - Millions of Chinese-made toys for children have been pulled from shelves in North America and Australia after scientists found they contain a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested.

 

Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.

 

In the United States, the toy goes by the name Aqua Dots, a highly popular holiday toy distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys. They are called Bindeez in Australia, where they were named toy of the year at an industry function earlier this year.

 

Meanwhile, a separate recall was announced for 405,000 children's products made in China, most of them toy cars, because of dangerous levels of lead. "

[Troper3]

Looks like China to me. Why a modular helmet anyways? There is a safer and better way to talk or relieve press from the closer. I think there is a good reason Snell has not approved modular helmets.

[Formerly_Capecodbeemer]

Check out any biker Expo and find the sticker guy's table. Alongside "the bitch fell off" helmet stickers you'll find an "official" DOT oval.

[tallman]

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/comply/fmvss218/

 

Link to tests for past years.

 

" How does a helmet get added to NHTSA’s approved helmet list?

 

 

DOT or NHTSA does not "approve" motorcycle helmets, thus, there is no list of "approved" helmets. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has the statutory authority to issue Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) applicable to motor vehicles and items of motor vehicle equipment, including motorcycle helmets. The law establishes a self-certification process in which the motorcycle helmet manufacturers certify that their products are in compliance with FMVSS No. 218, which establishes minimum performance requirements that the products must meet. NHTSA enforces the standard by randomly selecting and purchasing motorcycle helmets from the marketplace and testing to the requirements of the standard at independent test labs.

 

 

10. What requirements must be met by a manufacturer of conforming motorcycle helmets before its motorcycle helmets can be imported?

 

 

Motorcycle helmets manufactured for on-road use cannot be lawfully imported into the U.S. unless they were originally manufactured to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 218, Motorcycle Helmets, and bear a symbol certifying such compliance. The labeling requirements are specified in FMVSS No. 218 and the symbol DOT on the helmet constitutes the manufacturer’s certification that the helmet conforms to the standard. In addition, the helmet’s manufacturer is required to:

 

submit to NHTSA identifying information about itself and the products it manufactures to the FMVSS (as required by 49 CFR Part 566), and

designate a U.S. resident as its agent for service of process (as required under 49 CFR 551.45) if it is not located in the U.S

 

The 2005 data has the Nexl result.

[BigAL]

The 2005 data has the Nexl result.

 

Yeah. It failed. In 2001, -02, -03, -04. Then in 2005, 2 out of 3 failed.

[hopz]

Great thread... as one of the reformed/refugees from the Harley community I can tell you that I personally have a "novelty" helmet (which I actually used to wear from time to time-including 4 iron butts, but I digress) that has a DOT sticker on it.

 

I also know that DOT stickers are available on the web at something like $1.50 in case any of you need certification.

 

[Twisties]

I had been thinking of a Suomy because they say they are light (1250 g). But reviews I found said they are noisy, very noisy. Then webbike world weighed one, and it didn't seem so light after all. LINKY: Helmet weights

 

But, most interesting is Suomy's position on helmet certification standards

Suomy on helmet standards, and no I don't claim to understand it. Maybe someone here does. But I think they are on the side that says Snell is too hard.

 

Presently I have an HJC CL-Max modular. Troper3 asks why a modular? I agree that there may be a bit less protection, though obviously it's better than a 3/4. Clearly most models weigh more (wish I could find that Vega Summit II to try on - see webike world weights), and are most likely noisier. However there are several advantages to modular.

 

1. I wear glasses. I know some people can pull it off, but I just can't seem to get the glasses to work with a full face helmet, and I've been trying on helmets for a year now looking for a replacement. I have to take the glasses off (which means I need somewhere safe to put them), then slide them on through the opening. I can't ever get them aligned right after that, and all that playing around with them gets them dirty, and bent out of shape. With the modular I just leave them alone.

 

2. It is much easier to get the helmet off and on. I get a fair amount of abrasion and discomfort putting helmets off and on. This minimizes that (the modulars flex better when the chin bar is up, and tighten down when the chin bar is locked). If an ear gets caught and folded over, I can get a finger in to fix it, or wiggle the helmet enough to do so when the chin bar is up. Nothing I can do with a full face but take it off and try again.

 

3. I take pictures with the helmet on.

 

4. I won't ride on the street with the chin guard up, but for parking lot work on a hot day it's nice.

 

5. I can flip it up at a gas stop, instead of the old off and on.

 

That said, I've been looking at both modular and full face. Light and quiet are beginning to sound good. I need to find something soon. The CL-Max is getting to be too loose.

 

As for the certification issue, the things brought up here certainly argue for sticking with a name brand, but I think a cheaper name brand would probably be just fine. At least until see I see some evidence otherwise. Heck, even the Arai profile fails for performance in 2006.

 

Jan

[velomoto]

I also know that DOT stickers are available on the web at something like $1.50 in case any of you need certification.

Thanks for the tip - I purchased my Schuberth S1 in Germany so it doesn't have the DOT sticker. Guess I've been an outlaw the past couple years.

[s3steve]

Meanwhile, a separate recall was announced for 405,000 children's products made in China, most of them toy cars, because of dangerous levels of lead. "

 

Just don't be licking that new lead painted helmet!

 

I think I'll stick with my Arai RX-7 for my $2.12 head!

[HexHead]

I had been thinking of a Suomy because they say they are light (1250 g). But reviews I found said they are noisy, very noisy. Then webbike world weighed one, and it didn't seem so light after all.

 

I've had several Suomy helmets and the Spec1-Rs are very noisy. That's because they flow air through them so well. In warm weather they vent better than anything else I've tried. Much better than the Arai I had at the time. In the cold though, your head will freeze because you can't close the top vents.

 

Their Vantage line has closable vents and is a lot quieter with the vents closed. Warmer too.

[marcopolo]

That said, I've been looking at both modular and full face. Light and quiet are beginning to sound good. I need to find something soon. The CL-Max is getting to be too loose.

 

Have you looked at the HJC AC-12 Carbon? It's a full-face, but is lighter than many out there. I bought one in the spring, to replace my Arai Quantum/f and like it. It's DOT, and Snell 2005 rated, but I won't get into the ratings issue.

[chemman]

 

But, most interesting is Suomy's position on helmet certification standards

Suomy on helmet standards, and no I don't claim to understand it. Maybe someone here does. But I think they are on the side that says Snell is too hard.

 

From what I understand, the EU standards and the British standards are similar to DOT [not the same, but similar]. The folks on the other side of the pond think Snell is WAAAAY to tough and too dangerous to the wearer.

[John in VA]

The folks on the other side of the pond think Snell is WAAAAY to tough and too dangerous to the wearer.

 

Yikes! I've been wearing ARAIs for years not knowing that they're DANGEROUS! Gosh -- are Arai, Shoei, Nolan etc. BANNED in Europe??

[Perlova]

My $.02 CDN thats $.035 US

 

I think that you got your exchange rate wrong. $.02CDN is only $.0216US. But worth more nonetheless.....

[K2R1150RS]

Hmmmmm. The plot thickens.

 

I found THIS helmet while searching around. It looks like your pictures....is it the same helmet?

 

Here's the company -- RC MOTORCYCLE HELMET INC and here's the company info .... Read the description. It looks like one of those funny websites where Chinese make English signs. Terrible English. or is it Engrish ? hmmmmm.

In honor of Francois' bathroom adventures:

 

Instructions

 

For when you're lost

 

For members of this forum