Carbon Fiber helmets


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Spunky99

New Member
I'm looking for a CF helmet.
I want it light and hopefully both DOT and SNELL approved.
I liked the dual shield on the HCI. It's like the Scorpion 1000.
The Joe Rocket is SNELL and light too

So far

HCI @ 149.00
HCI PC77 Carbon Fiber Full Face Helmet with Double Visor | 136-416 | J&P Cycles

Joe Rocket
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Joe-Rocket-RKT-201-TransTone-Motorcycle/dp/B004YOZJUO]Amazon.com: Joe Rocket RKT-201 Full Face TransTone Carbon Fiber Motorcycle Helmet Red Medium M 106-913: Automotive[/ame]

Xpeed
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Xpeed-XCF3000-On-Road-Motorcycle-Helmet/dp/B004L35QA6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1W4JJM6ZMHB3Z&colid=1J5SVM6694200]Amazon.com: Xpeed Quest XCF3000 On-Road Motorcycle Helmet - Red / Medium: Automotive[/ame]

Akuma
Akuma Phantom II MFR Carbon Fiber Motorcycle Helmet - DOT Certified

Arai...$3,995.00...no freaking way
Arai Corsair V Race Carbon Helmet - RevZilla
 
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MichaelInVenice

Lot of Class, Mostly Low
Elite Member
Honestly, the best one is the one that fits.

The HCI description says "lightweight fiberglass ABS shell." So is it CF, fiberglass or ABS? Or some combination. Usually I'd go to the manufacturer site for clarification because retailers sometimes screw things up, but I can't find one for HCI. That alone is to me enough of a reason to avoid them.

Personally, I wouldn't get hung up over CF. A good fiberglass or even polycarbonate helmet is going to outperform a crappy CF one. But that's just me.
 
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Spunky99

New Member
MichaelInVenice said:
Honestly, the best one is the one that fits.

The HCI description says "lightweight fiberglass ABS shell." So is it CF, fiberglass or ABS? Or some combination. Usually I'd go to the manufacturer site for clarification because retailers sometimes screw things up, but I can't find one for HCI. That alone is to me enough of a reason to avoid them.

Personally, I wouldn't get hung up over CF. A good fiberglass or even polycarbonate helmet is going to outperform a crappy CF one. But that's just me.
Click to expand...
I checked the HCI and it is a fiberglass and CF mix. How much of each is anybody's guess.
The reason I am looking at CF is to get the lightest helmet possible. With that in mind polycarbonate and fiberglass are a no go because to make them DOT and SNELL compliant the shell must be thicker and heavier to get a DOT rating. The CF can be a lot thinner/lighter and still retain the impact resistance required.
There have been some discussions here on states that allow you to ride without a helmet. California used to do allow helmetless riders up until 1992 and I took advantage of that when I was young but voluntarily started wearing a helmet in 1974 during my Army enlistment in Hawaii where they had a helmet law. So it's not that I would ever want to go helmetless but rather I would like to have the lightest helmet I can get. Some people argue that a helmet adds about 5+ pounds to a rider's head and in an impact can cause damage to the neck. I agree with that statement but would add that in the case aforementioned the rider's skull would probably be crushed or seriously compromised anyway. So if the helmet passes the DOT test, how crappy can it be?
 
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CrazyCawi

New Member
well it can meet those tests but when they do the testing they test for impact resistance and stuff....could their be different quality of the energy absorption membrane? I guess I would hate to be the one to test it and be a veggie because I found out what I didnt want to have happen. Not saying id go buy an $800 arai helmet....but I also wouldnt go with the cheapest helmet out there with carbon fiber being a newer development in helmets....just my .02...that brain isnt anything Id wanna mess with.
 
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pilninggas

New Member
I have a HJC carbon fibre helmet - it is the real-deal, not fake carbon.

I think it would stand-up well in an impact, curved carbon fibre surfaces are inherently strong (i did some work on composites in the last year of my degree).

It has one problem - it is very noisy; i think this because the weave conducts noise and it has little or no internal damping properties. I am sure they could fix this, but have not done the research to get that point.

well made bit of kit, but third in the pecking order.
 
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danieljardim

New Member
Spunky99 said:
California used to do allow helmetless riders up until 1992 and I took advantage of that when I was young but voluntarily started wearing a helmet in 1974 during my Army enlistment in Hawaii where they had a helmet law.
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Am I reading wrong or somebody here is Time traveling.

:justkidding:
 
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iSpoolin

New Member
I picked up the Bell Star Matte Carbon a couple weeks ago. GREAT helmet. Weighs nothing and is well worth every penny. I know the STG link says its the mixed shell, they just copy and paste the standard star thing though, it is a fully carbon helmet.

Bell Star Matte Carbon Helmet from SportbikeTrackGear.com

 
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Spunky99

New Member
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Spunky99

New Member
There are some really interesting things going on in the helmet business.
They have Tri-composite helmets (Fiberglass/CF/Kevlar or something else) and CF alone and in the same models on some of these. It's darn near impossible to know which one you are buying too. Bait and switch it looks like to me.


Here is a great site I found.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle-helmet-weights

From this it looks like the Akuma Phantom II MFR is the one I want and it's reasonably priced at under $400.00. Has DOT and ECE 22-05. No SNELL but this is what the ECE 22-05 is.
Helmets certified to the ECE 22.05 standard are approved for competition events by AMA, CCS, FIM, Formula-USA and WERA and are chosen by nearly every professional motorcycle racers competing in world championship road racing, motocross and off road events, including the ultimate sport of Moto GP. Helmets that are certified to both DOT and ECE 22.05 offer the highest level of realistic protection with the added benefit of light weight for day-long comfort and rider performance.
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CtrlAltDl

New Member
pilninggas said:
I have a HJC carbon fibre helmet - it is the real-deal, not fake carbon.

I think it would stand-up well in an impact, curved carbon fibre surfaces are inherently strong (i did some work on composites in the last year of my degree).

It has one problem - it is very noisy; i think this because the weave conducts noise and it has little or no internal damping properties. I am sure they could fix this, but have not done the research to get that point.

well made bit of kit, but third in the pecking order.
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I owned one of these for a while. It is really light weight and fit well, but man was it noisy compared to my Shoei's.
 
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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
My dad has a really bad neck problem (far worse than mine) and has to wear super light helmets. Part of the reason he almost always wears half helmets as a Harley guy. He'd rather be wearing a full face but the weight is just too much at times. I did a lot of research trying to find the lightest helmet out there that wasn't a flimsy POS. What I came up with was the NEXX XR1R Carbon Fiber helmet. They have a little bit of an odd shape, but if they fit properly, you can't get a lighter helmet that's actually a properly certified helmet in the world. He LOVES it! It looks great (he got the flat black) He can wear it pretty much anytime except when his neck is at it's worst. (At that point he can barely hold his head up, let alone a helmet) The fit is perfect for his head, though they seem to run small. One thing I personally really don't like is the visor system. You actually need tools to change the visor. Otherwise if you're looking for light weight and quality, you can't beat it. One of the best things about this company though was that any local dealership that carries them has a no return policy on helmets. My Dad didn't want to drop $600 on a helmet and have it not be light enough and not be able to wear it. So my Dad Emailed them explaining his situation and got a response from the US sales manager. We then met him at the Long Beach IMS show. They worked out a deal to give him 2 weeks to try one, if it was too heavy to ride with, no questions asked, they'd take it back. Very cool of them.

http://www.nexx-usa.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1765
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/nexx-xr1r-carbon-helmet




 
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Spunky99

New Member
I understand those Nexx helmets are made in Portugal
:D
 
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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
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buzzbomb

Senior Member
Elite Member
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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
That is one thing he liked the most about it other than the weight, very little buffeting, another thing that causes a lot of the fatigue that he has to deal with.
 

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Spunky99

New Member
I pulled the trigger tonite. Cost me $363.72
I ordered the Akuma in size medium. It will probably be a tad tight but then I don't like helmet movement. It is supposedly similar to a EXO 700 and I like that fit.
I hate size large in most all helmets because I can wiggle and jiggle the helmet a bit and don't mind the pressure of a well fitted racing helmet. For a trip of 100 miles I'd use my KYT Racing helmet brought back from Indonesia as it is a large but customized to a loose medium. It has the venting type found on the Icon Airframe which is thin ass external plastic frame that is easy to crack and it did..... I really like the genuine Transitions SOLFX brand photochromic visor installed as standard equipment on the Akuma and the claimed 1200 gram weight, chin curtain and looks, It is sleek.
I'll do a review when it comes in.
I just couldn't justify the $599.00 and up to $3995.00 helmets when they really don't provide any more protection than a $130.00 EXO 700 in a Fiberglass/Kevlar shell. In the crashes I've had, I have always kept the head up and out of harms way until I crashed my FZ6R and I scratched the graphics of the EXO 700 because it was so heavy.

I need a lighter helmet.;)

Now how the frick am I gonna justify this to the wife?
 
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