helmet help!

[leprecaun jon]

ok, as my signature says i have a HJC samurai and im pretty sure that its not snell approved... my dirt bike helmet is however.

my big issue right now is that i found an Icon alliance helmet i fell i love with at the shop.... the only reason i have to buy the new helmet is because i like it, its comfy and because of Icon's reputation of having great gear.

i had read on there site this morning that a girl and her boy friend were hit from behind... the girl walked away ( she was wearing an icon helmet) but her boy friend was left paralyzed from the neck down... and sustained a concussion during the accident...( he was wearing a "less quality helmet") this story really pushed me to want to move to an icon helmet... i dont know much about HJC's testimonies or reputation... i got my street helmet when i had my scoots and because it was cheap... do any of you guys have any advice or some information that may ease my mind about my HJC? should i make the move to a better helmet?

 

[b_who]

well all hjc helmets are DOT approved so they'll protect u well.
and with the story about that girl and guy, he was most likely paralyzed by neck and spine trauma from impact damaging his nerve.

your fine with your hjc but the many difference between the low brand and going up is ventilation and the materials. if its not safe enough to pass DOT then nobody would sell it and it wouldnt be street legal.

what kind of icon you looking at?
icon are really nice but if youve the cash get a shoei, bells new models are really great or arai

i LOVE my shoei RF-1100, its a night and day difference compared to my HJC FS-15

 

[Blue-Sun]

Ultimately, the perfect helmet is one that comfortable for you, which is directly related to the shape of your head. I tried an HJC but it gave me a headache after wearing it about an hour. I found out later HJC builds its helmets for a more rounded head, not elongated.

Personally, I own two ICON helmets and was very pleased with them, until I tried a SHOEI and I have completely changed my tune. I like my SHOEI over the ICON(s).

Cycle Gear gives you a seven day return policy on helmets, so if you buy one and it gives you a headache or doesn't feel right, then you can exchange it. Personally, after I purchased a helmet from Cycle Gear, I would go home, sit on the couch, and watch TV with it on. If after wearing it an hour or two, I didn't have a headache and the helmet felt comfortable, then it was a keeper.

As far as DOT or SNELL approved, there should be a sticker on the back on the helmet that states that information. See attached examples.







Hope this helps...

ETA: As b_who stated above, if you can save up and purchase the SHOEI RF-1100, I think you will be very happy with that purchase.

 

[leprecaun jon]

B_who: the main reason i tried the icon alliance was because i found an arai that i really like... i went to the shop to try it on and foun that none of the arai's fit me to comfortably, granted they are one of the best on the market...i always said id never own an icon... but i tried the one on there at the shop and the confort was... breath taking and it was a little lighter than my hjc.... not all DOT approved helmets are as safe as you may seem to think... DOT is no where near as through as snell and international testings and standards... which yet again makes me lean to an icon...

blue: i know what the stickers look like, my HJC dirt bike helmet has a snell approval on it, but my street helmet does not.... i loved the icon... i just would hate to spend an additional 200... on a new helmet if i dont have a good enough reason... i know for a fact the icon will protect me very well.... but how does HJC tend to stack up next to Icon?

 

[alaskanflyboy]

I wouldn't worry too much. Since there was no mention of head trauma (which the helmet protects), but neck trauma (which no helmet ever protects) the HJC sounds to have done its job. If you're worried about snapping your neck, then you're gonna want a race collar to keep your head from shifting too far one direction or the other. Also, I would want to know the level of the concussion. No helmet makes you impervious to your brain slapping against your skull when your head makes a sudden stop.

It's also hard to say on the DOT ratings as a DOT rated helmet could exceed the SNELL ratings, but they didn't spend the money for the tests to know for sure. As I recall, SNELL came about from a helmet that didn't do it's job in a racing environment, and as such, the criteria are much higher do to riskier nature of racing. DOT's criteria is mainly concerned with normal traffic accidents.

It's all up to you and your level of risk you're willing to take and what most makes you feel comfortable. I'm confident that my helmet will protect my head at the speeds I'm likely to crash at. If I was running more than 70 on a consistent basis on a track, I'd like a SNELL helmet, along with a one-piece leather suit, race boots, and a race collar. For the street, I feel comfortable with my two-piece textile suit, HJC helmet, and leather work boots.

 

[BoneJj]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U5UE-13Tp8]How to Fit a Motorcycle Helmet, Sizing Guide by RevZilla.com - YouTube[/ame]

If it fits, is comfortable, and you can love it long time...... lol.

Buy it, as long as it's a least DOT, snell is nice but snell will cost you. The biggest thing is fitment, if you can even partially move a helmet side to side, you need a tighter helmet. If you can move the helmet side to side, you need a more narrow style helmet, if you can more it front to back, you need a smaller size or rounder helmet.

A truly proper fitting helmet should fit like a glove from the crown of your head all the way down.


As for the horrible situation that the guy you mentioned now has to deal with. The helmet more than likely didn't have much of a hand in this. The only thing that could have probably helped him here would have been a hans type device that they make for cyclists. it's basically a thick foam pad to go between the helmet and your shoulders to help prevent problems with the excess flexion of the neck in a crash.

I hope he is able to regain use of the rest of his body, it's happened, may he be blessed with that possibility.

 

[iSpoolin]

I have an Icon Alliance Torrent helmet and I love it so far, My brother wears the Airframe, both are great helmets, BUT I liked my Scorpion Exo 1000 alot better.

 

[FitZ6R]

the only reason i have to buy the new helmet is because i like it, its comfy and because of Icon's reputation of having great gear.

If your'e going to buy on reputation, skip the fashion stuff like Icon and get a Shoei or Arai. At least they have a real track record.

Personally, I'm not picky about brand labels. What's important, IMO, is that a helmet fits, it's comfortable, and I wear it every time. Any full face helmet is a lot better then no helmet, but no helmet offers guaranteed protection. Even the Snell test is only a 17 MPH impact - beyond that, bets are off.

 

[leprecaun jon]

heres the video, as a response to what you guys have said and given me maybe you guys can help me a little better with this


helmet help video response. - YouTube

 

[JSP]

heres the video, as a response to what you guys have said and given me maybe you guys can help me a little better with this


helmet help video response. - YouTube

That helmet is definitely way too big for your head. It should not move like that. It looks like it sits on your cheeks fairly decent but way too much movement.

It should be snug at all points of your head without causing any pain.

 

[leprecaun jon]

then i guess i shall be going to try some helmets on today..... perhaps i can sell the hjc? this helmet isnt worth much more than $60 used though :/

 

[JSP]

then i guess i shall be going to try some helmets on today..... perhaps i can sell the hjc? this helmet isnt worth much more than $60 used though :/

Yes, you for sure need a new helmet. That one is not safe. Used helmets are somewhat hard to sell. I sold a used HJC for $20. You may get $20-$40. Check CL for what used lids are going for.

Scorpion helmets fit me the best, like a glove. I wouldnt mind an Arai, but they just kill my head with pressure points. Does not hurt that the Scorpion is a good priced helmet. :thumbup: Different brands are shaped differently, so you need to try multiple brands on and find the one that fits you the best without causing any pain.

 

[leprecaun jon]

Yes, you for sure need a new helmet. That one is not safe. Used helmets are somewhat hard to sell. I sold a used HJC for $20. You may get $20-$40. Check CL for what used lids are going for.

Scorpion helmets fit me the best, like a glove. I wouldnt mind an Arai, but they just kill my head with pressure points. Does not hurt that the Scorpion is a good priced helmet. :thumbup: Different brands are shaped differently, so you need to try multiple brands on and find the one that fits you the best without causing any pain.

ill be heading down to MFI and coleman power sports today the have a good variety of helmets...

yeah i was afraid of that.... my hjc is brand new too.... i mean i have had it for a year but its barley been used not a scratch on the thing.


edit: maybe not MFI they are closed on mondays this time of year

 

[BoneJj]

That helmet is definitely way too big for your head. It should not move like that. It looks like it sits on your cheeks fairly decent but way too much movement.

It should be snug at all points of your head without causing any pain.

I agree, that helmet is way too loose on his head. That side to side movement should not be happening at all. That could cause some serious damage in an accident.

I would definitely say you need a much more snug helmet, and you should be going to try helmets on as soon as possible. But don't just try on a couple and take one you like, try all the brands and models you can find, if you find one fits better than another then great, if you find one that is snug all around your head from font to back, side to side then you are in business. Cheek pads can be changed on a helmet, it's pretty easy to change them up anymore and you will want cheek pads that restrict that rotating motion you have in your video.

 

[Alex6]

heres the video, as a response to what you guys have said and given me maybe you guys can help me a little better with this

Try this site: Motorcycle Helmets - webBikeWorld

It will give you some idea on what type of head shapes fit different helmets. For example Arai has helmets for different head shapes. Vector 2 also has removable layers in the pads to make a custom fit.

Here's a joke - "the cost of a helmet is proportinal to a value of one's head". And we know there is some level of truth in every joke.

 

[leprecaun jon]

i tried on some hjc's,shoei's,Icon's,arai's, scorpion's..... the hjc's and shoeis didnt move side to side but the did move up and down... the scorpion's were all too heavy and also moved up and down.... the Icon alliance helmet was a close fit but the smallest they had was a X-small... the guy recommended I try the Icon airframe because its a bit more snug...I tried on the Arai vector 2... but the extra small was still a little too big so a XXs would fit perfect but it has some weird padding in the ears that feel like built in ear plugs lol....so im thinking my best bet may be an arai...but i dont know most of the shops near me are closed on mondays... i may have to go back out tomorrow and try some other arai's and icon helmets if i can find them in xs and xxs.

 

[txjames]

Shoei and buy it snug. It will conform to a perfect fit.

 

[leprecaun jon]

shoei doesnt have anything that fits properly there x-small is still way to big.... even a xx small would be to big...plus i like arai a lot more lol

 

[MiltonDorkenhoff]

if its not safe enough to pass DOT then nobody would sell it and it wouldnt be street legal.

I disagree.. Not being DOT-approved doesn't mean someone's not going to sell it. It just means it's probably not going to do jack shit to protect you.

 

[Detrich]

There are different articles on DOT, SNELL, and ECN ratings... The type of crash usually determines how well a helmet will perform. Some SNELL's don't necessarily protect better than some DOT's, because the overall impact would be so severe that your other injuries would already be fatal. Likewise, some DOT's protect just as well as SNELL...

But, all articles I've read seem to agree that ECN is actually the best of the 3...

AGV, Bell, and Scorpion have the highest crash test ratings in the UK... HJC is less than stellar for sure...

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/

That said, I have both AGV & HJC helmets. And, despite HJC having less than stellar crash test ratings, I still wear it more cuz it's more comfortable to me and has more practical features. I guess in a few years I'll prolly look at getting another AGV or perhaps a Bell like Jon's. (Scorpions don't fit my head shape.)

A helmet typically only has a 5 year shelf life anyways. I don't think that just cuz you have an HJC you have to run to the hills paranoid about it. Well, not unless unless you are a high risk rider & ride like a maniac...

But, still- it's a personal decision. I do think getting the best possible gear u can afford is always a good idea...

Hope this helps.