Hey i just did my test so am looking for a second Lid to take freinds on my bike.
I currently have a normal nolan helmet, nothing too special but it does the job!
For a new helmet what i was looking for was:
-Flip up, so the chin part can go over and you can eat/drink etc without taking it off
-Sunvisor…i know caberg have them when u can flick it down and back up…looks useful esp with summer coming up!
-Good sound protection…okay well my bike isnt gonna break many limits but in the future if i get something faster i dont want it to be loud, which i heard some helmets are. [my helmet hasnt given me too much grief but thats because i never reach those speeds!]
-Waterproof-ness…a definite must as i plan to ride rain or shine!
-Possibly that gold sticker too that lets you use it on track.
-Aside from that, i like matt black and something thats generally good looking, for under £150 or so
i briefly looked at the caberg justissimo GT which seems quite good but heard about a LOT of problems with wind noise and rain/fogging etc.[some reviews love it, some hate it :S] so im not too certain about getting it…
okay well thanks for reading through, if you have any ideas or advice please let me know!
i’ appreciate some feedback if u got a helmet similar to what i described thanks
I was initially interested in the Caberg Trip (sunvisor + flip face), but was told that despite meeting required standards, the Shoei Multitec (favoured by police and instructors) is the only flip face helmet that actually meets the same protection standards as a full face when shut.
A colleague had one and said that he’d never get another as the face didn’t stay shut properly, you should have heard it rattle!
Remember that matt black gets dirtier easier and will be harder to clean. And harder to see in the dark .
Wind noise isn’t an issue if you wear ear plugs which is strongly recommended with any helmet.
As for the Justissimo - I have worn both the original and the newer GT. The GT is quieter, but fogs more, but saying that I have never found either to fog particularly badly.
thanks a lot for the info garret, i had a look at the shoei which looks a lot better than the caberg!
one other thing i was after was a helmet without the double-D ring’s though…my nolan at the moment has a simple “clicker” which is way easier to use.
im giving the flip-up a second thought, as i definitely dont want a double d-ring and also do like the second visors on caberg’s…i might have a look at the standard caberg’s without flip-up as they still got a second visor
giuliano, ive never worn ear plugs…mainly because i commute so never reach any “noisy” speeds and my zorst isnt too loud either! but suppose if i get a slightly louder helmet earplugs are an easy option to prevent excessive noise
This sounds like a negative post, but just my thoughts…anyways - ear-plugs are much easier than trying to search around for a ‘quiet’ helmet (even the quietest ones are loud enough to cause damage at 50/60mph if ridden for more than a couple of hours at a time), I wear them all the time and I dont find it too restrictive in ‘listening out’ for stuff on the roads.The main reason the double D rings are there is for a reason, they are the best way to do the job. The ‘clickers’ might be easier but really once you get used to them the Double D’s dont THAT longer (like 0.5 sec??)
Not sure on the usefulness of the flip lids either, if you want to eat then take the helmet off! I find that even chewing gum with my lid on means I take half my cheek away…:crazy:
The visor is probably the only part I agree with to narrow your search, they look really useful and might get one next time I get a helmet.
The flip front is really useful for all sorts of situations where you want to talk but can’t be fussed to take your helmet off. That’s why coppers and couriers use them. Not because they can eat with their helmets on (OK. Maybe donuts :D)
Popping into the bank/the shops/the petrol station/etc is a lot easier with a flipper. Also, you don’t have to carry your lid anywhere (which is when I always bash it against something. Clumsy me!) And if you like a fag break without taking your helmet off, then flippers come up trumps again.
I’m on my second flipper, and I’d not go back to a normal helmet. I just can’t see the advantage.
As for the “a friend of a friend told me that only shoeis are as strong as full face helmets” malarkey, I’ve got to admit that I’m very sceptical about that. To me, it reeks of urban myth. My flipper (a Nolan N102) is EC approved to the same standard as a full face lid, and is ACU gold-stickered to boot.
The thing about flippers is that they are relatively new. People don’t trust them, but that’s because of what people are like, not because of what flippers are like.
Meant to say: there’s also Schuberth and Shark who make flippers. And the Roof Boxer is a sort of flipper (but “real” bikers find that one easier to come to terms with because it looks mean and cool :P:)).
I’ve had a Caberg Trip and it lifted at speed and was noisy. Got a Justissimo one now and it is much better, better fit. I’d spend the little extra and get that. Flips are great, make life a lot easier when in and out of buildings, filling up with petrol etc…
if its just for taking you friends on your bike , why dont you just buy a cheap one new for £30/£40 quid
or were you gunna wear it instead of the one you have now?
Nolan do flip front as well, personaly i dont want summat that could open in an accident, which ones did the police have problems with opening on their own while riding ?
Is there any evidence that this has ever happened? I’ve never heard it, and I’d be very interested to hear it (not least because I wear a flipper and I don’t want to compromise on safety).
Or is this just another rumour? After all, if we went on the things that COULD happen, we’d never get out of bed in the morning (oh no! hang on. If I stayed in bed then the ceiling could fall down on me. PANIC!!!)
Would you get flippers with the gold sticker if they could open in an accident?
I’ve crashed in Shuberth C1 flip lid and it was fine and before that it was a great lid - comfy with lots of usefull features too. Face went into the cab of a van despite this the mechanism still worked and the chin bar did not crack or break on impact - it was about 20 mph at impactUse a BMW system 5 flip lid too and that too is a great lid.
One thing that crops up on FBOS courses about flip lids though is that on some there is a chance that should the opening mechanism jam you’d be in the ‘do do’ if they had to get your lid off your bonce as the opening is very small compared to a full face when the front is closed.
But as they say you pays your money you takes your choice…
As Patrick mentioned maybe not ideal to take off after an accident if you cannot get the front to flip up (which we were told has happened) This was mentioned on the FBOS course in fact Bennelli Boy will vouch for this as we did struggle somewhat with his lid as opposed to the Arai we used.
I would trust Chris at Infinity (Gunter Grove) more than the average acquaintance (’ friend of a friend ') as he works in the motorcycle industry.
He told me that the Multitec (Shoei’s flip face helmet) was found to give the same protection as a full face helmet when the ‘face’ is lowered; and that no other manufacturer’s product could boast the same.
Of course, he could be mistaken, it could be a myth. Although, as you pointed out, flip face helmets are popular with “coppers” but I would guess that the Multitec comes out on top as regards popular flip face models.
The only downside is the price, but then we come back to the ol’ chestnut ’ how much is your head worth? ’
ive never tried D-rings so ill have to see what they are like…but i like clickers more [im impatient!]
with regard to ear plugs…well on my commute i wont need them…if i go out for a long ride where ill be going fast ill give them a try, but my lid atm isnt too noisy.
the sunvisor is what i liked a lot, i know nolan’s have a similar one but on the outside…but it doesnt seem as good and i heard it gets loose and keeps droppin down after some use.
in general a flip lid seems more practical…eating, talking, phone etc…and in terms of safety i’d trust one as long as it was a good make with decent quality![all helemts are approved and some have the gold sticker too so they must do the job]
im gonna give ma current nolan to ma mates and get the new one for myself
does anyone know what the BMW flip-lid’s are like? my instructor had one.
I hear you, Debz, re removing after accident. However, my take on that is a bit different.
I do remember that people struggled to get my helmet off (oooooo Mrs) when trying to open the flip. In fact, I struggled to get Mrs BB’s helmet off, even though I should know how the opening system works.
My take on that is that the last thing you want to be doing in an accident is wiggling someone’s helmet around. You’re trying to stabilise the neck, after all, and the opening action does cause an equal and opposite (Bob Marley or Newton - take your pick) reaction, which means that the head will move a bit if the person bracing the neck isn’t prepared for it.
But, do you remember, it was actually no real problem getting my flipper off my head when it was closed. It’s not like they come right back under your chin. I can take mine on and off without flipping the front if I need to.
If we’re talking “hard to take off in an accident”, my memory is of it being REALLY difficult to take off a stiff full face helmet (sorry - couldn’t resist that. I mean “race-style, with a very rigid neck area”). But, of course, they’re supposed to be designed to give ultra-protection.
Yes, but only because the FBOS might be one of those bloomin’ full-face Luddites
(Seriously though, I’m not wanting to contradict you, and I’m sure if you remember us having doubts then it’s true, but I’ve never had any doubts about the safety or ease of removal of my helmet at any time since the FBOS day. I agree with you; it was tricky to get off when using the flipper, and at that point I imagine I may well have been concerned. But now I know that my helmet comes on and off easily enough when it’s locked closed, then I’m not concerned any more. Hope that makes sense.)
I remember trying to take it off Mrs BB and nearly taking her nose off with it, we had to leave it in the end as she would’ve had more injuries than she started out with
Marks Arai was new so yep, that too was hard for you to get off but I preferred yanking your heads out of that than the flip up one.
(Sorry I did take the FBOS course seriously but narf had difficulty with the helmets)… Came home sweating hot through concentration and very sore knees (not a good position that one on the floor)
Glad it wasn’t just me. My knees were really painful after that day too. (On my knees all day…pulling off helmets…just like being back at Eton don’t you know )
thanks
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your heads out of that than the flip up one.