I just bought a moped, and I need to pick out a brain bucket. Being that my brain is important to me, I want to buy a good one, preferably a full face helmet, and one that won’t be a problem with my glasses. I don’t mind paying for a good helmet, as my job requires a brain free of damage. I’m not buying a moped to save cash, I just wanted one as a toy. Can any of the motorcycle savvy dopers help me out? I live in the NJ/NYC/Philly metroplex, so if anyone has any advice where to shop, I’m interested.
i think shoei helmets are really good.
As are Arai, Suomy (mine), AGV and I think AXO are coming out with some good ones too. But you can’t choose by brand name alone. And although you get what you pay for, price isn’t necessarily a good indicator either as different heads match different helmets. It’s the fit that you are after and those premium brands mightn’t make the helmet that fits your Wonky head.
Try on HEAPS of helmets in heaps of stores. Don’t let yourself feel rushed by sales staff.
Measure the circumference of your head at 2cm above your eyes and around the protuberance half way down the back of your skull. This is the size area you’ll be looking at. When you select a likely looking hat, the size will be on the back of it. If it’s close to the measurement you came up with, then try it on. It should be tight. Almost uncomfortably so. By this, I mean your cheeks should be stuffed in between your teeth by the helmet pads. You shouldn’t be able to turn the helmet much in any direction while you are wearing it. You definitely shouldn’t be able to slide it off forwards while you have the strap fastened. This is because the helmet is only going to get looser through wear. The pads will inevitably compress a little and there will be more empty space between Wonko skull and helmet shell, so you want as little space as possible to begin with.
All else being equal, go for D-ring fasteners rather than the seat belt type (you’ll see what I mean when you go shopping) D-rings have no moving parts and cannot jam. I don’t know how seat belts go in this respect but then I don’t want the ambos to have to deal with a jam if it came to that.
Bare in mind that at your level (non-racing), anything with your country’s standards sticker will be equally safe. For the extra money, you’ll get comfort though better ventilation design and a better looking helmet.
Have fun.
I agree with what Mersavets said.
I wear a Shoei, and when I got it it was so tight I couldn’t chew gum. Now it’s too loose and I need to replace it. I like the looks af the Arai helmets, but I haven’t ridden with one. They look like they would cause less wind noise. Glasses can be a little problem. At first, I could only wear my wire-frame Ray-Bans. The helmet was so tight that the temples were distorted after a while. I have a couple pairs of Oakleys that fit well, and the helmet is loose enough now that it doesn’t damage them. But there’s more than just being able to get the temples in and over your ears. The Ray-Bans (Aviators and Wayfarers) are fairly “tall” shades. They touch the top of the facial area of the helmet and push down on my nose, which can become uncomfortable after a while. I assume you’re talking about spectacles and not sunglasses. Since it might not be practical to change your glasses, be sure the helmet you get fits them.
There are different styles of helmets, including full-face, open face, “skulls” (or “beanie”), etc. I’d avoid the “skull” or “Wehrmacht” (or “Nazi”) style because I’m not convinced they offer enough protection – in spite of the DoT/Snell sticker on them. What they do offer is a feeling that you’re not wearing a helmet.
The open-face helmets were what everyone was wearing into the late 1970s. You can snap on a sun visor to keep the sun out of your eyes, a bubble or straight visor to keep the wind off of your face, or both. You can wear glasses very easily, or you can wear goggles. You can also get goggles (I like Uvex) that allow you to wear glasses under them. The advantage is that you can feel the wind on your face. The disadvantage is that unless you have a bubble or face visor, you can also feel the rain on your face. Ouch! Another disadvantage is that they don’t protect your face and chin if you fall. (But I’ve never fallen on my face.)
The full-face helmet has a chin bar and a flip-up visor. This is what I wear now. They are good for keeping the cold out (especially if you wear a bandana “bandit style”) and for saving your face if you fall on it. The disadvantage is that you have to remove your eyewear before you can take it off. Also, they can be a little confining on hot days.
For a moped I’d consider a half-helmet. This has a rigid skull with a leather “skirt” that covers the ears and the back of the head. I wouldn’t wear one on a motorcycle, but it might be fine for a moped.
If you buy your helmet from a bike dealer, you’re going to pay a lot for it. You can try on the ones at the dealer and then buy the same thing from a catalog much cheaper – sometimes hundreds of dollars cheaper. It’s not really fair to the dealer – after all, they have to pay for their overhead – but as a consumer you have the right to get the best price.
You really need to goto a shop and try them on. I presonally use an HJC of which I’ve had a couple. I do not fit right into a Shoie and the Arai are just to expensive. You are going to have to leave it on for a few minutes at least, otherwise you may find that you get spots that dont go away. I bought an HJC flip-up that I thought would fit and it’s too small. Hey if you find that you fit into an HJC SyMax L I’ve got one that’s only been worn for about an hour and is in good shape I’ll sell to you cheaper than any place. It does me no good since it’s just to small.
Let me preface by saying I mean no offense to Edward. I generally don’t question anyone’s integrity unless I have substantial reason to EXCEPT when there is the potential for further brain damage to me. This is one of those times where I wouldn’t trust my own mother (her cooking is another of those times)
NEVER buy a second hand helmet. It’s not the carbon fibre/plastic shell that protects your head. All it does is hold the foam in which does protect your head. I’ve seen a helmet that hit the ground at nearly 100km/h and you would think it was merely scuffed with some sandpaper. OTOH, the core would have been seriously compromised, or at least should be assumed to have been. You just can’t tell if one has been in an accident. I’m willing to concede a visual inspection could show that Edward’s helmet really did only have an hour’s wear behind it but it’s just not a policy you should allow exceptions for.
Having said that, HJC do make some nice, cheap helmets.
I think you need a Darth Vadar helmet. Preferably one that does the Vadar Breathing[sup]TM[/sup] for you so you don’t have to. Then get a black cape and such. Darth Vadar on a moped on the parkway. That’d be very cool. I bet you’d pick up a lot of girls that way too.
“Come over to the dark side… on my moped!”
Hey, I’d go for it!
I just wanted to say that I wear glasses with a full face HJC CL12.
It’s really not a problem to take off glasses, stick the end in my mouth or swing them on a couple of fingers, then throw my helmet on my head. Practice it once or twice, and you won’t even notice.
The other consideration when choosing a helmet is colour. White is cheap, it being the most visible – and when you’re on two wheels you’re invisible to anyone in a car.
More expensive helmets are usually that way because they have elaborate paint jobs, or have more vents. You should be okay with a full-face as long as it has a mouth vent, forehead vent, and cheek vents. Even then, you can always crack open the visor a notch if you’re fogging up.
Eonwe- I like the way you think. I can see it now- Darth Vader on a moped; feared by many, honked at by all!
Thank you all for the insights. Please keep them coming, as I know very little about helmets. I want to get a full-face helmet, for safety reasons which include hard objects, and bugs at 35 mph. Ecchh!
Special thanks to Barbarian!
I ordered a helmet today. It has vents, and has a snell rating as well as the DOT rating. I got the ARAI Quantum/F in white (shows up better). I was tempted by the whole Darth Vader thing, but the cape looked like somthing that could get caught in the chain, and the outfit was too expensive- though very protective, being made of leather and all.
Imagine being pulled over, being in a Darth Vader outfit.
That would ROCK!!
Occifer: Do you know how fast you were going?
Me: (gesturing towards the bike) The force is strong with this one.
Occifer: I oughta take you down town!
Me: You do not understand the power of the dark side.
Occifer: Your belief in this ancient religion is foolishness.
Me: (some kind of weird gesture)
<sounds of coffee and doughnuts meeting an untimely end>