list here. Four states have no laws at all regarding helmet use; twenty states mandate helmet use only for riders below a certain age.
I hope you’ve gotten the answers you wanted re: cheap versus pricy helmets, because this thread has now been derailed into “the pros and cons of helmets” and is not likely to return to your OP topic.
I find this site helpful when I go shopping:
They have lots of reviews on helmets (and various other products, too) as well as general information that you might find useful. The reviews seem to actually be honest opinions instead of the puff pieces I typically find in magazines.
…like the concrete?
I’m surprised that the US remains so … libertarian. I somehow assumed that helmet laws swept the country, but in half the states anyone over 21 can ride completely unprotected.
I’m not thinking about post-impact durability, I had things like finish quality and robustness of the plastic bits in mind. Just the things that can wear and/or break through normal, frequent handling.
Well, if it were truly libertarian, when these…people smash their brains out on the pavement the taxpayers wouldn’t be footing the bill for their costly ER visit.
My niece is in the same grade as the daughter of the guy who owns Fulmer Helmets.(maybe he runs it with his father) Her brother, my nephew, uses one of their helmets on his off-road bike when he visits my parents. They seem to be good, cheap helmets.
I didn’t mean to hijack the OP, just to provide information on the cheapest helmet alternative. In the spirit of the Straight Dope, I think a rebuttal to the one-sided upholders of mandatory helmet laws is in order. This is a complicated matter and the hurriedly passed nanny state laws have largely been re-thought in many areas.
It appears some people don’t understand that the repeal of helmet laws is not based on state legislators simply wishing to grant unshaven bikers the right to ride free. It is based on the fact that there is no evidence that requiring all riders to wear helmets provides any benefit to society.
For example, the idea that riders without helmets become brain-damaged burdens on society is counter-balanced by the idea that riders with helmets are statistically more likely to die instantly when their helmeted head bounces off the pavement and breaks their neck, leaving their skull completely intact. I think the rider should be the one to choose, and so do the legislators in 30 states.
Here is a site where those who have not researched the subject can learn about both sides of the argument. Yes, it is biased, but it does contain a lot of information on both sides of the matter.
I’ve got a Nolan N-102 that fits me well but it’s getting old and worn. I’m lusting after a Shoei Multitec in Royal Blue XL but it’s a little too much for me right now.
I did buy a pair of BMW City 2 pants on Saturday that set me back $220 but they are super comfortable and the feeling of protection should I go for a slide is well worth the price.
I have two HJC 3/4 helmets for messing around or guests. They are ok but to get the dot rating in a cheaper helmet they have to make it like an astronauts’, round and bulky. The more expensive helmets are quieter, lighter (BIG POINT), and just more comfortable. You tend to wear the gear that is comfortable to wear, you tend to leave the ill fitting stuff at home where it wont protect you.
Cite?
(and I have a $230 hjc modular…the flip up front means I don’t mangle my glasses putting the helmet on…it is also one WINDnoisy sunnabitch.)