Discussion
I recently upgraded my old entry level Shoei helmet, I use it to commute occasionally and work shifts so a drop down sun visor seemed like a good option for going out in the dark and home in the light etc.
I was off work in february after an operation and was seeimg family in northamptonshire so went to a well known bike kit supplier and tried on many many helmets, and ended up liking the fit and finish of the HJC i71 it was chesper thsn my previous helmet at £170 but looked good so thought id try it, I couldn't ride for a bit so left it in the box untill I was fully recovered.
Fast forward to me heeling up and taking it for its first outing and the wind noise is absolutely deafening, at 50mph it makes my ears ring, I tried ear plugs and it still hurts my ears and makes them feel strange for a long time afterwards. The voice level is absolutely unacceptable for a helmet.
I tried to contact the helmet manufactur for their take on it and couldn't even find contact details, i emailed the company i bought it from to see what they said and they said as it had been worn there was nothing they could do, quite how you can find out if a helmet is going to hurt your ears without wearing it I do not know.
They left it with bring it to my nearest store which was an hours drive away so they can check the cheek pads (they're fine) so I'm stuck with a £170 paper weight and no functioning helmet.
Im now concerned about buying another new helmet this side of spending £500+ on a shoei which i can't really afford at the minute.
I've been riding years and had a mix of helmet brands but brands but never had anything physically hurt my ears before, im genuinly concerned this helmet is going to damage my hearing.
Does anyone have any brands they can suggest which aren't overly noisy but decent helmets I can try on,it obviously all comes down to fit but seems after this recent financial mistake fit alone isn't enough.
The frustrating thing is you also can't test them untill its too late.
I was off work in february after an operation and was seeimg family in northamptonshire so went to a well known bike kit supplier and tried on many many helmets, and ended up liking the fit and finish of the HJC i71 it was chesper thsn my previous helmet at £170 but looked good so thought id try it, I couldn't ride for a bit so left it in the box untill I was fully recovered.
Fast forward to me heeling up and taking it for its first outing and the wind noise is absolutely deafening, at 50mph it makes my ears ring, I tried ear plugs and it still hurts my ears and makes them feel strange for a long time afterwards. The voice level is absolutely unacceptable for a helmet.
I tried to contact the helmet manufactur for their take on it and couldn't even find contact details, i emailed the company i bought it from to see what they said and they said as it had been worn there was nothing they could do, quite how you can find out if a helmet is going to hurt your ears without wearing it I do not know.
They left it with bring it to my nearest store which was an hours drive away so they can check the cheek pads (they're fine) so I'm stuck with a £170 paper weight and no functioning helmet.
Im now concerned about buying another new helmet this side of spending £500+ on a shoei which i can't really afford at the minute.
I've been riding years and had a mix of helmet brands but brands but never had anything physically hurt my ears before, im genuinly concerned this helmet is going to damage my hearing.
Does anyone have any brands they can suggest which aren't overly noisy but decent helmets I can try on,it obviously all comes down to fit but seems after this recent financial mistake fit alone isn't enough.
The frustrating thing is you also can't test them untill its too late.
The problem with crash helmets is that everyone has a different shaped head, what fits you correctly and is quiet will be poor fitting and noisy on someone else.
A correctly fitting helmet tends to be quieter, all you really can do is try as many helmets on as possible.
I find my Shoei helmet noisy but my Shark helmet and Caberg flip front helmet quiet, price is not always a good indicator of how good a helmet fits or how quiet it is.
A correctly fitting helmet tends to be quieter, all you really can do is try as many helmets on as possible.
I find my Shoei helmet noisy but my Shark helmet and Caberg flip front helmet quiet, price is not always a good indicator of how good a helmet fits or how quiet it is.
for me it's always been down to how well the helmet fits as to how noisy it is.
You can try reducing the air flow around the bottom of the helmet by wearing a buff around your neck and rucking it up around the gap between your neck and the helmet. Also - ear plugs fitted correctly that suit your ears. You need to reach over the top of your head with opposite hand and stretch your ear lug open vertically a little to open the ear canal, pop un-wrinkled rolled up tube of plug in, hold it in until it expands. There's videos out there to show the method better than my description!
also some helmets come with chin skirts to fit at front of base of lid to reduce airflow and hence noise
don't forget interaction between bike aerodynamics and helmet airflow has a big effect
You can try reducing the air flow around the bottom of the helmet by wearing a buff around your neck and rucking it up around the gap between your neck and the helmet. Also - ear plugs fitted correctly that suit your ears. You need to reach over the top of your head with opposite hand and stretch your ear lug open vertically a little to open the ear canal, pop un-wrinkled rolled up tube of plug in, hold it in until it expands. There's videos out there to show the method better than my description!
also some helmets come with chin skirts to fit at front of base of lid to reduce airflow and hence noise
don't forget interaction between bike aerodynamics and helmet airflow has a big effect
Cakey_ said:
I recently upgraded my old entry level Shoei helmet, I use it to commute occasionally and work shifts so a drop down sun visor seemed like a good option for going out in the dark and home in the light etc.
I was off work in february after an operation and was seeimg family in northamptonshire so went to a well known bike kit supplier and tried on many many helmets, and ended up liking the fit and finish of the HJC i71 it was chesper thsn my previous helmet at £170 but looked good so thought id try it, I couldn't ride for a bit so left it in the box untill I was fully recovered.
Fast forward to me heeling up and taking it for its first outing and the wind noise is absolutely deafening, at 50mph it makes my ears ring, I tried ear plugs and it still hurts my ears and makes them feel strange for a long time afterwards. The voice level is absolutely unacceptable for a helmet.
I tried to contact the helmet manufactur for their take on it and couldn't even find contact details, i emailed the company i bought it from to see what they said and they said as it had been worn there was nothing they could do, quite how you can find out if a helmet is going to hurt your ears without wearing it I do not know.
They left it with bring it to my nearest store which was an hours drive away so they can check the cheek pads (they're fine) so I'm stuck with a £170 paper weight and no functioning helmet.
Im now concerned about buying another new helmet this side of spending £500+ on a shoei which i can't really afford at the minute.
I've been riding years and had a mix of helmet brands but brands but never had anything physically hurt my ears before, im genuinly concerned this helmet is going to damage my hearing.
Does anyone have any brands they can suggest which aren't overly noisy but decent helmets I can try on,it obviously all comes down to fit but seems after this recent financial mistake fit alone isn't enough.
The frustrating thing is you also can't test them untill its too late.
What size are you?I was off work in february after an operation and was seeimg family in northamptonshire so went to a well known bike kit supplier and tried on many many helmets, and ended up liking the fit and finish of the HJC i71 it was chesper thsn my previous helmet at £170 but looked good so thought id try it, I couldn't ride for a bit so left it in the box untill I was fully recovered.
Fast forward to me heeling up and taking it for its first outing and the wind noise is absolutely deafening, at 50mph it makes my ears ring, I tried ear plugs and it still hurts my ears and makes them feel strange for a long time afterwards. The voice level is absolutely unacceptable for a helmet.
I tried to contact the helmet manufactur for their take on it and couldn't even find contact details, i emailed the company i bought it from to see what they said and they said as it had been worn there was nothing they could do, quite how you can find out if a helmet is going to hurt your ears without wearing it I do not know.
They left it with bring it to my nearest store which was an hours drive away so they can check the cheek pads (they're fine) so I'm stuck with a £170 paper weight and no functioning helmet.
Im now concerned about buying another new helmet this side of spending £500+ on a shoei which i can't really afford at the minute.
I've been riding years and had a mix of helmet brands but brands but never had anything physically hurt my ears before, im genuinly concerned this helmet is going to damage my hearing.
Does anyone have any brands they can suggest which aren't overly noisy but decent helmets I can try on,it obviously all comes down to fit but seems after this recent financial mistake fit alone isn't enough.
The frustrating thing is you also can't test them untill its too late.
I bought a Shoei GT Air 3 in gloss black in size small back in April. I've used it once since then as I really just can't get on with it. It's an even more expensive paperweight of I don't sell it. I'm planning on trying it once more but I feel I should have gone for the HJC!
Chicken Chaser said:
I bought a Shoei GT Air 3 in gloss black in size small back in April. I've used it once since then as I really just can't get on with it....
I have a GT3-Air and love it which shows that you can't base your choice of something like this on forum opinions. We're all different Rob 131 Sport said:
In recent years I ve only bought Arai Helmets. I wouldn t say my last RX7V was overly quiet or noisy, just acceptable.
Sorry for thread creep everyone but I wanted to jump on this one.How long have you been wearing Arais? I've been wearing them for nearly 30 years, always thought they were great and always used to change every 5 years. However, I'm wearing a 12 year old one now, which is massively past my comfort zone for replacement (was barely worn and well stored for the first 7/8 years so not as bad as it sounds, but yes I'm fully aware t should be replaced). The issue is I've tried various Arai replacements over the years and the shape seems to have changed with potentially more pressure on the forehead, and I'm worried that if I can feel more pressure in the shop it will turn to discomfort and headaches on a long ride. Maybe there's just less padding now and I'll get used to it? Any useful feedback? It's awkward as I'm happy with double D buckles, changing visors to get a dark one etc. and Arai's no frills but decent quality suits me. I don't want ratchet staps, drop down sun visors and all that gumf...just a decent comfortable lid..... I have tried many makes and none of the others except one Shark model I tried a few years back felt good and did what I wanted, so it's not just about brand (yes, with hindsight I wish I'd bought the Shark before my Arai got so old!!)
Neal H said:
I think I'd be shopping around for ear plugs that work properly for you rather than helmets. It's much cheaper. I have an Arai, a Shark and a Scorpion helmet and find they all sound exactly the same while wearing ear plugs.
Cheaper and will actually work. No helmet will be quiet enough. Yeah I don't think you can get a quiet enough lid without earplugs. I thought a drop down visor would be just the thing I needed but I actually find because it's not right down, then it actually gets in the way of my view of the mirrors. Obviously that isn't going to bother everyone because if you wore sunglasses then you'd have a similar issue but being used to tinted visors it's noticeable.
Agree on trying different earplugs. Everybody has different results. For instance, those orange squishy ones mentioned above. I bought a bunch to give my ears a rest from my moulded plugs (which in actuality was an issue because I had a too small helmet on, thanks to Motolegends for helping me realise that). But whilst the squishy orange ones made it easier to talk over comms at low speeds, anything 50 or over I'd get really annoying wind-reverb'ee type noise that felt horrid.
Since then I bought a larger different hat and have been trying out some.."moldex rockets earplugs" because I needed to fill up a trolley somewhere. They've proven fairly great so far and seem to let more voices through than my moulded (i got them made extra 'deep', ahem) but still decent attenuation of wind etc at speed.
So yes, try lots. And also have a think about your screen, and where the air might be going. And what's for dinner.
Since then I bought a larger different hat and have been trying out some.."moldex rockets earplugs" because I needed to fill up a trolley somewhere. They've proven fairly great so far and seem to let more voices through than my moulded (i got them made extra 'deep', ahem) but still decent attenuation of wind etc at speed.
So yes, try lots. And also have a think about your screen, and where the air might be going. And what's for dinner.
stang65 said:
The issue is I've tried various Arai replacements over the years and the shape seems to have changed with potentially more pressure on the forehead, and I'm worried that if I can feel more pressure in the shop it will turn to discomfort and headaches on a long ride.
I noticed the same thing. After first having AGV then Shoei, I went to Arais, had several RX7 variants over many years and always felt they fitted me fine, though the last one I bought did require some initial 'break-in' due to light pressure on my forehead which did relieve itself after a few wears. They were always noisy but, IMO all helmets require earplugs at speed so no big deal.But the last time I bought a helmet the latest variant of RX7 didn't fit me - I couldn't even get the chinbar over my head in the XL size (bighead!) I always wore and was told they don't make an XXL so I couldn't even try that as an option.
I ended up with an X-lite, Ultra Carbon and it is a perfect fit in XL, more comfortable than my previous Arai, needing no 'break-in', plus it was significantly cheaper than even a standard Arai and just a fraction of the cost of a full Carbon Arai and, being Carbon Fibre it is significantly lighter than my old Arai.
It's also quieter than my old Arai, probably due to not having the side 'pods' on the visor and it has decent venting pretty much on a par with the Arai, I'm a convert.
Neal H said:
I think I'd be shopping around for ear plugs that work properly for you rather than helmets. It's much cheaper. I have an Arai, a Shark and a Scorpion helmet and find they all sound exactly the same while wearing ear plugs.
While good earplugs are essential, do not under estimate the amount of sound energy transferred via bone conduction. That bypasses the ear plugs but still impacts the ear. A noisy helmet will result in more bone conducted energy so noise reduction measure should include the helmet. Chicken Chaser said:
Yeah I don't think you can get a quiet enough lid without earplugs. I thought a drop down visor would be just the thing I needed but I actually find because it's not right down, then it actually gets in the way of my view of the mirrors. Obviously that isn't going to bother everyone because if you wore sunglasses then you'd have a similar issue but being used to tinted visors it's noticeable.
Plus you look like Robocop. catso said:
I noticed the same thing. After first having AGV then Shoei, I went to Arais, had several RX7 variants over many years and always felt they fitted me fine, though the last one I bought did require some initial 'break-in' due to light pressure on my forehead which did relieve itself after a few wears. They were always noisy but, IMO all helmets require earplugs at speed so no big deal.
But the last time I bought a helmet the latest variant of RX7 didn't fit me - I couldn't even get the chinbar over my head in the XL size (bighead!) I always wore and was told they don't make an XXL so I couldn't even try that as an option.
I ended up with an X-lite, Ultra Carbon and it is a perfect fit in XL, more comfortable than my previous Arai, needing no 'break-in', plus it was significantly cheaper than even a standard Arai and just a fraction of the cost of a full Carbon Arai and, being Carbon Fibre it is significantly lighter than my old Arai.
It's also quieter than my old Arai, probably due to not having the side 'pods' on the visor and it has decent venting pretty much on a par with the Arai, I'm a convert.
Great help, thanks for taking the time to respond. I'll try to find an X-Lite stockist to have a look. Useful to have a direction to try rather than keep trying Arais in the hope that the new model will feel right!But the last time I bought a helmet the latest variant of RX7 didn't fit me - I couldn't even get the chinbar over my head in the XL size (bighead!) I always wore and was told they don't make an XXL so I couldn't even try that as an option.
I ended up with an X-lite, Ultra Carbon and it is a perfect fit in XL, more comfortable than my previous Arai, needing no 'break-in', plus it was significantly cheaper than even a standard Arai and just a fraction of the cost of a full Carbon Arai and, being Carbon Fibre it is significantly lighter than my old Arai.
It's also quieter than my old Arai, probably due to not having the side 'pods' on the visor and it has decent venting pretty much on a par with the Arai, I'm a convert.
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