Arai Tour-X and choosing a helmet
Discussion
Anyone got any experience with the Tour-X?
I'm looking for a new helmet and have come across these. The main problem I have at the moment with my Caberg V2 XXL is that when my mouth is closed my chin is pressed hard up against the front of the helmet and with my mouth open it still touches. At some point I'd like to look into the options of bluetooth phone kits etc and assume that I'd need more space for a mic too. I'd also like something with a bit less wind noise.
The Tour-X looks like it could be a way to solve that problem rather than looking through god knows how many regular full face helmets to find one with room. My concern would be that the peak and non-aerodynamic shape will mean it would be incredibly noisy and uncomfortable at any kind of speed. I don't ride fast - partly because at the minute I don't have the skill and also because I value my life and licence too much. This is part of the reason I choose to ride a low powered naked bike...it helps remove temptation and I was thinking that maybe this helmet would be similar, okay for real world use (long periods of ~80mph), just no good for licence losing speeds? I read that the peak is removable, but I've never seen one without it.
I'm finding the whole process of finding a suitable helmet incredibly difficult. I'm due to go looking around my local bike shops in the next week or two, but I'm not sure what kind of selection and range will be on offer (never been round the shops before since I'm new to biking and originally ordered all my gear online). I'm also concerned that because I have a rediculously large head, even if they have every make/model available, they're not likely to have sizes that I could try out. So I'm not convinced that I'll actually be better off for having gone round the shops.
If not the Arai, does anyone have any suggestions for a helmet that:
I'm looking for a new helmet and have come across these. The main problem I have at the moment with my Caberg V2 XXL is that when my mouth is closed my chin is pressed hard up against the front of the helmet and with my mouth open it still touches. At some point I'd like to look into the options of bluetooth phone kits etc and assume that I'd need more space for a mic too. I'd also like something with a bit less wind noise.
The Tour-X looks like it could be a way to solve that problem rather than looking through god knows how many regular full face helmets to find one with room. My concern would be that the peak and non-aerodynamic shape will mean it would be incredibly noisy and uncomfortable at any kind of speed. I don't ride fast - partly because at the minute I don't have the skill and also because I value my life and licence too much. This is part of the reason I choose to ride a low powered naked bike...it helps remove temptation and I was thinking that maybe this helmet would be similar, okay for real world use (long periods of ~80mph), just no good for licence losing speeds? I read that the peak is removable, but I've never seen one without it.
I'm finding the whole process of finding a suitable helmet incredibly difficult. I'm due to go looking around my local bike shops in the next week or two, but I'm not sure what kind of selection and range will be on offer (never been round the shops before since I'm new to biking and originally ordered all my gear online). I'm also concerned that because I have a rediculously large head, even if they have every make/model available, they're not likely to have sizes that I could try out. So I'm not convinced that I'll actually be better off for having gone round the shops.
If not the Arai, does anyone have any suggestions for a helmet that:
- Is available in large sizes.
- Has generous chin/mouth room.
- Has a quick release buckle - I really have trouble with double D.
- Is quiet enough for touring.
- Ideally would have a built in sunscreen like the V2 or at the least channels for glasses.
- Can be had for around the £300 mark.
I have a Tour X and have found the following:-
- They are smaller than the normal Arai helmets. I bought the helmet in the same size as my RX8 and found that after an hour I had a nasty headache. When I took the helmet off I had a deep mark on my forehead. The solution was to go a size bigger, and then pad it out using alternative Arai padding.
- It is NOT a quiet helmet. It is also not a very warm helmet (although that may have been fixed on the new model). A lot of air gets in under the chin guard and it makes your chin FREEZING in cold weather. Some sort of helmet skirt would solve it.
- The peak acts as a wing when riding at speed. You get used to it, but if you look to the side you feel the pull on your neck. The peak will also vibrate badly if the airflow over your bike isn't smooth. I have a KTM 950 Adventure and the buffeting effect of the vibrating peak was bad enough to make it tricky to focus. A solution was found by sticking wheel balancing weights to the underside of the peak as it added a bit more weight to let it resist the airflow.
- The visor suffers from quite bad reflections on the inside. During the day it is ok, but at night it isn't great. I bought a tinted visor and if I focus I can see the reflection of my eyes on the inside of the visor. The visor also mists up very easily.
Now, I know this sounds like a pretty damning assessment, but I am more trying to bring the negatives to your attention. I love the look of the helmet, and am quite happy to use it on occassion, but wouldn't use it as my only helmet. If I rode offroad it would be ideal for riding to my offroad spot, and then using offroad. If you are just riding on tarmac I wouldn't bother. Especially if you want a quiet helmet.
- They are smaller than the normal Arai helmets. I bought the helmet in the same size as my RX8 and found that after an hour I had a nasty headache. When I took the helmet off I had a deep mark on my forehead. The solution was to go a size bigger, and then pad it out using alternative Arai padding.
- It is NOT a quiet helmet. It is also not a very warm helmet (although that may have been fixed on the new model). A lot of air gets in under the chin guard and it makes your chin FREEZING in cold weather. Some sort of helmet skirt would solve it.
- The peak acts as a wing when riding at speed. You get used to it, but if you look to the side you feel the pull on your neck. The peak will also vibrate badly if the airflow over your bike isn't smooth. I have a KTM 950 Adventure and the buffeting effect of the vibrating peak was bad enough to make it tricky to focus. A solution was found by sticking wheel balancing weights to the underside of the peak as it added a bit more weight to let it resist the airflow.
- The visor suffers from quite bad reflections on the inside. During the day it is ok, but at night it isn't great. I bought a tinted visor and if I focus I can see the reflection of my eyes on the inside of the visor. The visor also mists up very easily.
Now, I know this sounds like a pretty damning assessment, but I am more trying to bring the negatives to your attention. I love the look of the helmet, and am quite happy to use it on occassion, but wouldn't use it as my only helmet. If I rode offroad it would be ideal for riding to my offroad spot, and then using offroad. If you are just riding on tarmac I wouldn't bother. Especially if you want a quiet helmet.
Thanks for the advice. Sounds like the Tour may have too many drawbacks to be used as my only helmet for my needs.
I'll check out the BMW and the Shoei though.
Does anybody have any experiece with this place? http://www.shop2.biz/secure/bikersbargains/catalog...
I'm wondering whether to throw budget out of the window since I've already shelled out on a bunch of budget gear and within a matter of months am looking to replace it with mid-level gear. Starting to think it's a fallse economy and I should just spunk out on the best stuff from the start. And that got me looking at RX7s, though I'm still not sold on the double D mechanism. That place seems to have them an awful lot cheaper than everywhere else and I tend to believe what they say about times when things seem too good to be true...
I'll check out the BMW and the Shoei though.
Does anybody have any experiece with this place? http://www.shop2.biz/secure/bikersbargains/catalog...
I'm wondering whether to throw budget out of the window since I've already shelled out on a bunch of budget gear and within a matter of months am looking to replace it with mid-level gear. Starting to think it's a fallse economy and I should just spunk out on the best stuff from the start. And that got me looking at RX7s, though I'm still not sold on the double D mechanism. That place seems to have them an awful lot cheaper than everywhere else and I tend to believe what they say about times when things seem too good to be true...
The Tour X is an acquired taste. Its basically got popular since the long way round, and it is good for that type of purpose. But day to day there a better helmets.
As for the double D, just practice - its way better than those naff quick release types as you can get a much better fit using a double d mechanism.
I think your best bet is just to do a tour of all the local shops and try as many helmets as you possibly can. Its not really a case of blowing the budget rather finding the helmets that fit you best. As said BMW is good, if you have not tried shark helmets give them a go. I have had a Caberg before which was fine if a bit heavy. My first helmet was an AGV which I didnt get on with and I now have a Shark, which is really nice and plush and a Shoei Raid 2 which I use everyday and takes the normal day-today knocks and bangs really well.
As for the double D, just practice - its way better than those naff quick release types as you can get a much better fit using a double d mechanism.
I think your best bet is just to do a tour of all the local shops and try as many helmets as you possibly can. Its not really a case of blowing the budget rather finding the helmets that fit you best. As said BMW is good, if you have not tried shark helmets give them a go. I have had a Caberg before which was fine if a bit heavy. My first helmet was an AGV which I didnt get on with and I now have a Shark, which is really nice and plush and a Shoei Raid 2 which I use everyday and takes the normal day-today knocks and bangs really well.
Speaking of Shark, I quite like what I've seen of the Shark Evo line. Just doesn't seem to be many places that sell it.
Are there any big biker superstore typle places within a reasonable ride of Newcastle? There are loads of shops in town and that's where I'll be at the weekend, but they all seem like small independant places and my concern is that they're less likely to keep stock of XXL or even XXXL which means that I'm going to be very limited in what I can and can't try on.
Are there any big biker superstore typle places within a reasonable ride of Newcastle? There are loads of shops in town and that's where I'll be at the weekend, but they all seem like small independant places and my concern is that they're less likely to keep stock of XXL or even XXXL which means that I'm going to be very limited in what I can and can't try on.
On the Shark front, mine came from a Hein Gericke so you could try there, was a couple of years ago. Shark's construction and quality is very similar to Arai so certainly worth a look. Also, I managed to get a microphone behind the chin bar (obviously in front of my mouth) so there may be a little more space there than other helmets!?
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