The Yamaha Road Star Warrior Forum

Hey all, I'm looking for a good, full-face helmet for the winter season. I ride highways so would like something of decent quality and ventilation. I don't know much about helmets and/or brands, but would like a Shoei, HJC, or similar. Not interested in the crazy paint schemes, but am open to what would be available from a forum member. Any help would be much appreciated!

Im using the HJC AC-12 Vader, it fits comfortable to me, could be a little quieter though.

 I have a Scorpion EXO 400...pretty good, if a bit snug( 3XL melon) but good noise reduction and great anti fog shield, unless you'e riding through the Canadian Rockies in a snow/sleet/hail storm. It was fairly cheap, even shipped to Canada. I know lots of riders favor the Shoei's, Arai's and  KBC's though...They are pricey though....but, find one you like, try it on and see what happens

SuicideD_45:

I have a Scorpion EXO

Another vote for the Scorpion.  I've been riding with an EXO700 for over 2 years and have no plans to replace it.  Reasonably priced.  Good ventilation.  The inside has kept it's fit/feel nicely over the past couple years (8000 miles).  I took the inside out once and threw it in the washing machine -- came out clean, smelling good, and right back to it's original shape and feel.  Visors are easily interchangeable -- I ride with a very dark visor during the day and a clear visor at night -- takes 15 seconds and no tools to swap them.

I definitely recommend adding the Aero Skirt to the helmet though.  Before adding this, I got a lot of wind coming up under my chin and my contacts dried out.  The Aero Skirt completely solved this problem -- no more wind.

Whatever you get make sure it fits well and don't just order one online because someone said it works well for them or you like the look / features of it.  A very useful resource to check out is Web Bike World's helmet review page.  You can gain some inside information on a model you may be considering that you might not otherwise have thought of like how well it ventilates or how it does with fogging up.  It's also a great place to quickly see where helmets rank as far as weight, features, and so forth.

As far as my personal recommendations I can tell you that I am now using an HJC IS-16 which I'm so happy with I got rid of my other helmets.  Before that I had a Shoei RF-1000 that fit me great and although it was a good helmet and high quality it was overpriced in my opinion for what you get.  They now have their new RF-1100 and X-Twelve models out now that have some good improvements which you can read up on in another recent post.  Before that I had an Icon Mainframe I think it was and I didn't care for it all that much but mainly because at the time I didn't want to wear a full face.

I bought the HJC SY-MAX II this spring. It's a modular with a flip up chin bar and clear shield. Also has flip down sun shield inside like a fighter pilot helmet. Plenty of ventilation with a liner they call silver cool. Very comfortable. Slightly noisey but would definatly buy again. 

papawheelie:

Another vote for the Scorpion.  I've been riding with an EXO700

+1

I've ridden through heavy rain at about 45F on one extreme and 114F in the desert on the other extreme and all sorts of weather in between (about 5k miles) with the EXO700.  I love it!

Marco Polo:

A very useful resource to check out is Web Bike World's helmet review page.

+1

Read the reviews,  Figure out the features you need or want. And, above all--"try before you buy" or work with a web retailer that has an excellent return policy. 

atillathehun:

papawheelie:

Another vote for the Scorpion.  I've been riding with an EXO700

 

+1

I've ridden through heavy rain at about 45F on one extreme and 114F in the desert on the other extreme and all sorts of weather in between (about 5k miles) with the EXO700.  I love it!

Add one more vote for Scorpion. I like it so much I was thinking about buying the same exo700 because the price just dropped. I already have two helmets but the price is so tempting.

atillathehun:

papawheelie:

Another vote for the Scorpion.  I've been riding with an EXO700

 

+1

I've ridden through heavy rain at about 45F on one extreme and 114F in the desert on the other extreme and all sorts of weather in between (about 5k miles) with the EXO700.  I love it!

Add one more vote for Scorpion. I like it so much I was thinking about buying the same exo700 because the price just dropped. I already have two helmets but the price is so tempting.

as always, thanks for all the feedback and awesome information. keep it comin! i am definately going to do more research before i close a deal. i seem to keep coming back to HJC, but I am really liking the style of the Scorpion models.

I have an Arai, Shoei, and and HJC.  I always ride in the Arai now.  Light and good vents, but noisy.  Shoei is good, but a little heavier and didn't ride as smooth in the wind, but is quieter than the Arai.  HJC C-12 (I think) is not in the same league with the other 2 so I let my wife use it.  Both the Arai and Shoei are pricey, but whatever you get, make sure it fits correctly.

papawheelie:

SuicideD_45:

I have a Scorpion EXO

Another vote for the Scorpion.  I've been riding with an EXO700 for over 2 years and have no plans to replace it.  Reasonably priced.  Good ventilation.  The inside has kept it's fit/feel nicely over the past couple years (8000 miles).  I took the inside out once and threw it in the washing machine -- came out clean, smelling good, and right back to it's original shape and feel.  Visors are easily interchangeable -- I ride with a very dark visor during the day and a clear visor at night -- takes 15 seconds and no tools to swap them.

I definitely recommend adding the Aero Skirt to the helmet though.  Before adding this, I got a lot of wind coming up under my chin and my contacts dried out.  The Aero Skirt completely solved this problem -- no more wind.

I wish that the sizing in the Exo 700's and the 1000 was larger...but, alas, they only go to 2x which is way too small for my brainpan.  The Aero Skirt I bought I never took with me on the trip so haven't actually proved or disproved its function. I love the visor interchange feature...notlike the HJC CL14 I had which required a team of  NASA engineers and three midgets with spoons to get it on...and about 10 minutes of my time. 

Dang. You have a great big head!    : )