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Helmet Reviews: Post your "LID" and how you like it.

JSP

JSP

Administrator
Post up what you are protecting your dome with. Pics and how ya like it, fit, noise, weight, review, etc.


I use a Scorpion Exo 400.

Fits my head the best it seems. A little heavier than others I have held, but I like it. Visor is good and no fog. Easy to change as well.

I get some wind whistle sometimes but if I open the visor and close it, it goes away.

I had a exo 700 that I took head on into a log in my crash and I am still here with no brain damage... Unless you ask my wife... :D

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I'm wearing a BILT Spirit (Cyclegear house brand - link to the direct page).

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Things I like:

Internal flip-down visor.
  • Very useful when riding into the sun. For simply dialing down the brightness I swap to a smoked visor, but if I need to ride into the sun the combination of the two is wonderful

Cheap ($60)

DOT certified but not Snell certified.
  • I've done a lot of reading on helmets, and have a lot of experience with them in the automotive world. DOT certified helmets tend to be softer than Snell, meaning they'll protect better in most crashes. Snell tends to be a little harder, meaning better protection in a heavier crash, but more concussive injuries at lower (and more common) accidents. This is a personal choice. I encourage anyone to disagree as long as they make an educated choice, so no need to start a flame war. =p

Shaped for deep heads
  • My head isn't as round as a lot of other people's. Bell helmets wobble left/right on me and usually give me a headache. This fits me amazingly well; better than the Bell, Shoei, Scorpion, and other brands I've tried, both M and SA.
  • This shape can be likened to the Arai Signet-Q. It is significantly deeper than the other Arais, which are in turn slightly deeper than Shoei. Roundest of all is Bell. If you fit well in a Bell, this will NOT fit you.

Pull strap on the D-rings and a snap to prevent the main strap from flapping
  • The pull strap on the rings makes removing the helmet much easier. The chinstrap itself snaps to the helmet so the chinstrap isn't loose and doesn't flap.

The vendor (cyclegear) offers a 7-day exchange
  • It's hard to decide if you like a helmet while it's still in the shop. My SA helmet was OK in the shop, but hell to wear on the track, so I really valued the ability to wear for a week. I didn't have to return/swap, but I'm glad to have had the option.
Things I dislike:

Very Noisy
  • I don't have much to compare it to, but there's a lot of wind noise with this helmet. It rarely whistles or anything like that, but riding is a very loud experience, even with earplugs.
  • Adding silicone sealant to where various surfaces meet did not help.
  • This is massively noisier than the Arai Signet-Q. Wind noise is the primary sound with this helmet, with the Arai the exhaust is the dominant noise.

My glasses fog up easily
  • I have no trouble with the shield fogging - just my glasses. The breath deflector over the nose doesn't seem to help.
  • This is only an issue in 30-60F weather. Above that, Visibility is wonderful.

Neutral:

Removable liner
  • I've never removed it, but I suppose it's a plus...

The vents don't seem to do much
  • Open or closed... I don't seem to notice a difference. The helmet's breathing is a function of speed or whether I have the visor up.
  • Less than half the max airflow of the Arai Signet-Q

Since I purchased mine, they came out with a day-glo yellow color. Mine is silver, but I put orange retro-reflective stripes on the back. I really wish mine were more visible to drivers though. I don't really care if I look cool; I want to avoid being hit.
 
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Got the Icon Alliance Lucky Lid with a Gold Reflective Visor

Fit- The fit is good, pretty comfortable, only helmet I've tried out really but it fits well for a Large.

Venting- The venting is nice, never had an issue of it being too hot out to ride in it but Chicago weather doesn't get as extreme as it would in Arizona.

Noise- Haven't tested out others and compared them about the noise factor but let's just say after riding an hour or 2, I still hear the howling of the wind in my eyes for the next hour.

Weight- It's definitely not light compared to the more expensive helmets but unless you're riding in a more "flat" position, I don't really feel it'd make much of an effect. In other words, I don't really feel the weight affecting anything on me.

Misc.- Well the front vent broke really easily and It doesn't seem to be able to close now and can't really replace it since it's integrated with the helmet which sucks.... fell on the ground so lightly also. If you see, on the shield itself, there are plastic pieces that go with the helmet and if you don't interchange them when you swap out shields, you get this annoying whistle while riding. One pain about them is that they are fit so snug that it feels like youre going to break them everytime you change them out.

Overall- For the price, this is a very good helmet, some nuisances but nothing major that makes me throw it on the ground and call quits. Icon as a brand has always attracted me with their designs and very eye-catching looks. This helmet does definitely make a statement especially with the mirror gold shield.


EDIT: Alright, had this thing for a while now and the cheek pads got worn in.... Now the wind makes me go wild and it's FREAKING loud. I'm probably gonna invest into a Shoei but after 2 years of wearing this one, it's served me.

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Awesome guys. Lets keep this going and I will sticky this thread as a "buyers guide" helmet review. Will be good for people to see first hand experience with different helmets all in one spot. Especially those that ride the same bike as they do, fairing vs. no fairing, etc.
 
JSP said:
Awesome guys. Lets keep this going and I will sticky this thread as a "buyers guide" helmet review. Will be good for people to see first hand experience with different helmets all in one spot. Especially those that ride the same bike as they do, fairing vs. no fairing, etc.
Click to expand...

I'm actually currently waiting for someone to review the Icon Variant because I was looking at that helmet as my next buy
 
Ihave the shark rsr2 and an arai rx7 Haydon rep both excellent helmets, out of the 2 the shark is the better helmet for comfort and road noise
 
Jacek3743 said:
I'm actually currently waiting for someone to review the Icon Variant because I was looking at that helmet as my next buy
Click to expand...

I got a Variant from Cambo that he had for sale, but I haven't rode with it yet, as I am still fixing up the bike. I do have his bike.... :sinister:
 
Ive got the Icon Variant etched and i love it. Its worth the extra money to look all kinds of BA. The helmet does take some getting used to at speeds over 70 but its hardly an issue. Only had icon helmets and this one is the best ive ever worn.
 
JSP said:
I use a Scorpion Exo 400.

Fits my head the best it seems. A little heavier than others I have held, but I like it. Visor is good and no fog. Easy to change as well.

I get some wind whistle sometimes but if I open the visor and close it, it goes away.
Click to expand...

I have a Scorpion EXO-500 which I think is the something except that the 500 has an internal sun visor. The sun visor is what pushed me over the edge to buying the 500 and I have been really happy with it. I like it when I ride on the local back roads where some areas are dark in some ares because of heavy tree cover but bright in other spots. It is a simple flick of the lever and I have shade.

Other than the visor I have the same comments about the EXO-500 that JSP had about the EXO-400.
 
I use the Fly Paradigm in flat black to match the 2012(sort of) haha but I like the color as well. when I bought the bike the dealer basically threw this in with it whereas I had done no research on helmets prior, which I should have:confused: but in the end I like the helmet. It is a little noisy when really windy but im still able to hear the chatterbox!:D
 
Aha i want it so bad! Have you ever worn any other icon helmet besides that one?

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
 
I have the Arai RX-Q and I love it. It was a bit spendy but compared to my icon it is leaps and bounds better.

Wind noise is average

Comfort in the helmet is great its super comfy and the field of view is excellent.

The venting is by far the best of any helmet I have worn it works so well I have to close them sometimes because my head gets cold.

Safety obviously this is 5-stars it's an arai.

Anyway I love it so much I have two.

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I have the Shoei RF-1000 Strife. I like dragons.

Likes: Fitment is more for a round head which I have. It fits snugly and is not too heavy although there are lighter helmets out there. The visor locking positions are awesome as I like to keep mine cracked open one small notch most of the time. The venting is the best I've owned yet. Graphics are incredible and the durability of the RF-1000 is top notch.

Disklikes: My only complaint is about the liner. Not fully removable. My next helmet will have this as a first option!

Fixes: I've yet to meet a helmet with anti-fog ability that works unless it comes with what I bought... the Pinlock Visor with insert. No matter what, no more fogging at all. This made a very good helmet a GREAT helmet. So, from now on, nothing but Pinlock!

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Shoei RF-1100 in Anthracite

My previous helmets were typically HJCs. At roughly double the price, the Shoei is a better helmet, although probably not twice as good.

I went shopping for an Arai and was just never happy with the fit for the shape of my head. This RF-1100 in a size that feels one small step away from definitely too tight is just perfect on my head, front to back and side to side perfect.

I'm fairly sensitive about noise. The RF-1100 is just quiet enough that I don't wear earplugs most of the time on my FZ8. Of course noise in the ears has a lot to do with windshields and engine noise and other things. I always wore earplugs with my FZ6R and this helmet.

This is a solid helmet. Lots of moveable vents, so venting comfort can be had in cold temps or hot. And the innards are fully removeable and washable. The anthracite color is not a great match for my 2012 FZ8, but it doesn't look totally out of place either.

My only small complaint would be about the aerodynamic design. The helmet is awesome pointed forward. Turn your head to enjoy the scenery and there's a slight wind wash and tug. It's a minor thing compared to the overall quality of the lid, but I thought I would mention it.
 
Jacek3743 said:
I'm actually currently waiting for someone to review the Icon Variant because I was looking at that helmet as my next buy
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Jacek,

Just to caveat on what the others have said about the Variant.

Like the others, I loved the look. For Fitment: The only issue for me was that my face is a little wider than most and found it a little uncomfortable after a long ride. Should fit perfectly if you've got the more oval shaped head.

Also, agree with the tugging affect at speeds over 70. But i also found it a tiny bit more cumbersome to do shoulder checks. Though the peripheral vision is great, because your face sits deeper in the helmet from the visor than it would, say, a normal full face street helmet, I had to compensate for that extra bit of helmet 'wall' to look past...if that makes sense. So instead of doing quick glances to the sides, I almost had to turn completely around. Not sure if anybody else found this out to happen. This could also be because I'm fairly new to riding and was paranoid about changing lanes. Anyway, I only noticed that I was doing that because when I rode with my Icon Airframe, I found shoulder checks were effortless...which I wasn't used to having ridden with the Variant.

haha, it got crazy stares though. This kid in the back seat of a car next to me at a stop light was like, "whoooaaa...awesommmmeee". I could totally see him mouth that to his mom.

Anyway, my .02! I definitely want another Variant after having sold my first to Rabbitman. DOH!
 
cambo said:
Jacek,

Just to caveat on what the others have said about the Variant.

Like the others, I loved the look. For Fitment: The only issue for me was that my face is a little wider than most and found it a little uncomfortable after a long ride. Should fit perfectly if you've got the more oval shaped head.

Also, agree with the tugging affect at speeds over 70. But i also found it a tiny bit more cumbersome to do shoulder checks. Though the peripheral vision is great, because your face sits deeper in the helmet from the visor than it would, say, a normal full face street helmet, I had to compensate for that extra bit of helmet 'wall' to look past...if that makes sense. So instead of doing quick glances to the sides, I almost had to turn completely around. Not sure if anybody else found this out to happen. This could also be because I'm fairly new to riding and was paranoid about changing lanes. Anyway, I only noticed that I was doing that because when I rode with my Icon Airframe, I found shoulder checks were effortless...which I wasn't used to having ridden with the Variant.

haha, it got crazy stares though. This kid in the back seat of a car next to me at a stop light was like, "whoooaaa...awesommmmeee". I could totally see him mouth that to his mom.

Anyway, my .02! I definitely want another Variant after having sold my first to Rabbitman. DOH!
Click to expand...

Nice! I love the look of it for sure and that's a good thing you pointed out the field of view thing. I'm probably gonna go try one out at a dealer around me and see if there is a difference about having the sides be a little more constricted.

Any issues with the visor or shield or anything?
 
Jacek3743 said:
Nice! I love the look of it for sure and that's a good thing you pointed out the field of view thing. I'm probably gonna go try one out at a dealer around me and see if there is a difference about having the sides be a little more constricted.

Any issues with the visor or shield or anything?
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Cool, good deal, I wish I would've tried it out at a dealer first too.

No issues with the visor or shield. Great airflow. Two air flow tabs on top of the visor are easy to open and shut even with gloves. Though I believe the visor and rear spoiler are designed to break away fairly easily in the event of a crash...so don't drop the helmet! lol

Shield changes out real easily. Much easier than the airframe at least. Plus the variant doesn't have this stupid locking mechanism on the shield like the airframe does.
 
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