Helmet Discoveries – Part 2
Man I was lucky today and caught some calm weather between the furies; there was debris all over the ground, but I made it to two shops and this is what my tiny little pointy head learnt:
Eastside Harley-Davidson, Bellevue, WA
The service was friendly, diligent, and informative. The helmets offered were Shoei, HJC, Bell, and of course the
H-D brand. It looked to me upon close inspection that HJC was contracted to make the H-D helmets, though I could be mistaken.
I tried on open-face ¾ and ½ helmets that could accept a face shield. I found a plastic helmet that I liked, though the face shield was extra. Fortunately it had a ratcheting mechanism (although very cheap) that allowed enumerable positions. Face shields ran about $20-22 depending on matching model. But then the gal serving me began to talk about construction quality.
Construction:
- Plastic (ABS) Helmets are the least expensive, but tend to crack or shatter upon severe impact which is not good for the noggin nor the brains inside.
- Fiberglass is better suited for protection, lighter weight, and more spendy than plastic. The quality of workmanship on a FG Helmet is one step up as well. Fits are also much better.
- Carbon Fiber Helmets reign supreme in quality, construction, life-preservation, and in hefty price. They are marginally lighter than FG.
After this lession I decided to upscale from plastic and be done with it.
My tiny head is normally a Small size which is surprising considering all the shit that spills out of my mouth. What’s worse, I ended up discovering that XS fit me best. That one brain cell of mine must be an inverted Black Hole.
Of all the choices the one that best suited my needs is the fiberglass
Men's Bar & Shield Logo Boneyard Half Helmet. It is available in Glossy Black only. The face shield is a Universal style and does not retract. The fit was the best of any helmet I tried to date, and was very close to the lightest helmet in the store weighing in at 1 lb. 13 oz. Retails for $125. Negatives: Chin strap uses that new-fangled method; probably have to spend $200 to get a better style. And it only came in black color which though great for stealth, is worrisome for desired visibility. Lastly, the shield does not retract.
A very close second-place helmet is the fiberglass
Men's Hybrid Ultra-Light Spoiler Half Helmet weighing in at 1 lb. 6 oz. and likely the lightest helmet in the store. Both this and the previous helmet are plush on the inside, and have removable (zippered) ear flaps for summer-time use. I seem to recall this particular model couldn’t use a face shield; I should go back and take another look. Sadly this too only comes in black, though there is a choice between shiny and matte. Cost is $200.
The only non-black helmets for men were a plastic white
Men's Midway and a fiberglass
Hi-Vis Orange. I hate orange; not my color, not in my tartan, and wouldn’t be caught dead wearing it, but that’s me. Other than that – it has very similar features to the first two reviewed, weighs 1 lb. 11 oz., and costs $125.
There are also variations of #1 and #2 with decals. Not my thing but might be yours.
Men's Stealth Flame is modest, and …OK I liked the
Men's Embossed Skull too. There, are you happy!
Now – if you are not picky, and I mention this in hesitation, the
Women’s Half-Helmets ♥ are available in white, silver, Pearl-Red… but most are plastic.
- - -
The second shop I went to was the
Honda Ski-Doo Dealership in Issaquah. As far as helmet-selection goes the open face choices were very limited. Otherwise they carried the same full-face stuff I had seen before. But hey – they had Ski-Doos, body armor, and all kinds of neat stuff. Good to know they are there.
Of the four shops I visited, the time and information provided by Harley-Davidson was the best and the most diligent, with the Kawasaki dealer pulling in a close second. I strongly recommend trying on helmets before purchase; at least go in and try the one you’ve been eyeballing on the Internet to be sure the fit is right for you. H-D helmets can be found online for less, but considering all the help the gal went through to accommodate my needs – I’d give them my money.
I still want to look a bit more, but so far… it’s leaning towards H-D. If it is HJC contracting the H-D helmets then there’s a good chance other options and colors are available.
Cheers,
KF