Helmet Rec Needed for Hot Humid Climate By bob123456789 (Read 937 times)

[bob123456789]

I am looking for a recommendation for a helmet.

I live in Houston.

The key things I am looking for are:

1) Safe

2) Good for hot humid climates

3) Protection for my face against the sum among many things (probably full face due to this)

4) Inexpensive

They are ranked by priority order.  Most important to least.

Does anyone have any thoughts or advice?

[cyborg]

Well from my personal experience living in california and when i look out of my backyard i see the desert,,,,it gets hotter than hell here 3 months out of the year,,,i went full face almost since they were born,,altho i do wear a shorty half shell if i'm under 40-50 mph side street stuff going for groceries or the hardware store and it's hotter than hades out,,,getting back to the full face,,,i wear HJC's IS-max,,best modular out there for the dough,,fairly light for a modular,,,pretty quiet,,,and most importantly is Snell as well as dot certified,,,i've had mine well north of 140mph and it's not trying to rip my head off if i look over my shoulders,,,good airflow,,and best of it all it's real reasonably priced,,,super easy to open on a hot day when at a lite,,or for lowspeed work i just leave it open and ride like that,,( you have to get used to that one),,,they have a real nice removable and washable interior,,,i did mine a few weeks back,,,it was gettin kinda ripe,,,a little dawn soapy water, tooth brush, rinse, wring it out and BAM instant new interior lining,,,bluetooth/stereo capable in a covered pocket and generous ear pockets for speakers too,,,great finish easy change shields (they can get a little pricey at the shop so i get mine on ebay for half price of the dealer),,,oh i almost forgot ,,if you use clear shields there is a pull down sunshade inside,,,really great if you forget your shades ,,,i liked it so much after i got one at cycle gear on sale that i got another on ebay ,,,still in the box waiting,,,you will not be disappointed if your head is the right shape,,,i have helmets that cost over 5 times the price that i don't wear anymore,,,after you get a decent modular you wonder how you got along without one,,,,

[bob123456789]

Thanks Cyborg for the excellent description. It looks like that helmet runs in the $180-220 range. Are there any good ones for less money?

[cyborg]

i got mine for almost half that,,the one at cycle gear i paid $110 out the door ( it was on sale),,,the one i got on ebay i bid on it and was the only bidder so i got it for $85 free shipping,,,after all i am a cheap bastard ,,, i have a reputation to uphold

[bob123456789]

I guess a lot of the ones I was seeing were HJC's IS-max 2's. I don't see very many HJC's IS-max's.

Can you give me a heads up if you see some?

How foolish would it be to buy one without trying one on? Do they fit close to the size measurements? Based on helmet measure sizes I need a large. I haven't tried one on to validate that.

[jct842]

It's a crap shoot guessing sizes. Different manufacturers make different shapes and some sizes do not always cross over to the next brand. ( large = medium!) You might just do a little local shopping to see what others in your town are selling and using

[cyborg]

I tried one and bought one at cycle gear first,,,,I have a melon and a half so I need to try any helmet on first ,,,and also head shape is important,,,like shoei's never fit me well,,,,arai's do and the hjc fits me really well

[jct842]

I have 3 or 4 old helmets in a large tote, I know for a fact that there are 3 diferent sizes there. And they all fit me right or I would not have bought them. A medium large and a extra large. The shoei I bought as a new old stock on ebay and was wrong size but was so cheep I could not pass on it.....it fit like a glove. Rode with it 7 years on my bandit.

Don't know why
I save stuff like old helmets, they should go in the burn pile. When they get loose I get a new one and sooner or later they all get loose and slop around. Got a fulmer now and like it a lot. 3/4 with built in shield plus a seperate sun shield. Fulmer makes a lot of football helmet also.

[bob123456789]

All very sage advice confirming my hunch.

Now where can I look for a HJC's IS-max or another good alternative?

[cyborg]

if you have a cycle gear near you,,,thats a start,,,after christmas sales are really great,,,i'd stop by and try them on,,make sure of the fit first,,,jct is right as usual,,,gotta try them on first,,,if no good cycle shops around,,,ebay is my first choice,,,but any online vendor has after holiday sales,,,that's going to be the best source

[cyborg]

I just did a quick blast of ebay,,,the hjc is anywhere from $85-$139,,,and thats with no sale discount,,,,they are out there

[bob123456789]

You are correct, I copy and pasting from your note and made the mistake of leaving the 's in the search name.   

My apologies.

[cyborg]

No apology necessary if you're talking to me,,,I'm just trying to turn you on to a really great helmet,,,,

[bob123456789]

I read through the manual and for the price it seems to have a lot of features.

Do the cooling vents work well?

[cyborg]

I have arai helmets that cost north of $500,,,,,, I don't use them anymore,,, the vents work well and if its blistering the shield gets opened 1/4 and it's great airflow then and at stop lights I open the face completely,,,,,I'm telling you it's the best modular helmet for the money,,,the Schubert is better,,not by much but they run $240-300 more ,,,, there's not $300 difference between them,,,and the Schubert is heavier and noisier ,,,and at the risk of repeating myself once you get a modular you'll wonder how you got along without one,,,and you don't have to take your glasses off to get it on,,,that's worth the price of admission right there