[amansanc]

Originally Posted by mithun

I want to buy a full face helmet for my wife who is a newbie to the wheeling world! Please recommend me one.

Max. Budget: 2500

Thanks in advance.

You can take a look a Vega Cara which replaces the Vega Axor. Suits your requirements. Below is my review of the same.

__________________________________________________ _____________


I wanted to buy a new helmet for my younger brother to use on his Honda Aviator. The requirement was simple: The safest full face helmet (upto 7k) which fits in the underseat storage compartment. Went to the shop and realised that only one helmet fits my requirement. It was the Vega Cara which is a new series and replaces the older Axor series.

I ended up buying the same after trying it out. It costed me Rs. 1850 after haggling at a local shop. MRP is Rs. 2300 and it retails for Rs. 2250 on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.in/dp/B06XCJ1PYR/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1496919256&sr=8-7&keywords=Vega%2BCara&th=1&psc=1. The benefit of buying from Amazon is that one can get a medium size if they wish as shops generally stock only large size.

For the price paid, I am very satisfied with the helmet in the initial usage. It is very comfortable and has good amount of space for spectacles. It also has an internal visor which is useful but can't be used along with spectacles (design fault?). The graphics are attractive and the matt finish paint look nice. The fact that it is certified by DOT (cheapest helmet on sale with DOT certification) is a huge plus point.

Time for some pictures.

Vent at the front







Vents at the rear



Vents on top





Removable lining



The model details (box from another helmet hence wrong colour)



Some other colour/graphic options

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by amansanc

I wanted to buy a new helmet for my younger brother to use on his Honda Aviator. The requirement was simple: The safest full face helmet (upto 7k)

I don't mean to dampen your satisfaction with your buying experience but no matter what helmet you buy, it is a waste of money if it is not a proper snug fit. "Good amount of space for spectacles" is not very comforting at all.

Originally Posted by amansanc

The fact that it is certified by DOT (cheapest helmet on sale with DOT certification) is a huge plus point.

Again I don't mean to dampen emotions, but did you know that DOT certification (unlike ECE) is left up to the manufacturer. The manufacturer is responsible for testing their own helmet and applying DOT stickers on it. US NHTSA then randomly acquires samples for testing purposes to enforce that certification has been done properly. AFAIK Vega does not sell any helmets in the US market so I would not blindly accept that their helmets are actually DOT compliant.

Just my two cents on the matter as I hate to see people blowing big cash on a helmets that aren't even the right size and I hope folks would excercise caution and do some more research before buying into the whole 'DOT certified' thing

[amansanc]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

I don't mean to dampen your satisfaction with your buying experience but no matter what helmet you buy, it is a waste of money if it is not a proper snug fit. "Good amount of space for spectacles" is not very comforting at all.
Again I don't mean to dampen emotions, but did you know that DOT certification is left up to the manufacturer. The manufacturer is responsible for testing their own helmet and applying DOT stickers on it. US NHTSA then randomly acquires samples for testing purposes to enforce that certification has been done properly. AFAIK Vega does not sell any helmets in the US market so I would not blindly accept that their helmets are actually DOT compliant.

Just my two cents on the matter as I hate to see people blowing big cash on a helmets that aren't even the right size and I hope folks would excercise caution and do some more research before buying into the whole 'DOT certified' thing

I completely understand what you mean. I use a SOL helmet myself and have tried multiple other helmets.

The helmet is a proper snug fit for my brother. Somehow, it seems to have good space for spectacles which is what I wanted to highlight.

Also, I didn't buy the helmet because of the DOT sticker on it. I just wanted to buy the best fitting helmet which would fit in the underseat storage of the scooter. Vega Cara seemed to be the best built one out of the ones which did fit and also the most expensive. The fact that it came with a DOT sticker was just an added bonus and maybe gave some additional psychological satisfaction.

Sadly, no international manufacturer builds a scooter-centric helmet maybe because of the low demand for it in our market which ironically is one of the biggest scooter market in the world. I would have gladly bought a MT or a SOL or an even more expensive lid had it suited my need. Currently, I lug around my SOL helmet everywhere when I ride the scooter (which is rare these days). But it is very inconvenient and hence my brother can't do the same every time he rides (2-3 times everyday).

[r.K]

Hi folks. Any pointers to where can I get Agv K5 helmet online? I'm not able to seem to find them.

[Sebring]

Took my Shoei TZ-R out for a spin after a very long time, in Bengaluru. It's Made in Japan and over 10 years old now.

Feels bit heavy compared to the newbies, but fit is still snug.

[niks_devil666]

Originally Posted by r.K

Hi folks. Any pointers to where can I get Agv K5 helmet online? I'm not able to seem to find them.

Not many dealers I saw with K5, one was in Pune, near Swargate. You can get some good Airoh/bell/MT helmets online, may want to check - https://store4riders.com/

Originally Posted by Sebring

Took my Shoei TZ-R out for a spin after a very long time, in Bengaluru. It's Made in Japan and over 10 years old now.

Feels bit heavy compared to the newbies, but fit is still snug.

A helmet should be replaced after 3-4 years. Glue, resin and other material used in a helmet degrades over time and can also affect liners, padding and EPS. Hair oil, sweat, heat also adds to the degradation of liners.

This is a good guide that you refer to for helmets. Hope this helps

https://motohive.in/helmets-in-a-nutshell/

[mithun]

Originally Posted by atul.ktm

Why not save up some more and get a good quality helmet instead of going for a cheap option. Newbie or not, safety should never be compromised.

Have been touring with my wife from past 5 years, always made sure she had similar or better quality gear than me.

You can look at the MT range, they have decent helmets in the 5k mark.

Cheers!

I don't intend to compromise on the safety, but she hasn't used a helmet in her life so I thought of gradual upgrade after getting accustomed.

[vicky5669]

Just bought the 2017 Arai iom TT helmet.
Sharing some pictures
Regards

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by amansanc

Currently, I lug around my SOL helmet everywhere when I ride the scooter (which is rare these days). But it is very inconvenient and hence my brother can't do the same every time he rides (2-3 times everyday).

I lug around my helmet, jacket every time I go anywhere. Only the gloves fit into the under seat storage. It was initially very inconvenient, but slowly I got used to it and now it's usual.

If there's a grab handle, you can perhaps get a helmet lock.

[v12]

So I finally got my hands on the Bell RS-1 Top helmet that I had ordered from STG (SportbikeTrackGear.com). Thanks to a friend of mine who was travelling down from the US. Thanks to Avi (Mobike008) too for making me aware of this offer. I had just ordered for the Bell Qualifier (Godzilla! My monster from Japan. Kawasaki Z800- NOW SOLD !!! !!!) helmet in Nov 2016 and was not really looking for another helmet. But the offer was really tempting and that was the time when I had decided to sell the Z and go for the Versys for a 2-up riding.

The offer was available on a range of the Bell RS-1 helmets. The one I opted for was the RS-1 Topo in Desert Camo color. The only other color option was the Snow Camo which I loved - but the XL size was out of stock.

I haven't used the helmet yet but here are some pics.

Purchased from : SportbikeTrackGear.com
Actual Price : $399.95
Close Out Price : $109.95
Shipping : Free
Customs : None

To give a perspective on the price, the helmet is available on the following websites as well :
Amazon @ $299.95
Highnoteperformance @ Rs. 34,500/-
RevZilla @ Out of Stock

The RS-1 Topo Desert Camo


Long Chin. I don't like red plastics. Would have preferred it in black to break the overdoze of the reddish orange color.


Forced Air Induction - 4 below the visor and 4 above.



The lever which allows you to lift the visor a bit to prevent fogging.


Side View. Love that spoiler.


Rear View - wonder what that white space is for - probably put your name or blood group.


Features of the Bell visor (Anti fog is called NutraFog and Quick Release is called Click Release in Bell terms)


Thick padding with Double D Ring retainer


With a magnetic strap - Magnafusion Technology in Bell terms.


DOT & SNELL approved.


I have these punched stickers on both my Bell helmets. The Qualifier has a 16 number sticker punched at 8 whereas the RS-1 has a 14 number sticker punched at 10. Does this signify Year and month of the manufacture?



Size Compare. Qualifier is L and RS-1 is XL.


Finally the Snow Camo color.

[atul.ktm]

Originally Posted by v12

So I finally got my hands on the Bell RS-1 Top helmet that I had ordered from STG

Congratulations on the RS-1. I too have the same helmet in the high viz variant bought from STG in closeout

Just a word of advice, watch out for the magnet in the strap, it will slowly start coming out from the strap and fall off. Mine fell off after using it for close to 30k kms :P

[shyn]

Finally found a helmet the missus was willing to wear.
I just happened to be browsing Motardinn.com and came across this Diesel (by AGV) New Jack 70s which was being sold at a heavy discount. What I liked more was that it weighs just 1.4 kilos and is supposed to be ECE 22.05 certified. (though the helmet has no sticker saying it. Does that mean it is not? Any way of confirming it?)
Showed it to her and she loved the look. The Diesel label and the fact that it can become a half-face lid had something to do with it, I think. Though I am not a fan of half-face helmets, I decided to go ahead with the purchase still. Can't say no to the boss!
Paid ₹4136/$64.34 for the lid, ₹1778 for shipping and ₹2238 import duty for a total of ₹8,152.
The same helmet costs ₹13,000 on an Indian website (http://bikegear.in/diesel-new-jack-m...t-online-india)
Placed the order on 9th June and received it yesterday(22 June).






Was pleasantly surprised to see a bag included which is big enough to carry the helmet and some!




The helmet can be turned into a half-face one by removing the jaw piece. It also has a built in drop-down sun visor, which looks way too small but. Hasn't been tried yet but I don't see how it is going to be good at what it is supposed to do.
The jaw piece feels very frail and not so confidence inspiring. The overall build quality too doesn't seem as good as my K3. If returning it was a simple process and if I had a say, I would readily return it and get another lid, but alas!





The bigger red lever is for the sun visor and the small one, along with its counterpart on the other side, helps remove the jaw piece.


The buckle is a microlock system and the liner is a nice soft velvety one. There's a Diesel logo on the sides. She likes these features a lot, obviously.




Here's how it looks with the jaw removed and the sun visor down









And finally here's how it looks next to my AGV K3 SV

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by v12

Thanks to Avi (Mobike008) too for making me aware of this offer.

Congratulations Allen. So you too got it for the same price as mine

The color combination is truly awesome and is standing out with all that red splattered across the helmet.

If you ask me, now you need to buy a Ducati to justify buying this color helmet

P.S: Does it have an internal visor?

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by shyn

Finally found a helmet the missus was willing to wear.
I just happened to be browsing Motardinn.com and came across this Diesel (by AGV) New Jack 70s which was being sold at a heavy discount. What I liked more was that it weighs just 1.4 kilos and is supposed to be ECE 22.05 certified. (though the helmet has no sticker saying it. Does that mean it is not? Any way of confirming it?)
Showed it to her and she loved the look. The Diesel label and the fact that it can become a half-face lid had something to do with it, I think. Though I am not a fan of half-face helmets, I decided to go ahead with the purchase still. Can't say no to the boss!
Paid ₹4136/$64.34 for the lid, ₹1778 for shipping and ₹2238 import duty for a total of ₹8,152.
The same helmet costs ₹13,000 on an Indian website (http://bikegear.in/diesel-new-jack-m...t-online-india)
Placed the order on 9th June and received it yesterday(22 June).

Hi, shyn. Congrats on your purchase. I was wondering, how are the import duties calculated? Say if I purchase a helmet consing 12k plus 1.5k as shipping, what would the approximate landing cost be? And are these charges supposed be given the to the delivery guy? I haven't really contemplated any out of country purchases, so your inputs regarding the same would be extremely helpful.

Cheers!
VJ

[navpreet318]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Hi, shyn. Congrats on your purchase. I was wondering, how are the import duties calculated? Say if I purchase a helmet consing 12k plus 1.5k as shipping, what would the approximate landing cost be? And are these charges supposed be given the to the delivery guy? I haven't really contemplated any out of country purchases, so your inputs regarding the same would be extremely helpful.

Cheers!
VJ

It is approximately 40%. A few points above it. On Helmets, Boots and other apparel.
Exact details can be had on google.