[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Seems a very good buy, if you compare it with the new MT KRE SV which retails at Rs. 13,500 new. K3 is a proven product and has found many buyers in India.

The summers in India is not the best season to buy a new lid though!

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz

Thanks. The KRE is not SHARP rated and hence falls off my shopping list. This is the first time that Im seeing a correlation between Indian summers and new lid shopping. Im intrigued, can you shed some light on it?

Originally Posted by hgps

Guys, I wanted to know if wearing prescription glasses inside helmet is safe or not? I wear glasses inside my full face helmet all the time and i'm a bit concerned if my half frame glasses are safe or not. Really wish we had something like powered helmet visor

Perfectly fine. Ive been using prescription glasses with my helmets for around 7 years now and never faced any issues.

Originally Posted by hgps

Also, I currently own a SPG kranos helmet 2.5 years old (DOT and ECE certified), I will be upgrading to a 600-900cc class soon and wanted to know if my current helmet is adequate or not (I never exceed 120kph). If a helmet upgrade is not something i can delay till early next year, Suggest one in a budget of 8-9k

Well only you can decide how much investment in your own safety gear is right or not! In your budget, you have HJC CS 15 and a lot of MT helmets that are all minimum SHARP 4* SHARP rated.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Can someone please tell me which models from HJC I should consider in the 6-8k range!

I'm seriously looking at MT Thunder 3 - However can't seem to find one in my size + graphics combo!

HJC CS-15 is the entry level lid from the Korean manufacturer which retails at Rs. 7,000. 4* SHARP rated, ECE Approved


CL - 17 is the next model at Rs. 9,000. DOT and Snell M2015 Approved

https://youtu.be/EZucCFZktzY

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Thanks. The KRE is not SHARP rated and hence falls off my shopping list. This is the first time that Im seeing a correlation between Indian summers and new lid shopping. Im intrigued, can you shed some light on it?

We'll nothing serious, you sweat much more in summers that's all. I'll have to wash my liners within a month of daily use it seems.

It's better to sweat than to bleed!

Ride safe
surjaonwheelz

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

It's better to sweat than to bleed!
Ride safe

I resonate with both these sentiments.

If you are sweating a lot in traffic, the discomfort can actually become a safety issue. For riding in the heat of indian summers, a modular helmet can be a great choice. Allows you to grab a bottle/drink, also allows for some airflow on the face while at traffic stoplights. The chinbar when closed offers full face protection at cruising speeds.

HJC has IS MAX 2, which is a great modular helmet that I strongly recommend to everyone.

[swiftnfurious]

In the last ride to Bangalore, I had stopped for a coffee break and kept the helmet on the bike which fell down and one of the pins on the side was missing. A guy in Highlander, Bangalore, plugged the hole with some plastic + glue and there was some scratches + glue on the visor.

Last weekend, I replaced my stock visor with a V12 blur tint visor, at Spartan, Uthandi. I also went for a pinlock visor as I end up fogging the visor when on standstill and in my last ride covering Wayanad - had to ride very slow as the visibility dropped very low and while opening up the visor, the cold was killing me on a very early Jan morning.

Quick Review:

The blue has quite a lot of difference during the hot & bright afternoon but visibility is a tad lower in the dark riding conditions. The blue one did give me a headache in the 30 mins ride I had right after changing it and even struggled a bit in measuring the corners of vehicles - I think it's just a matter of getting used to.

The pinlock is working its charm and I didn't have any fogging issues at all. Am told that I can use it with any V12 compatible visor too.

Somehow, I feel the wind noise has gone up after installing the new visor. Could anyone confirm whether it happens with pinlock installation? There's terrible windnoise above 80 kmph, which wasn't the case with the old visor.

Cost :

The new visor costs me Rs. 1000/- and the pinlock costs me Rs. 1800/-. Overall, I believe it's a worthy investment.

Pics:

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Attachment 1866843

Is it my eyes or is that pin lock fitted on the outside of the visor?

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Is it my eyes or is that pin lock fitted on the outside of the visor?

Nop - it's inside. Since this was clicked right after installing new visor, could be giving you (and may be others too) an illusion of the pinlock being outside.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by boniver

Isn't that a possibility with broken pieces of the visor too?
Can you please elaborate further? Asking because I was thinking of getting contact lenses to use when I'm riding.
.

You are right with your observations on pros and cons. Couple more points - For long rides, space is at a premium, so carrying lots of lens care stuff is a pain. I use daily disposables, and new ones in sealed packaging can handle rides very well.
When you pop the visor up, the gush of air/wind can move the lens around. If solid particles get in the eye while on road, cleaning is a hassle.
That said, when things go right, its very convenient, and I go with contacts for all long rides.

[r0ckstar.1]

I am on the lookout for new helmet for my RE 650 coming early next week. Have got few suggestions earlier in this thread and i tried some today at Orion motors in BLR. I wear spectacles and my biggest need is easy wear and removal of spectacles with a full-face helmet (after safety consideration ofcourse).

Tried
1. HJC CL 17- Very tight fitting for my M size head and not spectacle friendly.

2. MT Blade - Looks good and fit was comfortable (not great). Spectacle use is ok with a bit of struggle. Want to try MT Rapide before making a decision.

3. Bell Qualifier - Better comfort than MT and HJC. But , i didn't like any designs available at store now (only plain ones there). Again some issues using specs.

4. Shuberth (modular): Tried this and was so happy with the Helmet. All excitement came down crashing after getting to know the price. Put the helmet back on the shelf carefully..

5. Revolt (Raven) - This is the most comfortable and spectacle friendly helmet among all that i tried above. It has a nice groove for specs, very comfy to wear, good wide vision , full locking internal visor and not very expensive (7K).

I wanted to buy Revolt, but wasn't sure about the company and it's lang-term ownership review. So came home to do my homework before i buy it. So any feedback on Revolt helmets will be very helpful in making my decision. Any other i missed within the price range of 7-9k?

Thanks

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

We'll nothing serious, you sweat much more in summers that's all. I'll have to wash my liners within a month of daily use it seems.

It's better to sweat than to bleed!

Ride safe
surjaonwheelz

That's very true. With this year's summer being one of the hottest in a long time, I have found a way to avoid this problem. I have reduced my riding

Originally Posted by r0ckstar.1

I am on the lookout for new helmet for my RE 650 coming early next week. Have got few suggestions earlier in this thread and i tried some today at Orion motors in BLR. I wear spectacles and my biggest need is easy wear and removal of spectacles with a full-face helmet (after safety consideration ofcourse).

All of them are good options. I think Ive seen the Revolt helmets at Big Bear Customs or Orion Motors some time ago. They seem nice. One thing to keep in mind is that some of the lesser available and / or lesser known brands is that in the long run, they will come with the difficulty of sourcing visors, cheek padding, inner padding etc. I think I posted my experience with Nolan's N86 helmet in the last couple of pages of this thread. From that perspective, MT helmets seem like a safer bet in terms of long term ownership. Swiftnfurious's post on this page goes to further reinforce this.

That said, one can never really predict how this market moves in India. Several years ago, nobody in India had heard of SOL helmets. Then the company forged a partnership with a Madras based player and before you knew it SOL helmets and spares were widely available. That partnership came to an end. History repeated itself. Nobody in India had heard of MT helmets. Then MT tied up with the same Indian partner and now MT helmets are everywhere are offer probably the best VFM deals in the India market at the moment.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Perfectly fine. Ive been using prescription glasses with my helmets for around 7 years now and never faced any issues.

On this topic, ever since I got my HJC RPHA, I am facing a weird issue while riding in rains. I have the pin lock insert on the visor which ensures the visor doesn't fog up. However, I am unable to find a way to stop my glasses from fogging up, especially when its humid and rainy. Any thoughts on this?

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

On this topic, ever since I got my HJC RPHA, I am facing a weird issue while riding in rains. I have the pin lock insert on the visor which ensures the visor doesn't fog up. However, I am unable to find a way to stop my glasses from fogging up, especially when its humid and rainy. Any thoughts on this?

I too faced the same issue earlier. I realized the only way out was to get prescription glasses that are made to be anti-fog. I have been a Vision Express customer for years and they have that as a separate option, for a price of course. Im sure other brands have similar offerings.

The Vision Express option comes with a 12 month warranty that they dont usually advertise up front. I had that on a pair of my spectacles but a few months in, they started fogging up a bit. I took it back to Vision Express and they put in a replacement pair and there have been no issues so far.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

One thing to keep in mind is that some of the lesser available and / or lesser known brands is that in the long run, they will come with the difficulty of sourcing visors, cheek padding, inner padding etc. From that perspective, MT helmets seem like a safer bet in terms of long term ownership.

That said, one can never really predict how this market moves in India. Several years ago, nobody in India had heard of SOL helmets. Then the company forged a partnership with a Madras based player and before you knew it SOL helmets and spares were widely available. That partnership came to an end. History repeated itself. Nobody in India had heard of MT helmets. Then MT tied up with the same Indian partner and now MT helmets are everywhere are offer probably the best VFM deals in the India market at the moment.

There are many such brands, couple of years ago, Zeus Helmets (Taiwan) was available in India. Couple of reviews are also available in this thread. Now, very few are seen in stores. Not sure if they're still officially available.
Shiro helmets (Spain) is widely available now with Rynox Gears alliance. This is their second stint here. But still visors are an issue (not available).

The above are the import & sell method in the affordable spectrum of dual (DOT+ECE) certified helmets.

Collaboration & manufactured in India
- Studds make SMK helmets
- Vega make Axor helmets

Then came the influx of imported mid range helmets,
1. Airoh
2. Scorpion Exo
3. HJC
4. Bell
5. AGV

For the first 3 in the list the products are lagging their international counterparts (models). Meaning older models reach our shores first!

In addition with the superbike showrooms around, you have a decent import of helmets,
Harley Davidson - Bell
Triumph - Bell
Ducati - Nolan/Xlite
BMW - Schuberth

Anything above INR 20k, a dollar purchase is always cost effective. The shelf life of an helmet brings us to the 5 year life of any helmet which Neil has mentioned in his post.

MT has come a long way, they've a wide variety of shells for your grey matter. MT can also be accused of pulling out popular models but atleast their visors are compatible in the range. In addition, their entry level Mugello with a 4* SHARP rating gives you a lot of confidence in the brand.

[neil.jericho]

Well I didnt want to get into the stories of the other brands in India because pages after pages can be written on them but surjaonwheelz brought it up so here goes.

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

There are many such brands, couple of years ago, Zeus Helmets (Taiwan) was available in India. Couple of reviews are also available in this thread. Now, very few are seen in stores. Not sure if they're still officially available.
Shiro helmets (Spain) is widely available now with Rynox Gears alliance. This is their second stint here. But still visors are an issue (not available).

I still see the odd Zeus and Shiro helmet in a few stores. Zeus has a very attractive carbon fibre helmet available in a shop in Cochin and the helmet feels very light but at a near Rs 15,000 price point and with no SHARP rating, I doubt that piece will ever get sold. I think the days are numbered for these brands in India.

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

The above are the import & sell method in the affordable spectrum of dual (DOT+ECE) certified helmets.

Collaboration & manufactured in India
- Studds make SMK helmets
- Vega make Axor helmets

Im seeing an increasing number of Axor and SMK helmets these days. At a below Rs 5,000 price point, these offer good value and the advantage of being backed by national manufacturers is that these will continue to be available for a long time. Quality wise, they are a huge improvement above the traditional ISI helmets that we have seen in the years gone by. Its good to see Indian manufacturers upping their game (and price point that their products can command).

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Then came the influx of imported mid range helmets,
1. Airoh
2. Scorpion Exo
3. HJC
4. Bell
5. AGV

For the first 3 in the list the products are lagging their international counterparts (models). Meaning older models reach our shores first!

Each of these manufacturers has treaded a different path in India. Airoh helmets were there, then not there, then again there, then again not there. Im a fan of their top of the line GP500 helmet, I saw one in Ducati Bombay and really loved the quality of it. Recently they made a big push in the Indian market and brought the very nice SHARP 5* Valor helmet for a Rs 10,000 - Rs 12,000 price range. The helmets have excellent graphics and are widely available in different cities. That said, a little birdie tells me that the people behind importing the last batch of Airoh arent going to do so anymore so lets see what happens.

Scorpion helmets werent that easy to find in Bangalore with only one big store having some pieces that were unsold for some time. Having checked their helmets, I felt they were nice but werent worth their price. Oh and Scorpion's highest SHARP rating is 4* so that's something against them.

HJC has had a very good run in the Indian market thanks to their Bombay based importers. I would say they are the most successful big brand helmet manufacturer in India in the enthusiasts circles. The advantage HJC has is that they have a wide variety of choices and their top of the line race helmet is a third of the cost of the equivalent race helmet from Arai. Of course, you will have to live with the SHARP 3* rating of the RPHA 11 so maybe it isnt a fair comparison! That said they have some great mid range options that clear the SHARP 5* test.

Bell has seen a big push in recent times. Ive seen the Bell Qualifier being a good alternative to the similarly priced HJC CL17. Bell sadly doesnt command the same brand value that some of the others do.

Speaking of brand value, AGV probably tops the list. Their prices also unfortunately surpass that of the competition. Their Bangalore based importer finally seems to be pushing for a distribution network based on volumes. The AGV K1 with an attractive price tag (by AGV standards) and hand me down graphics from some of their top helmets is doing well sales wise but the helmet is yet to be SHARP tested. I would expect a 4* rating. Visors and pinlocks are available for Rs 5,000 and 2,500 respectively which are steep. Honestly it is tough to recommend AGVs when the HJC equivalent options are much cheaper and equally well built.

I think LS2 might be a dark horse in the Indian market. We all know how our market got flooded with their fakes a few years ago. I have warned many a rider, on this forum and in my biking circles to stay away from LS2 for a while since there was a high possibility of landing up with an imitation of unknown origin. That said, they seem to have made good strides in the recent past. I stumbled upon a very good helmet of theirs - the FF323 Arrow for a very reasonable sub Rs 10,000 price point. https://ls2helmetsindia.com/in/p/FF3...-Black-Red/103 The spec sheet is worth taking a look at. Im quite impressed by the helmet and on further research found that the same model is available abroad as well. It does come in a carbon fibre version as well for Rs 17,500. Browsing through LS2's website (Indian and others) does show that they are making the right moves to become a big player including making themselves seen on international racing grids come MotoGP weekend.

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

In addition with the superbike showrooms around, you have a decent import of helmets,
Harley Davidson - Bell
Triumph - Bell
Ducati - Nolan/Xlite
BMW - Schuberth

I would be a little wary about buying from these dealerships because there is a strong possibility that these helmets would have been lying on their shelves for a few years. Unless one can validate when the helmet was manufactured and imported, it might be better to stay away from purchasing them.

[GrandTourer]

Hi,
I'm looking for a half helmet for Dad for short runs around the house. He has broken a couple of eyeglasses with full face helmets and is wary of them now.

Can you suggest a safe VFM helmet which is comfortable enough for short to medium distance rides (3 - 15 km)?

Not looking to spend a lot as we already have a full face helmet for longer rides.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by GrandTourer

Can you suggest a safe VFM helmet which is comfortable enough for short to medium distance rides (3 - 15 km)?

Choose among Indian brands like Vega, Studds, Steelbird; should be available between Rs. 900-1200 price range. I have a steelbird open face helmet for my father which I also use sometimes within the suburb.