[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by JoeTheWanderer

I'm probably going to get an extra clear visor for night rides. I've installed the pinlock and that causes issues when riding at night.

Congratulations on the Storm! Same observations as you and our fellow member above. However, I'd have to ask you about what you mean when you say the pinlock Is causing issues? I've used it in the dark and it makes no difference?

[JoeTheWanderer]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

However, I'd have to ask you about what you mean when you say the pinlock Is causing issues? I've used it in the dark and it makes no difference?

I had to ride after dark when I was coming back from Tehri. The light from the vehicles on the opposite side appeared scattered causing a glare but everything was OK if I opened up the visor.

At first, I thought it was due to a dirty visor; so I stopped and cleaned it using a Zeiss lens cleaner. That didn't seem to have any affect, so I had to ride with the visor open the rest of the way.

A few days later as I was throwing away the outer sleeve of the Pinlock I noticed it said "daytime use only" in capital letters on the back.

This is my 3rd helmet and I've used Pinlocks on all my previous helmets - even I haven't noticed this earlier. Perhaps there are some "versions" that are only for daytime use.

[falcon.adv390]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Congrats! That looks solid!
If you could share, does the beak affect you when riding at 100-120kph? Or is there any point where the beak does affect you due to buffeting?
Might also help if you could share a pic of you with helmet on the bike to see the position of your visor (+ extension).

I am assuming tour cross v is the Japanese version. could you share the link from where you purchased this version ?

[iamahunter]

Current helmets in the arsenal.

1. 2024 - Arai Tour Cross Five (sourced from Japan)

Pros

• Safest adventure touring helmet - Snell certified.
• Very comfortable.
• Can be used with the beak or without the beak.
• Excellent ventilation.
• Beautiful Design.

Cons

• Expensive.
• Spares availability in India.
• Noisy (with all vents open and beak attached).
• Non ISI (pun intended).

2. 2023 - LS2 FF800

Pros

• Safety in budget (ECE 22.06) certified, also ISI certified.
• Pinlock is included.
• Dual visor
• Comfortable fitting.
• Ample space for communication device.
• Wind noise is quite controlled.

Cons

• Quality of the plastic vents feel cheap.
• Ventilation is not that great.

PS- I am looking for a Red iridium visor for this. AFAIK, LS2 only makes blue, dark tinted and plain iridium for this model.

3. 2022 - SMK Gullwing

Note - This was an impromptu purchase. I desperately suffered riding in afternoon heat with a packed super slow moving traffic. This was the Nashik highway under construction with no place to halt as the cement road had a steep drop on the left. I had no place to get off, take off the helmet, fetch the bottle from bag, have a sip, put on the helmet and move on.
As the roadworks were in full swing with ton of dust and traffic continuously honking, I almost lot it that day. In the evening, went to the local shop, asked for a modular helmet and got the one available.

Pros

• Modular helmet, can be opened for air, water and smoke.
• Has a dual visor.
• Easily available spares.

Cons

• Weight - 1750 gms.
• Wind noise (even when closed).
• Safety is somewhat compromised.

4. 2019 - MT Revenge GP (sold)

Pros

• Light weight (1400 gms).
• DOT and ECE Certified.
• Comfortable fit.
• Aerodynamic, not very noisy (comparatively).
• Loved the design.

Cons

• Non IS Certified
• Had some issues with the visor initially (was replaced)

Brought the LS2 to replace this as a Full Face helmet, which was ECE 22.06 and ISI certified. Also the Arai has a similar color palette.

5. 2013 - LS2 FF351 (donated)

This was my first helmet with some good graphics, mercury visor. The first one, to lift me above the world of Vega and Studds. This had seen a couple of minor crashed and changing visors. The lightest of all at 1350 gms was used as the local helmet at the end of its tenure in the arsenal. Was donated to someone who wore a helmet without the EPS. New owner now proudly sports it on his Bajaj CT100.

[b16h22]

It looks like MT has updated the Hummer line to ECE22.06 in India

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6v2z9It8D4/

[The21st]

I am in the market for a helmet. For background, I have been using a basic Steelbird helmet of my father. I will be using the new one exclusively in city, still I wanted something with a solid safety rating.

I have been following this thread recently. From what I understand, Axor Apex is one that is suggested by many under 5k.
LS2, MT helmets are way above my budget.

Here is the dilemma
1. Studds Drifter @2200
I started with a humble budget and this one is right under budget yet not too cheap. It is available in stores and I tried it.

2. Axor Apex is available @4500
It will be twice my budget. Being a student, that is a concern.

3. Axor Apex is available in Flipkart @4000
Can I trust Flipkart?

4. Axor Street Freedom is available in Flipkart @3600
Again, can I trust Flipkart? Also I haven't tried it yet.

5.SMK Stellar is available in Flipkart @ 3000
It is ECE rated as per my knowledge but does not have double visor. Also I haven't tried it.

My major concern is can I trust sellers in Flipkart?
I would love to try from a store and buy, but the budget constraints means that it is either something like SMK from Flipkart or Studds from store.
What is the right choice?
Am I being too concerned for a helmet that will be exclusively used for city rides?
Should I really stretch for an Axor Apex?

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by The21st

My major concern is can I trust sellers in Flipkart?
I would love to try from a store and buy, but the budget constraints means that it is either something like SMK from Flipkart or Studds from store.
What is the right choice?
Am I being too concerned for a helmet that will be exclusively used for city rides?
Should I really stretch for an Axor Apex?

You can add the Axxis Segment and Draken S into the list.

https://powersports.in/collections/axxis-helmets

Unless you already know the fit, don't buy Helmets online. Fit is the number 1 priority so please try them out physically before making a decision.

[Senotrius]

Originally Posted by The21st

My major concern is can I trust sellers in Flipkart?
I would love to try from a store and buy, but the budget constraints means that it is either something like SMK from Flipkart or Studds from store.
What is the right choice?
Am I being too concerned for a helmet that will be exclusively used for city rides?
Should I really stretch for an Axor Apex?

What I do is go to shops and try out the sizes first. See if the fellow there offers any meaningful discount. Buy online with returnable option if not. I would say avoid Axor. On paper it's good. But build quality is better on SMK. Try to get a base LS2 Rapid 2 with ECE 22.06 from local authorised dealer if possible.

I have got the LS2 FF320 Stream from Amazon twice with return option. But the seller was an official reseller as well.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by The21st

I am in the market for a helmet. For background, I have been using a basic Steelbird helmet of my father. I will be using the new one exclusively in city, still I wanted something with a solid safety rating.

The21st, first things first, please set a hard budget number and see what all you can get within that number. Secondly, please go out and try all the helmets that you can find. SMK and Axor are widely available in Kerala, even in smaller towns and cities. Thirdly, try and buy. Lastly, stick to physical stores for helmet purchases. You never know if online sellers are dumping old stocks at throwaway prices. With local stores, you can at least check for fitment and the month of manufacturing, before making a final decision.

[Juggernaught]

Hello everyone,

I currently own a HJC CL-17 helmet which I've been using for the last 5+years primarily for touring on my Kawi N300. It is a good helmet except for the wind noise which was solved by the use of earplugs. It felt slightly on the heavier side initially but I did get used to it soon.

Looking now to retire this and upgrade to something better in the range of 20 - 30k which will again be used for touring primarily. The bike might also see an upgrade/downgrade to Scrambler 400x or H450 but not sure about this yet. Any suggestions welcome.
I'm a sucker for motogp helmets so I'd drool over any AGV K3 replica (Rossi Mugello 2017 ) but not sure if this would be a good choice practically especially for my use case.

There are tentative plans of going to Bali in a month or two from where I'm planning to pick up the helmet. Bali Helmet Gallery seems to have good reviews and I intend to check this out. Would be great if anyone can shed some light on this as well

[The21st]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The21st, first things first, please set a hard budget number and see what all you can get within that number.
With local stores, you can at least check for fitment and the month of manufacturing, before making a final decision.

The budget was around 2k(+/- 200) since I will be using it exclusively in city( a ride of 6km maximum) and there is also the fear of theft(prior experience of friends).
I did try the available options like Axor. The safety ratings and popularity of these range of helmets coupled with the online discounts tempted me to spend a bit more and not settle with my initial option of Studds Drifter.

I think the best option is to continue using my Steelbird, save a bit more and make a proper purchase.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by The21st

The budget was around 2k(+/- 200) since I will be using it exclusively in city( a ride of 6km maximum) and there is also the fear of theft(prior experience of friends).

In around that 2k range you have the Studds Thunder and the Vega Bolt. Studds is ISI and Vega is ISI and DOT both. The shells look near about the same. Even cheaper if you buy the plain white one with black trim without graphics. Your choice the Drifter looks perfectly nice too, one step up in price. Both of these are established old names in the helmet business in India and make perfectly decent and safe helmets. I wore a Studds RB2 in my college days, crashed with it (late night, RD 350, very high speeds), and am still alive today.

Buy a new helmet. One you can afford. One that fits perfectly. Ditch daddy's Steelbird. A good helmet today is worth a lot more than one that you save up for a couple of months down the line. And crash next week.

Cheers, Doc

[rajivr1612]

Is there no full face helmet (non motocross type) with sunshade? Not looking for high end stuff. I presently use a Vega Motocross type as sunshade is very important for me. Looking to buy a regular full face one for my dad, but couldn't find a single model with sunshade.

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by rajivr1612

Is there no full face helmet (non motocross type) with sunshade? Not looking for high end stuff. I presently use a Vega Motocross type as sunshade is very important for me. Looking to buy a regular full face one for my dad, but couldn't find a single model with sunshade.

Quiet a few around the 2.5k range.

https://shop.studds.com/shop/drifter...-black-orange/

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[rajivr1612]

Originally Posted by rajivr1612

Is there no full face helmet (non motocross type) with sunshade? Not looking for high end stuff. I presently use a Vega Motocross type as sunshade is very important for me. Looking to buy a regular full face one for my dad, but couldn't find a single model with sunshade.

Originally Posted by shamanth

Quiet a few around the 2.5k range.

https://shop.studds.com/shop/drifter...-black-orange/

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Quoting myself again to make my requirements clearer.
I meant sunshade as in like a cap shade. Not the dark visor. All the moto cross type helmets have it.