What motorcycle helmet should I get for 30+mph riding?

[Skeptikos]

I'm looking for a motorcycle helmet for riding at faster speeds. Aside from some basics, it's not very clear what features are important for unicycle riding, so I'm wondering what other people like and what's worked/not worked for you all.

Here's the obvious: I want something with full-face protection and with a face shield. I also don't trust DOT certification so I prefer ECE or Snell certification.

On some other features I'm not so sure--

• How important is peripheral (especially downward) vision? I've noticed people keep getting dual-sport helmets, I think due to the larger eye openings, and I'm wondering how much of a difference it really makes.
• How important is wind noise reduction? At 30-40mph, should I be looking for a "quiet" motorcycle helmet? If so I guess I would add speakers or headphones inside to hear wheel beeps etc.?

Anyway, I'm just curious about what's worked for other people since the motorcycle helmet advice here is kind of scattered all over the place and not always consistent.

[Greg X]

Generally most expensive helmets have thicker and better foam inside. Its quite important, this foam protects your head.

I like very much flip-up helmets, because in every moment You can open/close visor+chinguard, without removing the entire helmet. Its more practical to talk with someone, during shopping, also slow offroad.

Edited January 31, 2022 by Greg X

[Skeptikos]

4 minutes ago, Greg X said:

it depends how much You value your head

Generally most expensive helmets have thicker and better inside foam. 

I like very much flip-up helmets, because in every moment You can open/close visor+chinguard. Its super practical during talking with someone, during shopping, also slow offroad.

I think that's mostly a misconception-- more expensive helmets generally have similar levels of impact-absorbing foam, and instead you're generally paying more for expensive outer shell materials like carbon fiber, more sophisticated designs that reduce wind noise or improve ventilation or reduce weight, and more comfortable inner lining. The impact foam itself is actually pretty easy and cheap, I'd imagine. Anyone can put more foam in a helmet.

What flip-up helmets have you tried that you liked?

[Tawpie]

1 hour ago, Skeptikos said:

How important is peripheral (especially downward) vision? I've noticed people keep getting dual-sport helmets, I think due to the larger eye openings, and I'm wondering how much of a difference it really makes.

I much prefer a wide field of view, both for situational awareness and for enjoyment. I can't really see my pockets in my moto lid and it does cut off the peripheral vision quite a bit and that means I have to be more deliberate about keeping tabs on my surroundings. Like many things, how much you want to see is personal and sometimes depends on where you're riding. (in the woods on a nice day, I like the big picture afforded by my Bell Super DH... when it's misting or raining and I'm in the city, I like the enclosed moto helmet)

1 hour ago, Skeptikos said:

How important is wind noise reduction? At 30-40mph, should I be looking for a "quiet" motorcycle helmet? If so I guess I would add speakers or headphones inside to hear wheel beeps etc.?

I don't go that fast, but in general wind noise is mentally tiring. There's a trade off though—on a wheel you're so exposed that every clue about what's happening around you can be important. Not hearing a bike rider come up on your rear quarter can mean a wreck. Not hearing the beeps (very common at those speeds) means you need some other way of alerting you. I use the wind noise as a speed gauge too, if things were totally silent I'd have to consult my dashboard instruments more often.

Don't forget wind-in-the-eyes... at 30-40 mph you pretty much have to have a visor. A gnat in the eye at those speeds is more than unpleasant. A june bug to the face...

Sound isolation works both ways... it doesn't do much good to yell "on your left" on a bike path when you're inside a closed helmet!

Edited January 31, 2022 by Tawpie

[GothamMike]

MC helmets have more padding than the ski and skateboard helmets many wear. 

[.....]

Moto helmets are big and bulky. Im not a fan of the top heavy weight on my neck, especially for such low speeds as 40mph from a mere standing distance. ANY decent moto helmet is probably going to offer more than enough protection for what it covers. What matters most (once you shop quality) is fitment. Different brands have different shapes. Determine if you are an egg head or a basketball. Youll need try a few on. Pick the one that fits the best. Just beware, unless you spend quite a bit, you will be compromising in weight and field of view. I have worn my Shoei rf1100 helmet ONCE on an euc. I made it about 30 seconds and quickly ralized it was a bad idea. Wind tunnelled helmets of quality are designed for a certain riding posture and wind speeds(race posture on mine) and it doesnt exactly translate to the same angle as riding an euc. At 60mph+ my moto helemt becomes weightless from the airflow. Up to that point, its simply acting like a bobblehead for the weight. I now rock a Bell DH about 2% of the time and go helmet free the rest of the time. I almost ALWAYS wear some form of shades or glasses. Full visor kind of closes me in and mitigates my ability to hear the road and euc app. Altho, if a person rides in REALLY cold temps, a full bucket will keep you warmer. My motorcycle helmet does best for its designed intent..... my motorcycle. My euc's dont get ridden seated anyhow. Im simply not a fan of the posture.

Edited February 2, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Skeptikos]

@ShanesPlanet I'm reading that as a vote in favor of peripheral vision being important.

I tried some helmets on at my local motorcycle gear store (we have a huge Cycle Gear store in Albany now, it's so great), and I agree about the vision. The difference between motocross/dual-sport helmets and traditional full face street helmets is really noticeable and my impression is that a larger field of view is the way to go. A Shoei RF-1100 is not the style of helmet I would recommend-- you're totally right that it's intended for high-speed motorcycle riding, and not so great for medium speed unicycles.

I read more carefully through the forum, and it's clear that the forum's official motorcycle helmet recommendation is the Scorpion EXO-AT950, like the one Marty has. That one looks like a good choice to me. The field of view it provides should be similar to your downhill helmet.

I would have bought one but I couldn't find colors I like in my size. So I ended up ordering a Nolan N40-5 GT in hi-viz yellow. It's got a similar vibe-- huge field of view but more street-oriented. My theory is that that's the sweet spot for fast EUC riding. (Nolan also makes a mini brake light that attaches to the back of their helmets, which is a really neat option for PEV riders.)

I'm pretty opinionated about safety gear, though, so I have to push back against other parts of that comment:

• 40mph is definitely not a slow speed. If you're riding that fast around cars you definitely want a motorcycle helmet, which will have much greater impact protection than any type of bicycle helmet. If you're in a traffic-free rural area maybe you can get away with a downhill helmet but it wouldn't make any sense on Albany streets.
• I totally disagree that any motorcycle helmet will offer enough protection. Specifically, DOT certification is garbage. DOT allows manufacturers to self-certify their helmets, and the result is that a lot of helmets with a DOT sticker don't even meet DOT's weirdly low standards. (There's a research paper about this somewhere but I'm not looking it up right now.) I strongly recommend getting a helmet with ECE or Snell certification.
• Field of view is not expensive! There are plenty of cheap dual-sport helmets with a great field of view. There's nothing expensive about having a large eye hole, you just need to shop for a dual-sport helmet instead of a sport/racing helmet.

The head shape thing is right on, though. Trying helmets out in person is the best option, but if that's not possible you can also use lidpicker to get a good head measurement.

Edited February 2, 2022 by Skeptikos

[Tawpie]

7 minutes ago, Skeptikos said:

you can also use lidpicker to get a good head measurement.

I was thinking of trying that.. has anyone had success with it? I'm wanting to shop for a modular with better FOV, less fogging of my glasses, hopefully lighter and not as "Jack-in-the-Box head" looking but our Cycle Gear is a 45 minute car journey away. I'm hoping to get good fit the lazy way.

[.....]

18 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

I was thinking of trying that.. has anyone had success with it? I'm wanting to shop for a modular with better FOV, less fogging of my glasses, hopefully lighter and not as "Jack-in-the-Box head" looking but our Cycle Gear is a 45 minute car journey away. I'm hoping to get good fit the lazy way.

I used a modular flip up style full face for a couple seasons on a moto bike. It was nice to flip the chin when it got hot, but the mechanism did add bulk, weight and a bit more wind resistance. Don't lift that lid at 180mph for REAL! Talk about snap a neck back and insane noise. I am quite impressed with the 'modular' design of the bell, tho I have NEVER taken the chin bar off. My thoughts are that if you're gna bother wear a helmet, you may as well protect your damn chin! Only time I rode a chinless helmet, was when it was to satisfy legal requirements or I'd be hair in the wind.. Just be careful of some cheap designs. The more material you remove for field of view and weight savings, the more important the actual structural shape, material and design, becomes. I think I've had about 20 cheap helmets and 5 good ones in my life. From flea market 'costume use only (yeah well, it prevents tickets too!), all the way up to full race. I notice a DRASTIC difference between low and top quality. It is quite astounding that a plastic shell with some foam, can be so varied. I think at times, the cost reflects the design and testing, and isnt nearly as obvious by simple looks and end materials. Fwiw, the ONLY full face shielded helmet I have had any luck with fog is... the dumb expensive shoei. Im sure its a matter of airflow testing and venting, but it must not be THAT obvious, or it would be the norm. I've had others that didnt fog, but they whistled and didnt keep me warm and quiet as they were just simply a mess of air disruption inside and out.

Edited February 2, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Tawpie]

8 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

My thoughts are that if you're gna bother wear a helmet, you may as well protect your damn chin!

With you on that... my issue is when it's cold my nose decides it's time marathon time. Run Run Run. Chinbars and kleenex were not made for each other and I have to take my glasses off to get the lid off and that delays things and you don't want me to keep typing.

I do pull the chin bar off the Bell Super DH when I'm on the MTen or a bicycle and as a half-helmet it's really nice. If anyone hasn't figured it out yet, I'm a sucker for nanny-state propaganda (particularly safety) so I don't dare ride naked.

Edited February 2, 2022 by Tawpie

[.....]

5 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

With you on that... my issue is when it's cold my nose decides it's time marathon time. Run Run Run. Chinbars and kleenex were not made for each other and I have to take my glasses off to get the lid off and that delays things and you don't want me to keep typing.

I do pull the chin bar off the Bell Super DH when I'm on the MTen or a bicycle and as a half-helmet it's really nice. If anyone hasn't figured it out yet, I'm a sucker for nanny-state propaganda (particularly safety) so I don't dare ride naked.

Ah, I gotcha. I typically just lift a visor to smoke or wipe my noise. I dont smoke in my GOOD helmet, its tight and would burn. Some helmets I find are just easier to reach up from under to get to my face. It all depends on fitment. Why not buy some ear plugs and cram em in your nose? YOu could ride the wastewater treatment plant all day too!

As for sizing. Dont be a wuss.  Put in the effort to try a bunch on. Start now and MAYBE youll find THE ONE to fit your odd freaking head, within 2 months. A LOT of places will free return and swap until you are happpy. Its time but not costs that adds up for those.

Edited February 2, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Skeptikos]

25 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

I was thinking of trying that.. has anyone had success with it? I'm wanting to shop for a modular with better FOV, less fogging of my glasses, hopefully lighter and not as "Jack-in-the-Box head" looking but our Cycle Gear is a 45 minute car journey away. I'm hoping to get good fit the lazy way.

I bought one before the Cycle Gear store opened. As far as I can tell it's completely legit. And the motorcycle glasses are nice too.

 

15 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

I used a modular flip up style full face for a couple seasons on a moto bike. It was nice to flip the lid when it got hot, but the mechanism did add bulk, weight and a bit more wind resistance. Don't lift that lid at 180mph for REAL! Talk about snap a neck back and insane noise. I am quite impressed with the 'modular' design of the bell, tho I have NEVER taken the chin bar off. My thoughts are that if you're gna bother wear a helmet, you may as well protect your damn chin! Only time I rode a chinless helmet, was when it was to satisfy legal requirements or I'd be hair in the wind.. Just be careful of some cheap designs. The more material you remove for field of view and weight savings, the more important the actual structural shape, material and design, becomes.

That's something I was a bit nervous about with the N40-5. But it's ECE certified and the same chinbar did well when Ryan from FortNine hit it with a golf club, so that's good enough for me I guess.

Spoiler

"this is by far and away the biggest surprise we've ever seen on FortNine crash tests ... better than modular helmets, better than full-face helmets that we've tested"

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Skeptikos

[Gaman]

Strange that you're asking this when it seems you wrote a pretty thorough guide on helmets on GitHub?

I don't see why people are complaining about weight, the weight of the helmet is centered on the top of your head and I don't really feel it as a burden. People in Africa can carry loads more on their heads and walk for miles. Similarly don't understand the peripheral complaint, motorcycles still need to watch for traffic and a head turn is going to be way more accurate. Every time I cross an intersection, I do a head check anyway to watch for cars not giving right of way.

At 30mph I'm not burdened by wind noise either with a Bell Adventure MIPS

[Skeptikos]

😅️ well I've done a lot of research into the different standards and so forth but I still had some questions I wasn't able to answer. And there are so many motorcycle helmet options that it's a bit overwhelming trying to narrow down the choices. Mostly I'm trying to get feedback from people who have actually tried various helmets. I'll probably add some of the info from this thread to the guide, too.

I agree with you about the peripheral (as in side-to-side) vision, which I think is pretty good on motorcycle helmets generally. But a lot of the full face helmets really restrict your downward vision which I think is more important. Our "front" tire is 90° down from our face, which is pretty far down there compared to a motorcycle.

Bell Adventure MIPS is one I was considering, and wind noise is exactly what I wanted to know about. So you think that helmet is also a good choice? That would seem to validate the theory that dual-sport helmets are a good choice for us.

[.....]

4 hours ago, Gaman said:

Strange that you're asking this when it seems you wrote a pretty thorough guide on helmets on GitHub?

I don't see why people are complaining about weight, the weight of the helmet is centered on the top of your head and I don't really feel it as a burden. People in Africa can carry loads more on their heads and walk for miles. Similarly don't understand the peripheral complaint, motorcycles still need to watch for traffic and a head turn is going to be way more accurate. Every time I cross an intersection, I do a head check anyway to watch for cars not giving right of way.

At 30mph I'm not burdened by wind noise either with a Bell Adventure MIPS

Extra weight on a person's neck while standing and being buffeted by wind, is a REAL thing. Put on a bulbous and poorly designed helmet and push 50mph into a slight headwind. After a few minutes you will begin to notice the burden of both the weight and wind resistance. Even at a paultry 30mph, I begin to encounter wind noise that makes hearing a wheel's speaker almost impossible. Combined with a helmet that whistles... yes, its also something to contend with. I simply cannot agree with the statement that weight on my head is not actualy weight on my head, even tho it is technically centered. Its only centered when at an exact angle of head tilt. Put a big helmet on, do some head movements and tell me that weight atop a head is not reality. Hell, I can even feeel the weight difference of a close haircut. Ride for 20 minutes with a full lid. THEN take it off and ride for 20. If you cant feel the difference in weight on your neck and the limited vision, perhaps you are just a very special person.

Motorcycles have mirrors and dont tend to folow your body movements as readily as a person who turns their head on an euc. When riding a motorcycle or euc with helmet, peripheral vision does matter. The easier you can see to the sides, the less you have to move your head when doing the final check for a turn. If field of view, weight and wind resistance were NOT a concern, then many large companies have wasted decades in R&D and tech. We are all being fooled. Me, I use peripheral vision when looking forwards. The increase in view of driveways and cross streets and other things, comes from peripheral, and not JUST when you turn your head. PUtting on horse blinders doesnt make you safer, it merely lets you see less danger.

Edited February 3, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Tawpie]

Also unique to EUCs is how much your head position affects things... look where you want to go is a real thing. That little change in CG from looking up, down, or side to side does real things to your line. Add a pound to your head, you notice the issue more. At least I do.

Yep, you can learn to ride with a heavy helmet, I do it. But I don't wear the moto helmet off road because my head is on a crazed swivel anyway and I don't want extra helmet weight to become a factor in an unplanned dismount. Speeds are very low, so the DH lid should be adequate... until it's not of course.

[Gaman]

1 hour ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Extra weight on a person's neck while standing and being buffeted by wind, is a REAL thing. Put on a bulbous and poorly designed helmet and push 50mph into a slight headwind. After a few minutes you will begin to notice the burden of both the weight and wind resistance.

I know there is a difference, I ride with a motorcycle helmet every day and have a really light bicycle helmet. But even with a motorcycle helmet on riding for hours, I do not ever go "this helmet is too tiring on my neck". It's just not a big deal and I don't feel any discomfort that would make me want to stop riding or give up extra safety.

 

The only thing I can think of to give up the motorcycle helmet is if I'm limited to below 20mph or the summer gets too hot.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Gaman

[Skeptikos]

@ShanesPlanet is there really that much difference in peripheral vision between your downhill and Shoei helmets? When I compared an Arai XD4 (dual-sport) and some generic full face helmets I didn't notice a difference in peripheral vision. To be fair, I wasn't paying attention specifically to the sides. But it seems like if there was a large difference I probably would have noticed. Instead, I only noticed that I could see further down in the Arai.

But here's why I'm skeptical of the peripheral vision thing. These are the peripheral vision requirements of CPSC (bicycle), DOT, and Snell (motorcycle) standards:

Spoiler

CPSC:

Snell:

DOT:

Take a look-- all three are the same. Each standard requires a 210° horizontal field of view.

210° seems like a lot to me, and it's not obvious that I need more. So I'm actually really curious to know what, specifically, you're doing that shows the Shoei has less peripheral vision, and what difference it actually makes in practice.

[.....]

13 minutes ago, Gaman said:

I know there is a difference, I ride with a motorcycle helmet every day and have a really light bicycle helmet. But even with a motorcycle helmet on riding for hours, I do not ever go "this helmet is too tiring on my neck". It's just not a big deal and I don't feel any discomfort that would make me want to stop riding or give up extra safety.

 

The only thing I can think of to give up the motorcycle helmet is if I'm limited to below 20mph or the summer gets too hot.

Daily riding and conditioning sounds like what you have. Its great that you have conditioned to not notice the weight or bulk or vision difference. I'd imagine for a daily motorcycle helmet wearer, an MTB helmet seems weightless. You have also gotten used to turning your head a certain distance to achieve a certain field of view. When I was a daily rider, I didnt notice it much either. Nowadays tho, I notice it a lot. I'm fortunate enough to not HAVE to condition for it (yet), so when I do have to use a helmet, I immeditaely notice all those details I was mentioning. Dont get me wrong, its not like a good helmet isnt a good idea. If wearing a helmet regularly, is important to you, you will learn to get comfortable and get used to it. If the protection it offers, is worth the small degredation in comfort, hearing a field of view, well then wear one religiously and it will soon "seem" weighless anyhow. I used MANY cheap motocross helmets. You know, they only seemed heavy for the first 2 weeks of summer, then they somehow didnt...

[.....]

41 minutes ago, Skeptikos said:

@ShanesPlanet is there really that much difference in peripheral vision between your downhill and Shoei helmets? When I compared an Arai XD4 (dual-sport) and some generic full face helmets I didn't notice a difference in peripheral vision. To be fair, I wasn't paying attention specifically to the sides. But it seems like if there was a large difference I probably would have noticed. Instead, I only noticed that I could see further down in the Arai.

But here's why I'm skeptical of the peripheral vision thing. These are the peripheral vision requirements of CPSC (bicycle), DOT, and Snell (motorcycle) standards:

  Reveal hidden contents

CPSC:

Snell:

DOT:

Take a look-- all three are the same. Each standard requires a 210° horizontal field of view.

210° seems like a lot to me, and it's not obvious that I need more. So I'm actually really curious to know what, specifically, you're doing that shows the Shoei has less peripheral vision, and what difference it actually makes in practice.

There is little side to side difference "peripheral" between my Bell Dh and my Shoei. Both are wide enuogh that I cant really even see the helmet sides unless I move my eyes. My first 20+ helmets NEVER had such an open view (20+ cheap bullshit helmets nontheless). Vertical difference is HUGE, as my Shoei cuts short (as you mentioned) on the downward and up angle. Its made for more stright viewing when tucked(less sun glare).  My bell DH is probably the largest fov all around. I'd bet that most of the newer type helmets are catering to a very wide view. Of course, my MTB wasnt designed for a full shield, so maybe it being open face has more to do with it. I would bet money that some of the cheap knockoffs are either lying about useable field of view, or have tested in a manner that lies about it. Size of opening is a big factor, but its not the only factor. Its a cullmination of the parts, including the glass, the setback of the head within the shell and the shell itself. My wife has a non-race quality shoei moto, and it has a taller fov than my RF, with a more upright viewing fov. Its comfy, but also bulky. From what I can tell, REAL impact safety requires distance from shell to head and proper materials. Slim helmets either defy this logic, or are simply compromises. Slim and safe as can be, is the magic we're still waiting on. Im counting on my MTB to offer enough impact resistance to cause deflection. I am pretty sure if a car hits my head at highway speeds or I pile up head first into a curb at speed, my neck will not care which helmet I wear. Tbh, I tend to hope if its THAT bad an accident, they call the morgue rather than hospital for me.

I have been tempted to buy a helmet for my euc for winter, as my bell DH is full of holes and has no shield. I looked at the usual suspects but just in passing. I noticed the tsg pass and a couple others. Tbh, I dont know waht helmet I would buy for full shield. I do know it wouldnt be a top of the line race motorcycle helmet. With how many options and how material technology has changed since the days of me actually wearing helmets a lot, I have no doubt theres something I could find to use, in the MTB world of gear. In the end, I opted for new snowboarding bindings, as another helmet is merely a formality to me. 

But, you are asking about motorcycle helmets. I just dont really have much specific advice. My comfort/safety requirements arent the same as everyone else's.  I dont wear a racing harness in my car to go get groceries. I pay seatbelt tickets every year. Maybe my opinion on ANY of this, is much worse than none at all.... For clarity sake, MY information is merely opinion. I dont crunch the numbers, I dont drool over ounces of weight, I dont know the name of the newest magic material being used. All i know is how it ALL end up when I ride as I do. Also of note is that I am biased and also have a tendency to justify what I already own, even at the ignorance of what new is available.

Edited February 3, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Skeptikos]

I think the main determinant of field of view is that the mountainbike/motocross/dual-sport helmets are made to fit goggles, so that requires a bigger hole. Meanwhile regular street helmets stick closer to the minimum required field of view, so that the hard helmet shell can cover more area.

Even if you're not giving advice, it's still useful to get some comparisons with the Shoei-- I haven't bought a motorcycle helmet before, so I'm trying to learn from other people and their stuff.

If weight and field of view are your issues I think the TSG Pass is a good choice. Mine's a bit on the noisy side, and that's my biggest complaint (I bought a chin curtain to help). It doesn't have a lot of ventilation so should be decently insulated in the winter, and it's pretty good about not fogging up except in extreme cold. Edit: The fit is also a bit odd on me. I think it might be more of a rounder shape? It's kind of weird.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Skeptikos

[.....]

24 minutes ago, Skeptikos said:

I think the main determinant of field of view is that the mountainbike/motocross/dual-sport helmets are made to fit goggles, so that requires a bigger hole. Meanwhile regular street helmets stick closer to the minimum required field of view, so that the hard helmet shell can cover more area.

Even if you're not giving advice, it's still useful to get some comparisons with the Shoei-- I haven't bought a motorcycle helmet before, so I'm trying to learn from other people and their stuff.

If weight and field of view are your issues I think the TSG Pass is a good choice. Mine's a bit on the noisy side, and that's my biggest complaint (I bought a chin curtain to help). It doesn't have a lot of ventilation so should be decently insulated in the winter, and it's pretty good about not fogging up except in extreme cold.

NOTHING will learn you more and faster, than going to a big bike shop and trying helmets on. Brush your teeth, wash your hair and go geek out at a bike shop. Seriously man, we're all family. The same people who ride bikes, are coded with that funky gene that makes us ride eucs or fly planes. Its quite astounding how similar us junkies are, even tho our drug of choice differs. If you voice your questions, I bet they will also have insight and probably let you ride off to test one in the wind. Nothing beats a tight fitting quality motorcycle helmet (full face), for cold race nights or insanely fast days(on a motorcycle). A good street visor helmet that fits, will block almost all ouside noise. Cuz at 100mph+, wind noise is distracting AND tiring. It wont move around on your head, it wont fog up, and will be warm as hell when closed up. I went full face in the winter ALL the time. It was a comfort matter, as a little weight aint sh*t compared to freezing and not being able to see for the icicles forming on your face. I also wear a full face for long trips, as wind noise and highway drone mess with your mind after a long time. If you do find a nice motorcycle helmet that fits great and you dont feel its too bulky,,, buy it! Size, shape, weight, only matters as far as how it FEELS when on yuor head at your ride posture and speed. Fwiw, my Shoei feels a LOT heavier and bulkier than my Bell, up until 50mph. At speeds above 50mph, my Shoei FEELS weightless. SO yeah, theres more at play here than the end weight and size. You will notice that quite a few motorcycle helmet users on euc's, live Far North or Canada. Bulk tends to keep ya warmer.

excellent point about the goggles. I bet my bell DH WAS designed with that in mind. Explains why it gives me such wide view with just my shades. If i put on goggles tho... theres go a TON of sight out the door. My shoei was designed for pinlock shield and extensive venting choice for fog and cooling. With changeable shields, it was meant to NOT be used with goggles. Altho, I have a motocross bucket intended for goggles. Even w/o goggles, the setback makes peripheral pretty bad. Of course, a dirt track isnt typically all that wide either, with no cross traffic until the beers get gone and its late in the day... THEN you gotta suit up for cross traffic and dirtbike jousting practice.

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Skeptikos]

OK, review time. In between the cold and the slush, I finally got some time to try this out.

The seller was out of that color for the Nolan N40-5 GT, so I ended up getting the very similar but more expensive N70-2 GT.

Spoiler

Here are the main points--

Looks: This helmet looks nerdier than the TSG Pass and that's fine since I'm a nerd (I did that on purpose). Maybe a little of the bobblehead look, but the extra padding is what I'm here for anyway. Not sure if the color shows correctly here but this is the standard hi-viz greenish yellow. My goal is to one-up @Unventor with the hi-viz.

Vision: I can actually see farther down in this than in my TSG Pass. But there was a surprise-- while riding, I really can't see that far down anyway due to my balaclava, so I guess it won't matter until spring. I definitely notice the balaclava blocking some of my vision, so I assume I'll appreciate the N70-2's downward vision later. For side-to-side vision, I didn't notice any obstruction, though I haven't noticed any obstruction on other helmets either.

Weight: When inside, this helmet feels heavy. Maybe twice as heavy as the Pass. But when riding I don't feel it. With a heavier wheel like the EX.N my legs get tired way before my neck anyway. It also helps that I have a helmet-attached mirror so I'm not trying to look backwards in this.

Noise: This is quieter than my TSG Pass, even after I added a chin curtain to the Pass to make it less noisy. And I appreciate that. Wind noise is annoying, and cars don't exactly require super hearing to hear. Disclaimer though-- my medium size head is the largest for the shell size (there's one shell for XS-MD, and one for L-XXXL). If your head is a different size there may be more noise.

Fogging: The pinlock visor that came with this helmet prevents fogging. No problems there.

Ventilation: It's cold so I haven't fully tested the ventilation yet. The vent on the face shield is fine for me so far, but if you live in a warmer place you may prefer the N70-2 X instead, which has a bigger face vent.

Miscellaneous:

• The drop-down sun visor is nice. I've already been using it. It can be operated with gloves while riding.
• There are pockets for speakers but they're on the small side. In order to fit some cheap speakers, I had to enlarge them a bit with a pocket knife, which was mildly annoying.
• The integrated brake light accessory (ESS) looks like it would be pretty cool. I don't have it but it's really tempting me.

The Lid Picker (link): It worked for me. The info sheet they sent included recommendations for this specific helmet. I followed their advice (they recommended the medium) and this seems like the correct fit.

 

The main point I'm taking from this is that motorcycle helmets are a good choice for EUCs, especially for people riding faster around traffic who really should have the extra protection. The weight really isn't an issue. The restricted vision, even on a regular street helmet, isn't much different than wearing a balaclava, which a lot of riders wear in the winter anyway. (But you can also get a motocross or dual-sport helmet with greater vision if desired, or this nerdy Nolan helmet.) Hearing isn't much of an issue because car engines aren't that quiet. Having tried this motorcycle helmet, it seems nice and convenient in a lot of ways and not worse than a mountain bike or longboarding helmet at all.

So I guess I'm on team motorcycle helmet now. I obviously can't speak for all motorcycle helmets, but this one seems good. I think I like it better than the TSG Pass.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Skeptikos

[East Coast]

@Skeptikos

Appreciate the summary! Taking notes! 

Would love to know how the new helmet works out as it gets hotter in NY and if there is any other helmets you use for those speeds or lower speeds for warmer weather?

I'm still new to all this and as it's getting hotter next door, NJ, I can't help to look into more breathable helmet prob with holes in it.

However, the certs you look for don't seem to have that option from my own research trying to find something for myself too, since my current helmet will prob be too hot for warmer weather.

 

[Skeptikos]

3 hours ago, East Coast said:

@Skeptikos

Appreciate the summary! Taking notes! 

Would love to know how the new helmet works out as it gets hotter in NY and if there is any other helmets you use for those speeds or lower speeds for warmer weather?

I'm still new to all this and as it's getting hotter next door, NJ, I can't help to look into more breathable helmet prob with holes in it.

However, the certs you look for don't seem to have that option from my own research trying to find something for myself too, since my current helmet will prob be too hot for warmer weather.

This Nolan helmet has a gigantic vent system on the top, so if anything it seems like one of the more ventilated options out there. You can also remove the face visor and use goggles or glasses instead, which would make it cooler still. It's kinda sorta a dual-sport helmet in that sense.

Having said that, I've been using the TSG Pass for a while. That one doesn't have much ventilation, and I don't remember it getting too hot in the summer. So it might not even matter to me.

Regarding certifications, you're talking about ECE and Snell, right? There should be plenty of options. Most motocross and dual-sport helmets will have good ventilation. Someone mentioned the Bell MX-9 Adventure Mips earlier, which is a good example. Big face vent and vents over the top. I'd be surprised if that's not enough ventilation for you.

Keep in mind, for almost all of these motorcycle helmets, even the traditional street helmets, you can remove the visor if you want and wear glasses instead. That by itself will give you lots of ventilation.