I am looking for a good, light weight, reasonably priced helmet..
Any suggestions?

Full-face or 3/4?

If it's full-face,
you have to worry more about which ones will fit the shape of your head

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~~~~~ Linda ~~~~~

What would you consider a decent price?
How much is too heavy?
I have ordered an AFX FX-50 OF helmet online that is 2.8 lbs - is that considered heavy?

think thats one of the lightest helmet.
I was thinking full face,, I have a beanie but all the reading I am doing suggests a full face is best

Full face is the way to go. If you wipe out with a beanie or open face you could drag your chin across the pavement, either way its an ouchy situation.

I have an HJC helmet and I like it, not too heavy and just right. If you can go in somewhere and try them on that is the best way to find out what you like.

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Dar ~ I was born to ride!

my blog: Princess Scooterpie http://scootermayhem.blogspot.com/

Helmet hunting myself lately, today even. I liked the Scorpion EXO900 Modular 3 in 1 helmet



Fulmer neon yellow modular helmet,



both of these have the flip up chin, and the extra sunshade. Prices not bad for great protection. Scorpion was $280 and the Fulmer is on sale @ $159.

I have a Bell Mag8 3/4 helmet right now that is lightweight, not sure weight of full face. Low prices on these too. I do like the wing to block the sun, just is a size too big (was given to me)

GMax has great prices for an awesome helmet, their modular gm54s with sunshades = $129/$139 if you can find those in a freakin store to try one on, which I can's seem to as yet. Great ventilation too. SO's full face xl gm68 is awesome and these helmets come with LED lighting on the rear that is great for night riding!

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I wear HJC helmets too. They are affordable, but thats not why I wear them. I guess I have a HJC head and they fit me perfectly.


Should I recite my Ernie and Bert Analogy again?
Some people are Ernies.... and some people are Berts..................................
So a helmet might fit some, but not another........................................

i have a pink AFX that i love. it is a 3/4 style and i like it way better than my old beanie style one because the weight is more evenly distributed on my head. it weights about 3 pounds with all of the padding. but you can hardly feel it.

"Helmet hunting myself lately, today even. I liked the Scorpion EXO900 Modular 3 in 1 helmet"

I have the above helmet and like it alot. I live in a very hot climate and I like that it is changable to fit the 100 + degree weather here. I still have to get use to not having the chin bar on (dont like to ride that way very much) but on very hot days it is nice to be able to breath.

If you wear glasses, we found the HJC CL-16 to be easy to put your glasses on after donning the helmet.
At about $125, it is a decent price also, and many dealers have them.

SCoot safely

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New Rider in 2010
Grand Vista 250

Modular helmets by their very nature are some of the heaviest helmets around. You pay for their convenience in weight.

HJC's, as Ellen mentioned, have been around a long time and are good value in helmets. I still have a coupe of HJC half hemets, but we've retired all of our HJC and KBC full face helmets due to crashes. KBC also makes a very decent helmet at a good price. You can find full face HJC and KBC helmets with last years graphics for under a hundred dollars if you look around.

I think of the working helmets I have left (a Nolan modular, an Arai full face, and a Suomy full face), the Suomy is by far the lightest. The Nolan modular is my go to head out the door to go shopping helmet, but the Suomy is my going on a long ride and don't want my neck to hurt helmet. None of those are especially "reasonably" priced helmets. The Nolan I bought new, and found on sale, after being taken out by a Buick (wearing a charcoal HJC helmet). I wanted a bright yellow one after that and tracked it down. The Suomy and Arai I was lucky enough to buy from a fellow who had gotten them from sponsors, and had a whole closet full of gear he'd gotten that way. He and a couple of his buddies took out a car that pulled out in front of them when they were going about 75 (on a coffee run in about a 40 mph zone-and if he owns up to 75, I imagine it was worse), and his wife was making him give up his foolish ways. I personally would not have an Arai if I had to pay $800 for it. Is my head worth $800? Sure it is. But I can buy a KBC or HJC for $100 that will do everything an Arai will, but it might be a bit heavier, not as sexy looking, and not have a removable liner. An Arai doesn't get any better DOT rating because it costs more. It's the eternal debate on helmets. It's up to you what you spend.

I would not recommend buying a used helmet, unless you knew where it came from. Much better to spend an hour or so hunting sales online. I also would not suggest buying a helmet online, unless you knew that brand and/or model fit you well. I've had my motorcycle endorsement for a few decades now, and have a decent idea of what brands fit and what don't. I live in a big city that has a lot of motorcycle shops and travel some, so that I am able to try on different helmets. IF you order a helmet online that you have not tried on, you take a big chance on it not feeling right on your head. Make sure you know if the seller will even take a helmet back, under what conditions, if there is a restocking fee, and how much it'll cost you in shipping to send it back.

Oh my...I am happy to have stumbled upon this thread...I am in the market for a light weight helmet to replace my full face Arai Quantum. I love the safety it provides, but the fit is just so tight and I almost feel like it's overkill as I tool around on my Fly 150 on local lanes in suburban N.Y.. Yes, I know there is no such thing as being TOO safe, but still. I also ride in Florida, in a gated community, where I wear a Scorpion half helmet.
Long story short..I tried a HJC IS-33, but the XS was too small and my cheeks still feel "squished" as they do in my Arai. Is this just a function of a full or 3/4 helmet? Am I doomed to show up like a raisinet at every event I arrive at by scooter???
I am now considering the HJC IS-2..yes in lavender...
My local shops don't seem to have a good selection, so I end up leaving empty handed and resorting to online shopping.
Any recommendations, suggestions, opinions, etc. from you ladies would be greatly appreciated.

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Life is short...scoot now!

I was going to remind you that you can swap out the cheek pads (and liner) pretty easily on an Arai, until I read the part about the lavender helmet. I've seen that helmet and pink and white, with the scrolled flowers....very nice. It's only a half helmet, though....

I tried on many, many full face helmets before I found one with stock pads that didn't make me pucker like a goldfish. So no, not every helmet is destined to fit you that way. Remember, over time, they do wear down and comform a bit more to your face...so they say. I'm not that patient, lol.

When they make full face helmets, they only make maybe 2-3 different size shells, and then they actual "size" comes from putting different thicknesses of padding inside. Some helmets have liners and cheek pads that come out for washing...I put my Arai liner in a lingerie net and toss it in with the delicate wash. (Some people put their helmets in the dish washer, and others take them in the shower and give them a good shampoo, or hose them out in the backyard).

Arai, for example, also makes helmets for a couple of different general head shapes...it may be that the model you picked is intended for more of an oval head, and you would fit better in a model made for more of a round head, or something like that. Don't give up!

I recently bought a GMax-GM 27 open face helmet on line because one of the reviews said it had very good ventilation, (which it does). I got an extra small, my usual helmet size. But the GMax is way too tight. I lost the back to an expensive earring when taking the helmet off. It is also VERY NOISEY, even with ear plugs. It has ear pockets for your ears and they don't work very well. I think it causes more noise.

Unfortunately, I don't have many shops nearby to check out helmets, so I'm kind of up a creek.

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The JOY is in the journey.