What you guys think of this helmet???

[waqas_RX7]

Hi guys,

Looking to buy a helmet for my track session at Japfest, and my budget i pretty low as i have spent too much on bits for the RX-7 :eek

What you guys think of the helmet below? thought the build quality looks pretty decent and price fair? what you think?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AIROH-MATHISSE-BASIC-FLIP-HELMET-MEDIUM-BLACK-Free-GP-/250585448393?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Motorcycle_Helmets&hash=item3a580e7fc9

Thanks
Waqas

[chrisJDM]

Looks fine to me, if you are looking at getting a cheap one for track days this one should b fine, I spoke to a mate bout quality of helmets and differerence between cheap helmets and the expensive brands and like most things you get what you pay for, I guess there are 3 things to consider with helmets:

1. How safe it is in a accident
2. How comfortable it is
3. Noise levels it cuts out

usually the more you pay it will be better on all of these but number 3 for bikers makes a big difference on a bike as they are exposed more to the elements, in a car the 3rd thing does not really matter

[Nik da Greek]

Like Chris has said, with helmets you get what you pay for. I\'ve ridden bikes for 20 years and learnt the hard way that buying a cheap helmet is a false economy. With that said, just something to cover your bonce on a trackday is different from something that\'s gonna save your life when you launch over the handlebars at 80....

A couple of things I would say is that a) Airoh are cheap for a reason (IE they\'re not very good) They\'re made in some Pacific rim sweatshop and the only diffenrence between them and any number of other "brands" you\'ve never heard of is the sticker that\'s put on them at the end of production.

b) It\'s plastic, not composite, which means it\'ll get red-hot in a warm car, and with no airflow to the vents, you\'ll baste in your own juices. It will also degrade in sunlight, stickers will knacker it, etc.

c) the interior will be like putting your head in a nylon mesh shopping bag, itchy and scratchy (no, not them) and generally not a nice place to be. It wil ruin your enjoyment of your trackdays by being intrusively uncomfortable.

d) no-one in their right tiny would buy a helmet without trying it on, surely? They\'re all different shapes, and especially Asian ones tend not to fit Caucasian shaped heads very well. This is where a lot of the money you see in top brands like Arai goes, investing in different shell sizes and shapes

e) it\'s a (cheap) flip-front helmet which means it will weigh about the same as a block of flats, and you\'ll have neckstrain within minutes of wearing it. Plus, it\'s a completely redundant feature since you won\'t have clearance to flip it up inside a car. And the mechanism that locks/unlocks the chinbar will break

But hey, don\'t let me put you off hahaha. I\'m sure it\'ll do the job.....sorta. Just remember the old cliche; if you have a fifty quid head, buy a fifty quid helmet.

[chrisJDM]

so nik if you were to buy a trackday helmet, without wanting to spend too much money what would you buy?

[BlitzBoy]

I had to buy a proper "Car" Helmet eg Fireproof, I tried on 3 different helmets until I found one that fitted my head comfortably. So it fitting properly is quite important you do need to try these things on.
For a trackday helmet a motocycle helmet will do, but as a minimum go to your local motorcycle shop and try the things on, dont buy a helmet from eBay or your local supermarket lol

[Nik da Greek]

so nik if you were to buy a trackday helmet, without wanting to spend too much money what would you buy?

At the risk of sounding facetious, I\'d buy whichever fitted the best :o. Blitzen\'s right, you have to try loads on because what is a minor irritation in the shop like a tight spot on your forehead, or a slight pinch around the ears, will become unbelievable agony once you wear it in anger for half an hour. It\'s an itch you can\'t scratch.

It\'s hard for me to say with authority, cos I buy helmets for the bike, so it is slightly different, but I\'d not want to spend less than 100 quid because below that the interiors are just absolute shlte, and after all that\'s where you spend your time! It\'s like they\'re made of recycled eggboxes or something :mad:. I tend to spend £250 upwards on mine cos I think to a certain extent you do get what you pay for. What I refuse to do is pay the extra £100 premium for a snazzy paintjob though :Giggle

Any of the big-name brands have good reputation (and big price) for the right reasons, Arai, Shoei, Shark, HJC, etc. If a racer wears one, it\'s not just for sponsorship, it\'s cos they think it\'ll save their brain in a crash!

For cheap-ish money and reasonable kwol I\'d probably recommend looking at something like HJC, they\'re big in the USA but not badly made and reasonable price.

I\'d not wear a polycarbonate one after some of the wretched Battlestar Galactica things I used to wear back in the day, like a Pilot Centurion (ask yer dad :Giggle) which was so degraded from UV sunlight that it literally split down the middle when I fell off and landed on my head

[JasonC]

Just to echo what the other guys have said, you should really go to a shop and try one on and get one that fits you best - i tried on a medium shoei helmet which was massive on me and ended up with a large shark helmet which fitted perfect.
I can safely say it done its job recently, coming off my bike at around 50,  head battered along the ground several times - didnt feel a thing! :Thumbs-up

[AtomicRex]

What pro-bikers wear and what the company\'s produce are 2 very different things!
 
Don\'t buy one from the internet...false economy and you will be very lucky if it fits right.
 
You need a different type of aperture to a motorbike, so a car one is crucial.  Personally I don\'t like open face helmets...if you were to crash and glass starts flying around you don\'t want that in the face!
 
Best thing to do is go to Merlin at Japfest and try on as many as possible.  Thats where Mark bought his from I believe.  They carry a good range of lids.  I could never fit in the old Shoe lids when I was racing bikes...so used an Arai.  It is better to go to somewhere that can check it fits right, than buying from the net.
 
The best question to ask is how much do you value your head?  And secondly spend as much as you can afford if not slightly more.

[waqas_RX7]

Thanks for the detailed replies guys, best bet for me is not to wear a helmet at Japfest as i am not going to push my car that much. Will try a few at the Merlin Motorsport stand to get a feel of brands and sizes etc. And will just wait till i get paid (20th May) and buy something pretty decent and one that will last long

Thanks again guys

[AtomicRex]

I doubt you will be allowed out on track without a lid. In fact Id almost bet my house you wont be!
 
Also Merlin have a building at Combe...as that is their home.
 
So I think you need to plan something prior or expect to purchase something on the day before you waste your ticket money

[waqas_RX7]

I doubt you will be allowed out on track without a lid. In fact Id almost bet my house you wont be!
 
Also Merlin have a building at Combe...as that is their home.
 
So I think you need to plan something prior or expect to purchase something on the day before you waste your ticket money

Am going to have to purchase a helmet :wave

[SiH]

As above - you need a helmet for Japfest
If you haven\'t got one, you can hire one on the day though Mmmmm, other people\'s sweaty heads, nom nom nom...

[waqas_RX7]

As above - you need a helmet for Japfest
If you haven\'t got one, you can hire one on the day though Mmmmm, other people\'s sweaty heads, nom nom nom...

Going to buy one, sweaty smelly heads is big no no :eek :eek

[Hi RX7]

I bought an OMP Jet Axis blue label trackday helmet brand new on e-bay from the seller online racing for £75 plus £9 P+P its a good basic trackday helmet that is of reasonable quality in fact for the money very good.

[waqas_RX7]

I bought an OMP Jet Axis blue label trackday helmet brand new on e-bay from the seller online racing for £75 plus £9 P+P its a good basic trackday helmet that is of reasonable quality in fact for the money very good.

You sure his user name on EBAY isn\'t \'Online Motorsport\'?