Motorcycle Helmet Recommendations

When it comes to price, comfort, and reliability, I'm a pretty big fan of Icon. That goes for all of their gear, not just helmets and jackets. I haven't had to put any of the gear to the test yet (knocks on wood), but I'm perfectly confident that the gear would save my skin, and maybe even my life, if it ever came down to it.

As for helmets, I've got a Shoei and used to have an Arai; they're comfortable, but Icon's helms are just as comfortable, rigid, and durable... and only a fraction of the price. I see you've already got a helm, but just something to consider in the future.

ICON

martin_j001 said:

As for ICON, I'm guessing there is a reason that it hasn't been mentioned before now. The brand on the whole cares more about looks than quality or function.

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I'm guessing you've never bothered wearing any of their gear. Quality and function is on par with plenty of top name retailers and their prices are competitive. Like every other retailer out there, Icon is in the business of making money... but at least they do it in style. :wink:

Puffyfish said:

martin_j001 said:

kineticmind said:

[quote="martin_j001":387urock]As for ICON, I'm guessing there is a reason that it hasn't been mentioned before now. The brand on the whole cares more about looks than quality or function.

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I'm guessing you've never bothered wearing any of their gear. Quality and function is on par with plenty of top name retailers and their prices are competitive. Like every other retailer out there, Icon is in the business of making money... but at least they do it in style. :wink:

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Certainly haven't bothered to wear it, as my opinion stated--it costs too much for what it is. MY own research has shown sub-par construction of gear (even happens with Alpinestars lower end stuff), I don't feel a need to test it out. Either way, if you've gotten good stuff from them, cool--as I said in regards to helmets, everyone should believe in what their using. :righton:

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None of the line is SNELL approved. Mostly because of the Injection molded Polycarbonate shell. Polycarbonate gets severely degraded by gas/ oil/ paint, common substances found everyday. No Polycarbonate helmet has ever been approved by SNELL if I recall. Even small amounts can damage the helmet over time to the point where even a small impact will cause failure of the helmet. I knew this 20 years ago before you could 'cloud' proper information.

This is why you must pay close attention to what you put on your head. Even the paint job if not done with the proper mixture will kill a helmet. It will crack along the paint lines on impact and sometimes with no impact, the shell just separates because of the chemicals. Polycarbonate is famous for this. Yeah it looks cool with all the metalflake in the layers but offers little protection.

I have no dog in this fight. I only offer information that is not clouded by any product loyalty. My only intention is to wipe away any media hype and lay down the facts as I know them. Many of you have children that ride, I would hate for anything to happen to a child that could have been dealt with by buying properly tested & evaluated equipment. Forty five years on two wheels has taught me a lot.

If it's not SNELL approved you don't want it. I don't care how cool it looks.[/quote:387urock]

Just for what it's worth, every helmet that Icon currently manufactures (Alliance, Variant, & Airframe) meets or exceeds SnellM2005/FMVSS 218 DOT Helmet Standards. I am a loyal Icon customer, I don't deny that, but I'm not an idiot... I won't wear gear that I wouldn't trust with my life. Cool designs on top of an already safe construction is simply a bonus for me and a whole lot of other riders.

Puffyfish said:

From their website.

All World Standard, meets or exceeds the following: DOT FMVSS 218(US), ECE 22-05(Europe), SAI AS1698(Australia) & SG (Japan) safety and testing standards. Does not ship with SAI or SG certification stickers unless purchased from an authorized dealer in that country

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No where on any helmet does it say SNELL APPROVED. If you had the highest approval in the world would you not have it in the specs cert area? Some are PC based, no PC based helmet will ever be SNELL approved.

Might want to check your info.

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Also from their website (under the 'Tech/Construction' tab) for every helmet they sell:

The shell meets or exceeds SnellM2005/FMVSS 218 DOT Helmet Standards.

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It may not be stamped on the helmet itself, at least not the Snell designation, but I trust that the shells meet or exceed SnellM2005/FMVSS 218 DOT helmet standards like the company reports.

mountainpass said:

kineticmind

Puffyfish

Read this it might help yall argue.

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearb ... index.html

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Thanks. :righton:

No further arguing necessary. :mrgreen: