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Helmet?

12K views 37 replies 21 participants last post by  TopPredator 
#1 ·
I’m 65 yrs old and have been riding since I was 12 so I’m not a rookie at riding but when it comes to protective gear I’ve never used much. I’ve always had at least one road bike and a dirt bike (or dual sport bike) but the only helmets I’ve used have been open face. The one I use both on and off road right now is an older Bell Magnum.



I’ve been lucky that I haven’t gotten hurt worse in three major car/bike accidents I’ve been in. I’ve shattered my elbow and broken many other bones but never hit my face. My trail riding has been many crazy miles with buddies trying to outride each other and some competition hare scrambles. Lots of crashes but luckily not many more broken bones. I think it’s time to look at a couple of full face helmets. One for trails and one for the road. At my age I’m not a hard core dirt rider anymore, and with all the cell phones and texters, the road isn’t very safe anymore either. I think I’ve pushed my luck long enough.



I can’t afford a top of the line D/S helmet but want to get something for TW riding that has good features but is still reasonably priced. There are so many choices it’s easy to be confused. I watched a few review videos at Revzilla that were helpful and they had good things to say about the AFX FX-39 DS for a good value dual sport helmet so that’s one I’m considering. I've got a size 8 round head and they said the AFX is better than some for that shaped head. I also wear glasses.



Sorry for the long lead up to asking you guys what tips you might have to offer. There's probably been a lot of helmet threads but I did a search and didn't find much info....but I probably missed something.
 
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#2 ·
#3 ·
Personally I have tried several ds helmets and dont really like them for the street so I now have 2 HJC, a KBC and SHOEI for street riding and a BELL offroad helmet with goggles. My fiancee has a HJC for street and a FLY offroad helmet.



BTW tb, I have never noticed your profile pic until now. Nicely done.
 
#4 ·
Well, the helmet you mentioned is a good helmet....the Fly Trekker is the same helmet,just re-badged.also look at GMAX helmets.Their Ds helmet is a GM-11D(or GM-11S?)..usually arounf $110.00.

OR.....you could get a full face street only helmet with a sun shield for those long road rides....EX: HJC makes some pretty reasonably priced helmets...between $150---$180 ish?.AND then, get a MX style helmet and some goggles for DSing?....Fly makes MX style for under $100 easily...Bell makes them,etc,etc,etc,.Glad your still riding!.Any more questions...just post!...we're here.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Glad to hear, watching these on ebay, looks like cheapist is about $102 including shipping. Do you know if glasses fit well in these? I have glasses that are wide, and they don't fit in my icon. I can see well enough without them to ride just street signs etc are fuzzy, and my license doesn't require corrective lenses.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the info so far guys. I see the past threads now. I'm not a good searcher I guess.



I'm strongly leaning towards the FX-39/Fly Trekker for a D/S helmet but still looking too. How is it for noise at 60 mph, ventilation, accurate sizing, and room for glasses? I've tried some different brand closed face helmets on at the local shops and it's gonna be quite a switch from an open face but I need to do it. I just have an odd fitting head shape.



I want to get a different helmet for strictly road use. I've been looking at a Bell Revolution EVO. Some say they're noisy at speed tho. I do ride with a windshield so that might not be so much of an issue. Kinda ironical that Michigan just passed the no helmet law and I'm a Harley rider looking for a better one.




*edit* After checking out the threads above and a couple at Adventure Rider forum, most of my questions about the AFX are answered. People seem pretty happy with it for the money. Thanks again.
 
#8 ·
Glasses? I too wanted the FX-39, and after trying two different sizes, I hated it with my glasses. Here is my review from a previous thread:



"I got the GMAX GM11D. Granted, I'm still a newbie, and I have no seat time with other helmets, but guys here is my 2 cents. I bought my TW recently and borrowed a buddy's extra open face to get in the saddle with. Since then, I have been trying to find myself a good helmet. I thought I was going to get a AFX FX-39. In fact I did, two of them. I really wanted that helmet because I thought it looked cool, it was affordable, it got great reviews, and it seemed to be the "hot" choice. I feel that both the AFX or GMAX are good choices.



I chose the GMAX for these main reasons: 1) I am a glasses wearer, and my riding glasses particularly have thick frame arms. The GMAX allows me to slip them right on and they fit comfortably, while AFX had a slightly higher area in the cheekpads that made my glasses tilt downward, as well as pressing them hard into my head. 2) The visor on the GMAX goes up completely out of your field of vision, while most of these dual sport style helmets have a clearance problem with the peak forcing the visor to be down slightly in it's raised position. 3) Fit. While I got two FX-39s and multiple cheekpads to try to get it to fit "right" I just couldn't find a sweet spot and sent it all back. The GMAX didn't fit perfectly mind you, but close, and without dinking with cheekpads, etc. 4) The FX-39 has a ratcheting clasp on the chin strap, while the GMAX has the traditional double d-rings. Also, I felt like the chinstrap on the AFX was farther back trying to choke me. Your mileage may vary.



After a little seat time, I like it. I've mostly ridden with the visor up, but it is nice to have when you want it. I got mine from Amazon for $103. Thanks!
"
 
#9 ·
for anyone interested , here's WebBikeWorld.com's review of the AFX-39... i always read what they say about a product before i buy it as they are very thorough. They also come right out and say it if a particular product is crappy, and each review has comments from actual customers of the product at the end.... the reviewer seems to really like this helmet, though...



helmet review
 
#10 ·
I went the GMAX route and glad I did!



http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/gmax-gm11d-dual-sport-helmet-solid



There is a video in that link as well to all the features. I bought mine mainy for the street use. But i use it for everything now even my quad when were are required. Love the ability to use goggles and shield. Comes in handy when the trail gets really dusty or someones kicking up dirt. Yesterdat was nice using the shield at higher speeds while it was about 45*f outside. I have 3 other helmets but this is by far the most used!
 
#11 ·
my full face helmet is a Nolan n100e with the anti-fog lens that clips to the inside. like it a lot. very cozy, works in cold weather too. good ventilation, but a lot of noise when you let air in. I think it's on the pricier side but compared to cheaper helmets I've owned I'd say it's worth it.
 
#12 ·
As a reminder - you really should try on a helmet for fit and comfort before buying it, as opposed to making a purchase online of a "medium" or "large" helmet. They come in a variety of shapes (round or oval for example) to fit different head shapes, and buying one over the internet may not fit right, unless you are replacing exactly one which you already have. You may have to take a trip into a motorcycle shop to look for a helmet, and then you can buy it wherever you want.
 
#13 ·
Tirebiter,



My wife and I both have the Fly Trekker. I don’t have any problem wearing my glasses in the helmet. We really like the helmets – with one exception. They fog up at low speeds (driving around town ). As a result, we have to keep the face shield up when driving in stop and go situations below 30MPH. This is not a big problem except when it is really cold… and I have the worry of a bee getting inside. We have tried anti-fog spray and it didn’t really help much. If anyone has any suggestions on addressing this we would be happy to hear them.



In summary, we really like the Trekker and the price was reasonable. If you don’t do much stoplight-to-stoplight driving, or can live with having the face shield up in town, then this is a good, comfortable, attractive helmet in our opinion.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the additional comments. I've read about glasses hitting the tops of the chin pads for some people on the AFX....maybe fixable but still a concern.



I'm glad the GMAX was mentioned too. It gives me something else specific to look for at local shops. I was looking for your opinions and they help.



Because of my head shape and size (24 5/8" -between XL & XXL) I'm definitely going to shop locally to get a good fit. Besides, buying locally seems like the right thing to do when I can. If I owned a shop and people used my inventory for fitting then bought online I'd be pissed.



Since I'm going from a well broken in open face, I'm used to a looser fit and a full face will probably feel tighter til I get used to it. But if the XL is a tad too tight but the XXL is slightly loose should I go with the tighter one as long as there aren't extreme pressure points, hoping it will break in, or is looser ok. My guess is that a compromise either way isn't too cool. I've read that the perfect fit should be snug all over. Am I being too fussy?......probably. I'll just go try some on.
 
#16 ·
Tirebiter: Your thoughts are correct on the sizing.I tried on a Large and thought it was to tight,so,on went an XL....fit somewhat snug?.After several weeks of riding with my GM11d it loosened up.....seemed to be alot!.I should have gotten the Large size and "toughed it"out for awhile,but hind-sight is 20/20.On the road,wearing it while on my RS750 Shadow, above 55mph the peak catches the wind...as expected.My point is,if I would have gotten the large size,possibly the peak would not have that much effect in the wind?.
 
#17 ·
OWT, they make waxes that you rub on the lens that work much better than the sprays. They are not perfect but much better. I use cat crap...
look it up. My new helmets all have fog-free pinlocks so I don't use it much anymore except on my safety glasses when welding.
 
#19 ·
difference between the afx fx-39 and fly trekker are afx has a ratchet style closure while fly has the traditional d-ring and i'm pretty sure the padding is different...that being said i have the fly



 
#21 ·
I'm looking at the two helmets in Point37's post. I assume the Aria is a street helmet. This might be a stupid question but what makes a DS helmet design different than a street helmet? The obvious is that the DS has a visor, but it appears to be positioned too high to block much sun. I could be wrong. The other difference I see is that the opening is bigger in the DS. I assume this is to accomodate goggles. Otherwise they look very similar.



What are the reasons a non hardcore rider should have separate helmets for DS and cruising purposes?
 
#24 ·
thanks
...no problem...if you can find a place that sells the fly or the afx go try it on before you order...the sizing is a little sketchy and they are both different so you might not take the same size in either brand...i remember reading up on the sizing differences but i need to figure out what forum i read it on
 
#25 ·
#29 ·
Bell has a new dual sport helmet called the MX-9 Adventure. Available in many color schemes. Pricier than other DS helmets though. I don't like paying around 200 dollars for a helmet but I see that the brands ICON and Bell make helmet shells in different sizes so a small ICON helmet probably makes me look less like an astronaut than my HCJ and AFX :cool:
 
#31 ·
Good prices for Bell helmets
 
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