Will be upgrading at some point from the mid to lower end fox I currently have. I have an Arai helment from my crotch rocket days that gathers dust now and love the brand. An Arai dirt helmet would on my short list, but 6D looks interesting also. Thoughts? Other suggestions?
Hard to beat an Arai for fit and comfort. I wore Arai for years. Only downsides are... ventilation is not the greatest and the vents like to break off. I know that these are both about Arai's safety philosophy and shell integrity and roundness. Limited number of small holes in the shell and R75 shell radius, with no protrusions. Last season I was offered a Bell Moto 9 Carbon on a less than 1/2 price deal and took it. Light, very well ventilated and nothing to break off. Fit and feel was not quite up to an Arai, but much better than most helmets I've tried. I'd look at Bell, as well as Arai.
Suomy is an extremely light helmet! I wear one and it's the most light weight helmet I have ever worn!
Pick the lightest and best helmet you can as well as all the safety features. Went through the same process when l was shopping for a new race lid for the road bike..Had an Shoei X12 but found they buffeted too much when pop your head out of the screen at 200+kms or even glancing at high speed, next was the Arai RX7 which l swear was the best race helmet l've had until l tested the OGK FF5v and was sold - didn't buffet like the Shoei, as or more ventilated as the Arai but less noisy and was way lighter than both as well as passing all the regulatory crap. After my acerbis helmet dies, the next helmet will be the Suomy or Airoh (made in the same factory l heard) since they are now legal in my part of the world..there's a reason why all the top riders where them!! Arai and Shoei top line helmets are still great for fit and comfort but l find them a bit bulky. Bell Moto9 Carbon is the only Bell unit l would buy. Yet the Suomy or Airoh are lighter than the three mentioned!! Juicy..seriously no distributors in the UK...surely the guys who bring in the mtb helmets and bring them in? The Prana mtb and mx helmet are the same flavour.
+ 1, great fit, extremely light, easy to clean, no neck fatigue during the ride and no stiffness at the end of the day.
I love my UFO..... my next choice is a Airoh.... after that maybe a Bell or 6d.....I go for Weight, Protection level, comfort, in that order.... I have found that helmet weight plays a big factor..... also in the past I have wore many Arai and Shoei helmets mostly because of their quality and protection level..... I have 2 of each hanging on the wall now..... but those 2 are extremely heavy and a very large shell.... I think both of them need to step up their game....
Not at last glance, will cruise ebay again an shoot off a few emails to the mtb suppliers before i bought airoh i searched for kali even did a 50mile round trip to try on a downhill kali savana?!? But the dude stopped stocking them an only had a large.
If you can find a place to put one on try Klim's off road helmet. I got one last year and i am happy with it. And since you are in NC they are well ventilated. Liner, cheek pads and chin strap pads all come out for washing. Very lightweight...
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/motorcycle-helmet-weights.htm Interesting list of helmet weights.... airoh is a full pound less than a Arai and almost a pound less than a Shoei
Coming from an Icon Variant helmet, I can't get over the difference between wearing the Airoh now. It's unbelievable how drastic the weight difference is. Makes it way easier on your neck and back after a long ride too!
Strange....that list didn't seem to have my Suomy MX Jump listed. I weighed mine and it weighed just over 2 pounds. Some of the Suomy models on that list were quite heavy.
I believe the Suomy Mr. Jump helmets are carbon fiber/kevlar and I believe Dirtdame is correct about the weight. Arai, Shoei, and Bell are not in the same league as the current wave of Italian helmets.
The scale works great. Every time I tell somebody "Hey check out how light this helmet is", they are astounded when they get the Suomy in their hands.
