Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => Accessories and modifications - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: Awaz on June 09, 2011, 08:11:53 PM
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I got limited budget and I need to buy two. After lot of research and questioning, I decided to get modular helmets. Help me decide please. Features I am looking are:
1) Lots of ventilation for hot weather. But wearable in cold weather too.
2) Enough space to fit my SENA SMH10 ear pieces and mic.
3) Should be light weight (as much as modular can be) as I am trying to conform my wife to wear helmet always. My biggest problem here is that all we got are Harley Davidson full face helmets. They are on the heavy side, lack ventilation, and mine causes me much problem due to no ear pocket to fit the SENA ear pieces. She thinks all helmets are the same :(
I narrowed down to the following:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/2080/ITEM/GMax-GM44-Helmet.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/2080/ITEM/GMax-GM44-Helmet.aspx)
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/33535/ITEM/HJC-CL-Max-II--Modular-Helmet.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/33535/ITEM/HJC-CL-Max-II--Modular-Helmet.aspx)
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/36650/ITEM/GMax-GM54S-Modular-Street-Helmet.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/36650/ITEM/GMax-GM54S-Modular-Street-Helmet.aspx)
These will also give you my budget range if you guys got any other recommendation.
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I know its outside your budget range, but the Shoei Multitec is a great modular helmet! I have worn one for over 3 years and have excellent results from it! My only complaint was that it was a bit noisier than a standard fullface. (Which is expected from a modular over fullface!) I just recently move to a Shoei Qwest and have found it to be an excellent helmet also.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/1678/ITEM/Shoei-Multitec-Modular-Helmet.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/1678/ITEM/Shoei-Multitec-Modular-Helmet.aspx)
Aaron
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Definitely get the GMax 54S. Great helmet! The Wife just got one after trying on everything at least 3 times at our local dealer. It has speaker pockets, built-in smoke visor in addition to the clear no-fog outer, opens easily, CoolMax interior and can't beat the price. Paid $140 and I know they ship stuff.
Email bearsports@gmail.com or call 513-482-9620 as I just checked and the pricing on their web site isn't the same. Probably too busy to fix the damn web site pages.
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I got limited budget and I need to buy two. After lot of research and questioning, I decided to get modular helmets. Help me decide please. Features I am looking are:
1) Lots of ventilation for hot weather. But wearable in cold weather too.
2) Enough space to fit my SENA SMH10 ear pieces and mic.
3) Should be light weight (as much as modular can be) as I am trying to conform my wife to wear helmet always. My biggest problem here is that all we got are Harley Davidson full face helmets. They are on the heavy side, lack ventilation, and mine causes me much problem due to no ear pocket to fit the SENA ear pieces. She thinks all helmets are the same :(
I narrowed down to the following:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/2080/ITEM/GMax-GM44-Helmet.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/2080/ITEM/GMax-GM44-Helmet.aspx)
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/33535/ITEM/HJC-CL-Max-II--Modular-Helmet.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/33535/ITEM/HJC-CL-Max-II--Modular-Helmet.aspx)
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/36650/ITEM/GMax-GM54S-Modular-Street-Helmet.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/36650/ITEM/GMax-GM54S-Modular-Street-Helmet.aspx)
These will also give you my budget range if you guys got any other recommendation.
Choosing a helmet is tough PERIOD! We always want EVERYTHING in options. I PERSONALLY am not a fan of HJC, but I had an older clmaxx. Heavy, and didn't breathe! They may be different now....
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Gmax GM54S is a great choice!
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I'm not a fan of modular helmets, but I am a personal fan of HJC. Best bang for your buck that is out there.
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Thanks for the suggestion. I will check out the store that Jetlock suggested as well. If cost + shipping is less than other online places, I will buy it. I may have to wait a couple weeks to gather up the funds.
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I'm not a fan of modular helmets, but I am a personal fan of HJC. Best bang for your buck that is out there.
I like most HJC helmets (use one racing) but their modular one has a reputation of being noisy and heavy. That's also what my wife was trading up from. Guess I need to put her very lightly used one in the For Sale section. I think she has 3 short rides in it.
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I have owned 4 different brand modular helments. The Schuberth was by far the nicest but it got just too expensive to replace. I use a Scorpion now that I like a lot. Not much ear room for buds though.
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I have owned 4 different brand modular helments. The Schuberth was by far the nicest but it got just too expensive to replace. I use a Scorpion now that I like a lot. Not much ear room for buds though.
My Scorpion is not modular (it is an EXO-1000). About ear room- you couldn't be more right. Plus I had to go TWO SIZES bigger than typical to finally get something that didn't rip my ears off or smash my cheeks into my eyes (and I am only 150lbs, 5'7"!)
I have to say, dealing with Scorpion support (twice) was some of the best support I have ever seen on ANY product. They REALLY stand behind their stuff. Highly recommend (if you can get the right size).
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The only advice I have is: Try them ALL on! Just because it has an XXL tag, all helmets have a different shape and fit differently. Be mindful you can only wear a helmet in the store for so long and they will break in slightly, but if you feel pressure in spots, remember you will be wearing the helmet on the road for hours at a time and that pressure area will be painful.
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im not knocking modulars ...A lot of guys like them.
Just be advised that it is nothing more than a 3/4 helmet with a thing that comes down to make it LOOK like a full face.
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Surprisingly the Cycle Gear Bilt modular is a pretty nice helmet for $99 this month.
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=5010&L2=40&L3=960&L4=961&item=BLT_BLH6-BZ-SML_G&name=BILT_Solar_Modular_Motorcycle_Helmet (http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=5010&L2=40&L3=960&L4=961&item=BLT_BLH6-BZ-SML_G&name=BILT_Solar_Modular_Motorcycle_Helmet)
It fits as well as the Scorpion I currently have.
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The only advice I have is: Try them ALL on! Just because it has an XXL tag, all helmets have a different shape and fit differently. Be mindful you can only wear a helmet in the store for so long and they will break in slightly, but if you feel pressure in spots, remember you will be wearing the helmet on the road for hours at a time and that pressure area will be painful.
+1-- I recently went helmet shopping, for about 2 months.. I tried everything on, regardless of price. I suggest you do the same, because the worst thing
you can do is buy blind. All noggin shapes are different, and you and your wife will most likely have different shaped heads, unless your, hmmm, family... :o
Anycase, most colors from many manufacturers are closely the same, but it's tricky when graphics get involved..
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The only advice I have is: Try them ALL on! Just because it has an XXL tag, all helmets have a different shape and fit differently. Be mindful you can only wear a helmet in the store for so long and they will break in slightly, but if you feel pressure in spots, remember you will be wearing the helmet on the road for hours at a time and that pressure area will be painful.
+2 Of course, that is more problematic when you can't get what you want locally and have to order online. My other advise is this: If you even THINK it might be too tight, it probably is too tight (and vice-versa too). I kept one size thinking it would get better with break-in. WRONG! With a higher quality helmet, the padding is DESIGNED to stay the same over time. My ears were so sore after a few hours of riding that it took 6 days (without riding) for them to return to normal!
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My Scorpion is not modular (it is an EXO-1000). About ear room- you couldn't be more right. Plus I had to go TWO SIZES bigger than typical to finally get something that didn't rip my ears off or smash my cheeks into my eyes (and I am only 150lbs, 5'7"!)
I have to say, dealing with Scorpion support (twice) was some of the best support I have ever seen on ANY product. They REALLY stand behind their stuff. Highly recommend (if you can get the right size).
I agree with you on both points! One of the helmets in my lineup is an EXO-400. I wear an XL in almost every other helmet brand, but I had to go with XXL for the Scorpion. I didn't think the ear area was that bad as I was able to get thumper speakers in with a little coaxing, but all of my other helmets don't have any ear pocket so I don't have much to compare to.
I also had to contact their support with some questions I had about shield bracket fitment and their support was great and my questions were promptly answered.
That being said, I find myself wearing my good old HJC CL-12 the most. It has the widest viewport of my helmets and its by far the most quiet. Its the only helmet I don't have to wear earplugs in. Its also the heaviest so I may pick up a newer full faced HJC just for that reason.
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Another modular to look at is the Zox GENESSIS RN2 SVS. Inexpensive, but has good reviews. Just picked one up and am quite impressed with the quality, especially for a "cheap" helmet. Am replacing my Nolan after many years of service and I would say the quality of the Zox is comparable to my Nolan. Also seems to be quieter than the HJC, which is a plus.
Stay away from the Zox Nevado, though. Have read some poor reviews on it as it was an earlier model and they still didn't have the bugs worked out.
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That being said, I find myself wearing my good old HJC CL-12 the most. It has the widest viewport of my helmets and its by far the most quiet. Its the only helmet I don't have to wear earplugs in. Its also the heaviest so I may pick up a newer full faced HJC just for that reason.
LOL!!!! The CL-12 was the helmet I replaced with the Scorpion!! I wore it for 10+ years and certainly got my money's worth out of it :)
I think the high-end (1000) Scorpion is built better and it certainly has a lot of super features (like the internal sun visor). The HJC CL-12 had non-removable padding, which was a real drag, yet the fit of the CL-12 was much better. But the Scorpion also has things that annoy the crap out of me- like the fact that I can't crack the visor without using that silly thing on the side. Or the internal visor not coming down far enough (and what is with that unnecessary nose cutout?) Or those strange vents on the top that seem to always close on their own.
No helmet is perfect... that is for sure.
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im not knocking modulars ...A lot of guys like them.
Just be advised that it is nothing more than a 3/4 helmet with a thing that comes down to make it LOOK like a full face.
I figure having that "thing" covering your face is better than not having it.
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I figure having that "thing" covering your face is better than not having it.
I believe it is impossible for a convertible/modular helmet to get a SNELL rating. That probably answers your question...
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Awaz,
I purchased 2 helmets from Motorcycle Super Store a couple of years ago, after going to a local dealer and determining the correct model and size. What I received from that order was much smaller, and did not fit, even though it was labeled as the same size, same brand, same model. I had to pay to return them, and they would not honor their sale price to replace them with one size larger (the sale had ended).
I was very unhappy with them for not simply exchanging the helmets. After some serious complaining to them about the issue, they had another "sale" a couple days later, putting the helmets back to the price I originally paid. Not sure if they did this just for me, or if they had planned it all along, but I did finally get the replacements at the original purchase price.
I don't know why the size from them was smaller than what I tried on at the local dealer, but I suspect they had models from prior years, possibly old stock from the manufacture they were selling off cheap.
I've used HJC helmets, including modulars (Symax), for years, and although they worked well, they had issues (broken gears in the jaw mechanisms, broken release cables). I could not find all the replacement parts needed to fix them, so I moved on. I actually repaired the broken release cable with dental floss, and it's still working!
I'm now using the Scorpion EXO-900. I'm very happy with it, and will probably buy another to use as my snowmobile helmet. First, I will be buying a Scorpion EXO-100 for the upcoming hot summer rides though. :)
Even though funds are the primary issue for you, don't ignore your comfort factor. Wearing an uncomfortable helmet, just because it was cheap, will completely ruin a great motorcycle riding experience. If you get one that fits well, but has a couple of 'pressure points', you can always sand down the Styrofoam behind the padding to give a little more clearance. It doesn't take much to make a dramatic difference.
Hope this helps.
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Back to Scorpion service. I had my Scorpion over a year when the face opening latch snapped off. I called Scorpion and they had a new jaw peice to me in two days. No purchase date request or questions of any kind. That is service.
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I personally will not go into a dealer, try on the helmets or other gear to find out what fits. Then leave and order it somewhere else to save a few dollars! I'm not pointing fingers at anybody, but I personally won't do that. I feel it's not right. And in a way, I feel that it's kind of like theft of service.
The dealer pays to stock the items, electric, heat and/or AC, for their customers. I'm sure the prices are listed on the items. If I felt the prices are so high I must order elsewhere. There is the option to leave then and buy else where because I want to pay less. To then go ahead and try items on to find out what I want, and then buy elsewhere is IMO, just not right. So I personally won't do that.
I realize that dealers prices are sometimes higher than I can buy on line for. But sometimes if I ask, they give me a better price for being a loyal customer. I also realize that the dealer is a business, and as such needs to make a profit to survive. The fact is that less, or not enough profit could mean the demise of the dealer. I personally like to keep the dealers around. There are things that I might need from them. So it's in my best interest to help them survive.
Like I said, I am not pointing fingers at anyone. This is just my feelings and belief on this practice! reading this thread kind of reminded me of that. So I decided to voice my opinion on it. Not at anyone in particular, but as the group as a whole, in general!
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I personally will not go into a dealer, try on the helmets or other gear to find out what fits. Then leave and order it somewhere else to save a few dollars! I'm not pointing fingers at anybody, but I personally won't do that. I feel it's not right. And in a way, I feel that it's kind of like theft of service.
The dealer pays to stock the items, electric, heat and/or AC, for their customers. I'm sure the prices are listed on the items. If I felt the prices are so high I must order elsewhere. There is the option to leave then and buy else where because I want to pay less. To then go ahead and try items on to find out what I want, and then buy elsewhere is IMO, just not right. So I personally won't do that.
I realize that dealers prices are sometimes higher than I can buy on line for. But sometimes if I ask, they give me a better price for being a loyal customer. I also realize that the dealer is a business, and as such needs to make a profit to survive. The fact is that less, or not enough profit could mean the demise of the dealer. I personally like to keep the dealers around. There are things that I might need from them. So it's in my best interest to help them survive.
Like I said, I am not pointing fingers at anyone. This is just my feelings and belief on this practice! reading this thread kind of reminded me of that. So I decided to voice my opinion on it. Not at anyone in particular, but as the group as a whole, in general!
+1
100% agreement.
I hate people that "shop for sizes locally" and then go online and find the cheapest source. As a small biz owner, I see customers like this. We try to make it up on customer service and providing good advice that's much more honest than anything they'll find online, but there's always a percentage of people (usually the ones that like to say "stealership" when talking about bike dealers) that are using our time and staff so they can get something for a few bucks less online --- and then they complain when there's a problem with their online purchase.
With helmets, I would never buy online. I want to try stuff on, wear it long enough to see if any hot spots develop, etc. That means I buy locally because my ethics prevent me from ripping off another small biz owners' time.
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I personally will not go into a dealer, try on the helmets or other gear to find out what fits. Then leave and order it somewhere else to save a few dollars! I'm not pointing fingers at anybody, but I personally won't do that. I feel it's not right. And in a way, I feel that it's kind of like theft of service.
+2 Agreed. I would not do that either. I checked on the local shops, nobody had the features OR color I wanted, THAT is when I decided to go online. If they had the size/model to try but not the color, I would order from them instead (assuming the price was not astronomical). It is just the right thing to do.
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I've never gone into a dealer to try-on and then left to order the item cheaper, but I probably would if the price difference was great enough (and the dealer wouldn't deal). I know the dealer has to make a profit, but there's no reason why they have to charge MSRP for an item that can be bought off the internet for sometimes 20% less. They are counting on their "loyal customers" not checking to see that they are charging pro-shop prices. I don't know this for sure, but if they are like auto dealers, then most of their money is made off of parts, service and accessories and not bike sales. That means they're selling enough stuff at enough of a markup to keep the doors open so I don't feel too sorry for them.
That said, there's always some benefit to being able to take it home now rather than waiting for it to be shipped.
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+3 Support your local dealers whenever possible or they will close up shop!
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I've never gone into a dealer to try-on and then left to order the item cheaper, but I probably would if the price difference was great enough (and the dealer wouldn't deal). I know the dealer has to make a profit, but there's no reason why they have to charge MSRP for an item that can be bought off the internet for sometimes 20% less. They are counting on their "loyal customers" not checking to see that they are charging pro-shop prices. I don't know this for sure, but if they are like auto dealers, then most of their money is made off of parts, service and accessories and not bike sales. That means they're selling enough stuff at enough of a markup to keep the doors open so I don't feel too sorry for them.
That said, there's always some benefit to being able to take it home now rather than waiting for it to be shipped.
Often a small biz has little choice but to charge MSRP or close to it. They simply can't buy in large enough quantities to compete with Rocky Mtn ATV (for one example) that buys tires by the multiple-container load. Just like small book stores can't compete on price with Amazon.
In a retail biz, if you're not getting a 30% markup on your sales, you're probably not going to stay in business for long as overhead is always at least around 25%. Since the markup on products from distributors is typically in the 30 to 40% range, there's not a lot of wiggle room on pricing . . . unless you buy in giant quantities.
In my store, I cut my friends and regular customers a break. Someone I've never seen before who may never buy another thing, I'll try and close the deal and I'll negotiate price to a point, but people who shop based only on price aren't going to keep me in business.
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my local indy shop will try to get close to internet prices on some items.
Close is good enough for me .
He also puts me head of the line if i need service work.
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In my area (Dallas), shops tend to fall into two categories. I'm sure it's like everywhere else--we have bike dealerships and gear shops. The bike dealerships will always have an income source for factory parts and service. Of course, service can't be sold over the internet and at the prices dealers get for service (we've all griped about what some dealers charge for a tire change!), they can afford to price competitively on some gear items. The gear shops tend to price more competitively from the start, but they don't seam to stock much. Obviously, they don't have unlimited shelf space or back room storage, but if I'm going to have to wait to get my item then why not save some cash for my trouble? Add to that having to pay sales tax locally while a lot of online sellers offer free shipping (with no sales tax) and the price difference between someone like Revzilla and my local Kawi dealer can get quite large.
I'm always willing to pay a little more to take my item home today, but I'm not going to pay an extra $50 on a $300 helmet (a price difference I've actually seen at a local dealer).
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If I go shop at a dealer I will just buy it from them.
It appears though Gmax has a sizing feature where you measure the circumference of your forehead and they will tell you what size helmet you need - L, XL, XXL, etc. I will have to find Gmax dealers near to me if I want to try those helmets out.
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Wow, it's fascinating what people pick up on, and how it can steer a thread in one direction or another.
OK, the rest of the story... This happened a couple of years ago now.
I had been looking for a motocross helmet to use for snowmobiling on dry powder days (with goggles). I normally use a modular, but there are times when the the snow is like dust, and it gets to the inside of the shield. Even with an electric shield, it just doesn't work.
My buddy found the Scorpion VX-17 (Kevlar based) on sale at this particular dealer. I wasn't fond of the dealer, as they never seemed to care about the customers, like to ask if they could help you, never would budge on price, etc. For me, loyalty is earned, not given.
Anyway, I went down there a few days after he bought his, planning to buy one if it fit, and all I could find was one in solid white. I prefer solid colors on a street bike (even have 2 in white), but not for the sled (unless it's black). I tried it on to see if it would fit, and determined the medium felt good.
In the whole time I was there, no one bothered to stop by and ask if they could help (there were at least 7 employees in the store (3 or 4 on the floor at any one time), and only about 5 customers. Finally, I flagged down someone to ask if they had anymore in back, and he said "that's all we have", and walked away. No offer to try and get me one, or even steer me to something else.
I left, and went online to see if I could find someone that was close to that price, and found Motorcycle Super Store had them, at a much better price, with cool looking graphics. I bought 2 of them. Prior to that, I had one experience with buying a helmet online without seeing it first, and it was bad. I would never do that again. Shoes and helmets, don't buy them site unseen.
If a dealer is at all good to me, I go out of my way to support them. My last dealer (R.I.P.) was outstanding. I would call the parts guy whenever I was looking to buy something, and tell him what I was after, and about what I could get it for, and ask him if he could get close. Usually he could, and I would buy from him. Only on 2 occasions did he tell me "I can't get close to that price", and I would suggest he add the place I was looking at to his supplier list. Once, I bought a snowmobile track from him, and he gave me too good of a price on it. I told him to add $100 to it, as I wanted him to make some money, but he declined, and said my purchases allowed him to exceed some buying threshold with the manufacturer, and get free shipping for the rest of the year.
In fact, when I was looking to buy the Coocase, I ran it by my dealer, and he said he could get it. After he got it in, I told him it would be a week before I could stop by and pick it up. He said no problem, as a customer saw it, and wanted one just like it (another sale for him!). I said "Great, if someone wants one and isn't willing to wait, sell them mine, and order me another."
So, as the saying goes, now you know "The rest of the story..."
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it's easy when you choose shoei RF1100. you get it right the first time.
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I have 3 Scorpion EXO1000's and I haven't paid over $120 for any of them. Alot of bang for the buck as far as quality and features IMO.
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I have no problems with going into a shop, trying on helmets making the a local purchase IF the price is reasonable. However, most of our local shops charge a 15% - 40% premium over MSRP. I was at one this weekend. I overheard a guy complaining that MSRP was $40.00 lower than the asking price. The employee quickly suggested that MSRP was a "suggested" price and not their store's price. After the guy started walking away, the employee suggested he could probably match the MSRP if wanted. That's BS! If you want to sell your ****, don't mark it up beyond the highest suggested price in hopes that an unsuspecting fools may wonder in and pay for it. I understand that shops have overhead, but when you're trying make a 50% profit for nothing, that's just wrong. Larger companies make more money by selling in volume, not by trying to jack up their profit margins.
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Middle of corn fields it is slim picking when it comes to dealers. Any dealers you guys can recommend in central illinois? Even St. Lois area?
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Middle of corn fields it is slim picking when it comes to dealers. Any dealers you guys can recommend in central illinois? Even St. Lois area?
My buddy is a customer at this dealer and he said that they are great to work with.
http://www.stlouispowersports.com/index.htm (http://www.stlouispowersports.com/index.htm)
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As a business owner myself, one misperception is that price is the primary factor in a purchase. I truly believe dealers can keep their price higher than an internet price as long as they are willing (and also point out to the potential buyer) to provide benefits internet sites can't (i.e. returns, returning customer loyalty discounts, special Customer appreciation days sales, ect...that brings people back to the shop).
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I have 3 Scorpion EXO1000's and I haven't paid over $120 for any of them. Alot of bang for the buck as far as quality and features IMO.
The EXO-1000 is a $260 to $300 helmet! Not sure how you did that, but good job!
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The EXO-1000 is a $260 to $300 helmet! Not sure how you did that, but good job!
I found two of them on clearance through sportbiketrackgear.com for $110 shipped (there was a thread on the other forum pre-crash) and the other I bought from a member of this forum.
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I'm not sure how the numbering scheme works anymore with Scorpion, but the EXO 500 appears to be competing/replacing the EXO 1000 at a lesser price (MSRP $219.00). The store I was at last weekend had a couple of EXO 1000s left and 15 - 20 EXO 500s. They were asking $249.99 for an XXL EXO 500; you can find them for $199.99 online.
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The HJC Sy-Max II is a good helmet for the money but I love the Multitec.
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As a business owner myself, one misperception is that price is the primary factor in a purchase. I truly believe dealers can keep their price higher than an internet price as long as they are willing (and also point out to the potential buyer) to provide benefits internet sites can't (i.e. returns, returning customer loyalty discounts, special Customer appreciation days sales, ect...that brings people back to the shop).
Those will go a long way. There will always be a few customers who shop on price alone, but most shops that provide good customer service will have a loyal customer base. However, there is a limit to what even the most loyal customer will pay. I always have to balance my desire to save money with my desire to have it NOW! If I can save more than a few bucks by shopping online (with free shipping), then I'll usually wait. Particularly since a lot of internet companies are also very good at providing customer service now.
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Those will go a long way. There will always be a few customers who shop on price alone, but most shops that provide good customer service will have a loyal customer base. However, there is a limit to what even the most loyal customer will pay. I always have to balance my desire to save money with my desire to have it NOW! If I can save more than a few bucks by shopping online (with free shipping), then I'll usually wait. Particularly since a lot of internet companies are also very good at providing customer service now.
Ya, maybe I should reiterate. I don't believe that there AREN'T people whose primary buying decision is price, as I have shopped for price on certain items (i.e. used cars) but the customer that isn't looking just to save a couple bucks will usually end up being a loyal customer who refers others and that back end sale and referral is where the real profit is made. But again, have to give them a reason to justify spending more for an item they could get cheaper somewhere else. I know for a fact that I am the highest priced in my town for what I do, yet am the busiest amongst all competitors because of what I provide about and beyond what my customer is directly coming in for.
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It is hard to put a price on quality and customer service.
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Looks like St louis power sports carry the Gmax helmets as I am still leaning towards those. And their prices (at least in the website) are no more than $10 - $15 higher than motorcycle super store. So, this Saturday we might go and check them out. We will also check out other brands.
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It is hard to put a price on quality and customer service.
+1
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+1
+2
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I'm not sure how the numbering scheme works anymore with Scorpion, but the EXO 500 appears to be competing/replacing the EXO 1000 at a lesser price (MSRP $219.00). The store I was at last weekend had a couple of EXO 1000s left and 15 - 20 EXO 500s. They were asking $249.99 for an XXL EXO 500; you can find them for $199.99 online.
The EXO-500 is NOT SNELL APPROVED/rated like the EXO-1000. I believe it also does not contain carbon fiber in the shell (the EXO-1000 does). Otherwise, they appear to be pretty similar except the color/pattern selection in the 500 is not very good either.
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I don't know if it falls into your price range, but you may want to check out the Bell Revolver. I'm looking hard at a Bell because they now have a transition shield and webbikeworld is rating their current lineup very highly.
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It is hard to put a price on quality and customer service.
+3...
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The EXO-500 is NOT SNELL APPROVED/rated like the EXO-1000. I believe it also does not contain carbon fiber in the shell (the EXO-1000 does). Otherwise, they appear to be pretty similar except the color/pattern selection in the 500 is not very good either.
The EXO-1000 is a poly carbonate helmet, not carbon fiber. Most helmets are still made using poly carbonate because carbon fiber increases the cost exponentially while only decreasing the weight slightly.
None of the newer Scorpion helmets are Snell 2010 rated, so once the 1000s are gone, you will have to shop elsewhere for a Snell compliant helmet. The EXO-1000 is a Snell 2005 rated helmet.
From what I've read, Scorpion has choose not to submit their helmets to Snell 2010 ratings because of the unrealistic expectations (i.e. double impact, etc.). Increasing the material needed to meet this expectation not only increased the weight and cost of the helmet, but also reduces the helmets capability of properly absorbing impact force. That's why Snell 2010 rated helmets are not recommended for youth riders.
Personally, I wouldn't exclude the 500 because it wasn't Snell 2010 rated. It has both DOT and ECE ratings which are now pretty comparable to older Snell certifications.
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I don't know if it falls into your price range, but you may want to check out the Bell Revolver. I'm looking hard at a Bell because they now have a transition shield and webbikeworld is rating their current lineup very highly.
For the price, the Bell Revolver is a really nice helmet. However, it fits a very round head. Also, the transitions shield is $$$ (almost as much as the helmet).
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I personally will not go into a dealer, try on the helmets or other gear to find out what fits. Then leave and order it somewhere else to save a few dollars! I'm not pointing fingers at anybody, but I personally won't do that. I feel it's not right. And in a way, I feel that it's kind of like theft of service.
The dealer pays to stock the items, electric, heat and/or AC, for their customers. I'm sure the prices are listed on the items. If I felt the prices are so high I must order elsewhere. There is the option to leave then and buy else where because I want to pay less. To then go ahead and try items on to find out what I want, and then buy elsewhere is IMO, just not right. So I personally won't do that.
I realize that dealers prices are sometimes higher than I can buy on line for. But sometimes if I ask, they give me a better price for being a loyal customer. I also realize that the dealer is a business, and as such needs to make a profit to survive. The fact is that less, or not enough profit could mean the demise of the dealer. I personally like to keep the dealers around. There are things that I might need from them. So it's in my best interest to help them survive.
Like I said, I am not pointing fingers at anyone. This is just my feelings and belief on this practice! reading this thread kind of reminded me of that. So I decided to voice my opinion on it. Not at anyone in particular, but as the group as a whole, in general!
GREAT POSTING!!!!!
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I read an article somewhere a long time back where snell rating makes a helmet too hard, wherein it transfers the impact force to the head.
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The EXO-1000 is a poly carbonate helmet, not carbon fiber.
Most helmets are still made using poly carbonate because carbon fiber increases the cost exponentially while only decreasing the weight slightly.
No. The EXO-1000 is not just a traditional polycarbonate helmet. It is actually a fiberglass/kevlar mix: "Scorpion EXO-1000 Helmet FiberglassKevlar Matrix Shell" I mistyped in my original post, sorry (had "carbon fiber" on my mind for some reason).
The more expensive 700, 750, and 1000 claim/claimed Fiberglass/Kevlar
The cheaper 100, 200, 400 and even the new EXO-500 claim just polycarbonate.
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No. The EXO-1000 is not just a traditional polycarbonate helmet. It is actually a fiberglass/kevlar mix: "Scorpion EXO-1000 Helmet FiberglassKevlar Matrix Shell" I mistyped in my original post, sorry (had "carbon fiber" on my mind for some reason).
The more expensive 700, 750, and 1000 claim/claimed Fiberglass/Kevlar
The cheaper 100, 200, 400 and even the new EXO-500 claim just polycarbonate.
You are correct. When I watched the reviews on the EXO-1000, they mentioned polycarbonate, so I naturally assumed it was a polycarbonate construction. However, they were referring to the shield, not the construction of the helmet; I went back and watched the whole video afterwards. When I corrected you, all I knew about the helmet is that is was NOT made of carbon fiber. You'd be pretty hard pressed to find a FF helmet made of carbon fiber that "retailed" for $299.00. The HJC CL-15 is on closeout for ~$250 but originally retailed for $450+.
IMHO, neither polycarbonate, carbon fiber nor fiberglass are superior or inferior to the other. Each has it's benefits and drawbacks.
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I read an article somewhere a long time back where snell rating makes a helmet too hard, wherein it transfers the impact force to the head.
Yes, I think that was Motorcyclist a few years back. It revealed two problems, if I recall. One of the problems stemmed form Snell only using one size head dummy for their test (and thus only one weight--a larger, heavier one). This was fine if you had a big, heavy head and wore a larger size, but the smaller helmets ended up being too stiff and imparting too many g's during an impact. The second problem was the double impact test. It's basically a one-in-a-million collision, but in order to pass the test the internal polystyrene had to be harder to deform and this made it more likely to cause injury during a common collision. Snell took notice and has changed their testing methods. I believe it was taken into account for the newer Snell 2010 certification.