For motorcyclists, helmets are one the most important investment after buying the motorcycle itself. Thus, buying a quality certified helmet with saving some bucks is the requirement of riders. In this post, I have discussed 8 things that you should consider before buying yourself a helmet. Let’s start with the basic selection.
Here are the 8 Things to look for before buying Helmets:-
We will be discussing the most crucial factors which are need to be considered before buying a helmet. Let’s start with the first one.
Decide the type of helmet you need
There are three main helmet types available in the market as Full face, Open face, and half face. One of the safest helmet types for a motorcyclist is the full-face helmet. And there are also other sizes of helmets available such as half-face, Open face ¾ Helmets, etc.
But, in terms of proper protection of your head and chin from accidents, Full-face helmets must be preferred. Here is a study conducted in 2015 shows that the chin bar of full-face helmets is the region with the highest number of impacts.
Helmet types like open face, and half will not provide the safety level compared to the full-face helmet. The most fragile portion of the face and will be left vulnerable like cheek, jaw, etc. But, if safety is your utmost priority while riding a motorcycle then go with a full-face helmet.
If you are a casual rider be it men or women you can go with any helmet type. You can also go for open helmet types as these are open and let you feel the air and sound. But, if you do extensive, adventurous, speed riding then makes sure to go with a full helmet.
Consider your Riding frequency
Buying a perfect helmet is an art that’s what I call it for this era. The second most important factor is “the frequency of your motorcycle riding”. The time you invest in riding a motorcycle, depending on this we need to evaluate the comfort level of the helmet you require.
You should note that for frequent riders the helmet must be equipped with proper ventilation to keep the airflow inside the helmet.
If you are a casual rider and you don’t ride much apart from going to your job and weekly rides. You can consider buying low-price helmets. It should be noted that buying low-price helmets doesn’t mean a compromise in safety.
But, there will be a compromise in quality, comforts, and other things like proper ventilation, etc. Thus, you should consider this factor and make a proper budget before buying a helmet for the best experience and safety.
Consider your budget
Buying your first motorcycle you must be considering your budget. As, there is more chance that you would be dropping your bike for the first time so the helmet. So, buying a mid-range price helmet would be a better choice for the first time.
But in the second purchase, you should only look at your budget if you are a casual rider, but I would not recommend you to think about the budget if you are a frequent rider. Overall, It will be like saving your life vs saving money. And your life holds more value than the money itself.
Thus, the thing is very simple. If you are a frequent rider who loves to ride motorcycles every time, get into the race with friends, and explore the terrain of adventure. You should buy the safest and comfortable helmets available in the market by pushing the limits on your budget.
If you ride less then you can save some bucks for yourself by buying a moderate helmet that fulfills your requirements.
If your budget is below $500, no need to worry as I have discussed the top 10 helmets under $500. The $500 budget will be best for anyone to refer to my article and get yourself some quality helmets.
To get a better comfortable fit and the safest motorcycle helmet. You should look at the following features to ensure the quality and the investment you are doing in a motorcycle helmet.
Certification for Helmets
In the US there are some organizations that provide safety ratings by doing rigorous tests. Their names are Snell, DOT, ECE, SHARP, etc.
According to the bikebandit, Snell is the superior helmet certification in the US. Its helmets are tested in a more rigorous standard, and the standard is derived from racing. And racing is the place where accident impacts used to be higher. Thus, the Snell standard is derived from motorcycle racing.
You should look for the certification sticker or label behind the helmets of the above certifications listed. This is the primary requirement that makes helmet safes. Otherwise, how will you know that any helmet is safe or not?
You are not going to test the helmet by yourself. Thus, these organizations have their standard specified, and if the helmets didn’t meet the standard. Those helmets got rejected in the first place by these organizations.
Size & Weight of Helmets
The second most important thing to consider before buying helmets is their size and weight. Every rider should consider the helmets’ size & weight, and it is a must for riders spending a considerable amount of time with motorcycles.
Riding a motorcycle must be a comfortable experience so, try the helmets before purchasing one. You must always try helmets prior to purchase and check for the fit. Wear the helmets for a couple of minutes.
The first thing to check is fitness/size, your face should move without any delay. And helmets shouldn’t move if you are not moving your head. The Chin strip should be tight enough that only one or two fingers fit in the bottom of the chin strip.
The second thing to consider is the weight of the helmet prior to purchase. If you are feeling too much weight and uncomfortable then the helmet is too weighty. And you should try some other helmets that are lighter.
There are some other tests that you can perform for a better selection of the helmets such as walking with a worn helmet, trying to look at your chest, pushing back, looking upward ( it should not become loose), etc. These were a handful of trials to check the helmet fitness & weight for the rider.
Ventilation (Air-Flow) in Helmets
The Ventilation system is designed in helmets to keep the rider’s head cool with constant airflow around the head. It gives the rider an airflow inside the helmets as he/she rides and evaporates the sweat and keeps the fresh air inside the helmet. Ventilation is the most important aspect in order to have a long and comfortable riding.
The vent comes in full-face helmets and ¾ helmets, But Vent is not available in the half-face helmet because there is no need. They are in constant touch with the wind.
But when it comes to buying full-face helmets or ¾ size helmets for the long-term riding. You must check the vents because it is the ultimate thing that will be responsible for comfortable riding. And nowadays helmets are equipped with an adjustable vent that you can adjust according to the need and weather. Here is a helpful video giving a glimpse of vents on different helmets.
Visor/ Face Shield
Your vision should be crystal clear while you ride a motorcycle. Thus, it becomes to save the eyes from the speck of dirt, bugs, debris, etc. That’s why a face shield/ Visor is very important.
All motorcycle helmets except half-face helmets come with a face shield. Those who buy half-face helmets should use glasses, which are also effective to save the eyes.
Visors in full-face helmets are customizable and designed to be removable for cleaning purposes. And, if you encounter any problem with the visor, you can change it with another face-shield visor. Apart from this must look for anti-fog, anti-scratch, etc to have better vision even in different weather.
If you ride frequently at night, then here are some tips to make your ride safer at night.
Conclusion
In this post, I have talked about some factors that you every rider should consider before buying helmets. These things were an important factors to buy a perfect helmet.
You should spend at least $200 to get a safety-certified helmet under the budget. But again, if you are a hardcore rider, you should at least spend $500 for better protection in a sudden fall. I tried to cover as many things as I can cover in this post. If you have still some query then you can reach us on the contact page.
