Great helmet deal

[dazco]

At least for anyone who likes the italian style 3/4 jobs. Been looking forever for another helmet but everything i wanted was either not available in one helmet or was too expensive or not available in the U.S. I wanted a helmet that looks good, (with NO mushroom head) has an inner visor so i can eliminate the need for glasses, and fits well, the latter being something i have a heck of a time finding. Also quiet, which i have yet to verify but at least one reviewer said buffeting and noise were excellent. So i recently found this dirt cheap helmet called HCI series 16. No one has them locally so i called the co. and they said only online. Not being one to chance a helmet online i passed. then i started thinking that maybe some dealer in the area may have bought a few for sale locally and i did a search and found one an hour away. I made the drive because i really liked the helmet. When i tried on the large it fit better than almost any helmet i ever tried. I loved everything about it, especially the lack of the dreaded mushroom head syndrome and the inner visor. Another big surprise, the quality. I was amazed that a cheap DOT helmet could be made this well. Much better than my other $80- $100 area helmets. And the sizing chart they had online was spot on...i measured and it told me large, and the large fit like a glove. Anyways, he only had the one with an orange stripe, plus his prices were so inflated i passed and bought one online in a normal color for less than 1/2 the price, $48 ! (actually $43 because i found a coupon code) $10 shipping=$53 total as opposed to his $110 total ! Even if he had the right color i'm not about to allow myself to be gouged. The manufacturers list is even well under his price ! The place i ordered it even had the ones with blue pink or orange stripes got even cheaper...$35 plus coupon code=$$31.50+shipping=$41.50 ! But i wanted black w/white stripe, so for $53 out the door i ordered this...
http://www.jafrum.com/Motorcycle-Helmets/HCI-Helmets-16-Series-Open-Face/HCI-16-Series-Italian-Style-Double-Visor-Scooter-Helmet-16MattBlackWhite

By the way, you can't see the back, but it has a sort of flat area back there that makes it look more modern than the typical old school 3/4 it looks like from the front. also, the inner shield is raised or lowered by a sliding switch on the top. All but one of the colors are matt finish except the silver/black one i believe. I'm pretty sure that one has gloss paint. But i really like the matt finish. Oh, one problem....the outer shield contacts the tip of my nose. But thats easily fixed with a dremel just by deepening the nose cut thats already there. I don't have a big nose so i'm not sure why that is, as i saw several reviews and no one mentioned that. Anyways, i'm really thrilled to finally found a helmet i truly like in all respects for the first time since i got back into riding in '05 with the speedy.

 

[Dilligaf]

That is a great deal, looks cool too.

 

[dazco]

yep, i think if you like the style this is about the best deal you'll find, especially considering all the boxes it ticks, at least for me. Heres a couple other views...

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-85254528884697_2083_1753793

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-85254528884697_2083_1874118

that strip down the middle top is the slider that brings the inner shade up or down. I'm not sure what the deal is with the kid wearing it, but it seems like the the inner shield isn't all the way down because it's not covering his eyes. When i tried it it does fully cover them.

 

[CarlS]

Good looking helmet. :y115: However, I only wear a full face helmet.

 

[dazco]

They have FF too Carl, and in fact i'm considering getting one since thie 3/4 is so good. I figure the FF will probably fit right using the HCI sizing chart since the 3/4 did. I want a FF for cold weather, and they too are cheap. I was afraid to buy online for fit, but i have faith in the HCI line after trying them. Even a small i picked up w/o noticing the size went on my head while other smalls won't even go on. And it was very tight, yet not in a way that hurt and i could actually use it if i had to ! I think these helmets are very forgiving where as with other helmets i often find one size might be too loose, yet going to the next size down will be too tight or not even fit on my head at all. So i don't fear buying a HCI FF online at all.

 

[dazco]

Well, it arrived today and i was pleasantly surprised to find the outer shield does NOT touch my nose as the one in the store did. Thats really odd....i cannot for the life of me figure why that one i tried was like that. In any case, now that i've had a good while to check it out i'm as impressed as i was in the store. This helmet is truly a stupid good deal. Can't wait to take it for a spin, but at the moment mother nature is dripping all over us here.

 

[CarlS]

Give us report after you ride with it.

 

[dazco]

I did, and i absolutely love it. I been trying to find a helmet like this for, well, really for the entire time i got back into riding in '05. There are two things i'd change....the inner visor i wish was a bit lower. But it's ok. It's just that i want the lower edge to be out of my field of vision. It doesn't get in the way of my line of sight, but i do see it. that may go away as i get more used to it. The other thing is really not an issue....the outer visor. I like it as is but i would prefer a full visor. there is one they make for the 15 series helmet that i think may fit, but i can't get a definitive answer. i was thinking of getting a second one and putting one of those on it and using that helmet for longer or colder rides. Easier than switching them out all the time. But anyways, the visors are great. And for those who ride day and nite, especially during the change from light to dark....once the sun goes down you reach up top and pull the slider back and you now have no sun glasses, just a clear visor !

Anyways, the helmet is extremely comfortable for my head at least. Fit wise it does one thing i have never found in any other helmet....it fits very snug so that it is not affected by wind and your head doesn't move around in it, but at the same time it doesn't feel the least bit tight in an uncomfortable way. very other helmet is either uncomfortably tight, which even if slight becomes irritating after a few miles, or they're a bit loose which causes them to move around and wind to push them back at speed. Noise wise it's a little quieter than my others, but nothing to write home about. Last but not least, the strap is also great. Other straps dig into my neck. the way this one is situated and the fact it's wide and padded make it very comfortable too. I removed the buckle like i do with all my helmets and put one of those quick lock do dads on it.

So in a nutshell, extremely comfortable, inner visor that is like having a retractable set of sunglasses built in that you can put up or down with a swipe of the slider, it's dirt cheap, and very nice looking AND built with a higher degree of quality than anything at 2 or even 3 times the cost. (Whats hard to see in the pics is the rear shape. makes it look very sleek) I couldn't be much happier and i would highly recommend it to anyone with similar preferences. It's one of the few helmets with that inner visor which IMO is a huge benefit. I go thru sunglasses as quick as gasoline. Now i don't even need a pair !

 

[CarlS]

Thanks for the report. Our modular helmets have the built in sun visor and we really like that feature. My prescription glasses are gradient and they do an excellent job as sunglasses; but light still leaks in around them. That sun visor eliminates that problem. Like yours, the edge of our sun visors are in our lower fields of vision. You do get used to it, though. I have yet to find a helmet that really fits me well; though this helmet I am using is the best so far.

 

[dazco]

Glad to hear you get used to the visor's lower edge. I figured you would. What helmet do you have?

 

[CarlS]

We both have an HJC Sy-Max II

 

[dazco]

I had a couple HJC's, but like everything else they didn't do it for me. actually the 3/4 wasn't bad, but man oh man, the mushroom head with that helmet was horrific ! I looked like a chiwawa with a beach ball for a head :ya2:

 

[Rocky]

I have both an HJC flip up like Carl's, and a 3/4 with the built-in sun visor. I like them very much, but I wish the sun visor was a couple of shades darker.
I have prescription sunglasses if I need them on a bright day and skip using the helmet sun visor. It all depends on the conditions.

 

[CarlS]

Since my prescription glasses are gradient, if I use the sun visor, the glasses lighten up.

 

[dazco]

[quote author=CarlS link=topic=8438.msg43773#msg43773 date=1261160789]
Since my prescription glasses are gradient, if I use the sun visor, the glasses lighten up.
[/quote]

i would have loved a pair of regular sunglasses like that. I never thought to look for those, but chances are they'd be expensive and hard to find with all the features i look for that i need for bike glasses.

 

[CarlS]

I am sure that with the specifications you look for they would be very pricey. The gradient technology has come along way. Mine darken rapidly and get really dark if the light is bright enough and they clear rapidly. Indoors, there is no shading. I enjoy only having to carry my one pair of glasses.

 

[dazco]

One of the criteria i had when i'd buy glasses is they had to be fairly light, and many if not most were too dark. So that would narrow my choices down about 80%. Then they had to have big enough lenses, be wrap around, have the molded in nose part, and several other things. I would spend 1/2 my life hunting for new glasses and never find the ones i like. then i'd lose them and couldn't find another pair like it, then go thru the same BS over again. And that never ended....till now. :ya2: