i've been considering a flip-up helmet. The New HJC sy-max helmet, which is very close to the color of my bike (red). Does anyone use a flip up and can you give me your likes/dislikes on such a helmet? I also wear a chatter box, so i'm concerned with the design of the helmet and if i'd be able to continue using the radio due to the earphones that are required.
I have considered one as well, but I don't wear any communication devices. I would have to go with Shoei's SNELL approved version, though. I think it goes for ~$430.
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Don't be scared to wrench on it...humans came up with it, humans fix it, you're human, right?
I use a Caberg... there is a good thread on this in the Gear and Gadgets forum..... clicky below..
Likes:
great for presription glasses wearers.
great for the quick stop for food/liquids/smokes
Love the flip down sun visor... just awesome, all helmets should be this way.
I had a Nolan 100 flip up I liked a lot which saved my noggin when a 17 year old kid in mommies car blew through a stop sign and took me out in 2003. I replaced it with a Nolan 100E flip up which I also like a lot. I have an Autocom kit with speakers installed in it and it works well. The trick to getting the volume/sound right was to cover the speakers with acoustically transparent black gauze material I got from Hancock Fabrics and had sewn in by the mother of the girlfriend of a buddy of mine. The other trick was to experiment around until I got the ambient noise mic pickup positioned correctly to boost the volume to offset the background road/wind noise as my speed varies. Flip up helmets in general are noisier than one piece full face helmets. But for me it's well worth the trade for the convenience of the flip front when putting the helmet on while wearing glasses and to talk, drink, spit and open it up to cool down in hot weather while stopped. I like the Nolan's light weight compared to other flip ups I've tried and I think it's very reasonably priced. It vents well too. The newer Nolans have a flip down sun shade too, which is nice except you can't use it with the visor open which is really stupid. I tried a Schuberth but the venting was almost too much, it was heavy as h*ll and it was pretty pricey. One thing I did really like about the Schuberth was that the sun shade could be used with the visor open or closed. Also, I'd heard the Schuberth and the more expensive Nolans (than the model I have) were much quieter. If they're any quieter you couldn't prove it by me and the difference in price just didn't justify it to me. No matter what helmet you end up getting the most important thing is that it fits YOUR head well/comfortably and that it is a quality helmet that will protect your melon when the chips are down! Hope this helps.
I have a HJC Symax helmet too. It's great for around town but I find it a bit noisy when travelling at sustained highway speeds.
My only gripe with the helmet is that I find (and from some internet "research" it appears I'm not alone here) that if the visor is slightly open and you turn your head to do a head check before changing lanes then the visor has an nasty and alarming habit of opening all the way open. :evil:
I have the symax too I have used it for the past 4 yrs (going to replace it with a new one soon)
Never had a problem with it, yes its noisy when on the road but I have ear plugs in so not a big deal to me.
As far as the visor problem, the only time its ever opened all the way on me was when the visor was not one right,
Wildcard, if you email hjc they will send you new parts that will fix the flip up when looking over your shoulder. You just need to tell them you need new hinge piece that fix my problem
I have a Nolan classic with the external sun visor. As a prescription glasses wearer the external sun visor is a great option. I don't have to anticipate wearing sun glasses and then getting caught out. You are right flip lids are noisy but I wear ear pugs anyway so its not a problem. I seem to have a Nolan shaped head, the last shoei I had gave me bad headaches after about 50 miles.
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