[WFO-KZ]

I had my first sunny day test ride with rbentnail's tape on the visor trick. Two thumbs up. Love it.

Now if only the manufacturers would offer a visor that had the top 2" with a super dark tint and the rest clear, we would have a real winner on our hands. Hey HJC, Shoei, Arai and others.... are you listening?

 

[Kawasakian]

I have some Mirror windows tint, I think I'm going to do the top of my visor with that.

 

[MitchRider]

Looks surely sharp!...with black electrical tape on top... maybe?

 

[rbentnail]

I have some Mirror windows tint, I think I'm going to do the top of my visor with that.

I had my first sunny day test ride with rbentnail's tape on the visor trick. Two thumbs up. Love it.

Now if only the manufacturers would offer a visor that had the top 2" with a super dark tint and the rest clear, we would have a real winner on our hands. Hey HJC, Shoei, Arai and others.... are you listening?

I considered that but with the electrical tape it's removable and reinstallable at will. I don't want to use it all the time, only when the sun is lower in the sky.

 

[Kawasakian]

The stuff I have holds on with water. It peels right off, and washes clean.

 

[MichaelZZR]

I use the Arai Pro Shade system. The visor has an external sun shade that cover the top half of the visor. If the weather turns bad or it gets dark you can flip up the dark visor. The amazing thing is that even with the sun visor flipped up you can ride at well over 100mph and the wind does not catch the sun visor. Very well designed. Arai will not use the internal sun visor because they believe the the space used by the system limits the amount of padding in the helmet.

Arai Pro Shade System - RevZilla

Add a sun shield to your Arai SAI helmet with the Pro Shade System. Complete kit with clear face shield and smoke sun shield. Just install and go.

www.revzilla.com

 

[Kawasakian]

That's about 1/7th the price of an ARAI helmet. Everything that ARAI makes is awesome, it's just so damned expensive. They do make fantastic helmets though.

 

[MichaelZZR]

That's about 1/7th the price of an ARAI helmet. Everything that ARAI makes is awesome, it's just so damned expensive. They do make fantastic helmets though.

They are not cheap, that for sure but I just find the fit and quality so good and of course, how much is a head worth?

 

[Kawasakian]

Seems like someone has sewn my pockets, they're not so deep anymore. I tend to go by the ratings for safety, Arai has the nicest innards. I know manufacturing, and they are raping people with their prices. People will pay the price for objects made in the exact same way. I think Arai's inside comfort has not been matched though, not by anyone. I don't know that they are any safer, but the fit can't be beat.

 

[rbentnail]

As far as helmet fit goes, IMHO it depends on each individual's head. I find Arai very uncomfortable. Pressure points in all the wrong places. Thankfully my head thoroughly enjoys the much cheaper HJC helmets.

 

[Kawasakian]

I have an HJC helmet. The price was excellent, lots of vents for those hot days, and they close for the cooler ones. HJC is a great helmet and you can't beat the price. It pinched at the middle of my forehead, but I was able to taje a rounded down and push in the styrofoam. That fixed that. I'm not so afraid to drop it as I was with an expensive Shoei that I had, but seemed to have a hard coat made of egg shells. I loved the helmet, I've always liked Shoei, but after spending nearly $700 bucks, and it looking like I went through a war with it, or dragged it behind the bike occasionally, and I babies that helmet, I said bye to Shoei. I need to purchase a new helmet but if the local dealership has one he'll give me a good price on, I'll get it loall to support them, he has a few that been sitting there two seasons, out of the Sun, he should be willing to bend on price. My problem is that I have a huge noggen. I only ride with full face helmets.

Arai, if you purchase through an authorized dealer, makes the inside to fit your head, at least they did when I sold them. That was a long time ago, and they weren't as markedly higher in price as they are now. I should have used "feel" instead of "fit", no that I reread my previous post.

 

[WFO-KZ]

Over the years I have worn Arai, Shoei, HJC and others. Obviously for comfort, a lot depends on the size and shape of your head. Lucky for me, my noggin fits all of the above helmets nicely. I must have the "average" shape head that they design for. Some will supply extra padding that you can add or remove to accommodate your shape.

I currently wear one of those $600 Shoei RF1200 helmets. I crashed once during a road race coming off at over 60 MPH and then years later crashed on a dirt road when a truck blew through a stop sign at a hidden junction. Each time, thanks to my helmet, I suffered no head injuries. Of course after any impact, a helmet needs to be replaced. Shoei offers a free helmet inspection service if one is in doubt about the helmet's integrity after any impact. They say even a drop from the seat of your bike to the ground is enough to affect the strength of the helmet.

 

[Kawasakian]

Many people don't know about what seem like small drops and potential catastrophic damage. I've seen people drop their passenger helmets off their bikes, not securing them possible at more than 30 mph, stop, pick it up, then see it on a passengers head a week later. Ignorance, in the sense of not knowing, can be very costly. I was wearing a Shoei when I had my only acident involving another vehicle. A lady in a Monte Carlo abruptly changed lanes, and ran me off the road. That Shoei saved my chin. I will only wear full face helmets now. I also always wear one of my 3 Fieldsheer armored jackets, and leather globes with Carbon Fiber kuckles, extra padded palms, etc. No more road rash, that stuff is horrid and devastating painful. The scar tissue left definitely doesn't feel like the skin it's replaced.

 

[WFO-KZ]

I also wear only full face helmets, along with armoured jacket and pants, gloves and motorcycle riding boots.

When I see videos of youngsters doing wheelies at highway speeds while passing cars and wearing only a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers, I shudder. They may be lucky now, but someday your luck runs out.

 

[Kawasakian]

People riding with sneakers really gets me. I have a nice set of Harley riding boots that lace and have zippers on both sides. I see people do things on bikes that really blows me away, one slip up, and their lives would be ruined. I was young once, but I never felt invincible, I saw the same kind of people doing the same thing when I was young. I wanted a motorcycle so bad, but the crashes I saw made me determined to ride right. Yes, on some roads I ride like a bat out of Hell, but these are well know roads where there is no traffic, and haven't changed in 30 years, not an excuse, just being honest. I flew airplanes pretty hard too, right up to what they were rated to do. You can have a lot of of thrills and exhilaration doing these things the proper way.

 

[MichaelZZR]

I review the Sharp rating for any helmet. They are the best safety testing organization for helmets. In regard to wearing protective clothing It will depend on which bike I am riding and for what purpose. I go from full one piece leathers when I am going to be pushing the envelope, to wearing a business suit on the 14R when going to give a lecture to wearing a t-shirt when nipping to the local shops on the 125 for some dog food. I know accidents can happen anywhere and at any time but I weigh what I believe to be the acceptable risk and go with that. It has served me well for over 50 years of riding on the road. I agree with WFO-KZ, when I see the videos of guys doing wheelies and running at 300kph wearing shorts I wonder what the hell is going on in their single brain cell. Dont get me wrong, I ride quickly and take risks but I ( I have plenty of videos on YT showing that) but everything is carefully considered. I have vivid memories of laying in hospital emergency rooms when I used to drink and ride during the 70's and am well aware of the repercussions of an accident. I have no wish to visit that scenario again.

 

[Kawasakian]

When I used to fly aircraft, I didn't care much in what I wore, as you were either going to land, or crash, there was little in between. Clothes wouldn't have made a difference. You didn't have a parachute or an ejection seat. When I ride, I always suit up. If I have to dress at an event, I carry that clothing in an appropriate case. I never ride, don't care if I'm going for a hot dog, or long ride, without being suited up. If I get taken out, it won't because I wasn't dressed right. I've seen people with skin hanging down. I'm sorry, but you offer to younger riders a really bad example.

I wear Fieldsheer jackets in the Summer and they keep you cool. Leather gloves with Carbon Fiber knuckles, extra heavy duty palms. I wear heavy duty jeans, Harley Davidson riding boots, (they make a damned good riding boot) and a full face helmet.

Dress up appropriately when you get on your bike. Forget about judgement, that doesn't come into play. Physics is involved here, not feelings and judgement. Someone else's judgement will kill you. Think of the physics involved, and what will happen if you're involved. I never drunk and rode. in any decade. Yes, I can party with the best of them, but then came the sofa, and a new day, not getting into vehicles of any kind, especially with the people I just partied with. Pure physics, your lose if not dressed right, no matter how you have judged the situation. I've seen guys in suits riding bikes, I won't post what I think about that. Maybe they have some magic "John Wick" fabric that will protect them. It doesn't exist. When the guy not paying attention runs you of of the road, or something you just could not predict, that "suit" will do nothing for you. This is too serious to be glib about. We older riders need to set the example. I've been riding since I was 17, I will be 65 soon. People will ride like they wish ultimately, but I don't ride with people who aren't geared up. I se people on bicycles going 40 mph down a hill with leotards on, and I have seen the aftermath when their skinny tires blow because they hit something from the side of the road, punctured their front tire, and they are a mess, broken jaws, lost skin, broken arms, etc.. They didn't have a 400 to 500 lb. bike to kick away from them. Just my 2 cents worth.