(01-09-2020, 04:21 AM)Charlie Bravo_imp Wrote: [ -> ]HJC is my go-to brand for form/fit/function/price. I'm still using one I bought umpteen years ago, but I've owned others, and am shopping for another modular. My previous modular kept my brainpan intact when I experienced an unplanned get-off a couple of years ago. The helmet itself was scuffed but didn't have any apparent structural damage, and I toyed with the idea of replacing the clear shield and keep using it, but I was advised that that is not a good idea. At an on-sale price, they're reasonably inexpensive.
Smart move. Your noggin is too valuable to not spend a couple of hundred dollars for a new helmet.
The general acceptance is - one crash, and it has hit the ground, toss it.
My Honda dealer has an accessory area where I can try on helmets. I bought a Bell Mag-9 because I like peak, flip down sun shade and clear visor. It was fine around the city but too noisy on the highway. Took me a summer to find comfortable ear plugs so I could use the helmet.
Bought a Shoei RF-1200 for the highway. It was quiet on the highways but very tight fitting. "You can't chew gum in a Shoei." The dealer said it would break in. It didn't.
Bought a pair of $50 thinner cheek pads but the straps are shorter and harder to connect. Maybe I should have just put the thicker cheek pads under something heavy for the winter.
Best advice, find a place to try on helmets and try them all not just the manufacturer you prefer. The best helmet is one that is comfortable and quiet.
I'm an XL in most helmets I wear (HJC, Shark, Scorpion, Shoei, Nexx). Recently bought a Bell for the first time. The L fit like a glove.
I actually washed the interior padding of my buckets today (*ick*). Now that all the waxy and black soot is gone, they actually look and smell like new again.