Time to grow up: FIM rated helmet choices

[misterprofessionality]

You can always have someone purchase a helmet for you in Europe and ship it over to the States as "a gift" and then you fake the DOT stamp and that's it

'14 CB1100 STD 5 speed

I don't have any friends in europe but that's a great plan. I'd initially thought that would be a bad idea because they're technically illegal to wear in helmet states in the US, but a fake sticker would certainly solve that.

So, Today I spent some time on the phone with several helmet manufacturers. Arai, Shoei, and AGV. Some crushing conclusions were reached that make me feel like an idiot, and leave me more than little angry at the whole politically motivated market manipulation going on in the US helmet market. Here's the Q & A that I put in front of the representative on the phone from each of these companies, which they answered fully to my surprise.

Q: What are all safety standards that your helmet meets when sold in the United states? (Arai Corsair X, Shoei X14, AGV Pista GP R)
Arai: Snell 2015 and DOT
Shoei: Snell 2015 and DOT
AGV: FIM Homologated, ECE22.05 and DOT


Q: Is your helmet (Arai Corsair X, Shoei X14, AGV Pista GP R) the exact same model that was FIM Homologated when sold in the United States?
Arai: no. the Corsair X sold in North America has not been tested and is not the exact same construction/materials used on the RX-7V in Europe
Shoei: no. The X14 sold in the US is not the same X14 sold in the Euro market. The version sold in the US has only ever passed DOT and Snell 2015 (the crappy one)
AGV: YES. an AGV Pista GP R is the same no matter what country you purchase it from. However, they are still not stamped with FIM approval when sold in the US.



Q: Can I buy the European version of the helmet in the United States?
Arai: no. No official distributor is allowed to ship the helmet to your US address
Shoei: We do not sanction it but some distributors operate on Ebay. European market Shoei helmets have not passed DOT and would be illegal to use in the United states
AGV: n/a

Q: Do you or will you market any ECE 22.06 helmets in the US?
Arai: no. 22.05 only
Shoei: no. 22.05 only
AGV: see above

Conclusions:

We here in the United States simply aren't allowed to have the majority of the world's best helmets. The reason for this is Helmet manufacturers are afraid to market an ECE22.06 or FIM helmet here because it will not have a Snell badge, so they re-engineer their helmets to make the shell more rigid so that it passes, at minimum, snell 2015, change the name, and market an inferior product here. The one and ONLY exception is the monstrously expensive AGV Pista GP R, which costs between 1400 and 1700 Freedom Bucks. They market the same helmet anywhere, and don't give two toots about Snell. That's wonderful, but there's no way i'm going to spend that much. Helmets like the Shoei X14 and Arai Corsair X are just riding the reputation of their more authentic counterparts sold in Europe and Asia, without actually delivering the same construction and materials. Instead, what you get when you pay top dollar are helmets that **might** be as good as an FIM or ECE 22.06 helmet, but we'll never know. We'll never know because they'll never be tested on any other format than ECE 22.05 and Snell.

So, what is a boy to do? buy an essentially untested helmet for top dollar and have faith that it's "just as good" or go with what you know? the only thing i can scientifically prove is the safest helmet on the market in the USA are helmets with a Snell 2020 stamp. I may not have as much faith in snell, but I can't help but conclude that I have more faith in an inferior testing system than i do in a helmet that's untested. So, i've decided to settle on the idea that in the USA, i'm simply not going to get the real thing. I have to buy something that's just..."good enough." with that conclusion in mind, i'm going to go buy a Shoei RF1400 today. Comfort, quality, moderate weight, and as much safety as i can scientifically prove in the US. it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but it is what it is.

le sigh.

Good on you for making the calls MP!!! Great and definitive info! I agree with the consensus here though that there may not be a real world difference in terms of protection...and while FIM "sounds" like it should be more realistic, the SNELL testing may actually be better at preventing catastrophic injury than FIM (while maybe not being as good at minimizing non catastrophic injury.) Who knows??? But as I sit here this afternoon at the office, with my CorsairX at my desk, I'm pretty comfortable with it on the ride home this evening...

You know what, the thing is, I actually don't doubt at all that a CorsairX or a X14 or whatever are great helmets with a ton of protection, comfort, and features. It's just the money. Money is an object for me, and I can't bring myself to spend it on guesswork. That's what all thes exhaustive research is really about. When i pull out my wallet It's a federal case, and I don't pony up until I feel informed. The problem with High end helmets in america seems to be that we aren't properly informed. the tests aren't being done. I just can't spend $800 when i'm not informed.