U.S. vs European versions of the same helmet

[emptysea]

LEO is so glad to see you in a helmet that they're not likely to care what sicker is on it.

[GoldOxide_imp]

LEO is so glad to see you in a helmet that they're not likely to care what sicker is on it.

... agreed. There are lower hanging fruit to step on.

[Gone in 60]

Got the first helmet ordered from Chromeburner last night. Wow! Ordered on Saturday, shipped from the Netherlands and arrived in CA on Wednesday. That's as quick as it would have come from a U.S. supplier. Impressive!

We got a little overnight rain, and I don't like riding in the wet, so I haven't tried it yet, and any pictures I take wouldn't be as good as Scorpion's own promo photos.

The HX1 looks very Darth Vaderish and has a "bad boy" look, which might be why it's only offered in black and dark grey here in the U.S. I stumbled on the Euro "Nostalgia" version on the web, and I dug the white with red and black stripe look. I like nostalgic racing liveries, and have one helmet stickered-up with Gulf logos, and another with Martini Racing logos. This helmet reminded me of the old Marlboro livery, and the stripe is more flourescent red than would appear in a picture, which is a great match for the Marlboro livery. I might throw a Marlboro sticker on the sides.

I'm fascinated that Scorpion makes two distinctly different versions of the helmet for the U.S. and European markets.

Rating: The helmet is ECE rated, but obviously not DOT. But, there is no rating printed on the back of the helmet. In the U.S., both the DOT and ECE ratings would be listed. This lid has a decal with the helmet's weight listed, is that a European requirement I wonder?

Shield: The U.S. models have Scorpion's anti-fog coating on the inside. This lid does not, but it came with a Pinlock insert. I've never tried one, so I'm excited to use it. Also, the face shield doesn't have several detents. The U.S. model has a weak stop point at slightly above closed to crack it open to allow a little air in, but reviewers complain that it just blows completely open from that point. This one has a very firm stop point at the "cracked open" point.

It also has a drop-down sun shade, which the U.S. model does not.

Otherwise, it fits the same as the black U.S. model that I tried on in a store.

Update: Dang! I ordered a second helmet from Chromeburner on Monday, and it's already showing out for delivery today. That's quick!

[Gone in 60]

So, apparently I'm not the only one who thinks that this helmet should have been offered in colors other than black and "cement" here in the U.S.

Friday after work, I headed over to the local Harley dealership with the gift card that Mom gave me for my birthday. I though surely there would be something I could use.

Pulling into the parking lot on my non-Harley, I parked a respectable distance from the entrance and locked my helmet to my bar-end lock. I spent quite a while in their apparel department, eventually finding a rack of very nice non-HD branded flannel shirts. I found a good one and took it to the register. This was funny... Handing the gift card to the girl behind the counter, she asked if I bought one of the new Livewire electric bikes. I said no, and asked why she thought I might have.

She said that she noticed that I had spent a long time shopping, and that I was avoiding the HD-branded clothing and looked like I was struggling a bit. She said that the guys buying Livewires are tending to avoid branded gear, as they are afraid of being picked on by the traditional Harley crowd. Interesting.

Anyway, I went out to my bike, and found a few guys standing around it. I thought "Oh great, let's pick on the leper who brought an inferior bike to their hallowed ground."

Instead, I was greeted with "Hey man, where did you get this helmet? We would buy one of these but it only comes in black!"

I guess I might become quite the advocate for Chromeburner in the Netherlands.

[Nachodaddy]

Sounds like Scorpion could use some improved market research in the US. That is a good looking helmet, too.

[GoldOxide_imp]

omg - lol!

" ... would you like a Livewire to go with that flannel shirt, sir?"

[Gone in 60]

Funny thing (or not funny, depending on how you look at it), the Livewire Del Mar is the lowest priced "Harley", according to all of the price tags I checked out while I was at the dealership, at least tied for the cheapest Nightster model.

The Pan Americans on the floor were being discounted to the low $20k range. I wonder how their sales are overall. Coincidentally, as I was pulling into the dealer parking lot, a guy was pulling out on a new Pan American. I waved but didn't get a wave back. Looking in my mirror, he was wearing a Mongols jacket. Surprised to see a Mongol on an adventure bike...

[Whoops]

Funny thing (or not funny, depending on how you look at it), the Livewire Del Mar is the lowest priced "Harley", according to all of the price tags I checked out while I was at the dealership, at least tied for the cheapest Nightster model.

The Pan Americans on the floor were being discounted to the low $20k range. I wonder how their sales are overall. Coincidentally, as I was pulling into the dealer parking lot, a guy was pulling out on a new Pan American. I waved but didn't get a wave back. Looking in my mirror, he was wearing a Mongols jacket. Surprised to see a Mongol on an adventure bike...

[Gone in 60]

Yeah... and I kept looking back. I know there's proper etiquette involved when you encounter a Mongol. I wasn't sure if by waving at him, he was going to come back and injure me as a matter of principle.

[Gone in 60]

Hey, no more DOT legal worries, thanks to Ebay.