Time to grow up: FIM rated helmet choices

[misterprofessionality]

So, I've always ridden with helmets that are just ECE rated. I never really had the cash to blow on something truly nice. I dealt with the noise. I dealt with the weight. I dealt with the general badness of sub-$200 helmets all my life. The helmet i'm currently wearing is a Bell Qualifier that i got for $30 from a thrift store (don't worry, it was new, never dropped ect.)

Anyway, It's time to grow up. I'm now willing to spend the hard cash to truly and effectively protect myself with more than just the lowest common denominator. I've decided ECE just isn't enough anymore. On top of that, Recent news about the latest science surrounding Snell rated helmets tells me that Snell really just isn't good enough either. I want an FIM Homologated Helmet. The real business.

Does anybody on the forum own one? I've looked at a couple choioces so far and my favorite is the Shoei X-fourteen. It's really great to wear and it was one of the first helmets readily available to american consumers that was fully FIM homologated. I'd be very interested in anybody's opinions or experiences with other FIM helmets, since it's a big purchase and I want to look at it from all angles.

[emptysea]

I wear the Shoei X-14. I didn't know it was FIM homologated. It's comfortable and quiet, though not as quiet as some other lids. I chose it for the aerodynamics since I ride sans windshield/faring. It's served me well, but I'm thinking of an Arai for my next one -- Cheryl has one (I forget the model) and the fit and finish is top-notch. I'll have to see what this FIM thing is (never heard of it until this post) and if Arai makes an intermediate oval that would meet that standard.

That said.... I really do like my X-14 and would recommend it to anyone whose head fits in it.

[Houtman_imp]

I only buy the Aria's as they fit me very well and are high quality ones . I would go to a store and try different ones and if you pay more than on line that is ok as they are there to try them on and no shipping cost if you buy one on line and it does not fit well .To me it is important to keep the local dealer in business if he is a good one !

[misterprofessionality]

I wear the Shoei X-14. I didn't know it was FIM homologated. It's comfortable and quiet, though not as quiet as some other lids. I chose it for the aerodynamics since I ride sans windshield/faring. It's served me well, but I'm thinking of an Arai for my next one -- Cheryl has one (I forget the model) and the fit and finish is top-notch. I'll have to see what this FIM thing is (never heard of it until this post) and if Arai makes an intermediate oval that would meet that standard.

That said.... I really do like my X-14 and would recommend it to anyone whose head fits in it.

They do. It's the Arai RX-7V Race helmet. I think if you buy one in North America though it's called the Corsair X Race. It's a little hard to parse, as FIM rated helmets sometimes don't even label themselves as such in the store! Anyway, I've been unable to find any RX-7V that I can try on anywhere so I haven't given it much thought.

Here's the link to all currently circulating helmets that have passed the regulation:

https://www.frhp.org/circuit%20helmets/h...ed-helmets

I only buy the Aria's as they fit me very well and are high quality ones . I would go to a store and try different ones and if you pay more than on line that is ok as they are there to try them on and no shipping cost if you buy one on line and it does not fit well .To me it is important to keep the local dealer in business if he is a good one !

I agree with that but the only "local dealer" we have here is Cyclegear, which is the same as buying online from Revzilla.

[KiowaEagle_imp]

I wear the Shoei X-14. I didn't know it was FIM homologated. It's comfortable and quiet, though not as quiet as some other lids. I chose it for the aerodynamics since I ride sans windshield/faring. It's served me well, but I'm thinking of an Arai for my next one -- Cheryl has one (I forget the model) and the fit and finish is top-notch. I'll have to see what this FIM thing is (never heard of it until this post) and if Arai makes an intermediate oval that would meet that standard.

That said.... I really do like my X-14 and would recommend it to anyone whose head fits in it.

They do. It's the Arai RX-7V Race helmet. I think if you buy one in North America though it's called the Corsair X Race. It's a little hard to parse, as FIM rated helmets sometimes don't even label themselves as such in the store! Anyway, I've been unable to find any RX-7V that I can try on anywhere so I haven't given it much thought.

Here's the link to all currently circulating helmets that have passed the regulation:

https://www.frhp.org/circuit%20helmets/h...ed-helmets

I only buy the Aria's as they fit me very well and are high quality ones . I would go to a store and try different ones and if you pay more than on line that is ok as they are there to try them on and no shipping cost if you buy one on line and it does not fit well .To me it is important to keep the local dealer in business if he is a good one !

I agree with that but the only "local dealer" we have here is Cyclegear, which is the same as buying online from Revzilla.

Wow, I noticed in that list most manufacturers only have sizes up to medium that pass....not many large or larger. Unless I'm reading it wrong....

[misterprofessionality]

Thats true. For some reason larger shells have trouble passing. FIM standards are STRICT and require really resilient and flexible shells. Larger shells have trouble meeting those standards. ARAI makes all sizes though.

[tommymck]

I wear the Shoei X-14. I didn't know it was FIM homologated. It's comfortable and quiet, though not as quiet as some other lids. I chose it for the aerodynamics since I ride sans windshield/faring. It's served me well, but I'm thinking of an Arai for my next one -- Cheryl has one (I forget the model) and the fit and finish is top-notch. I'll have to see what this FIM thing is (never heard of it until this post) and if Arai makes an intermediate oval that would meet that standard.

That said.... I really do like my X-14 and would recommend it to anyone whose head fits in it.

They do. It's the Arai RX-7V Race helmet. I think if you buy one in North America though it's called the Corsair X Race. It's a little hard to parse, as FIM rated helmets sometimes don't even label themselves as such in the store! Anyway, I've been unable to find any RX-7V that I can try on anywhere so I haven't given it much thought.

Here's the link to all currently circulating helmets that have passed the regulation:

https://www.frhp.org/circuit%20helmets/h...ed-helmets

I only buy the Aria's as they fit me very well and are high quality ones . I would go to a store and try different ones and if you pay more than on line that is ok as they are there to try them on and no shipping cost if you buy one on line and it does not fit well .To me it is important to keep the local dealer in business if he is a good one !

I agree with that but the only "local dealer" we have here is Cyclegear, which is the same as buying online from Revzilla.

They do. It's the Arai RX-7V Race helmet. I think if you buy one in North America though it's called the Corsair X Race. It's a little hard to parse, as FIM rated helmets sometimes don't even label themselves as such in the store! Anyway, I've been unable to find any RX-7V that I can try on anywhere so I haven't given it much thought.

Here's the link to all currently circulating helmets that have passed the regulation:

https://www.frhp.org/circuit%20helmets/h...ed-helmets

I only buy the Aria's as they fit me very well and are high quality ones . I would go to a store and try different ones and if you pay more than on line that is ok as they are there to try them on and no shipping cost if you buy one on line and it does not fit well .To me it is important to keep the local dealer in business if he is a good one !

I agree with that but the only "local dealer" we have here is Cyclegear, which is the same as buying online from Revzilla. I have a CorsairX (less than a year old) and love it...though it's pricey. It's as comfortable as anything I have and is low-noise. There was nothing said in the advertising (I went to RevZilla to re-check) regarding FIM. Maybe it is, but it's not advertised that way.

According to the Revzilla description, " Corsair-X Helmet has taken helmet technology and rider protection one step further by engineering a helmet that not only guards against direct impacts, but is specifically designed to minimize the effect of "glancing off" impacts as well. Arai has created a stronger shell and smoother shape that is more likely to redirect impact energy than absorb it (therefore decreasing the amount of force transferred to the body). To increase this potential to glance off impact energy, the VAS (Variable Axis System) side pod, pivot cover is smaller in size and its position on the shell is lower". I think that this is FIM'ish.

The whole political aspect of this stuff just seems stupid to me.

[misterprofessionality]

The politics are more than stupid, but its the science that matters.

I actually have a sneaking suspicion that there's some tiny difference between the corsair X and the rx-7v that isn't readily apparent and there's a reason why they distribute it in North America and don't pass it through FIM. No telling what though. I cant figure out why they'd change the name if there was zero difference.

Honestly, I'm kinda stumped at the moment because I wanted the Shoei offering, only to discover today that my head is going to require a size large in that helmet. The catch? Size large apparently didn't pass the top safety regulation. I'm not sure which way to turn now.

[tommymck]

The politics are more than stupid, but its the science that matters.

I actually have a sneaking suspicion that there's some tiny difference between the corsair X and the rx-7v that isn't readily apparent and there's a reason why they distribute it in North America and don't pass it through FIM. No telling what though. I cant figure out why they'd change the name if there was zero difference.

Honestly, I'm kinda stumped at the moment because I wanted the Shoei offering, only to discover today that my head is going to require a size large in that helmet. The catch? Size large apparently didn't pass the top safety regulation. I'm not sure which way to turn now.

Don't know if you watched the video, but SNELL and FIM were, until recently, mutually exclusive. The SNELL rating, if left as-is, wouldn't have been ECE/FIM compliant (the SNELL test is multiple direct impacts to the same location). This evidently made sense back in the day because the test was originally meant for race car applications. This lead to an emphasis on making the shells very hard. ECE/FIM determined that a more realistic motorcycle crash scenario was that the rider would be bouncing around along the ground, never hitting the same spot twice, and the emphasis should be on not transmitting glancing blows through the helmet, which argues for a softer shell.

So, SNELL decided to have two standards because they didn't want their label to be left off of EU helmets. They apply one standard (the double impact, leading to a hard shell) for the US market, and another standard (their second standard is designed to satisfy FIM, leading to a softer shell) for the EU market. The problem is that it's the same SNELL label, so you never really know which is which. Clearly from the Revzilla description, the Coarsair X uses the SNELL testing that satisfies FIM, but they won't say that specifically because it's a US market helmet and they don't want to imply that they have a double standard. The issue is that SNELL just won't admit that they've been wrong over the years. It's silly face-saving thing. And manufacturers are stuck having to provide different version to the different markets.

[Houtman_imp]

The politics are more than stupid, but its the science that matters.

I actually have a sneaking suspicion that there's some tiny difference between the corsair X and the rx-7v that isn't readily apparent and there's a reason why they distribute it in North America and don't pass it through FIM. No telling what though. I cant figure out why they'd change the name if there was zero difference.

Honestly, I'm kinda stumped at the moment because I wanted the Shoei offering, only to discover today that my head is going to require a size large in that helmet. The catch? Size large apparently didn't pass the top safety regulation. I'm not sure which way to turn now.

Does this make your head "spin" ?