Helmet with visor?

[harrye]

I am thinking of buying a full face helmet with a neat looking detachable visor. Its an Electro Enduro sold thru JC Whitney in LaSalle, Illinois, and I know I will appreciate the visor on bright days. Price is $110. I am an economical type of person, so I focus in this strata.

This is not a long visor, like an off road helmet. I was wondering if the visor would cause problems in the wind at high speeds (75 or higher), especially if I turned my head to the side? Maybe some of you use police style shorty helmets with visors for commuting, and know how visors react to wind?

I must learn how to attach a picture from the on line cataloge to my posts. I am sure it would help. But for now, any initial comments?

I've learned a lot from reading in the Gear forum. I love the look of the low priced Vega helmet. And I was going to buy cut off gloves, but not after reading how important gloves will be if I fall.

[paperairplane]

Make sure it is DOT and Snell approved. Some people are fine with DOT only certification. I am not one of those people.

I wear an Arai Quantum helmet. It cost a lot of $$$, but my head goes in there.

Look at a lot of helmets, you will find that a quality helemt is sooo much better. Lighter, stronger, more comfortable, quieter....

Not to say JC doesn't have good deals, but you should be able to find a nice HJC that is DOT and Snell rated for under $150....

[BraadaJim]

Harrye I looked up that helmet on JC Whitney. Not a bad looking lid, but I am not familiar at all with that brand. Doesn't mean much other than they are not main stream in my circles.

That is called a modular helmet and I have been looking at them myself. Unfortunately all of the models on the market are only D.O.T approved and not Snell approved which is a big drawback for me. My understanding though is that a modular will never pass Snell by it's very design of not having a permanent solid chin bar. A Schuberth is the only one I would consider because it (I think) passes European standards which are stricter than U.S. Those run abour $400 though.

Here is a modular from HJC. This is just one I found quickly in the $100 range, I know nothing about this particular hemet personally. It also is only DOT but if you are OK with only that standard HJC is a more recognized name among budget helmets which will make parts like cheek pads and shields easier to find. You will also be more likely to find an online review from someone who owns one before you buy if you stick to a known name like HJC, KBC, Nolan, etc.

HJC CL-Max at NewEnough

[HS2020]

I have a full face for sale if you want it. $110 shipped to your house and It even has a tinted shield along with a clear to go with it. The helmet is in my profile.

[WildKat]

You're still trying to unload that lid ? Alright, I'll give you 20.00 for it!

[harrye]

This story has taken a sort of funny turn for me. But first let me answer my original question, although the answer is somewhat obvious, I guess. I was able to dig up an old shorty police style helmet with a visor, and drove with it in the 70 mph range. No problems, I could turn my head side to side. But if I looked looked up much above dead level, the wind really caught that visor and tried to life the helmet off my head. I guess the police have taller windshields.

It could happen that you have to look up higher when riding a sport bike. Say you are on the freeway and want to take a quick look at one of the overhead signs to make sure you are taking the correct exit, etc. Or a helicopter may be chasing you, some guy in a suit wanting to send you on a mission that the world depends on.

Now back to my helmet issue. BraadaJim got me to thinking about the importance of Snell certification. And then I read more about HJC helmets. A lot of Katrider members have mentioned them in their posts. HJC. Hmmm. My snowmobile helmet that I bought about a year ago had three letters in its brand name. So I walk downstairs and take my snowmobile helmet off the top of the bookcase, and low and behold, its an HJC CL 14 MB II.

I never considered this helmet for bike use because I had been under the impression that snowmobile helmets were different than cycle helmets. They aren't, except for the removable breath deflector and the dual shield to prevent fogging. I could have just bought a street shield for the MB II, and been all set. But the helmet is black and white, and I apparently bought the helmet for comfort because it rotates too much on my head. I don't drive the snowmobile that fast, and sometimes wear a warm balaclava underneath so the size is ok for snowmobiling. I don't mind if the helmet looks a little big for me because I am riding on trails thru the woods anyway.

But when riding my Kat on public streets and roads, appearance means more to me. New Enough had an HJC CL-14 Switch on sale for less than I was going to pay for the modular helmet. So I treated myself to a matching Joe Rocket Meteor jacket as well at a closeout price. They both arrived today within 8 minutes of each other. The jacket from New Enough in Texas via UPS, and the helmet dropped shipped from HJC via Federal Express. I tried them on this evening and they fit perfectly.

Needless to say, I am happy. The Katriders forums have made me a more knowledgable cyclist.

[ThAzKat]

Need pics LOL