Todd's Blog

Women’s faces are narrower and their heads are also smaller from men in the diameter, for that reason their helmets too, are smaller in size. The style and designs of women helmets are different from men and are designed to be more appealing to women without compromising on the safety of the rider. Thus, the factors contributing to the design of a helmet are same but the application is different.
First of all, you should have a clear of what you are looking for in a helmet. The process of choosing a helmet becomes faster and less stressful that way. When it comes to women helmets, you should consider the following features before buying one.

1. Comfortable

A helmet should fit snugly onto your head and not move around while you shake your head. Also it should not be too tight that you start getting feel your eyes popping out. It might loosen a bit over the time but it should be fit right from the start.

2. Vision

Once doing that, make sure you have an unhindered field of vision in front and from sides. Also your top of helmet should not hinder your vision.

3. Reduce Noise

A good helmet reduces unwanted noises from the surroundings and make your ears secure from the horn noises of the city traffic.

4. Road Legal

Your helmet should be in accordance with safety standards to give your head maximum protection. Plenty of women helmets are attractive in visuals but they are not road-legal. So make sure your helmet is certified with local safety standards.

5. Affordable

Buy the best affordable helmet available to you. The more expensive is the helmet, the better it is. So make sure you have get the helmet in your range without compromising on the quality.
After you have considered these factors, there comes your personal preferences and needs while choosing from the three main kinds of female motorcycle helmets. The pros and cons of each are explained for your help below.

1. Open Face Helmet (Half Helmet)

• This helmet is often the lightest and cheapest kind of helmet. It offers a wider vision and is more comfortable for use in warm weather. Do consider it if full face helmet makes you feel closed in.
• This sort of helmet is usually noisier offer less protection to your eyes and face. Also during rain and watering eyes wear out yours make up and mascara.

2. Full Face Helmet

• This helmet offers maximum protection to your eyes and skin. Noise is fairly reduced and a wide price range is available in these helmets.
• The cons of these helmets is that they restrict your field of vision slightly more and are also heavier. Can easily make you feel closed in.

3. Flip Top Helmet

• In this type of helmet, you get choose between open face helmet and full face protection as the whole front of the helmet opens up. Noise is also excellently reduced by wearing this helmet.
• It’s the most expensive and heavier of the helmets as more material is being used in its making.

So think about what matters to you most start looking into that category of helmets.

Riding on a two wheeler have been a symbol of free-spirited lifestyle and a ride of rebellious souls but the safety and security of the rider should also be kept in mind in order to continue rides on the road. The skull contains one of the fragile and fundamental organ human body, so it’s vital to invest your money on a well-fitting gear.
While picking a new helmet, you need to consider the helmet as a whole package in the light of the government safety standards rather than following a fashion trend or going for the low priced one. Helmets come in various shapes and sizes and choosing the right can be a daunting task but there are a few features of helmets which you need to consider before buying best motorcycle helmet.

1. Protection

The features which makes helmets primary source of head safety while motor riding are:

• The outer shell
  The outer shell is usually fairly thin and made fiber reinforced plastics, which prevent the penetration of the pointed objects from puncturing the skull of the rider. It also provides support to the absorbing liner so that it does not break into two after hitting a hard surface.
• Inner liner
  The purpose of the thick, soft inner made of Styrofoam or similar material is to absorb the shock after hitting a hard material.
• Comfort padding
  The purpose of this layer is to make sure that the gear fits snuggly on your head and this is the layer which actually touches your head.
• Retention system
  The retention system varies depending on the design of the helmet and it make sure that the helmet stays on your head at the time of crash.

2. Comfort Features

Helmets come generally in following designs:

• Full-face helmet
  This design covers the full face and head. It have a movable face shield for eyes protection, and a chin strap.
• Three-quarter/open-face helmet
  This type of helmet does not have a moveable face shield unlike full-face helmets. The use of goggles is recommended if you buy this helmet that can bear the hard impact.
• Half-helmet
  This type of helmet just protects the top of your head which is definitely not recommended for the motorbike riders.
  To ensure that you get a comfortable helmet, try it before buying. Getting the right fit will not only make you feel the ride but also ensure your safety.

3. Trying on Your Helmet

To make sure that the helmet is the right fit for your head, notice these things while trying out:

• Chin piece: Your face shield should not touch your nose or chin while pressing this part of the helmet.
• Cheek pads: They should touch your face when helmet is pressed against your face.
• Gaps: Make sure there aren’t any gaps between your brow pads and temples.
• Neck roll: Your helmet’s neck roll should not push it away from the back of your head.

These are some of the most important features to consider while buying your next motorcycle helmet.

Shootout between the AGV Horizon, X-Lite X702 and Shark Vision R

This is the high budget sun visor helmets review, the third in a series of shoot-outs comparing 9 motorcycle helmets in 3 price ranges that feature internal sun visors.

This third shoot-out compares the 3 high budget motorcycle helmets with a price tag of between £230 to £300.

Video Review

Get the latest helmet reviews by subscribing to the Helmet Guide Youtube Channel.

or you can read helmet buying guide here!

Sun Visor System

Each of the 3 helmets have a sun visor operation lever that is on the left side of the helmet next to the visor connecting point. The Vision R lever is the easiest to use out of the 9 helmets in the sun visor helmets test.

Comfort

Out of the 3 helmets the X-Lite faired the best in the comfort test. This is because it’s so lightweight and can be worn for extended periods of time without causing neck ache.

Both the AGV and Shark were very comfortable but are slightly heavier which when worn for very long journeys is noticeable. Apart from this they all have a very similar comfort level and it was very difficult to judge which is why all 3 got 4 stars for comfort.

Wind Noise

Both the AGV Horizon and X-Lite X702 deal well with wind and road noise, the Shark Vision R gets a slightly lower rating due to a booming noise which became quite annoying. The AGV lower front chin bar gets a special mention as this really helps to stop the wind from being pushed up underneath the helmet.

Ventilation

The X702 and Horizon are very close in ventilation performance, with the X702 having so many vents that it’s easy to forget which ones are still open! The clever chin vent lever hidden inside the Horizon’s chin bar helps to preserve the aggressive exterior design of this helmet. The Shark Vision R also performed well but didn’t quite match the other two.

Visor

The Shark Vision R has the best peripheral view and really does improve the view of the road, it’s visor is easy to remove and doesn’t involve any awkward mechanisms. The other 2 helmets both have button/lever operated visor removal systems that are simple to use.

Fit

With the X-Lite X702 and AGV Horizon equally matched so far it’s no surprise that they also come very close when it comes to fitting. The X-Lite is so easy to put on you can see the amount of effort that the designers have gone to to make this helmet easy to tour with. The inside of the AGV Horizon is well padded which helps the fit but doesn’t quite have the same feel as the X702. The Shark Vision R comes a close 3rd as it feels slightly bulkier to wear.

Glasses Fit

I really like the Vision R and found it disappointing that my glasses wouldn’t fit with the sun visor in the down position.

I think this is an oversight by Shark as the helmet has a special groove in the padding to fit glasses so it doesn’t make sense that there isn’t enough space to fit glasses in behind the sun visor. As for the Horizon and X702 they have no problems fitting glasses, with the X702 having slightly less room but nothing that would affect day to day usage.

Value for Money

While the X-Lite X702 is an excellent helmet it’s the most expensive helmet in this test and it is very similar to the cheaper AGV Horizon. If you don’t like the look of the Horizon then the Vision R is great value for money and if you don’t wear glasses then you’ll have no problems.

For longer tours go for the X-Lite but for Sunday blasts the AGV is the perfect choice. Commuters will find that the Shark Vision R suits them the best if their budget doesn’t quite stretch to the X-Lite.

For most riders, choosing a Motorcycle helmet can be a time consuming task.

These are the questions I’m frequently asked my riders:

• What style of helmet should I buy?
• How do I know if a helmet is the correct fit for my head?
• Is my Motorcycle Helmet safe?
• What’s this helmet like in hot weather?
• How noisy is this helmet?
• What colors motorcycle helmet should I get?
• What’s the most comfortable helmet?
• Which helmet is the lightest?

What style of helmet should I buy?

The main types of motorcycle helmet are Full Face, Open Face, Flip Front and Half. By far the safest is the Full Face style, but this might not always be the most practical.

Full Face motorcycle helmets

For general riding a Full Face helmet makes the most sense, they are the safest and in general they suffer from the least wind noise. These helmets are used in racing and the technology used in the road versions comes directly from the racing versions.

 

Flip Up motorcycle helmets

If you are touring and make a lot of stops then a Flip Up helmet is the best choice. The front of these helmets is clipped down and can be easily lifted up without having to take the whole thing off. This is very useful when making quick stops to look at maps and refueling at petrol stations. There’s a wide range of Flip Front helmets to suit most budgets.

 

Open Face motorcycle helmets

A favorite with cruiser, scooter and moped riders, this style of helmet looks pretty cool but has no face or lower head protection. Open face helmets are great for riding around town but for higher speeds a Flip Front or Full Face helmet is more suitable.

 

How do I know if a helmet is the correct fit for my head?

Choosing a Motorcycle Helmet – Fitting

There are an endless amount of forum posts from new and accomplished riders about helmet fitting, many of them are confused about how a Full Face or Flip Front helmet should sit on their head.

Is my Motorcycle Helmet safe?

Helmet safety ratings

To manufacture a helmet for use in Europe or the USA it has to pass safety regulations set by the government. Every helmet that is available to buy from a reputable seller in these areas has passed these regulations.

Helmets in the UK are marked out of 5 in a safety test known as SHARP.

What’s this helmet like in hot weather?

Helmet ventilation systems

Most helmets have ventilation systems to draw in cool air through the front and expel hot, stale air out of the back. How well this system performs depends on how aerodynamic the helmet is and the placement of the vents to ensure that the maximum amount of cool air is drawn in, as well as the maximum amount of stale air being drawn out.

The best helmet manufacturers test the ventilation systems in wind tunnels to see where the air is flowing around the helmet.

How noisy is this helmet?

Choosing a Motorcycle Helmet with low wind noise

Manufacturers test wind noise in the same way as they test ventilation systems, by using a wind tunnel.

Wind noise is normally reduced by making sure that the visor fits correctly and the minimum amount of air is sucked up through the helmet opening.

What colors Motorcycle Helmet should I get?

Helmet finish and graphics

This is completed up to you, but the finish of the helmet can affect how much the helmet costs. Plain color helmets, known as ‘Solids’ are generally the cheapest, while more intricate graphics will cost more. It’s better to spend the money on safety and comfort than buying a helmet based on looks alone.

What’s the most comfortable helmet?

Motorcycle helmet shell shapes and comfort liners

This depends completely on the rider. One person will say that their helmet is the most comfortable while the next person will say it’s the most uncomfortable thing they have ever worn!

A lot of the comfort is in the shell size and shape of the helmet. Manufacturers often make 2 or more shell shapes of their helmets to fit both round and long head shapes.

 

Which helmet is the lightest?

Choosing a Motorcycle Helmet – How to find the lightest motorcycle helmet

The material that the helmet shell is made from gives it it’s weight. Helmets made from Fibreglass composite or Carbon-fiber are almost always the lightest but can be expensive. A full racing Carbon-fibre helmet can cost as much as £2,000! Don’t worry, there are cheaper versions.

Carbon-fibre is used in F1 racing cars are is very strong.

If you want the lightest helmet but also need it to be extra safe then get one with a Carbon-fibre shell.

 

A Motorcycle Helmet Camera is really useful for hands free recording while riding. They work in the same way as a normal video camera. I have spent a lot of time trying to find a good motorcycle video recording setup for my own trips and this page is the result of what I have found to work well.

Things to consider for a good motorcycle helmet camera setup:

Usually you can get complete helmet cam sets, there are companies who concentrate on just making helmet cameras and accessories. These systems aren’t always tailored for motorcycles, they can be used for any outdoor sport such as cycling, skiing, snowboarding and skateboarding.

Helmet Cams available to buy

The motorcycle helmet camera kits are good and great if you have the budget to spend, but there are also DIY options that can give you the same or sometimes better results for very little money.

Motorcycle Helmet Camera Quality
As with home video cameras, generally the more you spend on the helmet camera the better quality the recording, although there are some things to watch out for:

Lens Type
The most important feature of the camera. Along with the recording resolution, this will determine how good the overall quality of your footage will be.

Lens sizes vary, but ideally 3mm or more will get a good picture quality.

PAL or NTSC format?
Which country are you going to watch your video in? If you are using analogue systems to record and edit your footage (video tape instead of a memory card), you’ll need to know which one you need.

This is less important if you are using a digital video camera and using a PC/MAC to edit. 99.9% of video editing software can read both PAL and NTSC so it’s not a problem if you’re making videos for Youtube, but…

If you are eventually creating a DVD of the videos you have made with your motorcycle helmet camera then get the correct format for your country. United Kingdom use PAL, USA & Canada use NTSC as does most of Asia.

If you’re not sure ask the store you are buying from.

Lens Cover
At high speeds a stone flying at your new helmet cam is the last thing you want! Make sure that the camera you buy either has a transparent lens cover fitted or comes with a protective cover that can stay on while recording.

Bullet Cam
Called bullet cameras for obvious reasons, these will plug into most video recorders and fit easily to the side of a motorcycle helmet. They can also be attached to a motorcycle so are useful if you want to record different angles.

 

If you choose a bullet cam be careful as there are a lot that are made for static CCTV and won’t be suited to motorcycles. Sony CCD motorcycle helmet cameras are generally pretty good.

Bullet Cameras need a power source, this is normally a battery pack that holds AA batteries (you’ll need quite a few, probably 8 or more batteries at a time). Get a rechargable battery pack like the ones used in remote control cars to save some cash on batteries.

Recording Quality
Each camera will be capable of recording a certain amount of lines, the higher the number of lines the better the quality. To get something that is good for watching on Youtube go for 500TVL or more, anything under will look slightly grainy.

Resolution
Digital Video Cameras record at varying resolutions. The higher the resolution the better the recording quality. The highest quality cameras will be able to record in HD. My Toshiba Camileo S10 shoots 1,440 x 1,080 resolution which is nearly full HD, but not quite!

Motorcycle Helmet Camera Lens Angles
Cameras are available with various lens types, both narrow and wide angle. A 3.6mm lens will record the road in front of you and some of your bike while a 6mm lens gives a narrower angle so won’t record as much of your bike.

For around £100 (roughly $150) you can buy a bullet camera and microphone. Don’t forget to make sure that your camera is waterproof!

Recording your footage
A simple Mini DVR (Digital Video Recorder) is all you’ll need to save your footage.

These are essentially a multimedia player that allows an external camera to be plugged into it. Most have SD card slots or internal memory. Ideally get one with an SD card slot as you can then take spare SD cards on a trip and never run out of space to record.

 

Ease of use
If you buy a motorcycle helmet camera pack you might find that it becomes a bit of a hassle to setup. If you just want a simple all in one video camera then the GoPro Hero is ideal (read more about the GoPro below). If you need ultra high quality recordings with long running time and high quality sound then a bullet camera pack is for you.

I personally like to be able to stick the camera on my bike/helmet, press record and go! This doesn’t always give the best results though, it depends what you want from a helmet cam.

1080p HD Motorcycle Helmet Camera

I have spent some time testing the Drift HD170 Stealth Camera and have found it to be really versatile. For videoing while riding a bike it’s really useful and it’s shape means that it can be strapped to a helmet, your arm, leg or anywhere! The front lens rotates which along with the wireless remote control makes this the best HD action camera that I have tried out so far – the video on the right is some footage that we took using the HD170.
My Motorcycle Camera
After testing various systems I use a Toshiba Camileo S10 which I attach to my panniers, it’s really simple to use and records in HD. The sound quality is OK but wouldn’t win any awards!

The Toshiba Camileo S10 is an all in one unit that records to SD card. Each card (4GB) gets me about 1 hour of HD footage.

Visit this link for a short video of a trip I took around Luxembourg, I strapped the camera to the bike, started riding and then when finished I uploaded it straight to Youtube, the footage hasn’t been touched by any video editing software, apart from Youtube processing it.

Recommended Motorcycle Helmet Cameras

Helmet Cameras @ GoPro.com

I haven’t been able to test this motorcycle helmet camera personally yet, when I get my hands on it I will post a review. It’s a very popular choice for sports enthusiasts and is the 2nd generation model.

Reading the spec it seems perfect for trackdays and other times when you just want to record an hour of footage at a time. If you want to record for longer this isn’t the best option (unless you can afford the time to stop and download the footage onto a laptop once every hour!).

No other accessories need to be bought to use this camera, just stick it on (using the provided adhesive pads) and press record.

VHoldR HD Motorcycle Helmet Camera

VHoldR – available in 1080p and 720p versions, this is another helmet camera that gives top quality results.

The VHoldR has it’s own storage just like the GoPro Hero. It records onto a 2GB memory card which can be removed and replaced. Take a few SD cards on your motorcycle tour and record all of your footage hassle free.

All in one HD Video Camera

I use the Toshiba Camileo S10 HD Video Camera. This HD digital video camera records to SD memory card. It’s a normal family video camera and it’s small enough to carry around (smaller than most still picture digital cameras) so for long motorcycle tours where luggage space is tight this is perfect.

This HD video camera came with a flexible tripod so I found it is really useful for attaching to my bike with cable ties.

I’ve got the standard S10 HD in black, but Toshiba also do a Ducati version, although I haven’t managed to find anywhere that sells the Ducati S10, perhaps it will be available soon. The standard Camileo S10 can be bought for under £100 ($150).

BikeCam Video Camera Mount

Already got a video camera? Look at this handy tank accessory for a standard home video camera that screws into the motorcycle gas tank fittings.

A good choice if you already have a video camera and want to record some of your ride outs without having to buy loads of new gear.

I’ve seen riders put a video camera in a tank bag and cut a hole for the lens! Quite a cool idea for a shoe string budget, the only problem is the sound will be muffled. If the video camera you’re using has an external microphone jack then you could plug in a microphone and mount it on the bike – there’s so many different options for recording your travels!

The Games Console Motorcycle Camera

Sony PSP Camera Package

When I was looking for a camera to take on a trip around Europe I borrowed by brother’s PSP and bought a Go!Cam which connects to the PSP. I then recorded footage directly onto the PSP SD card.

If you already own a PSP this is worth looking into as the Go!Cam can be picked up quite cheaply. A PSP Sat Nav Cradle can be attached to the bike very easily, giving you a DIY motorcycle camera for very little money!

The Go!Cam works fine in daylight but isn’t to as good in very low light conditions, which is why I don’t use it as a Motorcycle Cam for touring anymore.

Shootout between the HJC FS-11, Caberg V2X Carbon and Nolan N85

This is the mid range sun visor helmets review, the second in a series of shoot-outs comparing 9 motorcycle helmets in 3 price ranges that feature internal sun visors.

This second shoot-out compares the 3 mid range motorcycle helmets with a price tag of between £150 to £250.

Video Review

Get the latest helmet reviews by subscribing to the Helmet Guide Youtube Channel.

Sun Visor System

The V2X Carbon is operated using a fairly sizeable lever on the side of the helmet, and is reasonably smooth when in use. The Nolan system is pretty much identical, and between them you would barely notice any difference in the quality of the system.

The HJC is slightly different and has a top mounted lever which is slightly harder to get to, in order to bring the visor down. The quick release button for releasing the visor is brilliant though, if only slightly difficult to find occasionally due to the flat button.

During the tests we also wore glasses to ensure the helmets had a good fit while wearing them, and the sun visor didn’t knock the glasses when brought down. The Caberg V2X didn’t fit glasses when using the sun visor.

Comfort and padding

The Nolan is quite comfortable during long rides and has a fair amount of padding in the cheek pads, which are soft, however the padding for the forehead area seems to have been forgotten during the design process. It’s quite hard and can leave you with red indents on your head!

The Caberg is similar to the Nolan comfort wise, being that the side pads are okay but it lacks complete padding for your forehead. The light weight of the helmet however does make it more endurable during long rides.

Comfort wise, nothing can be said against the HJC. The HJC FS-11 should be considered the flagship of motorcycle helmet comfort in this price range, the ‘Cadillac’ of luxurious padding. Coupled with the air pump for added comfort, it’s hard to beat.

Visor

The Nolan has possibly the easiest to use visor removal system. It is literally as simple as lifting the visor up and hitting the button on the side allowing it to pop out. No fiddly bits, no hassle, which makes it the perfect helmet for visor maintenance.

The HJC is a close runner up with a similar system, however it involves pushing a plate lever rather than hitting a button.

The system on the V2X Carbon is a screw type which involves hunting down loose change and tracking washers which are easily lost.

Wind Noise

The HJC was by far the best helmet when it came down to wind noise. When the visor was closed there was no whistling and the thick padding around the ears helped to drown out the noise at higher speeds.

Like the HJC the Nolan was very good for wind noise, however at higher motorway speeds there was a very slight whistle. Although a minor inconvenience, after a few hours riding it can be quite irritating.

Last is the Caberg, which had some whistling through the visor. Like the Nolan it wasn’t major, but was noticeable compared to the other two.

Ventilation

The Caberg has 2 adjustable front vents, one top and one chin. It also has two side extractors and one large rear extractor. The large extractors really help the ventilation with the Caberg, and with the FogCity insert there was next to no fogging whilst using the helmet even in the depths of winter.

The Nolan is similar, and has two adjustable front vents, along with 2 adjustable rear extractors alongside the main extractor which runs across the back of the helmet. It also came with a pinlock visor.

Unlike the other two, HJC only provide a pin-lock ready visor meaning you have to purchase your own insert. It also has slightly less vents than the others with 2 adjustable front vents, and 2 small non-adjustable rear extractors.