My 3 Tips for a new rider buying their first motorcycle helmet

3 Tips for a new rider buying their first motorcycle helmet
    
    First and foremost, I want to welcome you to the riding community. I hope that every time you get on your motorcycle you’ll embark on a journey will of self reflection, fun and most importantly the thrill that only two wheels moving at 60+ MPH can bring. That being said, it’s important for new riders to stay safe and get properly fitted for all of their riding gear. Getting a proper fit is especially important when it comes to buying a helmet for the first time. Listed below are 3 tips for new riders shopping around for their first motorcycle helmet.

Tip# 1: Be willing to invest in your own safety
    

    When it comes to buying motorcycle gear; investing in your own safety is often easier said then done. The inescapable truth of being a motorcyclist is that this lifestyle can be very expensive. Its important to keep in mind that in the motorcycle world; you will often get what you pay for. This means that a low budget full-face helmet will have minimal features and will probably have a generic fit. If you’re looking for an open-face/half helmet, these usually start at around $100.00 and are generally well made.
  
    In my opinion, new riders should look at helmets in what I like to call “The Sweet Spot”. These are full-face helmets priced between $200.00 and $400.00 dollars. In this price range you’ll find a variety of features and head shapes that will help you find the perfect fitting helmet. Here are some of the benefits you could expect with helmets in this price range:

• DOT Safety Rated
  
• A number of shell sizes to get the right fit
  
• SNELL Safety Rated
  
• ECE Safety Rated ( internationally recognized )  
  
• Improved aerodynamics
  
• Improved ventilation
  
• Tinted face shield, smoke, mirrored, etc.( Usually sold separately )
  
• Specific helmet shapes for different head profiles
  
• Light weight and slimmer profile ( less bulk )
  

Tip# 2: Identify your head profile  
   
   No skull is exactly alike, this is why it is important to identifying your head profile before purchasing your first helmet. A brand new helmet is supposed to have a snug/tight fit and will eventually break in with uses. The three primary skull types are Long Oval, Intermediate Oval, and Round Oval.
    
    A Long Oval is characterized as the widest part of the skull as being from the back of the head to the front and being more narrower from side to side. An Intermediate Oval is the most common head shape and I suggestion starting your search with this helmet shape as a template for making your comparisons. Intermediate Oval profile is characterized as being more round and slightly narrower from side to side. Round Oval is not a common head shape and is often the profile used in manufacturing budget/entry level helmets. This head profile is characterized as being evenly round; front to back, side to side.

Tip# 3: Do not buy on the first day!!!
    
    This is probably the hardest tip to follow, especially after you’ve done all your homework and have done all your online window shopping. The reason you don’t buy a helmet on the first day is because it puts far too much pressure on that initial purchase. Be honest and upfront with the salesperson assisting you from the very beginning “Im shopping around for a new helmet but won’t be buying today. Can you help me?”.
    
    At that point, most good sales reps. will back off the sale process and focus more on earning your future business. That being said, your salesperson should have a tailor's measuring tape available to properly fit you for a helmet. If they don’t have a tailor's measuring tape available, I would definitely buy elsewhere. When you walk into a motorcycle apparel store remember to ask questions, ask for suggestions, don’t buy on the first day and try on helmets to your heart's content.

Conclusion:
   
    It’s important to take your time when purchasing your first helmet because most in-store purchases are non-refundable. If you’re shopping on the web, most online retailer usually have acceptable return and exchange policies on a majority of the products that they carry. I wish you the best of luck, please take your time and ride safe. If you have any other questions about these tips or other suggestion, please comment.   

-ThatMotoLife by Abe Cardona,     

ThatMotoLife: Shoei RF1200 Helmet Review

The Intro:
    In the world of motorcycle helmets their is always some debate regarding which brand is the best, which helmet is worth its price tag and of course which helmets are the worst of the group. We motorcyclist, are a very opinionated bunch and rightfully so. Two things are happening when we’re shopping for the right piece of gear. The first is that we are looking for a brand that we know and trust our lives to deliver on their promise of safety and the other thing is style. A piece of rider gear becomes an expression of who this rider is, just as much as a motorcycle becomes an extension of their limbs and five senses. That being said; Shoei is one of the premier helmet brands that have recently introduced the successor to their Shoei RF1100, the Shoei RF1200.
The Review:
    If you follow any of my posting on Instagram, Facebook, Blogger or Tumblr (which I hope you do, wink wink) you’ll see that I’m a proud owner of a Matte/Black Shoei RF1100. The RF1100 has been one of the best helmets I’ve owned and when the Shoei RF1200 was release I jumped at the chance to try it on. The Shoei RF1200 is huge upgrade from its predecessor in terms of weight, profile, ventilation, and safety.
 
    One of the things I love/hate about the RF1100 is its ventilation. I’ve had many conversations with other RF1100 owns and we all seem to agree that the RF1100 breaths a ton of air when all the vents are open. The downfall to this is at highway speed. The helmet is very noisy when all vents are open forcing the riding too close some of the vents or to wear ear plugs. For the new RF1200, Shoei reworked the exhaust vents with a single open/close switch with a spoiler covering its ports. This dramatically reduces wind noise and improves the helmets aerodynamics.
 
    The Shoei RF1200 has a new slimmer profile that looks great and weighs in at an impressive 3lb./8oz., that is 2oz. lighter than the RF1100 which make a big difference if you’re planning on making any long trip. A welcomed  improvement in the RF1200 is in its wider eye port that hosts a new CWR-1 faceshield and sold separately a CWR-1 transitions photochromic faceshield . Every new RF1200 come with a Pinlock shield system that by itself is usually about $100.00, which further adds value to this product.
 
    So here comes the important question, “How does it fit?”. The RF1200 is an odd ball of a helmets. I wear an XL helmet and have an intermediate oval head shape.The RF1200 fits like an intermediate oval helmet, that wants to fit like a long oval helmet when it’s all grown up. When I tried it on, it felt great!! But soon I noticed slight pressure points going linearly from my eyebrows to the top of the crown. It was still a great fit and would probably feel better once the helmet is broken in from uses.
The Conclusion:
     I will be buying a Shoei RF1200 and I will tell you why. Every shoei helmet is handmade and takes 7 full days to construct. The Shoei RF1200, at the starting price of around $450.00 with a PinLock Shield is a great bargain for a premium helmet. If you’re in the market for a new helmet I highly recommend visiting Motochanic and checking out the Shoei RF1200 for its overall value, color options and great graphics.

-ThatMotoLife by Abe Cardona,