Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hey all, I'm helmet shoppin atm and basically thinking about two in particular. Nolans N84 and Sharks S500 Air. Anybody able to compare the pair? Nolan has the communication stuff which doesn't interest me and the fancy-smancy weather protection stuff which I'm not sure is really needed. It also has an extra $100 on its price tag.

Most importantly I'm just wanting to stay cool in summer and keep the rain from coming in.

not sure the model Shark you are refering to as I have never seen it but the RSI's and RSR always rate well in the safety ratings and are by far the quiest helmet I have ever owned.

Both the Nolan and Shark rate 4 stars in the UK helmet testing thing. Can't be arsed looking for the original thread but, http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/search/results/?sort=manufacturer&dir=asc&manufacturer=0&type=0&rating=0&size=0&price=0
So from a safety perspective I expect them to be fairly similar. I can't really find a single bad user review of either. Maybe I can test ride each of them before buying. I had forgotten about noise factor though. Suppose that's another point to think of. But I rarely finding myself noticing the noise anyway and I have a very loud helmet for windnoise.

www.thehelmetwarehouse.com.au

they Sponsor hemiduty

and they will post it to you for free if you dont wanna drive down

Wattie wrote:http://www.thehelmetwarehouse.com.au

they Sponsor hemiduty

and they will post it to you for free if you dont wanna drive down

But they don't have either of the helmets listed on their website! I gave 'em a ring and they said "Can't help you. Try *Insert dealership name here*"

hmmm maybe try www.bikebiz.com.au

Wattie wrote:hmmm maybe try http://www.bikebiz.com.au

Yeah that's where I was thinking of too. Might pop into the kawa shop and see if 'Ol Booga Ben has forgotten about us.

try AGV airtech too...

Have you stuck both of them on your bonce? You don't necessarily have to test ride them but spend 5 minutes walking around the shop with each of them on and see if they hurt. They'll be slightly tight when new but they shouldn't hurt.

Different manufacturers make different shaped helmets, I have an Arai head, and the cheapo THH helmets press into my forehead like a bastard.

true that bogan, i had a shoei head... but the shark and AGV also fit like a glove... an old AGV i had was very round and not "long" like a shoei...

nolan stoner replica's dont fit my head either... was very abboyed about that...

I'd suggest you start out by finding the one that looks the coolest - neat featres, fancy design, cool colours, plenty of bling, etc ... that's clearly the most important consideration where helmets are concerned. Then think about price - why pay over a grand for a brand-name helmet when you can get an xyz made in China "race" helmet for less than the price of a carton of premium beer .... it's a no brainer really. If you're a real stickler for the fine print think about one that's got some sort of AS sticker on the side, or perhaps just grab the ISO9001 approved sticker off your kettle and stick that on, the coppers wouldn't know the difference and you *know* it's a "race" helmet, dontchya.

.... and if you take anything in this post seriously you've probably already crashed one too many times wearing an xyz race helmet

dave#3 wrote:I'd suggest you start out by finding the one that looks the coolest - neat featres, fancy design, cool colours, plenty of bling, etc ... that's clearly the most important consideration where helmets are concerned. Then think about price - why pay over a grand for a brand-name helmet when you can get an xyz made in China "race" helmet for less than the price of a carton of premium beer .... it's a no brainer really. If you're a real stickler for the fine print think about one that's got some sort of AS sticker on the side, or perhaps just grab the ISO9001 approved sticker off your kettle and stick that on, the coppers wouldn't know the difference and you *know* it's a "race" helmet, dontchya.

.... and if you take anything in this post seriously you've probably already crashed one too many times wearing an xyz race helmet

Awesome info Dave, looking for a new helmet myself, where can I buy xyz race helmets ?

Well yeah, Dave. OBVIOUSLY that was my first intention, but then the misses said she'd pay for my birthday. Up goes the price range instantly . Personally, I'd rather wear no helmet, because you KNOW that putting it on will mean it has to be used at some point . But yeah, going to do the shop around thing on the weekend. Got a list of 4 and 5 star rated helmets and we'll see whats what. Anybody else know of any other safety rating websites besides the one I listed. Never hurts to have more than one source.

i'd generally wear anything that a racer would wear

matchan wrote:

dave#3 wrote:I'd suggest you start out by finding the one that looks the coolest - neat featres, fancy design, cool colours, plenty of bling, etc ... that's clearly the most important consideration where helmets are concerned. Then think about price - why pay over a grand for a brand-name helmet when you can get an xyz made in China "race" helmet for less than the price of a carton of premium beer .... it's a no brainer really. If you're a real stickler for the fine print think about one that's got some sort of AS sticker on the side, or perhaps just grab the ISO9001 approved sticker off your kettle and stick that on, the coppers wouldn't know the difference and you *know* it's a "race" helmet, dontchya.

.... and if you take anything in this post seriously you've probably already crashed one too many times wearing an xyz race helmet

Awesome info Dave, looking for a new helmet myself, where can I buy xyz race helmets ?

X2 , I thought I had an Arai head but now I think I should get an xyz race helmet . Thanks Dave Oh wise one .