Daytona helmets claims to make the thinnest DOT approved half helmet. That is what I use and it is pretty thin and I like it a lot. On a second note, if you like the protection of a full face helmet then go with that and don't worry about looking the part. Putting 15000 miles a season on your bike is looking the part , a half helmet isn't. I prefer no helmet but unfortunately I live in a communist state. (NY)

 

Hey,
I am looking for a great recommendation for a half helmet

A great recommendation?

OK: I'd go with the top half...

 

I wouldn't expect anything less from you springer. LOL

 

Let us hope you have the right half when you need it Welcome to the forum and that 1100 is a nice bike

 

Just Ol Sugar Bear here, but if you choose to wear a helmet, wear a a real helmet, don't half-ass it. Ride safe.

 

Beware that the fit is different between a manufacturer's open-face and half-helmets, and that everyone's 'medium' helmet fits differently. I wear a medium HJC AC-3 open helmet, but their medium beanie is shorter front-to-back and hurts my head. Most manufacturer's half-helmets are very 'round' on my head, so I have pressure points fore and aft and sloppy fit on the sides. I have tried many, and bought several.

The Bell and Shoei helmets didn't fit me well. The HJC isn't bad, but my favourite is by G-Max: http://www.g-max.com/gmax/gm35x.html. It fits my head best, is not expensive, and comes in white, which I prefer. You can also get snap-on visors for protection from rain.

Your experience may vary. Rather than rely on a recommendation, go try as many on as you can, pick the brand that works best and order it in your colour.

Scott Fraser
Calgary

 

I have 2 half helmets bell drifter and an outlaw. My bell has custom paint on it so it has the look but the outlaw fits alot better. My wife also has a bell drifter she likes her but she has more hair than me. I have no padding on top and the bell is a little hard inside.Hope this helps.

 

I use both but never hit the highway (no pun intended) wearing a half helmet.
IMHO, the words "half helmet" and "good protection" have no business being together in one sentence.

And if your like me or Springer (especially Springer) "good looking" was never in reach.

 

And if your like me or Springer (especially Springer) "good looking" was never in reach.

Once again, Stratowart tars all of us with his own projection:

That picture was taken as he approached the Mass Pike toll booth playing Indian Poker with his EZ Pass

This is his weekly Lodge meeting:

Half helmets are half a great idea...

 

That was a great meeting we had. I won't forget the irony when Springer drew a "queen" for his forehead. Oh how we all laughed when I folded saying no way can I beat a pair of queens..

 

Oh, and we didn't get rid of Wart with a pair of queens...he left with a flush...

 

Are you boys at it again? Don't make me turn around.

 

a half helmet is better than no helmet at all. it still protects the majority of your cranium. if you get hit straight on from a train or a 747 or hit an oil slick on the edge of mountain and tumble down 1,000 feet then a full helmet isn't going to protect you any more than a skid lid. think about it.

i recommend the daytona lid as well. been using one for more than a month now and love it over my larger lid. they claim to have the smallest DOT helmet on the market. while it is smaller, i'm satisfied with the coverage it has over my head. bonus points for how comfortable it feels. it fits my head a lot better than my other. it also feels like it has less drag because of its shape. the daytona feels a couple ounces lighter, but not flimsy by any means. not to mention, the leather one i have looks really great.

here are some comparison pics between my daytona half helmet and the half helmet (don't know the brand) that i got off the shelf from the Yamaha dealership when i bought my bike. the thickness of the inner lining looks about equal to the lining of my larger helmet. and both are DOT.

 

if you get hit straight on from a train or a 747 or hit an oil slick on the edge of mountain and tumble down 1,000 feet then a full helmet isn't going to protect you any more than a skid lid. think about it.

And you forgot to include earthquakes, nuclear detonations, tsunamis, volcanoes, lightning, stampeding buffalo and all those other normal hazards to motorcycles

 

I haven't checked out the Daytona helmets, but I have heard that the company that makes Skid Lidz makes a pretty thin half helmet. I have two half helmets, one is made by G-Max and it looks like a freaking mushroom on my head. The other is a cheap helmet.

When I rode in Dallas years ago I had a full face helmet and the heat almost killed me every time I rode. I know there are PLENTY of people who say full face is the only way to go. Then again there are those who say louder pipes save lives, you can run car tires on cruisers, and high octane gas is the best for a bike.

These are all opinions. Riddle me this, if the DOT approved half helmet didn't provide ample protection, would the DOT approve it?

 

 

Thanks

Thanks to all for the serious replies in regards to selecting a helmet. Thanks also to those of you who chose to throw in some comedic relief. Its good to be here with a group of zany characters, I fit right in.

 

I agree and can see many members here have a point. But when they wear a helmet it's hardly noticeable.

 

I own both, the left half and the right half. I prefer the left half, but I get alot more wind on my right half if I do. So I usually wear them both together.

 

Hell, guys, have a beer together, one on one, thrash it out Have fun, ride safe

 

Considerations are the Bell Drifter and the HTC IS-2.

I have an HJC CS-2N, which from the website, seems to be pretty similar to the IS-2. I don't like it. It's clunky in both fit and looks, and I think it weighs too much.

Beware that the fit is different between a manufacturer's open-face and half-helmets, and that everyone's 'medium' helmet fits differently.

Your experience may vary. Rather than rely on a recommendation, go try as many on as you can, pick the brand that works best and order it in your colour.

Seconded. I tried on a few different manufacturers' helmets, and there were some, like HCI, who simply didn't make a size that fit me. One size would be too small, and the next size up would be too big. I ended up getting a Zox Alto, and I like it a lot, even though I really wanted the ghost flames on the HCI.

On a second note, if you like the protection of a full face helmet then go with that and don't worry about looking the part. Putting 15000 miles a season on your bike is looking the part , a half helmet isn't.

Seconded again. Wear what makes you feel comfortable and adequately protected, and forget what other people think about how you look.

 

Sorry to revive this old thread but I'm figuring the weather will turn real warm here in the Northeast and my old half helmet is looking pretty rough and worn. Strap is starting to fray and the inner headband cushion is not so cushiony anymore. So I did some shopping and found the leather wrapped Daytona for $60 plus S&H at a site named BG's Deal. Website is:

http://www.daytonahelmetsatbgsdeal.com

All they do is helmets (plus the usual accessories, face masks, and sun glasses/goggles. I'll let you know more about delivery times when I get it. And about the return experience if I need it.

 

if their half helmets are anything like their 3/4s..im sure youll be very happy with it

 

I'm not worried about the quality of the product. I only worry about the size and how it will fit on my squash.

 

my lamb leather daytona helmet was $50 last year but i guess prices have gone up because it looks like most sites are selling it for about $80

 

Did you buy it from this same place where I ordered it from? I looked around quite a bit and this was the best price for it and all places had the same S&H charge (+/- a buck or two)

 

probably not but $60 looks to be the lowest price out there right now

 

I've never owned a Daytona helmet before but if I like the quality I may just return to them for a modular full face (although I love my SHOEI, it won't last forever)

 

Well my problem is my neanderthal-like cranium always makes the fit challenging because I'm in that XL is too small or the XXL is too big category. I have a XL SHOEI RF-1000 now that almost rips my ears off when putting it on but it is perfectly snug and comfortable after my head pops inside. My current half helmet is an XL but it also leaves a red dent in my forehead for a half hour or so after taking it off. I asked the owner to change my order to a XXL after we discussed the sizing over a few e-mails. We shall see when it arrives.....

 

I have a similar problem wth finding a good fit. I had a Vega helmet years ago that fit great and I remembered and went back to Vega. there sizes run a little larger then most. So I ordered the size that came close to fitting, but was a little to snug in most helmets and the Vega fits me perfect.

 

Shoe, Arai and Bell helmets are really great and trusted helmets. When i purchased my helmet in Jafrum, I chose Arai vector 2. It really fits me well and it is comfortable.

 

Here's a question, are you for real or are you a spammer?