My helmet is as old as my bike, the last tag I bought 1990. I am getting close to finishing the bike and need a helmet. I think I want a full face helmet and most of my riding will be on the street, I would like to stay under 300 dollars. I would prefer ordering the helmet rather than going to a shop and trying it on (because of the virus). Looking for advise.

Helmets are a very personal choice, and nothing is more personal than fitment. I highly recommend you try on to see what suits you best. Some online vendors allow one free return if the product doesn't fit well.

Perhaps an 'adventure' style helmet? I have an Arai XD4 that is excellent and I would recommend but it's above your price point. I also have a Bell Moto 3 that looks cool but doesn't flow much air, which can be an issue in our TX summers.

I love the XD4 too. Arai and Shoei are both great brands. I know it sounds dumb but I when I started riding again, my helmet and boots cost way more than the DT175 I bought. Good safety gear is not cheap... but neither are hospital bills and funerals.

My top priority is helmet... If you ever have known someone who's "DOT" helmet failed and suffered a preventable head injury, it might be yours too. I look for Snell approval.

Revzilla had some pretty knowledgeable reps and they have good videos. Also a good return policy.

+1 on Shoei and Arai. Super high quality lids. I'd add Bell to the mix, their higher end helmets are excellent.

I just took a peruse on the RMATV site and there is a BELL MOTO-9 CARBON FLEX on sale for $379. A little above your price point but that's normally a near $700 helmet. Snell, DOT & ECE approved. Perhaps worth a look...

After reading this thread I thought to myself I could use a new helmet as well, I have purchased both Arai & Shoei in the past, I will admit it has been over 30 years since I have purchased a new helmet so I decided to google the above recommended helmet Arai XD4 even though it mentioned it was above his price point of $300.00 I thought wow! it must be something really special to be above $300.00 I’ll admit I felt old when I saw it was over $700.00!! I felt really old and thought time has passed me by, I thought I was splurging in the mid 1980’s when I paid around $100.00 for my Shoei helmet with employee discount when I worked as the parts manager of the local Kawasaki dealer.

Helmet technology has improved significantly in recent years.



Good ones are a lot of money but I don't consider them expensive compared to the protection they provide.

I still have the first helmet I got in 1970. It feels like it would amplify impact energy instead of absorbing it.

Thanks to all who have posted. Looks like I will be spending more than I had planned. I will wait a few days before purchasing a helmet to see if anyone else has a recommendation.

You can get good helmets in your price range. I'd look for Snell certification because that's always been considered the best in the USA at least.

As was said, Bell makes good helmets too. The reason I didn't mention them is they have a line of low end helmets that provide marginal protection and meet minimal standards as well. Arai and Shoei helmets all meet high safety standards as far as I know.

Again, Revzilla is where I'd buy if buying online. They will give you good suggestions in your price range. Almost any helmet is better than none. I'd just buy the best rated one you can afford.

DOT ratings are the lowest standards that all helmets must meet. ECE (Europe) has some pretty stringent standards too... I don't know that much about them but if you get one that meets the newest ECE standards it's going to be a pretty good helmet. Snell certification is the "gold standard" in my book.

Thanks to all who have posted. Looks like I will be spending more than I had planned. I will wait a few days before purchasing a helmet to see if anyone else has a recommendation.

If you cannot "try one on " ….wait until you can. Do not buy a Brand or Model …..buy a helmet that is comfortable (not necessarily an expensive helmet) otherwise you will hate yourself every time you put it on. Just make sure it has the necessary approvals.

I used Revzilla because I couldn't find a shop here that had the helmet I wanted.

Their people were great at walking me through the measurements. At the time, their exchange policy was awesome. They would pay shipping both ways!

Mine fit perfectly but if it didn't it wouldn't have been an issue with Revzilla.

And fit is important... not just for comfort but they are different head shapes and helmets to match. Good fit is important for safety!!! Revzilla walked me through all of that too. If you don't want to talk to them, they have dozens of videos explaining all about each helmet.