So, how important is a helmet? Well, how important is your head to you? I would say extremely.
No matter what type of bike you ride, safety and comfort are what you want from a motorcycle helmet. You have to find a helmet that gives you the best level of safety that you can afford, combined with the style you want, and with the best fit possible.
Wearing a helmet can protect you against injuries to the eyes, teeth and face. They can protect you from debris that flies up from the road, such as rocks, dirt, and gravel, and also protect you against tree branches, low hanging signs and other objects you could come in contact with.
Wearing a helmet while riding greatly reduces the severity of injury and potential trauma to the head and protects your brain when you fall. A helmet works to absorb the force, which protects your head, which in turn protects your brain.
So, very important then.
Most riders will generally replace their helmets every three to five years, while some manufacturers will recommend that you replace your helmet roughly seven years after its production date. You can usually find the production date on a sticker underneath a section of the inner liner.
You need to find a helmet that fits your head. A correctly sized full-face helmet should feel snug but not annoyingly tight and shouldn't move back and forth or side to side when you move your head. It should sit level on your head (not tilted back) with the front edge one inch or less above your eyebrows so that your forehead is protected. Push the helmet from side to side and back to front.
Below, we look at some of the helmets available in order to help you make your mind up as to what type of helmet you are looking for.
Full Face Ladies Helmets
If we start with full face helmets, the Arai Debut Helmet – Blaze is built to the highest standards of helmet manufacture as you would expect from Arai. At the lower end of the Arai price bracket but no less quality, this helmet is suitable for everyday riding, scooter riding and even riding superbikes. It is constructed from a super fibre outer shell, a proven wide-screen SAI aperture opening featuring an airflow system which doesn't compromise the outer shell and a Pinlock®-ready* Max Vision shield as standard. There is a three-position chin vent, front ventilation at the centre top vent and brow vents together with rear ventilation on the neck and sides.
*‘Pinlock®-ready’ helmets are a very useful additional feature that manufacturers add to their visors to make them fog-free. It consists of two small mounting lugs on the inside of the helmet visor that allows a separate and patented Pinlock® inner visor to be added. This inner visor is hydrophilic and completely resists any clouding up or fogging from your breath. It forms a large sealed ‘double-glazed’ area within your visor, and if it ever gets damaged or stops working can easily be replaced. A must for anyone who hates a misted visor!
This lightweight helmet from AGV, the K1 Helmet - Soleluna 2015 is ideal for sports bike riders with its integrated spoiler and central air vents. It comes in two shell sizes so should fit most heads. It has a double-D ring** strap retention system, an integrated ventilation system with removable and washable inside padding. There is a central air vent for optimal flow and an integrated spoiler. It is Pinlock® ready and the visor is fitted with a micro-opening system.
**A ‘Double-D’ ring strap fastener is a common form of helmet retention system consisting of two ‘D-rings’ on one strap, through which you pass and secure the second helmet strap.
This light and compact designed helmet from Shoei, the NXR Helmet – Harmonic is great for ladies, and with 4 shell sizes available it should not only fit the larger heads but also, if you’re like me and wear an XS, the smallest of heads too. It is shaped to allow maximum head movement so would work well as a track helmet as well as, of course, on any bike. With the double-D ring strap fastening and fully removable linings for replacement and cleaning, this is well worth considering.
Open Face Ladies Helmets
Turning to open face helmets, the Davida Jet Standard Helmet - Cream / Black has been designed to integrate the finest features of the traditional open face helmet into a modern product that meets the latest European Safety Standards. The unique shape of the Jet's fibreglass shell and liner has been designed to follow the natural shape of the head being narrower at the jaw than at the crown. When combined with the interior, which also follows these lines and extends them past the shell, the snug fit created ensures this helmet is stable and hugs the head to make for a pleasantly quiet ride.
The Shark ATV-Drak Helmet has an air extractor, a removable peak, and optimized ear pads. The air extractor has been specifically developed to ensure maximum ventilation even at low speed. There is a removable peak using snaps so you can easily modify the look of the helmet, and an optimized ear pad to improve perception of all surrounding noises.
This practical retro styled open face helmet from Shoei, J.O. Helmet – Carburettor gives you the option of a drop down sun visor that sits inside the shell. It has a lightweight compact AIM shell with a removable inner lining and adjustable, removable clear visor. The design of the visor has been designed to be wind resistant and has dark smoke and HD yellow visor options too. It comes in 3 shell size options with a double-D ring strap fastening and goggle belt.
Flip Front, or Modular Ladies Helmets
Looking at flip helmets, the Caberg Ghost Helmet – Carbon gives an aggressive look with its shape so you definitely won’t go unnoticed wearing this stylish helmet. With the added functionality of the flip goggles/face mask which offers protection from the cold in winter and from swallowing too many bugs during the summer. This helmet has a double size carbon shell with an anti-scratch visor with Pinlock® ready visor, a micrometric buckle and a removable and washable liner.
The Shoei Neotec 2 Helmet – Plain is a better more refined design, with double homologation for riding in the open position, specifically designed for the exclusive Neotec 2 Sena Bluetooth system, and newly designed cheek pad system including noise isolator to make the helmet even quieter. The deflector prevents wind ingress, offers maximum noise reduction and optimum wearing comfort. The Neotec 2 has three different outer shell constructions and is ultra-lightweight by innovative shell moulding technology with an improved flip up mechanism and optimized visor.
Last but not least, the Schuberth C4 Pro Helmet – Swipe combines cutting-edge technologies with the highest quality and it’s compact shape means it barely resembles a flip-up helmet. The C4 has new interior fittings and optimised acoustics making it an extremely comfortable flip-up helmet with no wobbling and a low noise level no matter what the speed. It is also compatible with the invisible SC2 and SC1 communication systems with a plug & play loudspeaker, microphone, and antenna pre-installed. It is light and comfortable with an extra-large anti-fog lens to give a wide field of view.
But my personal favourite though is the new Schuberth Ladies C4 Pro helmet which has been created exclusively for female motorcyclists with all the features of the C4 PRO (above). It has been optimally adapted for slim female faces with additional cheek pads to fit perfectly and offer optimal protection and comfort.
So, all that is left now is for you to decide what type and style of helmet you are looking for. Don’t forget to try on different makes and styles to find the one that fits your head perfectly.
Happy safe riding, ladies :-)
