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What's the Best Motorcycle Helmet? We Asked the Experts
We checked in with Revzilla's gear guru Pat McHugh for pro tips on what to look for in a motorcycle helmet. Here are some picks for the absolute best you can buy.
As the saying goes, there are two types of motorcycle riders: those who have crashed, and those who will crash. Statistics suggest that almost every motorcyclist's luck eventually runs out—and more than half the time, it's not even the rider's fault. Despite your best efforts and advanced riding skills, chances are most motorcyclists are gonna kiss the pavement someday. Will you be ready when it happens to you?
While crashing may be practically inevitable, ending up with a serious head injury (or worse) is not. According to the NHTSA, in states without universal helmet laws, more than 57 percent of motorcyclists killed in 2020 were not wearing helmets, as compared to 11 percent in states with universal helmet laws. So wearing a helmet while motorcycling is a must.
But there are a gazillion motorcycle helmets on the market. Which one is right for you?
Our Top Picks
For some expert insight into motorcycle gear, we turned to Patrick McHugh, manager of product research and testing at Comoto, the parent company of popular moto-retailers Cycle Gear, J&P Cycles, and Revzilla. "My job over here is to have the gear market across the industry basically memorized and ridden in," McHugh told us.
If anyone knows motorcycle helmets, it's gear guru Pat McHugh. Let's dive into some of his choices for the Best Motorcycle Helmets.
How to Choose a Motorcycle Helmet
Another old rider's adage says, "If you've got a ten-dollar head, buy yourself a ten-dollar helmet." That's an aphorism, but the point is clear: A quality motorcycle helmet is essential for safe motorcycling. Which helmet you select will depend on a number of factors:
- Style is subjective to every rider, so there are plenty of helmet types, colors, and graphics to choose from. Basic black is always "cool," but keep in mind that a bright-colored, hi-vis, or even gaudy-graphic helmet might make a rider more conspicuous to motorists. Making sure you're seen by drivers is one of the keys to riding—and arriving—safely.
- Next, consider what type of riding you'll be doing. Carving canyons on a sportbike? Touring long distances? Cruising the boulevard? Riding streets to get to the trails? There are many different ways to enjoy motorcycling, and there are a plethora of helmets to suit each style. What, where, and how you ride is as important a consideration when shopping for a helmet as it is when buying a bike.
- Of course, motorcycle helmet fit is supremely important. Any helmet you ride in must fit well and be comfortable for long stretches; any decent helmet will offer multiple shell sizes and shapes to suit every shape and size of head. If you wear subscription glasses while riding, consider the fit with those on.
- In addition to shape, weight is an important consideration. A lighter helmet might be more comfortable, but super-lightweight helmets (say, 3 to 3.5 pounds) tend to be more expensive due to premium materials. Either that, or they're cheap junk that you shouldn't buy.
- Features, such as built-in speakers/comms systems (or places to install them) and internal sun visors, are essential to some riders but irrelevant to others. Decide what's important to you before committing.
- Wind Noise is an important feature of any motorcycle helmet. But you'll never know how loud a helmet is on the road until you ride with it. That's why you should try to buy a motorcycle helmet from a dealer or an apparel and gear retailer such as Cycle Gear and Revzilla. Most have return or exchange policies that let you swap one helmet for another if it's too loud for you.
Types of Motorcycle Helmets
There are three main types of motorcycle helmets, with plenty of options within each segment to suit every motorcyclist's riding style:
- Full Face Motorcycle Helmets — This type of helmet has a solid chin bar that wraps around from one side of the face to the other, protecting the chin and jaw from impact in case of a crash. Paired with a visor, they provide premium face and head protection for motorcyclists. Full face motorcycle helmets are generally considered the best motorcycle helmets.
- Modular (or Flip-Up) Motorcycle Helmets — With a modular helmet, the aforementioned chin bar flips up on hinges to rest above the eyeport, to provide the rider some fresh air, wider sightlines, and the ability to converse with others. They're particularly handy at gas stations and for quick conversations among group riders.
- Open Face Motorcycle Helmets — There are various styles of open-faced helmets—3/4 helmets and caps (aka "brain buckets") chief among them. They're mainly popular among riders of Cruiser and Bagger motorcycles from OEMs like Harley-Davidson and Indian—although many younger Cruiser and Bagger riders are coming around to appreciate the advanced safety a full-faced motorcycle helmet offers. You won't find sportbike or ADV riders wearing open-faced helmets.
So which helmet is the one you need? McHugh offered the selections below as a starting point. Note that while we have linked to Revzilla and other Comoto brands, we've also linked to other retailers such as Amazon. By all means, shop around. Be advised, though, that many major moto-gear brands don't sell their products direct via Amazon; chances are, you're buying from a local dealership somewhere instead of a nationwide retailer with warranties, return policies, and other consumer perks.
Besides, who hasn't been burned by Amazon at one time or another? Remember, if you've got a ten-dollar head . . . you know the rest.
Jon Langston is an avid motorcyclist and gear collector whose work has appeared in Men’s Journal, Cycle World, The Drive, Rider, Iron & Air, Motorcyclist, and more.
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