I bought an HCI half helmet on eBay from Jafrum, a company that sells all kinds of cheap gear. It was about $25. I had a modular for daily wear; this one was for occasional passengers and I thought I might paint it. I got an XXL but the damn thing barely—and painfully—fit on my head and no amount of break in would fix that. (I wear an XL in a Nolan and my modular is an XXL.) So the HCI sat in the box, in the garage, for a year or so.
I'd forgotten about the poor fit by the time pulled it out again because I was considering painting it and wearing it in the upcoming Doo Dah Parade. After unsuccessfully trying it on, I thought maybe I could remove the liner and see if it'd fit (my other helmets have all had snap-in liners). I tugged on the liner a bit and without my effort it popped out—along with the entire foam insert.
The lining was simply taped to the foam with what looked like packing tape. And if the foam had been glued to the shell, the glue had deteriorated over the past year while the helmet sat in the box.
How cheap is a cheap helmet? Pretty damn cheap. I wouldn't trust it in a crash, that's for sure.
Pop! Out came the insides!
Taped-on liner.
Liner pulled off.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
k1dude wrote:Yeah, but is it DOT approved packing tape?
You jest, but…
Any manufacturer can put "DOT" on a helmet and sell it if they claim it meets requirements. Any testing gets done after the helmet's available for sale. If helmets fail, there's a voluntary recall.
Just makin' me feel all the better about replacing my HCI with a HJC. I bought an HCI model which the catalog said was ECE rated, but it still kind of gives me the willies.
I might have to wear it on slow ride days, though, 'cause my reflective fleur de lis stickers are totally badass.
I bought a full face HJC helmet for $79 at motorcyclecloseouts.com. It has a lot of features you find on more expensive helmets like adjustable venting and removable visor. I've bought an optional nose guard for cold weather and a smoked visor for bright days.
No complaints - great helmet!!!
My wife has an HJC half-helmet that was even cheaper. My point is, HJC is good quality and it's cheap. Even if you're spending $20 bucks more than for a brand you never heard of, that's not much considering piece of mind knowing you have a good helmet.
Helmets are one of those things that I will not buy on line. Jackets, pants, gloves yes helmets...no. It is worth a few dollars to me to go to a good shop for my helmets.
I know this thread isn't about where to find quality helmets for less money, but I'll pimp Scorpion Helmets at Sport Bike Track Gear. They have some EXO-400's for $100 shipped still. Definitely a great helmet at a great price.
KCScooterDude wrote:I bought a full face HJC helmet for $79 at motorcyclecloseouts.com. It has a lot of features you find on more expensive helmets like adjustable venting and removable visor. I've bought an optional nose guard for cold weather and a smoked visor for bright days.
No complaints - great helmet!!!
My wife has an HJC half-helmet that was even cheaper. My point is, HJC is good quality and it's cheap. Even if you're spending $20 bucks more than for a brand you never heard of, that's not much considering piece of mind knowing you have a good helmet.
I ride with the HJC CL-15, and have been VERY impressed with it. It fits well, has removable visors(Which i've already swapped to a mirrored one) the liner is removable, there are multiple adjustable vents, and it breaths well.
+2 on the CL15. The only minor issue I have is with air coming up in my face. I don't really want to get an HJC breath guard/box. Does anyone know of something I could use to fill the distance between the front ends of the cheekpads? I could probably knock something together, but I'm lazy.
"I bought an HCI half helmet on eBay from Jafrum, a company that sells all kinds of cheap gear. It was about $25. I had a modular for daily wear; this one was for occasional passengers and I thought I might paint it."
"How cheap is a cheap helmet? Pretty damn cheap. I wouldn't trust it in a crash, that's for sure."
Not to be judgemental or anything ( ), but would you really want a friend or loved one wearing one of these things while on your scooter? I was just wondering...
babblefish wrote:"I bought an HCI half helmet on eBay from Jafrum, a company that sells all kinds of cheap gear. It was about $25. I had a modular for daily wear; this one was for occasional passengers and I thought I might paint it."
"How cheap is a cheap helmet? Pretty damn cheap. I wouldn't trust it in a crash, that's for sure."
Not to be judgemental or anything ( ), but would you really want a friend or loved one wearing one of these things while on your scooter? I was just wondering...
Nope! That's one reason it ultimately just sat in the garage. Any passengers wear either my Nolan 3/4 or my wife's helmet. I mostly just wanted one to paint, just to see if I could and to see what methods worked best. So I bought it to screw it up.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
babblefish wrote:"I bought an HCI half helmet on eBay from Jafrum, a company that sells all kinds of cheap gear. It was about $25. I had a modular for daily wear; this one was for occasional passengers and I thought I might paint it."
"How cheap is a cheap helmet? Pretty damn cheap. I wouldn't trust it in a crash, that's for sure."
Not to be judgemental or anything ( ), but would you really want a friend or loved one wearing one of these things while on your scooter? I was just wondering...
Nope! That's one reason it ultimately just sat in the garage. Any passengers wear either my Nolan 3/4 or my wife's helmet. I mostly just wanted one to paint, just to see if I could and to see what methods worked best. So I bought it to screw it up.
with all due respect. i cruised around in the pink varietal of that helmet for the first 6 months of scooter ownership, but mine never did that. must have been the seller.....
the HCI-15 is a great helemt. i am satisfied with the build quality and comfort
babblefish wrote:"I bought an HCI half helmet on eBay from Jafrum, a company that sells all kinds of cheap gear. It was about $25. I had a modular for daily wear; this one was for occasional passengers and I thought I might paint it."
"How cheap is a cheap helmet? Pretty damn cheap. I wouldn't trust it in a crash, that's for sure."
Not to be judgemental or anything ( ), but would you really want a friend or loved one wearing one of these things while on your scooter? I was just wondering...
Nope! That's one reason it ultimately just sat in the garage. Any passengers wear either my Nolan 3/4 or my wife's helmet. I mostly just wanted one to paint, just to see if I could and to see what methods worked best. So I bought it to screw it up.
with all due respect. i cruised around in the pink varietal of that helmet for the first 6 months of scooter ownership, but mine never did that. must have been the seller.....
the HCI-15 is a great helemt. i am satisfied with the build quality and comfort
i have the one-up of this helmet, hci-16. i also have a shoei rf1000... two very different helmets. i like the 3/4 helmets for the feeling of the open road and wind, and i just don't feel as confined. the rf1000 (and any full face helmet, really) makes me feel claustrophobic. regardless... the quality of the shoei (made in japan... high quality and build, very solid) vs. the hci is drastic. the hci is made in china and looks it; i more or less consider it a "fun" helmet.
), but would you really want a friend or loved one wearing one of these things while on your scooter? 
