System 5 helmet, would you buy it again?

[Dave Ross]

#2452

I have convinced myself that I need a new helmet. I've looked at a Shoei Hornet DS for commuting and Adventure rides. The helmet is reasonably light, but clearly louder than my current one, that was to be expected. I am not sure I could live with it on a day to day basis and realistically I don't do all that many adventure rides.So I thought, why not get a System 5 and use the old system 4 for commuting and adventure rides. The current helmet is not quite 4 years old, but has done 60000 km, and the interior shows it. Would you buy your system 5 again? What else should I consider? I'm not sure I can go back to an integral helmet, even though the Pro Race helmet fits well and is nice and light. On tour you just can't beat a flip-up helmet. Your input is appreciated.

[Robin]

#9447

A loud helmet:  Have you seen the ones with heavy metal artwork? I think the 'Kiss' one is for you. – Goes with the black GS.

[Anonymous]

#9448

So I thought, why not get a System 5 and use the old system 4 for commuting and adventure rides. The current helmet is not quite 4 years old, but has done 60000 km, and the interior shows it.

This is what I have done. My system 5 is the police helmet. I plan to start using the 5 when the colder weather comes. the other helmet I have tried is the BMW enduro helmet and I may look at one latter for the 450. As you know I ride open face as long as I can so closing the visor the helmets are really quite.You can get new inners for the system 4 I got some last year

[Dave Ross]

#9449

A loud helmet:  Have you seen the ones with heavy metal artwork? I think the 'Kiss' one is for you. - Goes with the black GS.

No I haven't seen any System 5 with artwork. Sounds interesting. However, I do lean more towards a white helmet.

[Dave Ross]

#9450

So I thought, why not get a System 5 and use the old system 4 for commuting and adventure rides. The current helmet is not quite 4 years old, but has done 60000 km, and the interior shows it.

This is what I have done. My system 5 is the police helmet. I plan to start using the 5 when the colder weather comes. the other helmet I have tried is the BMW enduro helmet and I may look at one latter for the 450. As you know I ride open face as long as I can so closing the visor the helmets are really quite.You can get new inners for the system 4 I got some last year

I saw the the white sytem 5 at Experience. It is quite a bit more expensive than the  others. How much did you pay for the system 4 interior, and what is included? I thought you had won an Enduro helmet? Did you get the System 5 instead?  Maybe I should just get one of those really cheap off-road helmets. They are pretty light and would be ok on adventure rides. I could just take it with me and wear it when I  get there. I'd hate to bang up an expensive helmet and on adventure rides this can easily happen.

[aegis4805]

#9451

Alex – Motorad here in Wellington were having a clearance of their BMW helmets when I was in there last week $750 for the Enduro and other another Full Face without the pivoting chin piece.I'm lusting after a Shoe Horneti or a BMW Enduro hat myself - cheers S

[Dave Ross]

#9452

Alex - Motorad here in Wellington were having a clearance of their BMW helmets when I was in there last week $750 for the Enduro and other another Full Face without the pivoting chin piece.I'm lusting after a Shoe Horneti or a BMW Enduro hat myself - cheers S

The Shoei Hornet was very nice and fitted well. However, these helmets have limitations that may outweigh their advantage if they are not used often enough for their intended purpose. They do look cool. There is no rush, I'd just like to get some feedback to help me make up my mind.

[Anonymous]

#9453

So I thought, why not get a System 5 and use the old system 4 for commuting and adventure rides. The current helmet is not quite 4 years old, but has done 60000 km, and the interior shows it.

This is what I have done. My system 5 is the police helmet. I plan to start using the 5 when the colder weather comes. the other helmet I have tried is the BMW enduro helmet and I may look at one latter for the 450. As you know I ride open face as long as I can so closing the visor the helmets are really quite.You can get new inners for the system 4 I got some last year

I saw the the white sytem 5 at Experience. It is quite a bit more expensive than the  others. How much did you pay for the system 4 interior, and what is included? I thought you had won an Enduro helmet? Did you get the System 5 instead?  Maybe I should just get one of those really cheap off-road helmets. They are pretty light and would be ok on adventure rides. I could just take it with me and wear it when I  get there. I'd hate to bang up an expensive helmet and on adventure rides this can easily happen.

I decided to take the most expensive helmet and buy the cheaper off road helmet later, plus just try and get the right size in the off road helmet. All I can say do not buy a tight system 5 helmet you will regret the size the dealers will try and push your head into.

[Richard Kuysten]

#9454

I'd hate to bang up an expensive helmet and on adventure rides this can easily happen.Interesting that we tend to think like this Alex.  The year I bought my first fabric riding suit (Spidi) with body armour etc I did the Motu ride and nearly wore my old leathers just in case I fell off and damaged my new suit.  Fortunately common sense prevailed and I wore my new suit.  Just as well because I did fall off and the bike came down on my right knee cracking the knee protector right down the centre. 😡  Knee was bruised but OK - I wonder what it would have been like had I been in my old leathers!! 😥  Wear the best stuff you have, that's why we buy it.Malcolm

[Dave Ross]

#9455

I'd hate to bang up an expensive helmet and on adventure rides this can easily happen.

Interesting that we tend to think like this Alex.  The year I bought my first fabric riding suit (Spidi) with body armour etc I did the Motu ride and nearly wore my old leathers just in case I fell off and damaged my new suit.  Fortunately common sense prevailed and I wore my new suit.  Just as well because I did fall off and the bike came down on my right knee cracking the knee protector right down the centre. 😡  Knee was bruised but OK - I wonder what it would have been like had I been in my old leathers!! 😥  Wear the best stuff you have, that's why we buy it.MalcolmAs I understand it the helmets have to pass the same tests and should provide similar performance on impact. I would expect some degree of variation, but we are looking at a hard shell filled with polystyrene, essentially the same ingredient is in all helmets.The main difference in price seems to come from the extra features the helmets have and possibly from the use of lighter materials. Adventure riding is done at relatively low speeds compared to road riding. I bet most light off-road helmets would perform better than my System 4 in those situations. Current thinking on protector design is that a soft protector is superior to a hardshell one. I am quite happy to wear my streetguard suit during adventure riding. It does not have to be replaced every time I hit the ground. Helmets on the other hand are designed for one off performance, as you probably know yourself. The polystyrene gets compressed during the impact and will not recover, so the helmet should be replaced. I have always bought the best gear I could afford and still do, but helmets are still a gray area. Heck, they can't even agree on a universal testing method. Flip-up helmets like the system 4 are inferior to integral helmets, they are heavy and the chin piece is fragile, so it's all relative and cost is not a reliable indicator of a helmet's performance during an impact.So yes, I don't want to bang up an expensive helmet when a cheaper one would provide the  same or superior safety features.BMW seems to use the same size shell for different helmet sizes, compensating for the difference with the thickness of the polystyrene layer. A smaller head gets a heavier (relative) helmet, but more polystyrene while the larger head gets less polystyrene inside the shell. I wonder who is better off.Best not to test it myself.

[Anonymous]

#9456

I have always bought the best gear I could afford and still do, but helmets are still a gray area. Heck, they can't even agree on a universal testing method. Flip-up helmets like the system 4 are inferior to integral helmets, they are heavy and the chin piece is fragile, so it's all relative and cost is not a reliable indicator of a helmet's performance during an impact.

I have read where full open face are safer than integral helmets as researchers are finding integral helmets are coursing more broken necks. 

[Dave Ross]

#9457

Did they say how they cause broken necks?  I can't help but think that a broken neck is more desirable than a missing face. (These are not pleasant thoughts)I suppose at the end of the day you have to make a decision on the degree of safety you are comfortable with, because you will never be safe, regardless of the gear you buy.Coming back to my original question. Are people happy with their choice of having bought a System 5? Is it quiet? Does the mechanism work well? Does the ventilation work? Is it prone to fogging up? How does the liner stand up to daily use? I love the convenience of being able to flip the helmet up so I can talk to people, or leave the helmet on when paying for petrol, or being able to flip it up while stopped at the lights etc. If new cheek pads and liners are reasonably priced I may go down this route. The helmet is about about 3.5 years old, but has had a lot of use so it could do with being freshened up.

[Dave Ross]

#9458

This is an excellent article on helmets, well worth reading, even if you have no intention of buying one at the moment.http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

[Richard Kuysten]

#9459

I have always bought the best gear I could afford and still do, but helmets are still a gray area. Hmm, this is subtle Alex  😉Yes i think you're probably right - fancy paint schemes do cost but don't add to safety much.  We both tried System 5 helmets when we were in the market last year and found them to be less comfortable than our 4s which were not as good as our 3s.  After trying all the available flip fronts we settled on the Shoei Multitech which is a very nice helmet and at $699 including extra tinted visor - pinlock system - - removeable variable size cheek pads and neck protector is extremely good value.Malcolm

[Dave Ross]

#9460

Thanks Malcolm. I will also have a look at they Shoei. Do they come in different shell sizes? I am sorry if I came across a bit strong, I'll have to work on that. cheers,Alex

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