im looking at getting a new helmet because the one i currently have is very loud and i have to wear earplugs when riding. I would really like one with the flip down visor if possible. Im looking at the EXO-500, 1000,and 1100. any other brands would also be considered to have a more quiet helmet. My price range is at or under $350.


also, for the guys that dont have helmets with the internal visors, how do like that? if i can get a quieter helmet without the visor, i may consider them. i was thinking like a shoei rf-1100 or a Bell star type helmet.

tell me about your helmet!

You should wear earplugs anyways. :soapbox:

You should wear earplugs anyways. :soapbox:

i wear headphones. i know its not better, but thats why i want a quieter helmet.

I have Schuberth R1.

They don't make those anymore, so I bought it on almost 60% discount. At the time they were making them it was considered one of the quietest helmets on the market.
My overall impression is that it is not really worth the money, as the original price here was over $700.

Flip down sun visor is usefull. Normal visor is very large and the mechanism is precise and handles nicely, so that is also a plus.

Sound insulation is certainly better compared to what I had before, but it is far from what I personally consider quiet. It dampens higher frequencies a lot, which is expected. Unfortunately, you cannot stop large wave lengths with 40 mm of padding, so low frequencies are there and they are just as loud as before.
The best comparison I can think off is a loud vacuum cleaner in another room, but as intense as if it was 1 metre from you. Very loud humming.

It is reasonable to assume that most quiet helmets have the same problems - low frequency sounds. You said you use headphones, so a really neat trick would be getting active noise cancellation headphones. They make wonders with low frequencies.

However, a combination of both is likely to make you seriously detached from your surroundings. And I think that is extremely bad for a motorcylce rider.

I just got the EXO-1000 on closeout, it's 100% quieter and lighter than my HJC and almost as light and quiet as my Arai.

You said you use headphones, so a really neat trick would be getting active noise cancellation headphones. They make wonders with low frequencies.


Those work by sensing the incoming sound, and then adding other sound to neutralize it by destructive interference.

In other words, they add more sound to cancel out sounds. The end result is you still have more sound entering your ears. Since hearing damage is an issue amount motorcyclists, maybe adding more noise isn't the way to go. :2cents:

Those work by sensing the incoming sound, and then adding other sound to neutralize it by destructive interference.

In other words, they add more sound to cancel out sounds. The end result is you still have more sound entering your ears. Since hearing damage is an issue amount motorcyclists, maybe adding more noise isn't the way to go. :2cents:

yes, that is why i want a quieter helmet so i can turn the volume down a little.

ill still wear headphones for the sake of having music to listen to while riding.

They sell kits to get music in your helmet...

Of course you should wear earplugs anyway (now that's a challenge I'm fighting; I'm having difficulty finding any that will stay put).

However: http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/motorcycle-helmets.htm has a great variety of writeups on helmets of all makes, including ratings on noise.

There is not a very large difference in noise levels between a $100 helmet and a $1000 helmet.
There will be noise no matter what. Like others have said, wear earplugs every time you ride at highway speeds.
I also got an EXO-1000 to replace my HJC CS-R1. It is noticeably quieter, but it is still damn loud! I wear earplugs though so I don't care. There is no such thing as quiet when air is moving past your head at highway speeds.

Also, the flip down sun visor is OK, but it doesn't cover your whole field of vision with tint. The bottom portion of your field of vision is not covered because the visor does not come down far enough. I much prefer to wear polarized sunglasses. BUT, it does work wonders in a pinch when I'm not wearing my sunglasses and the sun suddenly comes out.

i wear headphones. i know its not better, but thats why i want a quieter helmet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XP8DJC/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000XPG2QI&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=033PQQSDJMCRZSFEN0H0

These.

Those work by sensing the incoming sound, and then adding other sound to neutralize it by destructive interference.

In other words, they add more sound to cancel out sounds. The end result is you still have more sound entering your ears. Since hearing damage is an issue amount motorcyclists, maybe adding more noise isn't the way to go. :2cents:

This is not true.

Active noise reduction cancels out sound waves with identical waves moved in phase. Sound reproduced by headphones creates negative pressure where there was positive created by noise, or positive where there was negative and there is no pressure difference for the membrane in the ear to react to.

Noise is literally canceled out, not masked by more noise. There are no disturbances of air to hit the ear, so you hear nothing. No hearing damage can occur, in fact it may be prevented this way.

edit: This is very different from turning up the volume of the song you are listening to to completely mask the external noise. That way of handling noise is dangerous and will result in hearing loss.
It works by exploiting adaptation of our senses, because our brain stops processing lower level noise and focuses on higher levels. The sound pressure on the ear is much higher however, and that is what causes damage.

I've only ever had 1 helmet, but from 35-55mph (my typical backroad cruising speeds) my Arai Vector-2 with all vents open doesn't bother me at all. With the vents closed it's even quieter. I haven't gone faster than 55 yet, but I'm sure it's not too bad at quicker speeds!

I have a shoei 1100, had it for years, was my first helmet. Just got a scorpion 400 couple months ago and I love it. I wear it all the time and its a lot quieter than my shoei.

If physically able, tuck in fully...eerie silence can be attained ;)
Also look into DB screens to reduce wind noise and buffeting...as to helmets, the more the vents, the more the noise, generally speaking. I have also heard helmets with cover plates on the sides (Icons,Arais, Soumys) tend to a bit more noisy than those without.

You could also try some different headphones. I was in the search for the absolute most isolating headphones to double as earplugs. I'm one of those that enjoys the 33db reduction earplugs and I cant stand it if it's only half inserted so I really liked the Etymotics ER6's and MC5's. They're not cheap although cheaper than a new helmet and can work with any helmet you want. They also come with several different sized tips so you can get a good seal and isolate very very well. I would put them on par with earplugs with music off. Often times I'll have the pause button easily accessible so I can adjust it without looking and stop the music when I'm in traffic or I need some silence.

Does anyone think people are stupid for listening to music on ear phones while riding? Some people think it limits there focus/ hearing ability like if someone honks or something.

Does anyone think people are stupid for listening to music on ear phones while riding? Some people think it limits there focus/ hearing ability like if someone honks or something.

I would venture to say that this is a per rider thing. To some music can invigorate a riders mood, elevate the threshold of acceptable speed as well as cause a "limited" disconnection from their riding environment. While others it could possibly "calm the savage beast".

I ride with earplug on right side and ear bud in left and accept the added risk.

I would venture to say that this is a per rider thing. To some music can invigorate a riders mood, elevate the threshold of acceptable speed as well as cause a "limited" disconnection from their riding environment. While others it could possibly "calm the savage beast".

I ride with earplug on right side and ear bud in left. I accept the added risk.

I'm asking if you think it will cancel noise that you need to hear outside of your helmet, like honking horns, screaching tires and what not.

But honestly (ask any woman).... If a man hears something that don't mean they will pay attention. hahahaha

Seriously though, a good media player and set of ear buds can drown out just about anything, with or without the helmet. So yea.... But I think its 80/20 about focus compared to volume.

im looking at getting a new helmet because the one i currently have is very loud ....

tell me about your helmet!

I have a Bell that was noisy until I supported the pad of the face and neck a little (trial and error), so no airstream goes by my ears at speed.

I'm in the camp of, sometimes it keeps you from hearing what you need to hear but the thing is, people in cars have a massive metal box around them that isolate them from majority of the noise around them. Then many people blast their music to earblowing volumes. As far as I am concerned 33db earplugs mimic the metal box isolation and then any music I add to it, is just like listening to music in a car. If I'm navigating in a car or on a bike, I pause the music but that's just me.

I think it's about the same as far as attention is concerned. If you like music, go ahead and listen to it. I've never "heard" anything that would make a difference... every encounter that needed a reaction was visual and touch sensory. Bumps in the road, vibrations from the engine at diff rpms, cars merging into my lane, etc. It's not like you can hear anything at highway speeds anyways with wind noise.

I have a Shoei Qwest and it seems pretty quiet. I'm a newb so I don't have another helmet to compare to.

I have the latest HJC modular helmet that is bluetooth ready. It has the internal sunvisor that you engage at top of helmet. I find it to be very comfortable and reasonably quiet. It is my second HJC modular helmet and I would/will buy a third.

well i went to two different dealerships and all they carried were HJC helmets or exo 400's. :(

Both my helmets are quiet if I stand up or sit straight up. This keeps the flow from the windscreen at my chest and not right at my neck/under the neck roll. (Icon Alliance, and Shark Race R Pro). Earplugs do wonders though, regardless.

I had a Xpeed XF105 and I have a Shoei RF1100, that Xpeed was so freaking loud even with ear plugs. With the Shoei though I can stay below 50 and I can still hear myself whisper.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XP8DJC/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000XPG2QI&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=033PQQSDJMCRZSFEN0H0

These.

I use http://www.amazon.com/Safety-99014-Blockade-Isolating-Earbuds/dp/B001HVC8QU AO Safety earbuds when mowing my grass and I've worn them at work too. These are serious 24db earplugs. I got mine from northern tool for $50 a few years ago, but they seem to have discontinued them. I have never put them on inside a helmet though... they stick out far enough that I worry they'll either get dislodged on the way in, or make taking helmet off painful (been there done that HA!). I suppose you could go up two sizes on the helmet so your earplugs would fit?? grin.

I guess I've never had a problem with them. They don't hurt of feel uncomfortable. They go in pretty far though. Not much is actually sticking out.

I'm asking if you think it will cancel noise that you need to hear outside of your helmet, like honking horns, screaching tires and what not.

Ear plugs attenuate external sounds. They do NOT block it all out. You can still hear sirens and honking. The SENA helment headset is more than loud enough to overcome my earplugs, matter of fact, it can get pretty loud thru my earplugs.. there are times when I have to turn down a phone call.

You can get the silicone ribbed shooter's ear plugs from walmart. They work best when lubricated with a little spit - ewww as my kids say. You can get the expanding foam type, but many people don't realize you are supposed to roll them between your fingers to make the diameter smaller. Once they are deep inside your warm ear canal, they expand. Takes about 30 seconds to seal up.

On a side note, I work in a manufacturing plant and we all just speak in loud voices to talk on the floor. My wife works for an insurance company who has this rule about "personal space" being 6 feet apart. This would be laughable at my job since we routinely lean in toward each other as if about to hug so we can speak in the other's ear (depending on just how excessively loud that part of the machine is. For us, brushing your teeth in the morning is more important than "personal space". lol.

I ordered a TMS helmet a couple of months ago.
Its a good starter helmet. It breathes pretty well. Plenty of airflow.
It is a bit "bobble-head" like in design, but most cheap helmets are unless you get one of the high end offerings.
Mine has an internal tinted visor and modular flip-up face portion.
I use both features pretty much every time I ride.
TMS FLIP-UP MODULAR MOTORCYCLE DUAL SHIELD SUN VISOR WHITE (http://www.ebay.com/itm/FLIP-UP-MODULAR-MOTORCYCLE-DUAL-SHIELD-SMOKE-SUN-VISOR-GLASSES-HELMET-WHITE-/140698700613?pt=Apparel_Merchandise&var=&hash=item20c24bcb45#ht_3616wt_1110)

Pro's:

style
fitment feels great. i can wear it for hours if needed
airflow
built-in sun visor
no fogging at all (yet) (riding in 60-90 degree weather)
so cheap you could custom paint it and not care if it gets goofed up
chicks dig it and almost always give me sexy eyes (true story) :o:cool:;):thumbup:


Con's

not the heaviest, but not the lightest either
external size is a bit big and gives the bobble head effect
built-in sun visor has a coating that makes me feel 8 feet tall while looking thru it. (i actually don't mind this effect as it adds to the enjoyment :cool: )
external/internal visor and flip-up face guard squeak a little.
noisy! Only quiet at low speeds. not too loud though.
whistles a little when you turn your head to either side when going fast


Just my $0.02 :D

Ear plugs attenuate external sounds. They do NOT block it all out. You can still hear sirens and honking. The SENA helment headset is more than loud enough to overcome my earplugs, matter of fact, it can get pretty loud thru my earplugs.. there are times when I have to turn down a phone call.

You can get the silicone ribbed shooter's ear plugs from walmart. They work best when lubricated with a little spit - ewww as my kids say. You can get the expanding foam type, but many people don't realize you are supposed to roll them between your fingers to make the diameter smaller. Once they are deep inside your warm ear canal, they expand. Takes about 30 seconds to seal up.

On a side note, I work in a manufacturing plant and we all just speak in loud voices to talk on the floor. My wife works for an insurance company who has this rule about "personal space" being 6 feet apart. This would be laughable at my job since we routinely lean in toward each other as if about to hug so we can speak in the other's ear (depending on just how excessively loud that part of the machine is. For us, brushing your teeth in the morning is more important than "personal space". lol.

Dood i was talking about headphones and music not earplugs....

If u get the exo 500 you will be happy with it. I currently ride with one and it is great but then again I also wear headphones, i only wear one though I never ride with both in. It has some wind noise while at 50mph+ but its not like unbearable and i can still hear the music with it only halfway up. Also the wind noise is mainly just the wind going over the helmet there isnt much difference whether the vents are open or closed. I paid $230 shipped to my door, I also ordered it from revzilla so when i got the wrong size they gladly shipped me an exchange for free.