HJC lids?

[Lucky]

i'm looking at an HJC lid (CL14 in black) http://www.hjchelmets.com/cl14_solid.htm#
with a gold shield (colors match the bike)

how do you who've had HJC like them? what's good about them? what's bad about them? the price is in my range (but about $20 more in my local shop) the fit felt good too. i must have a funny shaped head (quiet!) because the $400 lids don't feel right, & i need to replace my $50 hardware store lid (yup it's at least DOT rated...)

Thanks, --Lucky

[silicon_toad2000]

according to one of our local biker mags Australia Road Rider, the main difference between expensive lids and cheap lids is the wind noise.
Will they let you take it for a test run Lucky, get some speed and stick your head into the airstream from behind that sexy fairing and see what you can hear, make sure there is less windnoise than your current lid.

[Lucky]

my el cheepo lids seem to always have had similar foam and thickness of padding, but they lack in asthetics, i.e. poor cooling & crappy sheild mechanisms. ?i realize that practicly anything but a beanie will get a DOT rating, but on my budget, finding one that fit correctly for under $300 was a challenge. ?wind noise, surprisingly, was never much of an issue. ?go figure.

[Extent]

Yup, the big difference between the expensive lids is brand and "features", better venting, less wind noise, "racier" look.  Getting something that fits properly is paramount, and getting something that is Snell rated (IMO) never hurt anyone either.

While I don't know anything about HJC in particular, I have read that KBC lids have a tendency to split apart in impacts, and HJC has always been the first alternative recomendation for helmets in that price range.  Take that FWIW.

[louthepou]

I'm with you guys. From what I've read and my experience, expensive lids don't save more lives than cheap ones. But they may look better, feel better, and better resist low impact (like dropping it on the pavement when filling up at the gas station). My advice: find a lid that feels right, just snug enough all around; this means it's fitting right and so will do its job well should there come the day (ask our own Superfly).

Louis

[MotorPlow]

Lucky,
I ride with an HJC Helmet.  I like it, it gets the job done, no bells & whistles.  I bought mine from //www.dkebay.com - Dennis Kirk's Scratch & Dent Sales.  I don't remember the model that I have, it doesn't look like the one your looking at.  I paid a whopping $25.00 for mine, plus shipping.  The scratch/dent was that one of the vents would not stay open/closed.  Still doesn't, but it doesn't bother me.

Enjoy,
Chris F.

A $25 helmet for my $25 head.

[kiawrench]

Lucky--
 
 ? ? ?I know I kid you a lot, but when it comes to helmets my preference is based on my wife's ER experience!!
 ? ? open face is good for those who dont have any family
 ? ? full face is great ,best you can buy in some brands-protect well and are relatively easy to find a good fit with
 ? ? but my choice ,and i will explain , is modular helmets.
 ?Fulmer makes a dot/snell certified lid see at jc whitney.com,first page of the helmet line up, ad reads"electro deluxe triple vented full face modular" or something close to that . electro is sub line made by fulmer.
 ? ? My reasons for the modular are relatively sound:
 the helmet is easy to put on, no squeezing in,no removal of glasses , in cold weather , a helmet liner can be worn without ripping your ears off, one button unlock and the entire front lifts up so that i can speak to a police officer if need be(has come up a time or six ).
 ? ? ?My wife's reasons are just as sound :
 ?a modular helmet can be removed in an emergency (ie,you are not able to remove it yourself) without causing additional damage in event of accident. ?This will prevent additional damage to face/neck ?due to the ease of removal(they wont have to cut it off,or pull it back off of head )
 ? ? ? slip down to your local bike store, or to jc whitney site, give this thing a look,, ?if you wear glasses, they will thank you for the help,as will your family .
 ? oh,,, hjc makes a great helmet, a bit pricey in some lines, but i cant buy one that fits right xs is too tight, s is too loose
you can see this same type of helmet on the same site you posted,,, scroll down to listing for cl-max full face modular

[EH]

I wear an HJC CL10 and overall it is very good. No neck strain after hours of riding, simple shield. My one complaint is wind noise. The ventilation system exhausts low in the back of the helmet and is close to my ears. I hear a roar with the forehead vent open and if I cover the exhaust openings it goes away. I keep these vents closed and I usually ride with the shield about a half inch open and it is fine.

[h2olawyer]

Lucky -

I have the HJC CL-14 (silver metallic to match my bike) & I am very pleased with it.  I tried on the big names - Arai, Shoei, Suomy & they didn't fit me either.  Maybe we've found a Vision constant - odd shaped heads?  I've found mine to be very comfortable & well ventilated.  The fit is fantastic.  Just a slight but even pressure everywhere - no tight spots.  It does have some wind noise but I don't really notice it too much as I normally wear ear plugs when I ride.

The main problem I've had is the face shield fogs up almost no matter the temp or humidity.  It only happens at slow speed or when stopped & cracking the shield open to the first click cures it instantly.  I'm trying to find the breath box they say is available for it but NOBODY seems to have!?!

Also, the padding is not totally removable.  Only the cheek - ear pads come out for easy cleaning.  Kind of nice to be able to get the helmet smelling nice once in a while!

I traded up from a Bell Tourstar II that I bought with the bike all those years ago.  That sucker was hot, heavy & noisy.  Only vent on it was the faceshield.  The foam - such as it was - was hard even when new & it never really fit well.

I've had the HJC for about 2 years now & I would readily buy another.  I think it's an excellent value & a very well made helmet.

H2O

[jasonm.]

Fit is everything. I have a $400 lid and a $150 lid. The $400 I made sure fit perfect. The $150 fits great too. But you need to go to a dealer and try them on. There are different shapes to hemlets because there are different shapes to people's heads. EX. Arai, one of the most expensive helmets, takes the effort to make their lids in different interior shapes(models) to match YOUR head. I found the same differences with HJC's. Don't get anything just due to a great price.

[Extent]

H2O, I've got a FogCity insert on the shield of my RF1k and it absolutely cures the foging up problem 99% of the time in all conditions.  I've only once or twice managed to get the shield to fog, and even then it clears very quickly.  It may get kind of expensive if you have a habit of changing shields alot (1 insert per) but properly installed I think it's well worth it.

[supervision]

   I bought my new dirtbike helmut off Bellhelmut.com     I got a deal on a leftover  expensive helmut, it's very light    For the street I like to make sure the fit is good and also not too heavy.  also a shield with multible clicks on face shield.  My current helmut is a Shoei X-8, I can't believe it but I've had it 15 years!  At the time it was supose to be quite, I couldn't tell, I wear ear plugs part of the time.   I am noticing those full face flip open helmuts are becomeing more affordable...One of our friends came here from Austria with one of those, at first I thought they were funny, after watching him use it I might get one!   If I only buy rarely a few dollars makes  very little difference..  Dave

[h2olawyer]

Thanks for the report on the Fog City insert, Extent.  I've been considering one.  I don't have any problems with goggles & glasses fogging when I ski but I have good chemicals for that.  Don't want to use them on the face shield - just following manufacturer's recommendations.

One more bonus for the CL-14 I forgot earlier.  The face shield opening is very large & using glasses with the helmet is very easy + they aren't squeezed at the temple like I've experienced with other helmets.

H2O

[Lucky]

Jason, i'd never buy a helmet without trying it on. I might order one in a different color, but only after checking it out first.

I like the idea of the flip up for the reasons you mentioned Kia: easy removal if an EMT needs to pull it, & the glasses thing, plus they HJC's are only $10 more. i'm marginally concerned that the flip-up might not take as big a hit as a one piece.

The fogcity insert, are you talking about the electric shield they mention on the replacement parts for the CL-14?

Ed, i checked them out at Razee's, i'll have to stop in at Bobby D's & see what they have for the $$$.

wind noise hasn't been much of a problem since i put on Humbers windshield. a little taller with a slight flip-up at the top.

Thanks all! --Lucky

[fiddlesticks]

[
 ? oh,,, hjc makes a great helmet, a bit pricey in some lines, but i cant buy one that fits right xs is too tight, s is too loose

I have the same problem with my hjc. xs too small s way too big. I also find them noisy. I have 1  small hjc and 1 xs Arai and after buying the arai I noticed how cheap the hjc feels. It is noisier but mostly the interior of my arai is so soft and plush where the hjc is much rougher. Which becomes a problem because the small is so big that the helmet starts to lift on windy days and it scratches my face. Just my 2 cents

[ProfessorRex]

I bought an Shoei RF-1000 it was more money then I had wanted to spend, However, it is snell rated, extremely lite, very quiet, and well ventilated.  I decided that the continuation of proper brain activity took priority over many other things that I would otherwise spend money on.

I tried on the CL-14 it fit almost as well, though it was heavier, and not Snell rated.  It IS snell rated! It's a good value, and I've heard nothing but good things about HJC.

[h2olawyer]

Rex -

The CL-14 IS Snell M2000 rated. ?The sticker on both the exterior & interior verify it. ?That was one of the criteria I had before buying a new helmet. ?It has also been checked by BMW club of Colorado for use in autocross. ?They require Snell M2000 rating for all helmets used in their events.

I didn't have a set price when I shopped, I wanted the best fit I could find. ?HJC won by a large margin for me.

Lucky - The fog City anti-fog shield is not the HJC electric one.  Here's a link to their website: http://www.modernworld.com/cgi-local/loadpage.cgi?user_id=2894&file=index.htm

H2O

[ProfessorRex]

Oh nice, my bad, I was going off luckys post that said DOT rated, in that case, I say go for it Lucky.  I was in between the HJC and the Shoei, the Shoei fit me best, and I waited untill I got a killer deal.

I edited my earlier post to reflect this info

[Blake]

Hey Lucky,

I have that exact model but in a blue prime model (http://www.hjchelmets.com/cl14_prime.htm#)

picked it up for about 150 at the local bike shop around dc (and that was still a little over priced).  but it fits perfectly and really comfortable and not all that loud..  defiantely would get one again.



Blake

[hfarley]

Lucky,
I own the HJC CL-14 Fuse graphocs helmet in Red. I love it. I tried all the different helmets on in the store and walked around with them on my head for about 10 minutes each and out of all of them HJC fit me best. I find it very comfortable to ride in and no pressure points. I remember when I was younger the helmet I had for my dad's bike was either too big or too small depending on which one I wore. It feels good to finally have one that fits me just right. I also noticed thought that the different styles of HJC helmets fit me differently so you may want to take that into consideration. Good luck and let us know what you end up with!
-Heather