Just did the same upgrade N87 to N80-8 and like you finding it a little bit tighter than my N87 which was maybe a little loose ish(old), the new one pinches my ears on way in, and defo a tad tighter all round, which never happened with the 87 was hoping it would loosen up but an April dash to Le Mans covering 1k miles hasnt done it?
I have had a few Nolan helmets, they are not too bad for wind noise, and I never wear earplugs because I like to listen for any unusual noises that could be coming from the bike, you really can't get a completely quite helmet no matter how much you spend.
Very nice looking helmet indeed, @David Cooper! I hope it's working well for you. Regarding the helmet vs. head size matchup, I'd say that maybe your brain is getting bigger. It reminds me of a line in Pulp Fiction...."Look at the big brain on Brad."
My helmet is prolly over twenty-five years old. It's been repainted several times to match various bikes. It's red now to match my Speedy. I don't recall the make. The trim around the rim has been reglued several times. There's no padding, per se. There's just a thin, cloth liner over the inner Styrofoam and it's falling out. It's such a POS I never worried about it getting stolen. I just hung it on the bars. I decided to treat myself to a new helmet. I bought a Bell. They are supposed to be pretty good helmets, so I hear. The first thing I noticed was its size. It is huge compared to the old pot. I look like an astronaut wearing it. Don't like that much. Guess I'll have to get used to the look. It is very well padded and comfy. I haven't decided if I'm going to paint it. It's black, which matches the fenders. And I bought one of these, now that I have a helmet worth stealing.
I somehow think your red helmet wouldn't pass legal regs over here. There's a British helmet company called Davida that make open face helmets with a smaller shell size. Dunno if they sell in the US, but I doubt you'll want to buy another now you've got the Bell.
I wouldn't trust those locks too much in town. Quite a few years ago, I was attending technical college and had a red Centurion full face helmet. To avoid carrying it around all day I locked it onto the bike with a similar factory fitted lock to what you have in your post @Fork Lock Returning at the end of the day, around 21.00, someone had chopped the strap and borrowed it . I walked 2 mile to the Police station, reported it, then caught a bus home. I retrieved my spare off road helmet and caught a bus back, walked the return 2 miles and collected the bike to ride home. This was 1984 and probably far more risky now. Hard lesson learned! p.s. the police advised me a few days later, my helmet had been recovered and could I come to collect it...... what good was it now?
I've had several Bell motorcycle helmets, @Fork Lock, and some bicycle helmets, too. Overall I really like them but the Shoei's fit me just a bit better and are also a bit more quiet. If you ever get a full face, Bell's "Transition" shield works fantastic--it gets nearly as dark in the sun as my shields that are Dark Smoke and at night it's so close to clear it's amazing. I hope you enjoy your new helmet! I got curious about state helmet laws after reading the post from @beerkat. Here's what I found. Pretty interesting! The site had links to every state but I just looked at Arizona and New Jersey. Here's the actual link: https://lawtigers.com/resources/helmet-laws/
Yeah, Jersey is a "Nanny State." They feel the need to protect us from ourselves. When I ride with friends over to Pennsy or down to Delaware, the first thing they do after crossing the bridge is pull over and take off their helmets. I can't. Having investigated a few MC crashes when I was an officer, I believe they can save your brain from seeing the light of day or keeping your face from being ground off sliding on asphalt. That being said, although I will always wear a helmet, I also believe it should be one's choice. The state should not regulate risk taking. They justify this by saying not wearing a helmet effects everyone when a rider is injured due to insurance and hospital costs. Well, in that case they should ban skydiving, bungee jumping and skiing. Softball injuries cost Americans more in hospital bills than motorcycling injuries. Jersey will never repeal its helmet laws. However, they did do away with the annual state vehicle inspections for motorcycles, which included inspecting the helmet to ensure it was up to specs. People wear all kinds of worthless crap now (they call them "novelty helmets") that likely wouldn't be much help. OK rant over.
@Fork Lock Tend to agree to an extent. But think it very sensible to protect the old noggin. Know a few people who rode when the law here was more relaxed who had a spill and never were the same people again
You might have missed it in my post, but I not only think it sensible to wear a helmet, I also think those who choose not to are daft. I just think that the state shouldn't regulate risk-taking and require it. I always have and always will wear a helmet, whether required to or not.
No my friend i have read and understand what you are saying. But sometimes it has to be enforced for a time just till people get sensible and look after their brain matter. But then over here it is and has been mandatory for some years now. And like you i do want to be as safe as i can.
