dual sport lids - tour-x, BMW enduro

[jonH]

quite tempted by a tour x3, the long way down patterns are now discontinued so there are bargains afoot, however I've discovered the existence of the BMW enduro helmet.. anyone seen/tried one?

[BigFoot]

Have tried an X3 and was impressed, typical Arai Quality, but then stumbled across one of these

http://www.bici.co.uk/Models.aspx?ModelID=609366

If you can get past the brand (I admit I am an helmet snob of sorts!) than I am well pleased with it.  I found due to the fact the shape fits me so well that the Quality far outweighs the price.

The built in tinted extension to the peak also works really well in extreme light conditions,

That said, I've never found a Dual Sport lid that's as good as my Arai Viper if I'm spending all day in the saddle.  The increased wind noise and buffeting from the peaks means they do put extra strain on you at speed.

Hope this helps as I appreciate it doesn't exactly answer your question  

[jonH]

no probs, uvex do a reasonably cheap option too, which does look nice (there's also a carbon fibre version for a mind-boggling £470) but I have some share money coming my way - I already have a 'budget' lid in the shape of my HJC IS-16 which I do like so am tempted by a high quality lid whilst the money's there, just to see if there is any real discernible difference

[BigFoot]

Try the Shoei Hornet for size as well as the Arai - you often find that each will suite a different shaped head.  Just be careful on the Shoei if you wear glasses though as the padding is not particularly good for 4 eyes like me

[2112]

As a recent owner of a Tour X3 I can say it oozes quality and there are some cracking bargains to be had (mine cost £280 & included a tinted visor and delivery !!!). Shop around for a great deal.

[jonH]

Try the Shoei Hornet for size as well as the Arai - you often find that each will suite a different shaped head.  Just be careful on the Shoei if you wear glasses though as the padding is not particularly good for 4 eyes like me

I've tried a Shoei, the special channels for glasses just make my gigs wonky :/ not had an Arai on my melon for 11 years but it fitted well when I tried it  

[Iggy]

I've had a BMW Enduro lid for a few years now and like it a lot. Don't wear it every day as I have a couple of others, but amongst other things its done two long Euro tours.

I find it pretty quiet although I do wear ear plugs pretty much all the time on the bike and also find its nice and airy - so good in hot weather. The visor doesn't suffer from misting particularly in the rain and the peak is handy as a sun shield if you forget your Raybans.

With the sports screen on my StromX on its lowest setting and the peak set as far forward as it will go, I have no problems with either buffeting or my head getting ripped off and its all-day comfy for days at a time.

The whole insides come out for cleaning too.

Only issue I've had with it was finding an enormous and still living dragonfly wedged between peak and helmet one day after a 'What the hell was that!' type incident...........

Would have another no probs.



Iggy

[strom trooper]

I've got the boorman tour x3 and can't complain  about it on of the best lids I've owned. Had a glen richards hjc lid before and couldn't wait to get a different lid as it was very noisy had to tape up the vents on it. The Arai lid is brilliant for anyone like me who wears glasses. don't forget to try and haggle on the price I did and got it for £40 cheaper.    

[jonH]

thanks for the information everyone, it's much appreciated  

[jonH]

I've ended up ordering a long way down (blue) tour x3 from helmet city for £350. I emailed them and they only had 2 left in large (now 1   ) as it's a discontinued colour

info for anyone looking at getting a tour x3 - check out the nice new colours on araihelmet-europe.com especially the 'explore' designs - they look fantastic but I've not seen any uk-based websites offering them

[jonH]

well the lid has turned up, top marks for helmetcity's speed of delivery (they use a decent courier in ups too)

this is my first Arai and I was impressed with the size of the user manual until I saw how little of it actually applies to the tour x - nothing about how the rear vents work and after a quick google it appears I need a screwdriver to remove the visor to install the supplied pinlock insert! guess I'll still be using my old helmet on the way home tonight then..

I also seem to have two extra bits of plastic that I assume are applied if you remove the peak, but it's not mentioned anywhere, and there'sa little bottle of silicone lubricant for the eye trim rubber which is a nice touch

[2112]

I've just fitted the tinted visor I got with my X3, it's a bit of a fiddly affair and the plastic screws look as if they will snap/strip at the first opportunity !

[stangbanger]

I have been after an enduro style lid for a while and keep bailing out at the price of the Shoei and Arai ones, I've been looking up the cheaper alternatives and found a good few but until today never seen any in the shops.
RF lintons in ballymena have a load of them from HJC, AIROH Shoei, NITRO and Arai, the 3 cheaper brands are ranging from £99 for the nitro to £130 for the airoh ( hjc was £120 ) The hornet is 250 and the x tour was £300 ISH ( canct really remember now )

As far a feel goes the HJC was a huge disappointment it felt cheap as hell and I really didn't expect that, as soon as I lifted it it began to creak like the cheapest plastic on earth, also the visor at the front was 2-3 mm away from the seal on the chin bar. definitely a no go.
Both the airoh and the nitro felt good, perhaps the airo hwas a tad more plush, but the airoh lid has a 3 way curve to the visor and I don't think it would be possible to get a pinlock visor that would sit right at all, fairly confident that the nitro one would take a universal pinlock OK as its visor is at least straight ( up and down ways ) like a normal lids is.
another issue I seen with the airoh was there are 2 vents on the front that are straight through and a wee bit of mesh is all that's between your face and open air... I think this could make it a bloody cold lid on anything less than a wonderful summers day ( if we ever get one ) can anyone confirm that ???
The Shoei felt damned good and comes with the fully sealed pinlock and was reduced to £ 240 I'm very very tempted to get it but is it worth over a hundred quid more than the airoh or nitro lid?

I own an LS2 (rebadged Nitro) flip front lid that is fantastic apart from wind noise on the left side, and an X-lite 602 that's great and came to me at reasonable dosh but its not as comfy as the ls2 and I'm more and more thinking of selling the x-lite cos of this, it felt grand the day I bought it but I can't help feeling I should have splashed out the extra 60 quid that day for the tour x or hornet. I really an in an odd place and don't know if I should just go with the hornet or take a chance on the cheaper alternative??

[chrisreid]

I have a HJC multi, it is a new (ish) model, moto-x style, has removable chin guard, and is comphy, the best bits though are the internal flip down sun visor and peak... amazing how good these two things are when riding into the sun etc. Problem is that is all that is good about it, Both George and I took these on our trip and they were damn loud, the bolts holding the peak on broke on both helmets and there was no room for the autocom headset. but they are only £170 so can't complain and I loved the convenience of the sun visor so struggle to find a better helmet for the purpose as I don't like looking through a tinted visor all of the time and there are days when the light is constantly changing and I would not want to be without both peak and flip down visor.

[stangbanger]

yeah my ls2 has a drop down sunvisor and its handy as hell, when I'm wearing the xlite I miss that a lot, I don't think id like a constanty tinted visor though, but the hornet looks damn nice in white with the black visor !!!

[Juvecu]

stangbanger, check here relating price.