After the bike itself, you are likely to spend a bit of money on accessories and gear. Of these, your helmet is likely to be the most expensive—which is sensible to me because, after all, it protects your head. However, how much should you spend on a motorcycle helmet?
I advise spending as much as your budget permits, as a good helmet can be expensive but gives you so much more. Aside from better safety, good helmets also make your riding much more comfortable – think good paddings, noise control, internal visors, and more.
In this article, let’s talk about how much should you spend on a motorcycle helmet and what to look at when shopping for one. I’ll also show some all-rounder helmet models for all budget levels to help you shop. Let’s go.
What Makes A Good Helmet, A Good Helmet?
Before we discuss how much should you spend on a motorcycle helmet, let’s discuss what makes a good helmet. As a start, helmets can range very widely in performance.
You have helmets so bad you might as well just put a pail on your head and ride your bike, while you have those MotoGP riders swear by to protect their life, like AGV Pista GP RR.
AGV Pista GP RR Assen 2007: Buy on
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You can tell a good, OK, and bad helmets by looking at some of these areas:
- Build Quality & Material
- Weight
- Fit & Comfort
- Noise Level
- Ventilation
- Field Of Vision
- Certification
Build Quality & Material
Helmets can be roughly divided into three major layers: the shell, the impact absorption layer, and the padding/liner.
Shell: General helmets may use thermoplastics, which you may read as polycarbonate. Higher-quality ones may use fiberglass, while top-of-the-line helmets may use carbon fiber.
Impact Absorption Layer: This layer’s function is to help absorb as much of the impact as possible. Generally, EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) is the material of choice, although good helmets may use EPS of different densities to help absorb impacts better.
Padding/Liner: This is the layer you will see on the insides of your helmet. The main focus here is to provide a good fit while keeping you comfortable. Foams are common, although good-quality helmets may blend several foam types (EVA, upholstery, or more) for better fitting.
Weight & Balance
Good helmets can be significantly lighter than bad helmets. The weights are also distributed well, meaning good helmets may not feel heavier at any particular part.
This is usually achieved by using lightweight but dense material. You generally need fewer layers of fiberglass shell to achieve the same level of rigidity and protection as, say, thermoplastics. Premium helmets also combine different material types to help balance the overall weight of the helmet.
As a result, lighter helmets put less strain on your neck and shoulder, making them more comfortable to wear, especially for long rides.
Fit & Comfort
If you have tried some helmets, you can tell the difference between a bad and a good helmet. A bad helmet usually has little padding inside, meaning your head feels a little empty inside, without much cushion.
Your head may also get into direct contact with the EPS layer, with little padding supporting it. This means wearing the helmet will hurt a bit, and you are also likely to experience pressure on parts of your head, like the temple.
A good-quality helmet has thicker, dense, yet fitting padding. You can feel a good helmet fit easily; you should get that snuggly, well-protected feel once you put the helmet on.
Noise Level
One common issue when riding bikes is noise, particularly when riding at higher speeds. Good helmets are usually better at keeping the noise from coming to your ears than bad ones.
Good helmets cannot remove all the sounds, but they reduce the volume, thanks to the paddings and aerodynamic designs. Good helmets are also well-designed and built enough to reduce the amount of wind noise coming into your helmet.
Ventilation
Good helmets provide food fit and noise control while, at the same time, still allowing air to travel in and cool your head. Good helmets usually do this by having intake vents at strategic places, such as the brow area, to allow air to flow in.
There may also be an exhaust vent, where air can flow out from the helmet. High-quality helmets may have Venturi-style exhaust vents.
The air that entered these vents then flow through special groove lines in the paddings, to cool your head down. These lines are also likely to be far away from your ears to reduce wind noise.
Good and premium helmets also may have unique ventilation systems to help reduce fogging on your face shield.
Field Of Vision
Good helmets usually provide a wide field of vision, helping you see your surroundings clearly. Lower-quality helmets may not be able to do this well.
If they try to provide a larger vision field, the helmets may flex too much, especially on the chin bar area. This is because the lower-quality material may not have the structural rigidity required.
Good helmets also come with anti-fog and scratch-resistant visors, to help you see better in different conditions. There are also visors with tinted or photochromic features to protect you from the bright sun.
Certification
Finally, good helmets pass many more certifications than regular or bad helmets. When it comes to certifications, you may see several frequently mentioned by helmet makers:
DOT: DOT stands for the United States Department of Transportation, and DOT-certified helmets are certified safe by the USDOT.
ECE: Meaning Economic Commission for European, ECE-certified helmets are approved for use in the European Union. There are two major standards, the 22.05 and 22.06. 22.06 is the newer standard, replacing the older 22.05.
SNELL: Developed by the Snell Foundation, the Snell standard is generally considered the highest for helmets. You may see racing-ready helmets, usually Snell-certified, while road-use helmets only carry DOT or ECE certifications.
How Much Does A Good Helmet Cost?
Now that we have looked at how good helmets offer so much more in terms of safety, comfort, and performance, let’s talk about price. How much does a good helmet cost?
Generally, I would consider good helmets to cost you around $200 or more. This may be a general observation, but if you have tried on enough helmets, you may usually notice a ‘quality jump’ when the helmet crosses the $200 price tag.
Helmets in this price range fit better, make less noise, and seem to provide a better riding experience. From here, you can continue to add your budget until you end up with the top-of-the-line stuff.
Here, you can get all the fancy bells and whistles you wish, and the motorcycle helmet is usually made with premium materials like carbon fiber. Some of these premium helmets are also hand-made, such as from Arai.
These premium helmets may cost you $1,000 or more, with limited edition helmets fetching even higher prices.
How Much Should You Spend On A Motorcycle Helmet?
When it comes to how much should you spend on a motorcycle helmet, here is my short answer – as much as your budget permits.
I arrived at the answer to this question, “How much should you spend on a motorcycle helmet?” after considering a few factors that I think may influence your decision:
Safety
There is a reason motorcyclists spend good money on helmets—they are meant to protect the most important part of your body, your head.
This means you should choose the highest safety standards. The DOT standard should be the basic, while ECE certification would be better.
If you insist on nothing but the best, go for Snell certification, as it has the highest standard. Snell-certified helmets are usually quite expensive, which may be an issue if you are tight on the budget.
Features
Helmets come in many styles, features, and designs that may influence your decision. In general, a modular helmet would be more expensive than a full-face helmet, while open-face helmets may be the more affordable ones.
There are also features to think about. Good helmets may be full of features, like:
- removable chin bar,
- peak cap, or
- internal sun visors.
Decide whether you need these features, and adjust your budget accordingly. Some features may be more for vanity than practicality. I find features like photochromic visors a bit too expensive – I prefer to just wear my sunglasses instead.
Budget
Finally, how much should you spend on a motorcycle helmet may depend on the budget you have to work with. If you have not spent it all on your motorcycle, hopefully, you still have some money left to invest in your helmet.
My advice is to budget at least $200 for helmets, as I noticed anything lower than that may not get you a ‘satisfying’ helmet. You may be okay to wear it, but you may want to upgrade soon—a little too soon at times.
It may just make sense to spend a bit more and buy a better helmet right away that will last you years.
Best All-Rounder Helmets – Affordable To Expensive
The question how much should you spend on a motorcycle helmet can be very personal, depending on how much you can allocate. Here, I try to list several good all-rounder helmets that you can get within a budget range.
These are helmets that you can wear with many types of motorcycles and should work in many riding conditions.
HJC i71: Buy on
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HJC i71 ($)
HJC is a Korean motorcycle helmet maker. To me, the i71 is a versatile and comfortable helmet compared to competitors within its price range. This is a DOT-certified helmet, weighing 3.75 pounds (about 1.7KG)
The shell is made of polycarbonate composite and is available in three sizes. Inside, the helmet has removable and washable anti-bacterial interior pads. The pads also provide moisture-wicking and quick-dry functions.
I like how the i71 comes with quick and secure visor ratchet system with a push-release visor lock, a black dark smoke sunscreen, and a clear Pinlock-ready visor.
The helmet also accommodates glasses with a special groove along the temples, and is Bluetooth-ready for 21B & 50B systems (sold separately).
LS2 Challenger GT Carbon: Buy on
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LS2 Challenger GT Carbon ($$)
The LS2 Challenger GT Carbon helmet may work well for you at a higher budget range. This is a sport-touring helmet, meaning you should get more features and better comfort. The helmet is DOT-certified and has been developed with insights from MotoGP riders.
This light helmet is only 3.32 lbs (about 1.5 kg), as it uses a 100% carbon fiber shell. Inside, you get multi-density EPS for superior protection, with a removable and washable liner. The foams are laser cut, meaning better fit and comfort.
I like how this helmets are loaded with features that should enhance your riding comforts, like a drop-down sun visor, aerodynamic chin curtain, and breath deflector.
AGV Tourmodular Helmet: Buy on
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AGV Tourmodular Helmet ($$$)
I have always considered AGV one of the best helmet makers in the market, along with brands like Shoei. The Tourmodular helmet is a balance between AGV’s quality and price tag. We have also written a rather detailed review of this helmet.
The AGV Tourmodular helmet carries the ECE 22.06 certification and has an outer shell combining carbon, aramid, and fiberglass. The helmet is also aerodynamic, offering 0 dynamic weight at 80 mph (130 km/h).
The interior features Ritmo and Shalimar fabric, ensuring fast moisture absorption and sweat management for good comfort. You’ll also notice four front vents, one rear extractor, and removable, washable liners. The Tourmodular also accommodates eyewear well
Other fancy add-ons include:
- An integrated sun visor.
- Anti-scratch visors.
- A metal chin guard block system.
- An embracing neck roll profile.
Spend What You Can On Your Motorcycle Helmet
In this article, we looked at what makes a good helmet, how much it costs, and how much you should spend on a motorcycle helmet.
The short answer is to spend as much as you can, as good motorcycle helmets do not just protect your head, they also make your riding experience much better.
Now that you are here, you are probably seriously shopping for a helmet. In this case, check out some related articles:
- Best Full-face Motorcycle Helmets Under $500
- Best AGV Helmets
- Best White Motorcycle Helmets Under $400
Michael’s Summary and Conclusion
Information for this article was partially sourced and researched from the following authoritative government, educational, corporate, and non-profit organizations:
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