[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]Wait, let me restart my heart…NT$16,000 for a helmet? You must be joking. That’s more than the cost of some second-hand bikes.
I don’t know where this mystical NT$5,000 limit came from, but I’d say that any helmet (excluding those silly helmet-caps) are better than nothing.
That seems a lot of dough for a helmet. I understand the protection aspect, but do you also wear full leathers and gloves and boots? I didn’t think so. Seems like helmet overkill to me.[/quote]
What I wrote before bears repetition;
“3: From a safety point of view, the International Motorcycle Safety Conference 1990 found that “A cheapo $70 helmet offers protection very close to what you get from a $300 helmet with similar coverage” (paraphrased on a page on VFR safety; cs.wisc.edu/~john/vfr/hurt.html ) My $3000NT M2R claims to be Snell approved; as M2R export to other countries, I don’t think they’d want to lie about that.”
The M2R gets its safety by using thick, heavy materials. It is not particularly well ventilated. But I have worn it for several hours at a time without discomfort. It’s important that people are not put off by the price of a top-range helmet and realise that reasonable protection can be had for around 3000NT and upwards. Of course helmets costing more will probably offer some increase in safety as well as greater comfort, but if you can’t afford more, this level is a good starting point.
I am also happy with my AXO helmet, which cost 10,000. This Italian brand is worn by some pro. racers. It fits me well; much better than the Arais and Shoeis that my local shop had (although as Hexuan pointed out on another thread, shops in Taipei sell the full range of Arais and Shoeis to suit all head shapes). It is fairly light and well ventilated.
Another brand worth looking out for is Suomy. They have had good reviews such as the one here;
motorcycle.com/mo/mcbeware/suomy.motml
The only Taiwan dealer contact details I can find, though, are the unlikely-sounding;
Sunshine Oil International Co. Ltd.
Hsin Sung N. Road, 4-1F, no.108
Taipei
Tel. 0088 6289233958
I haven’t contacted them; I’ll be interested to hear the response if anyone does.
I wear a Cordura mesh jacket with CE-approved armour in the elbows and shoulders, and ankle boots, when riding at any time. On longer rides, I also put on my Cordura pants with knee and shin armour, and wear leather gloves. I’m looking into getting some hip armour as well.
If one really only has a limited budget to spend on protective gear, though, the majority of that should go on a helmet. I was talking to a surgeon the other night. He told me that the majority of motorcycle accident injuries requiring surgery were either head ones, requiring neurosurgery, or leg ones. Of course leg injuries, especially to the knee or hip, could be complicated and very painful, but one would survive. That is not necessarily the case with head injuries.