I'm planning on doing the team continental course on 3/23 and am looking for a place to buy a helmet in Portland. I don't want to spend too much, hopefully looking to spend under $200 on an open face helmet. I like the G Force ones I've found online but I'd like to try a helmet on before I get one.

 

Not quite Portland:

Safe Drives, LLC
http://www.safedrives.com/products.asp?cat=81
Scappoose, Or. 97056
1.877.739.1713
toll free or 503.543.8238
Business Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 5:30PM Pacific Standard Time
Closed
Saturday and Sunday

 

I have heard some good things about Safe Drives as well and I know that they are very involved in the Subaru World....I am sure they will respond well by email as well as phone. Good luck in your search

 

Just about any motorcycle shop should have more choices than you could shake a stick at.

Zip

 

OSUBeaver,

I'll be at that school as well! I also don't have a helmet at this time but will be borrowing a very good one from a friend. When I do buy a helmet I will be spending at least $200 on it. The “brain bucket” is the one piece of safety equipment that you shouldn’t try and save money on, that and your safety belts.

Just my two cents.

 

great, thanks for the safedrives info, scapoose is close enough, gives me an excuse to drive down logie trail! I guess I can check some bike shops as well.

That's cool that you'll be at the school too. It's my first time so I'll be taking the class as well. A couple of guys from my work are going, I'm really excited.

I'm not necessarily trying to be cheap with the helmet, I'm just not sure if I need to spend $400 on one. From mountain biking and road bike experience a more expensive helmet might be lighter, more ventilation, and have a more advanced retention mech, but I wouldn't consider them any safer in a crash.

Maybe I'll do a little more research on what the more expensive helmets provide, but I'd assume if they are SA2005 rated they are safe. Hopefully the people at the store can steer me in the right direction (hopefully that direction is away from the arai helmets )

 

I would think light weight might save your neck a little trouble if you do crash, but if your biting it at track speeds, who knows? I'll be going to Pro Drive this year, I suppose I better find a helmet too.

OSUBeaver--You said you may want an open face style--any particular reason? I wouldn't know the benefits of open or covered.

dan

 

You don't need a $400 helmet. A $200 helmet is every bit as good.

Being a motorcycle rider and enthusiast, I have been using full-face, open face (3/4), and beanies for about 25 years. Any brand name, DOT or Snell certified full face will protect your noggin in a get-off. Being in a car, your head will more than likely not crash into pavement, and these helmets will do the job properly for you.

There has always been the idea that cheaper helmets, usually made of ploycarbonate plastic, rather than fiberglas or kevlar, or a blend, are not up to the job. They are. Motorcyclist magazine did an industry-shaking article last year that found that the best helmet for keeping your brains from turning to mush inside your head was an inexpensive, polycarb Z1R. This helmet, due to its design, construction, and most importantly - materials - actually slowed the head down more gradually _after impact_ than the way more expensive fiberglas models.

I used to wear Shoeis - one of the industry's acknowledged top brands. Now I wear KBC and Icon - both poly carb shelled, very comfortable, and way less $$. And I have no doubts they are every bit as good safety-wise as anything else out there.

The KBC was under $200, and the Icon was just under $300, but it has some pretty wild graphics on it. I can get the same model Icon in a solid, matte finish color for as low as $99 right now (clearance by an internet vendor), and it's a great quality helmet.

Zip

 

What you need to do is get hold of TC and see what their tech inspection requires as far as certification. They may well require road race certification, in which case you do NOT want to go to a motorcycle shop. Every helmet has a tag in the helmet interior (sometimes under a pad) with the safety certification (if it doesn't don't buy it).

If you go to or call this store, they'll probably know:
RACE CENTRAL, 503-283-7015. 709 N Columbia Blvd Portland, OR 97217

Here's TC's website:
http://www.teamcontinental.com/

the school page just says Snell 80 or newer, but it does say if it needs to be SA, M or MA.

 

Snell ratings come in a variety of specifications.
For car events usually they require M or SA ratings with the M2005 and SA2005 being the latest available for many current helmets.

M95 and M2000 or SA95 and SA2000 helmets may also be acceptable but not many helmets for sale today are rated M95 or SA95 since that was the standard from 1995. Some new helmets that are being closed out will be rated M2000 or SA2000.

M rating is for motorcycles and SA for autoracing. Check with your event for the requirements.

http://www.smf.org/
Click on M2005 or SA2005 to get the listing of the approved helmets.

Prices vary for features, colors, weights, and brands.
HJC makes some moderately priced well made helmets of all styles.

For motorcycle helmet reviews see
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcyc...le-helmets.htm

Note-
Sometimes sizes do vary from one model to another.
The shape of your head is also very important for proper fit.

 

The point being that he needs to get a helmet that will AT LEAST pass TC's tech standards for a school day, and he needs to know what those standards are first (often schools or track days have lower requirements than full race days). Going out and buying a motorcycle-rated helmet, if TC requires a road race helmet, will mean he wasted money.

 

I'll second this notion about Race Central. It is a good resource. They often do trackside support on SCCA days.