Aha
True Yorkshire thriftyness
So Ian, if you don't mind .......
How much would it have cost without the discount ?
Just for research and future reference
Truth is helmets are generally the same material for all makers so there is real cost in the making of them, the only difference is in the time spent designing and testing them, classic example is my shoei xr1100, it's last years Tommy Hill colours so it was discounted to £275 and i got mates rates discount at the shop so that made it £250, this years model with new paint jobs is selling for £415 so the price is way over inflated for most helmets.
After 30 years of biking it's still a question I can't decided on. Expensive lid vs frequent replacement. The standard is the same on all of them (pretty much) and who can honestly say that AGV has a higher standard than Shark or another cheaper brand? We assume so because we want to to, but do we know?
they do have to but when my ex bought a kbc back in 2006 it got knocked of a coffee table and hit the floor and cracked.so being a cheaper lid i wasnt impressed when it went back turned out it was a manufacturing fault.not being funny but i cant imagine agv,arai,shoei or some of the other bigger companies having a problem like that.it was a one off fault but still only takes one.i still think you buy the best you can afford i trust agv with my head and life but at the end of the day as ive said in an earlier post the most expensive lid,leathers etc will not stop your neck snapping only good riding and watching everyone else on the road can stop that doesnt matter if your lid cost 500 quid or 50 quid thats the bottom line
I wear an Arai RX7 corsair and have owned it for six years, although it was expensive I do feel that I have had good value for money. I have had it serviced every year and during that time it has had the the inside rebuilt twice with new cheek pads and the skull pad, the mouth vent has been replaced, a new side pod fitted all for free. Arai after sales service is second to none.
bluesbiker In: Birmingham in th
Posts: 2510
Karma:
We live in a market economy. Driven by demand, you will always pay a premium for the latest and most popular helmets. Last years model wether it be a car, bike, helmet or anything else will be that much cheaper especially if any major changes are made like colours or design.
The orginal question was more to do with cheap nasty helmets at the lowest end of the market place. The £35 chinese imports.
Manaufacturers sell to importers. Importers sell to retailers who sell on to you. so by the time you buy it of course a fair amount of profit is made from the original manufacturing cost.
my concern is if you are paying £35 then how much did it cost to make it? I very much doubt that a lot of R&D was done.
i'll stick to my shoei
this is a great discussion , as we all know the helmet is the most important piece of kit we can buy . yes your helmet should be unece 22.05 approved . BS 6658 dissapeared in june 2000 . so if you got a blue or green sticker with bs 6658 on your helmet its time to throw it away .. cuz its now minimum 12 years old and max 27 years old . as you would have read in earlier posts 5 years is really the max to keep a helmet , less if its a poly carbonate one . The more you spend on a helmet the stronger it is .You will also find its lighter due to materials used . It will also deal with db levels (keeping them lower). if you want a fancy paint job (replica or not) its gonna cost you too .. . i recently had a cbt student produce a helmet to me at the school . It was obviously brand new but there were no unece 22.05 marks ( not uncommon) but there were no "e" marks either . usually sown into padding or the fastening strap . i asked where she got helmet from . she replied lidl " i got a bargain only £30" . unfortunatly for the student we could not legally carry on with cbt that day .
my advice is :- look online to find rrp of your desired helmet . note down the online price being offered . now go to a real shop and try on the said helmet , wear as long as possible . if it hurts try a different size or manufacturer . i personally cant wear agv helmets (they just dont fit my head ). ask for best price showing proof of internet price . but be prepared to pay more for proper human service .
once you got it , look after it , and do it up correctly .
.
i've had shoei helmets ever since my old griffin clubman fell to bits from daily use over a decade.....stuck with shoei ,not the quietist on the market ,but personal fit excellent,you can spend more on a lid but can you wear it 12 hours straight,my current one shoei raid 2,pinlock insert visor.paid £220 on amazon,free delivery,blue orb design .very happy.ta
I've had Arai's since the late 80's (wes cooley replica), I have an Arai Condor and a KBC (that ain't comfy) and have just purchased my first shoei xr1100 and it's the best helmet I've ever owned, light quiet, cool, and don't fog up.
Still messes the hair up though Lol.