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Ratings are a strange thing.
Because of the anatomy of the brain and the nature of concussions, it seems no one helmet can protect us against all possible impacts. (Well, I've heard you could make such a helmet, but it would weigh 50 pounds!) A helmet that could protect you from concussion and life-threatening injury at impact speeds of 100 MPH might fail miserably at 12 MPH.
The certifications have been steadily getting more stringent, which is good, but they have to cover a "this or that" protection scheme in many cases. Thus, an ECE helmet might do a great job of protecting you from most impacts, but not be as good at some others. A Snell helmet could be better at those impacts but not as good as the ECE in the first set of impacts. The sad part is we don't have a reliable set of info to make a more informed decision. At least, not that I'm aware of.
FLY Formula
I sure love mine
ATR-1 came before the ECE 22-06 cert. I believe 6D was involved in having rotational testing included in the 22-06 cert.
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I've been an Arai guy since 02 but after my last ride, I have to have a lighter helmet.
I’ve kicked around getting a new helmet. Currently last few years in a Bell MX-9, MIPS, DOT, ECE .05. It’s not a high end, but not lowest either. Bell seems to fit me pretty good but my MX-9 is a tick heavy but it’s a good helmet. As a back up I have a Leatt 3.5 or 4.5, can’t recall. I think I got the Leatt on a drunk buy lol, but it came with good googles for cheap. It fits too but not near the helmet my Bell is.
I’d like to try on a Fly Racing and Alpinestars too. I googled and Read Alpinestars and Bell have a similar fit. I need to research which Fly racing to try on. Not a lot of local options to walk into a shop, none around me have much of a selection. I do have a Cycle Gear 4-5 miles away, but many of their display helmets are small, Med etc.
If I catch a deal I may order a helmet or two and figure out which fits the best.
It sucks, but I agree. I love my Shoei but it is simply too heavy compared to other offerings.
Find a higher end helmet that fits good and rock that! I fit in a Shoei just fine, 6d's hurt my head but my buddy loves his!
Does anyone with the ATR 2 have any issues with the helmet rubbing on the back of their neck? Idk if my inner liner is not as puffy anymore as I have had the helmet for 5 years. Maybe I need a new liner..? But I wanted to know if anyone else had experience with this.
another interesting thing. Astars had a M-8 , the pads were compatible with the sm-10. I have one of each & could swap the pads back & forth. seemed like a good helmet for a 2nd tier price point. Lots of racers seem to buy them.
But they recently did away with the M-8 & launched an SM-7. I reached out to ask about if this is a replacement for the M-8 & it is NOT. Helmet pads are not compatible. I asked if this helmet is safe for Professional level racing. They said it is not specifically designed for a top tier professional racer like the SM10. Does not included MIPS. but they did say it is a high performance helmet.
I wonder if the m-5 would be better than the sm-7? I will ask & report back.
It's a totally different helmet than the old SM8 or current SM10 for sure. It has a more plush interior which I think will fit more people but the weight is nearly identical to the SM10. It definitely doesn't look quite as premium as the SM10 but it's a really nice helmet especially for the price.
Another note is the new SM10 cheek pads are different than the original SM10 and M8 but you can interchange them. The new ones are larger but they kinda bug my ears so I swap them for the ones from my older SM10's.
Never had that issue with my 5 year old ATR2. I bought a spare liner so I could switch them out on consecutive ride days to avoid starting the day with a sweaty helmet , so life is not 5 years like yours. Get yourself a new liner , that’s a great helmet.
I had a new sm10 and it botheredy ears too. Like there were holes in the pads for them, but in the wrong spot? Do the older pads help with that?
Yeah I much prefer the old ones. The new ones are ok if you’re riding short motos but I race off-road mostly and they really bugged me.
Pit Row
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