Where is a good place to get a decent helmet on a budget?

"ghosty - electric space wizard" (gh0sty501)
09/22/2014 at 12:01 • Filed to: None

I'm hopefully participating in my first !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in October but I don't have a helmet. Does anybody have any recommendations as to where to buy a decent helmet on a budget? Thanks for your time and here's some cars that are (impressively) not sideways:

DISCUSSION (15)

mcseanerson > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 12:04

What are the requirements? If DOT M will pass any motorcycle shop will do. If it has to be DOT SA that makes things tougher, especially since my advice is to try one on before you buy it.

Brian Silvestro > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 12:04

Amazon!

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Storz > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 12:10

www.soloracer.com

ghosty - electric space wizard > mcseanerson
09/22/2014 at 12:10

I'll need an SA sooner or later so may as well start there.

Alfalfa > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 12:11

Buy a car from someone who's about to be deported, and find the helmet that he left in the back.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 12:14

I bought my HJC AR10 II from a local shop, and their price was actually pretty much the exact same, often lower, as Amazon and anywhere else.

ghosty - electric space wizard > Alfalfa
09/22/2014 at 12:18

I'm sorry, but whatever joke you're making is going straight over my head...

ghosty - electric space wizard > Storz
09/22/2014 at 12:19

Thanks!

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 12:23

Helmets are really best shopped in person, especially your first one to get the fit right.

Find a local shop, automotive related is best, but if you only have motorcycle nearby, you can at least try some for fit. I see you want to jump right to a SA helmet, so you would need to then go online if you only have motorcycle shops.

What is your budget? There is such a wide range of price points for helmets out there, it will help give suggestions.

ghosty - electric space wizard > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
09/22/2014 at 12:26

Budget is I'm in college making $93 a week. I can spend bigger bucks on a helmet when I have a real job but for now I'm essentially looking for the cheapest full-face helmet I can find that isn't rampant with bad build quality.

If it helps I''m almost certain I'm a Medium as that's what fit best with loaner helmets I've used in the past.

Driving_Impaired > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 12:39

You're probably not going to find a better deal than Pyrotechs. I have one and it's not bad. I bought it based on the price and for my first track day because I didn't want to spend a lot on something that was a new hobby to me. (Of course I was hooked)

Anyway, one bit of advice I have is depending on your location, you might want an open face instead of full face (also not sure what the requirements are for drifting). FF can get hot and that was something I didn't think about though I should have since I live in Georgia! Knowing that now, and realizing how heavy helmets can be over the course of a track day/ a/x event, this will be my next helmet .

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 12:42

Ah, knowing from loaner helmets is also good.

If you just want something entry level, RaceQuip is pretty good. It's still Snell rated, and under $200.

Alfalfa > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 12:52

Haha that's okay, it's a little obscure. It's how Doug Demuro got his helmet.

Jayhawk Jake > ghosty - electric space wizard
09/22/2014 at 13:25

I bought mine at Revzilla. HJC CJ-17 I believe it is. $125 free shipping. I don't know what your budget is, but that seemed perfectly reasonable to me, and since I've done at least 2 autocrosses a month since purchasing it it was absolutely worth the money. SA2010 rated as well, so it'll last me a long time.

ghosty - electric space wizard > Alfalfa
09/22/2014 at 13:38

Oh gotcha, haha. I don't frequent the front page very often so I miss most of his stories unless someone posts them to Oppo,