Best Motorcycle Helmets 2020
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TechTranscript
00:00Spurgeon here with Brandon to welcome you to our top picks for the best motorcycle helmets
00:14of 2020.
00:15Now today we have six categories for you to consider ranging from $200 to over $700.
00:20Now to determine our winners within a given category, we evaluated the construction, build
00:25quality, comfort, as well as the safety of each of these lids.
00:28And all the helmets that we're going to discuss today are going to have an intermediate oval
00:31head shape, except for our pick for the most evolved modular helmet, which is going to
00:35have a round oval head shape.
00:37Now if you're a new rider, take a look at our how to size and buy helmet video to understand
00:41how to measure your head to determine helmet size, as well as head shape before you purchase
00:45a new lid.
00:46Let's now bring on our best helmet under $200, the SIDISHI STRATA 2.
00:51Now in an effort to beat out some of our overzealous YouTube commenters down there, yes, SIDISHI
00:56is one of our exclusive brands.
00:58That being said, we couldn't ignore the massive improvements made to the STRATA 2.
01:02Now the previous version of the STRATA was SIDISHI's most popular selling helmet, but
01:06there were some areas where Brandon and I both felt left room for improvement.
01:10For 2020, SIDISHI went back to the drawing board and they redesigned this helmet from
01:13the ground up with a slew of innovative changes.
01:17One of the things that it does carry over, however, that we really liked from the last
01:20version is a fiberglass shell with Kevlar reinforcements running down the top.
01:24This is going to work to keep it lightweight yet protective.
01:27What's changed is pretty much everything else.
01:30That's right.
01:31Now SIDISHI is using an entirely new mold to give this helmet a more modern and refined
01:34look and feel.
01:35As you can see, the helmet has a new pinlock ready face shield with a quick release mechanism
01:39to take the shield on and off without having to rely on those side pods, which tend to
01:44fall off.
01:45I hated those things, so I definitely like the new redesign there for sure.
01:48So they've also redesigned the vent system, which is going to work to reduce noise, weight.
01:54It improves the venting as well as overall comfort for the rider.
01:57Speaking of comfort, you now are going to have five millimeter pads that can be placed
02:01on the inside of the forehead or the temple so you can customize the fit.
02:05So if your head shape isn't an exact intermediate oval, you can really make this work for you.
02:09Now at $200, you have your choice between the Strata without a drop down sun visor,
02:14and that's going to be rated for DOT and Snell, or you can get it with a drop down sun visor
02:18and that's going to be DOT EC.
02:20That's pretty impressive.
02:21I mean, under 200 bucks, you've got a lot of versatility and it is night and day from
02:26the previous generation of that helmet.
02:27So I think they did a really good job.
02:29Now our next pick, this is for the People's Choice Award.
02:32Can I get a drum roll, sir?
02:34This is a big one.
02:36And that's going to the Icon Air Flight coming in around $250.
02:41The Icon Air Flight was first introduced in the spring of 2018.
02:44Now it takes the cake for our People's Choice category because you guessed it, it was the
02:48most popular selling helmet in RevZilla in 2019.
02:51Now it has an aggressively styled polycarb shell that was inspired by that kind of classic
02:56bubble shield look here with the shield, but obviously it has a bit of a modern twist.
03:00You can see it's a bit more unique with the face shield.
03:02It sits over the chin bar.
03:04You've got some cutaways there, so it doesn't restrict the airflow.
03:07Now the Air Flight can be completely altered to match your style preferences by mixing
03:11and matching the face shield, of course, as well as the rear spoiler.
03:14So you've got a lot of variety there with the colors and Spurgeon, I know you're no
03:18stranger to Icon's wild and crazy graphics.
03:20I am not.
03:21Actually, I'm smiling while Brandon's talking about this because this is my personal helmet
03:24in my personal graphic.
03:25This is the inky graphic, and it was my favorite.
03:28As you can see, if you want a giant squid on the back of your helmet, Icon has you covered.
03:32And I also took advantage of the wide variety of different colors.
03:35You can go with the face shield.
03:36Yeah.
03:37At $250, the Air Flight features the same removable hydro-dry liner that you're going
03:41to find in their top of the line Airframe Pro.
03:44Now it also comes with a DOT and ECE safety rating, and then you do get an internal sun
03:49visor on the inside as well.
03:51Always a nice touch.
03:52Nice to have that.
03:53Just keep in mind that if you do want to go with one of the crazy graphics, it is going
03:55to run you a few more dollars over the solid colors.
03:58But that is going to wrap up our pick for the Icon Air Flight as our People's Choice
04:02Award.
04:03Let's move on to our next helmet, which is the most evolved modular helmet.
04:06And the winner is the Shark Evo 1-2 helmet coming in around the $430 price point.
04:12Now, the biggest takeaway here is that Shark updated this helmet based off the feedback
04:16they received on the previous Evo line models.
04:19The Evo 1-2 is going to maintain that same injected thermoplastic shell, however, it's
04:24now available in two different shell sizes.
04:27And what this means for you is that it's going to be a lighter, more comfortable helmet coming
04:31in around three pounds, 12 ounces in a medium, compared to the previous version was around
04:36four pounds.
04:37You'll also find an improved internal sun visor.
04:41Now one of the things that people really love about this particular helmet is that the chin
04:45bar goes all the way back and can be worn in that three quarter open face position.
04:50Pretty unique design there.
04:51And it's also DOT safety rated in both the open as well as that closed riding position.
04:57Pretty, pretty cool there.
04:58Now keep in mind the Shark Evo 1-2 is going to be the most comfortable for riders with
05:02a round oval head shape.
05:04So there you go.
05:05The most evolved modular helmet for 2020.
05:08Now our next pick is going to be for the best street helmet.
05:11And the winner is the AGV K6 coming in around $480.
05:18This thing is such a good looking helmet.
05:20It's an awesome lid.
05:21Now the AGV K6 helmet debuted in 2019 and we love that, you know, someone finally stepped
05:27up to the plate to challenge the Shoei RF 1200.
05:30Now for the past few years, the Shoei has been the helmet to beat when you consider
05:33the price, style, quality, as well as the safety.
05:37With the AGV K6, I mean, really, they're finally giving a run for their money, especially in
05:40that sub $500 price point.
05:42Yeah, I mean, I love the RF 1200, but that's a helmet that came out when I started working
05:46at RevZilla, which I think was like six years ago.
05:48So I couldn't agree with what Brandon's talking about more.
05:51The K6 checks all the boxes.
05:52It's going to feature a carbon aramid shell.
05:55It's going to have four different shell sizes.
05:56The shell is also slightly less aggressive than what we typically see from AGV, which
06:00means it's just aimed at a wider audience.
06:02Therefore it's going to work for a variety of different riding positions, making this
06:05an excellent pick for street use, regardless of the motorcycle that you're riding.
06:09Now the redesigned face shield mounting points are very easy to use and they're the smallest
06:13I've seen.
06:14So that's going to help.
06:15Out of any helmet, pretty much.
06:17So the AGV K6, speaking of weight, is insanely lightweight.
06:21It's two pounds, 14 ounces in a medium large and features a DOT and ECE safety rating.
06:27I think that's the one thing that most people will notice when they pull this out of the
06:29box is it feels incredibly light.
06:33Now the shield is very thick with strong detents and the pinlock insert is included in the
06:37box.
06:38This thing packs a serious punch.
06:40They really, really crush it.
06:41Yeah.
06:42AGV knocked this helmet out of the park.
06:43So if you're looking for the best street helmet of 2020, AGV K6.
06:47But now it is time to move on to our next pick and this is going to be the best new
06:51dirt bike helmet for 2020.
06:53I'm going to let Brandon talk about this one because he's actually been using this helmet
06:56for the past year, but I get to announce it.
06:58The winner is the Fly Racing Dirt Formula Helmet coming in around $650.
07:04Now I could probably talk about this helmet all day long.
07:07I love this helmet and I have been using it for quite some time.
07:09You just got to talk about it for about 35 seconds, bud.
07:11I'll refrain.
07:12I'll refrain.
07:13Now the Fly Racing team took a step outside of their comfort zone and created a top of
07:17the line contender with the new Dirt Formula Helmet.
07:20This is one of the best dirt helmets I've ever ridden in and it quickly became my favorite
07:23this year, as I mentioned.
07:25It features a full 12K carbon shell that is incredibly strong, yet impressively lightweight.
07:30Only weighs two pounds, 13 ounces in a medium.
07:33Now coupled with a comfortable interior liner, this is a helmet that can be worn all day
07:37with minimal fatigue.
07:39This is so light.
07:40If you check out the detailed product video that I did on this, one of the things that
07:43I really liked was the fact that it introduces a new form of low impact energy protection
07:47known as Rion, which helps to reduce rotational forces in the event of a crash.
07:52This paired with a dual density cone head EPS does a fantastic job of protecting the
07:56rider in a variety of crashes, low, medium, and high speed hits to the noggin, as well
08:01as again, protecting with those rotational hits.
08:04Now it also features a breakaway visor to reduce neck injuries.
08:08It's DOT certified and ECE, which I think is important to note.
08:11You can easily use this as a dual sport helmet to connect the trails out there on the tarmac.
08:15I've ridden in a ton of different helmets over the years.
08:18I crash in a lot of helmets.
08:19He really has, folks.
08:20He crashes really well.
08:21I'm sure I'm going to benefit from all that technology eventually.
08:24But when it comes to the fit, breathability, the weight, and just kind of everything you're
08:28looking for out of a dirt lid, this thing is a killer option for sure.
08:32Yeah.
08:33I mean, Fly has definitely leveled up the entire quality and performance of the off-road
08:36segment as well as within their line.
08:39The top pick for new dirt bike helmet in 2020, Dirt Formula Helmet right there.
08:43Now this is going to bring us to the final pick of the helmet gear guide for 2020.
08:47This is the best helmet of the year.
08:50Normally I would get a drum roll here, but old Brandon pulled that trick out in the beginning
08:54of the video.
08:55We're going to just go ahead and announce it without any further ado.
08:57The best helmet of 2020 is the Bell RaceStar Flex DLX Helmet coming in around the $735
09:04price point.
09:052019, Bell has really stepped up their game.
09:08They've completely redesigned their top of the line street helmet.
09:10I picked one of these up at the beginning of the year, and it's quickly become my go-to
09:15for track as well as spirited street riding.
09:17Compared to the predecessor, it's lighter, it's more comfortable, and the overall build
09:21quality is just superior in every way.
09:24The carbon fiber strands have been layered more strategically, which allows Bell to retain
09:28the strength of the shell while simultaneously cutting down the overall weight.
09:33Therefore, you're looking at a helmet that's now roughly five ounces lighter than the previous
09:36model.
09:37The RaceStar comes in at around three pounds, five ounces in a medium.
09:41Now combined with the newly redesigned interior, the reduction in weight means the rider can
09:46now comfortably wear this helmet during long days at the track or on the street.
09:50Another key component to the helmet's overall value is the fact that it comes with a pro
09:55tint photochromatic shield.
09:56This was previously a $150 add-on.
09:59They've included it.
10:00That's definitely a nice touch for sure.
10:02One thing that stayed the same, if you're not familiar with Bell's Flex internal liner,
10:05this is a technology they introduced a few years back, and it's become a revolutionary
10:09class leading technology from a safety standpoint as it protects against low, medium, and high
10:14speed impacts, as well as protecting the rider from rotational forces.
10:18Overall, the helmet carries a DOT and SNOW safety rating.
10:21It's definitely clear that Bell is playing in that premium landscape with Shoei and Arai.
10:27This is a top of the line lid here.
10:29That's really why the Bell RaceStar Flex DLX helmet is getting our top pick for the best
10:34helmet of 2020, which is a pretty big deal, pretty impressive.
10:37Numero uno.
10:38There you have it.
10:39These are the best picks for motorcycle helmets for 2020, but the analysis doesn't stop here.
10:45This year, we're actually putting together 12 articles on Common Tread that dive deeper
10:49into details across every category of motorcycle gear.
10:52You read about our testing, see the gear on our riders, and most importantly, get our
10:56honest opinion on what gear deserves your consideration for 2020.
11:00For myself, for Brandon, I want to thank you for checking out this video.
11:04Enjoy the ride.
11:19Transcribed by https://otter.ai