A good screw =)

Steve, are you looking to buy a Shoei J Cruise , or the J Cruise ll helmet  ?

Both are nice, quality, and not a cheap brain bucket. For many, many years Shoei and Arai competed...depending on the SHAPE of the riders head, with Shoei having a more round shape inside the helmet, vs Arai having a more egg shape inside the helmet. It took Shoei a long time to come around to the fact that most hominids have an egg shaped head, rather than a perfectly round shaped head, and once Shoei started producing helmets with an interior egg shape, they started taking business back from Arai.

Shoei is a quality built helmet, and despite being a higher priced helmet, it is well worth the money. A rider has to ask themselves...do they only have a $ 100.00 brain, or is their brain worth the $ 600.00 to $ 1,000.00 that some helmet manufacturers now sell ???

Initially I was a Shoei helmet user, then converted to an Arai for many, many years. But...after the Lightning Strike of 2013, my brain (literally) got fried... just enough, that I have settled for a newer Bell helmet, as my current brain is only worth $ 400.00.

And Steve, if you are ordering this helmet online, vs going into a dealer and trying it on for fit, make sure they are clear about the return policy, because once you receive it, and try it on, you may need to return it immediately, if it doesn't fit comfortably.

Morning Miles

Yeah J Cruise II i think. You are right about the shape for sure. i expect i will use Amazon they have the best return policy.

Glad to hear you are feeling good, all things considered.  Sure makes getting up each morning more fun. 😎 

Really like Miles' post.  Mirrors the research I've been doing lately, and previous experience with both brands.

I've been considering a flip front helmet to replace the current Arai XD4.  I'd like to find a dealer with an experienced PFS person.

Sure wish we could get the ECE-2026 rating in the U.S.

My brain isn't worth $0.02, but my ruggedly handsome good looks are worth protecting for the open casket funeral. 😉 

So is there any real advantage to a flip front as far as riding is concerned? Can you actually ride flipped up?

If so that would be good for the colder weather, but the answer to that question seems to be no.

Both of you S's.... Steve and Scott.... should look at the Bell SRT modular helmet. It's my helmet of choice, moreso because Arai doesn't make a modular helmet.

Yes, you can ride with the chin bar UP....I do that often. Also has the integral sun shade visor, so.... with the sun shade visor down, I ride with the chin bar up sometimes.

Typically $ 399.00 on most websites, and Amazon.

I won't wear a full face helmet... just my choice. But like a modular helmet, so in cold weather, or raining, it acts as a full face helmet.

Miles that's good to know i was thinking of the best of both worlds when i first looked.

Miles did a nice primer above.  It was explained to me that in the Asian countries the round shape is the most common/preferred shape for helmets.  Whereas the European/North American markets want a more oval shape.

To go a little further into the weeds Arai makes a helmet for the long oval as well as the "general" oval. 

The original long oval was the Arai Signet-Q.  It has been superseded by the Arai Signet-X.  The Signet-Q was the only comfortable helmet I ever found for my head.  The new Signet-X isn't as long of an oval. 

Another long(ish) oval is the Scorpion and (I've read) the Shoei RF-1400.

In the store the Shoei was an instant no go.  The Scorpion I was able to wear for about 1/2 hour before it became uncomfortable on my forehead.

Wading into turbulent waters.  First and foremost.  You do you.  Helmet, no helmet, salad bowl, whatever.  It is not my place to have an opinion on your choices.

That said, I always wear a full face helmet.  It's not just my brain that's valuable, my beard is extraordinary.

Seriously though.  I've wrecked 2x in 35 years and both times I hit my chin.

Check out the chart of compiled accident data on helmet strikes.

And if that doesn't convince you try the more dramatic (albeit more anecdotal) photo evidence in this article.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/wear-a-helmet-2024

Pic is from the article

I replaced an Arai MX helmet, after a hard crash, with a Bell Moto 9.  The fit is a bit "round" in comparison. Not uncomfortable.  Liked the fit of the Arai better, but wanted the MIPs protection.  I'll stop into a shop and try a Bell SRT on.  Thanks for the suggestion Miles. 🍻  

My first quality helmet was the Bell Star.  It was a comfortable fit.  I had a full head of hair in those days which may have helped.  It was replaced with a Shoei full face street helmet (I don't remember the model).  Wow was that nice! Quiet, optically correct face shield that sealed nicely, quality interior. 

What i like about a full face helmet (besides the face protection) is a quieter interior compared to an open face helmet.  Open face helmet has a lot of wind noise for ADV and sport bike use.  The windscreen of a Goldwing is a big benefit in this regard.

I saw a helmet the other day where the face guard flips completely over, so it doesn't catch the wind when open.  Interesting concept, but not sure I'm willing to go that far.  I've broken/severely damaged a few chin guards racing off road.  The Bell Star was replaced when I went down on the street at high speed.  First hit knocked me out, and the long slide on the asphalt & curb ground the front & side of the helmet & shield down.  That has me timid in regards to riding with it in the open position.  

Maybe I just need to stop leading with the chin.  🤣 

Posted by: @andrew-baker

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Check out the chart of compiled accident data on helmet strikes.

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https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/wear-a-helmet-2024

Pic is from the article

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Oh, NO....Drew...you didn't just post an article, and photos of helmets damaged from a motorcycle accident(s)...did you ?

Oh, the Humanity of it all !

What your article left out, was the rarest of all helmet issues....being Struck By Lightning....direct hit to the helmet

And your photos didn't do them justice, when photographic evidence causes the helmet manufacturer to be the first company to contact the rider, and offer a brand new replacement helmet in exchange for the crispy helmet that got "fried".

I offer the court of public opinion this evidence, collected on September 5, 2013...Interstate 5, northbound, Washington State, at 70 mph.

If you look closely at the last picture, the lesson here is...do NOT play the role of the malevolent spirit that delivers the "Wrath of God", as he is a jealous creature, and wants no one to do his work, other than HIM.

You can see in one of the pictures that both ends of the J&M headset cord is "smoked", and this was the lower cord, that plugs into the bike. The upper cord, that plugs into this lower cord, then plugs into the helmet, was BLOWN off the helmet, and lost in the smoke of the Lightning Strike.

Truth....this Lightning Strike hit my helmet on the upper right side, routed the lightning through my J&M headset, blew out both of my eardrums, bleeding out of both ears, and burned my head from the right ear around the back of my head to my left ear, then the lighting went down the J&M headset cord, through the bike's audio system, through the ground system, and shot out the small antenna of the bike's radio system.

It knocked me out "completely"...my head dropped down to the center dash of my 2013 Honda F6B Bagger, and I started drifting across 3 lanes of traffic on Interstate 5.

I did NOT crash the bike !  I woke up on the shoulder of the road, after a guy that witnessed the entire ordeal, from beginning to end, punched me in my right shoulder. I had shifted the bike from 5th down to 1st, and back up to Neutral....stopped the bike....deployed the sidestand...and reached up and turned off the key...all whilst 100% knocked out, with my head laying on the dash of the bike.

Spent the next couple days and nights in the ICU Burn Unit at the big hospital in Seattle, having every doctor on call run every test they could think of, and 3 months after they released me from the hospital my wife asked me if I was having any cognitive issues (I was), so I requested an MRI...and they found 8 spotted scars across my brain, from right to left, where the lightning had skipped across my brain.

Arai was the first company to reach out to me, as they recognized their helmet, and wanted the crispy one, which the PNW rep for Arai still has on his office shelf.

Oh, the bike itself had $ 10,200.00 of electrical damage done to it, and all my personal gear, Garmin Zumo 550, Valentine 1 radar detector, etc, etc, etc, including riding clothes, boots, etc...came to an additional $ 2,300.00, so in total it was $ 12,500.00 in damage, and my deductible was $ 62.00, and yes, the insurance company covered it all as an Act of God. The bike was fully rebuilt, and I rode it for another 18 months, then sold it.

Well Miles has us all upstaged here.

Yet again

Lesson there is not to be wired to the bike.

Wires carry electricery. 

Having had a very near miss with a fluro pink lightning strike at a young age I can understand the vagaries of wild electricity. 

But on subject a bit here.

I have used just once a safety belt in a car... ( a very sudden stop )

Then for decades after I reminded myself by saying 2nd gear.

As that's as far as we got before shortening 2 cars in a head on ( passenger ).

And a steel work boot safety cap. ( saved a toe )

But never used a helmet as hard landing cushion.

I have departed motorcycles on occasion without sufficient prior planning though.

But twice I have used the full face visor to deflect bird strikes at speed.

So a fan of full face lids.

Miles, God would not have smited you if you were listening to Garth Brooks.  It was the Miley Syrus greatest hits volume 0.0001 cranked to 11 that incited the incident.  😉

On a more serious note.  From my perspective getting the helmet off in a hurry, or having it removed by first responders is the best reason for an open face, or flip open helmet.  Well that and using the ride through at Starbucks.  😎 

Posted by: @scott-h

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Miles, God would not have smited you if you were listening to Garth Brooks.  It was the Miley Syrus greatest hits volume 0.0001 cranked to 11 that incited the incident.  😉

On a more serious note.  From my perspective getting the helmet off in a hurry, or having it removed by first responders is the best reason for an open face, or flip open helmet.  Well that and using the ride through at Starbucks.  😎 

Okay, well I do not have any Miley Cyrus music loaded onto the SD card that was plugged into that bike, but did have quite a bit of Garth Brooks music. At the time of the Lightning Strike, I had switched off my SD card music, and was listening to a local radio station.

On a more serious note....the helmet was literally vulcanized to my head, so when the guy woke me up on the shoulder of the road, and I finally understood what he was trying to say to me (both ears blown out), he pointed to my helmet, so I looked in my mirrors, and it looked like a chimney with smoke coming out of it, so I attempted to remove my helmet, and found it to be vulcanized to my head, so....quickly thinking...I knew that I needed to peel that helmet off my head before it congealed, as otherwise the paramedics would have to cut it off my head, in pieces. So I peeled it off, like removing a band-aid, that is when the guy standing next to me informed me that I was bleeding out of both ears.

Biggest issue for me is...before the Lightning Strike I used to look like the much younger version of Robert Redford.

After the Lightning Strike, I look like the current version of Robert Redford.

Oh, The Humanity !

Miles Miles Miles,   now that made me laugh.

Not the vulcanised bit...