Best Mail-Order Source for Helmets

 I dinged up my Shoei, and want to shop on the Internet for a replacement.
(Larger selection on the Internet.)

Any recommendations where people have had good experiences?

Thanks.

--
David T. Ashley              (dta@e3ft.com)
http://www.e3ft.com           (Consulting Home Page)
http://www.dtashley.com       (Personal Home Page)
http://gpl.e3ft.com           (GPL Publications and Projects)

 David T. Ashley wrote:


What did you do?  Did it fall off the seat of your bike and put a chip
in the paint? Did you drop it from a three-story building? Have a crash?
If it's just a chip, there's no reason to toss it; get some touch-up.


Unless you plan to buy the *exact same model and size*, don't do that.
You'll never know if it will fit.


A helmet is something I would never buy without trying it on first. Note
there can be differences even among the same brand/model/size.

--
   -bts
   -Motorcycles defy gravity; cars just suck

 Beauregard T. Shagnasty wrote:

At the least, buy it from somewhere with a liberal return policy even if
it costs a few bucks more, and don't be surprised if you spend a month
or so mailing helmets back and forth.  But since David already has a
working helmet, he has the time.

 On 4/2/2008 1:12 PM EDT, Beauregard T. Shagnasty wrote:

I would tend to agree with BTS's comments...  However, I just got a new
helmet from Dennis Kirk's Outlet closeout sale.  My nearly 10-years old
Shoei is fairly worn and the chin strap cushion and cover are falling
apart now.  When I saw the Z1R listed on sale at Dennis Kirk, it was so
cheap that I'd to give mail order a chance.  Normally, I would also
never even bother with the lesser known brands but this brand was rated
best in Motorcyclist magazine's helmet comparison test a couple of years
ago.  I just wanted to see what this helmet was like.  I received it
last Thu, and the fit was perfect true-to-size.  I wore it for over two
hours straight to test it, and no discomfort whatsoever afterward.  I
also purchased a couple of spare mirrored shields with the helmet, and
the total came to about a third of what I paid for my Shoei almost ten
years ago!  Well, you do get what you pay for in terms of build and
material qualities though.  But if the Z1R provides a better level of
protection then it was quite a deal.  I was pleasantly pleased with the
purchase.  I checked back onto the Dennis Kirk Outlet website on Sunday,
and there are not much left now.

 
Off the seat of the bike.  Scratched up the visor and put minor scratches in
the helmet finish.  The visor seemed to take 90% of the abuse.

I tossed the visor and got a new one.

The previous advice given to me was that anything more than a 2-foot drop
should get the helmet replaced.  Are you telling me I can be more liberal?


My plan was actually to duplicate what I have now.  I have a Shoei RF-1000
XL, and I might change colors and nothing else.  I was in a motorcycle store
this morning to have keys duped, and I tried on an XL in another color.
Seems to fit the same.