So I'm close to getting by first bike (likely a Breakout), and am looking out for all the gear as well. Here in Belgium, a helmet is required by law, as is a bunch of other safety gear (boots, long pants, long sleeved shirt/jacket, gloves, etc).

I am thinking bout a FF or 3/4 helmet as
1) I do not have much riding experience,
2) you never know what idiots with a car/truck might do even if you are experienced,
3) the weather here sucks 9 out of 10, and
4) I dont really give a f**k if others might think i look like a tool cause I care more about my safety

I see there are lots of brands out there (besides HD) like HJC, Nolan, Schuberth, Shark, etc. Any recommendations?

Also, if I want to hook it to a bluetooth device (ie my iphone) for calling and listening to music (yes I know, not always very safe on a bike but I'll keep the volume low ), maybe at some point communicate with other riders or passenger- any recommendations? I saw deviced from the brands above, as well as Sena and some others. Anyone have any experience with this?

thanks!

 

I purchased a Hawk ff modular helmet for colder months from leatherup.com. comes with bluetooth installed for $189. syncs with my iphone for music/phone calls/ gps, etc.

Around town at slower speeds it works great but after 40mph it gets drowned out. Talked on the phone a few times and the caller didnt even know i was out riding. after a while I just stopped using the bluetooth as it was ruining my time out on the road. just wanted to ride. the only time i use it now is if i have a passenger it is kinda nice to be able to communicate. other times not so much (slow down/ watch out/ i need to pee, etc etc)

 

the problem with the communication devices is that they don't communicate with each other, IE a sena won't talk with a uclear or whatever other brand. I have a uclear 200 that I use to listen to music and it's great, can recieve phone calls while riding. It can communicate with others of the same brand, but it's not even backwards compatible with the uclear 100. I don't know if the same is true of other brands

 

I use the Sena SCH-10 with the HJC Modular helmet. Works great with the iPhone an Siri. You can talk up to 3 other bikes up to 900 yards away (within site). Music/text and phone. Modular helmet may not be as quiet as regular full face but works for me.

 

Scala is the headset I use. They talk to all upper or lower models, blue tooth music in stereo and phone as well as GPS.

 

I would check with any buddies that you already ride with to see what they have for comm devices. As mentioned above the different brands don't play well with each other although rumor has it that Sena is working on something that will allow other brands to talk to each other. If nobody has one, you get to be the trendsetter.
I use a Shark Evoline ST2 and the Sena SMH5 and it works very very well. If money were no option, I would do the Sena SMH10 for the conference feature and range when riding in groups.

Youtube has a number of video on the Sena and other brands. I got mine at Revzilla.

 

I like the check with buddies remark. I trust friends---I seldom trust advertisement or sales person. I really like my modular helmet. It is nice to raise the chin bar and put on or take off the helmet. Not to mention scratching the inevitable facial itch. I also would concentrate on riding and less on music or conversation. Never been talked to death or sung to death but I have had to dodge others distracted by whatever they are doing. Motorcycles and cages. You bike, your life.

 

On the helmet side, it's your head, so your choice. But I wear a full-face helmet because I've seen friends with their bottom jaw missing after an accident and it's not a cool look.

In terms of brands, you really have to try them on. I've got an oddly-shaped head (for Europe apparently!) My head is quite narrow and long front-to-back. (I believe that this shaped head is more common in America, whilst rounder-shaped heads are more common in Europe.) It turns out that out of modern helmets, only Schuberth actually fit me. (Which suggests that if you have a round head, then Schuberth probably won't fit you!)

So try on a bunch of helmets and go from there. Pick a decent brand and your head will be safe. But bear in mind that manufacturers build FF helmets both for sportsbike riding and touring bike riding. You'll probably want the latter, as they are designed to be aerodynamic when you head is upright (as opposed to pointing down like on a sports bike). If you choose the wrong one, you might find you suffer from the helmet lifting when travelling at speed.

Other than that, you're really only choosing on the basis of comfort (eg. materials, whether the liner is removable and washable) and features (airflow, pinlock etc.)

I agree with others on the comms equipment -- they are not compatible with each other and you might as well fit into the crowd. When I looked into it, it seems that Sena and Scala were the leaders in Europe, so you might want to start there?

 

I like the full face for protection and noise control. Also nice in colder weather. As far as comm, I use the scala for comm. It works great (placement of the headset is critical because if set behind your ear it will bleed out (sound wise) about 45mph, properly placed I can hear fine at all speeds.

 

The best helmet out there is the one that comfortably fits your head and that you don't mind wearing. For me, that's an Arai Signet-Q.

I'm a big fan of the Sena SMH-10, but as mentioned, Senas only talk to other Senas and so forth. The nice thing is that it integrates with my iPhone, so I can use Siri (voice activation) for just about everything.