HJC CL-14 Helmet is junk

[jay21112]

What makes it ok to buy a Japanese bike, but yet a Chinese helmet is not ok? I really do not think it matters where it comes from as long as it is made with quality materials. If a helmet passes both snell and DOT standards, it should be just as safe as the helmets you pay $600 for. I think a lot of the high price comes from the design of the helmet, such as air flow, weight and comfort, not the material it is made from. Plus you pay for the name.

I mean harley cost an arm and a leg, but doesn't mean they are the best bikes out there.

Whoa hold up... Japan and China are two different places. One place holds technological kings and the other place fosters SARS. Big difference!

And yes all you really need to be safe is a helmet that passes DOT and SNELL standards, however some of the high end helmets have higher crash scores than some of the lower end helmets, meaning even though a $100 helmet may be DOT and SNELL approved, it may not hold together when you hit a guard rail at 180 mph, while if you have an $400, $500, or $600 Arai or Shoei, you might be able to live the rest of your life as a vegetable...if you're lucky.

And yes some of that high price does come from the design of the helmet. I mean air flow, weight, and comfort are extremely important factors!!! You want full concentration on a bike and don't want to be worn out after a long ride from fighting to hold your head up, sweating to death in a non-vented helmet, having to open the visor every 30 sec. to de-fog it.....etc...(you get the point)

So, yes I'd say $50-$100 of Shoei's and Arai's are due to their name, but the rest is all quality. So we are talking $300-$400 worth of quality compared to the $100-$200 worth of quality of lesser helmets.....

Ever since my CL-14 crapped out, I've been looking at all the helmets, and I'm now sold that a $500 is not hype...it's necessity. You guys may think different, but think about it for 1 minute.....do you even want to take that chance?

P.S. wasn't yellin at ya ralnsplder, just trying to let people see things the way I see 'em, and your post was a perfect vehicle.

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[ralnsplder]

I dissagree here though about helmet quality and the price.

also why would gp racers wear cheaper helmets then? they are doing way faster then we would yet Valentino Rossi is wearing an agv helmet in this pic. also if you look at what a lot of professional riders are wearing, you will see not all of them are wearing shoei or arai. i have seen them wearing everything from hjc to kbc to arai. I dont think they would take a chance of getting killed just for sponsorship from a certain manufacture if it wasn't safe

 

[Sane_man]

I don't think Rossi would wear the CL-14 equivilent of an AGV, which is what Jay21112's rant is about. My first helmet, a CL-12 which I still own, hasn't caused me any problem's, but it is in no way better then my Shoei Z-II or my RF1000. It's really heavy and the ventilation sucks.

 

[Revlis]

I dissagree here though about helmet quality and the price.

also why would gp racers wear cheaper helmets then? they are doing way faster then we would yet Valentino Rossi is wearing an agv helmet in this pic. also if you look at what a lot of professional riders are wearing, you will see not all of them are wearing shoei or arai. i have seen them wearing everything from hjc to kbc to arai. I dont think they would take a chance of getting killed just for sponsorship from a certain manufacture if it wasn't safe

Paid alot of money, Hmm Rossi's actual lid prolly $600 or so... Other racers PAID TO WEAR their lids... And they are Hand laid, custom fit lids... Not OFF the SHELF prolly.

Um, Seriously though I am tired of this particular argument. I have gone round and fuggin round with it... It's NOT a HARD CONCEPT.

A Freakin Hyundai Excel will get you from a-b RIGHT? Just like a BMW 3 series. So are you going to argue that the fuggin Hyundai is just as good of car? Just as safe? Etc???

NO

But Hell it's just your brain, can't be all that important... By all means strap on your $50 lid and get out there.... Obviously it's just as good.... as a Hand made Arai... Fuggin A

 

[Revlis]

PAINLESS, The Wife wears a Shoei RF-900 Nobby Replica....

I wear an Arai. Quantum...



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[Revlis]

My Lid...

I think the whole matching helmets thing is sorta Silly... I mean a theme done to death is just as ugly and messy as NO Theme...

Yeah I am a little bit of a Bitch about most things... Particulary Safety... Go figure...

 

[VaBusa]

This is getting old. Time after time this subject comes up and I'm always trying to be very much down the middle and not offend anyone because I am very aware of some simple truths - not everyone has the same tastes, and not everyone can afford to get the VERY best. I'm getting pretty tired of others making me feel like I don't give a rat's ass about my brain or my own safety. Hell, I'd love to have the funds to buy every bit of the safety gear the racers wear, but I don't.

I went to my local Suzuki dealership long before even buying a Busa and asked this one question: "Do you have a helmet that has good ventiliation? I'm sick of sweating to death in my helmet and I don't want to wear a half-helmet." I was handed the HJC CL-14, and I bought it. He had tons of helmets there, and could have handed me anything to make a buck, but he handed me the HJC. It was long before I knew about all the different brands you can purchase, and you know, I'd like to say I can go out and buy a $500 helmet today, but just because someone bought a $10,000 bike and didn't rush out to buy the top of the line helmet to go with it, doesn't mean they (I) have a death wish...I have kids, I gear up more than I ever did when riding the Harley, and I gear up way more than most of the Harley riders I cruise with, but I sure as sh*t don't think I've made some tragic mistake by going with something more affordable...hell, tell the Harley guys that pay for their overpriced bikes that they bought the best money can buy, will ya? If we all truly believe the "cost to benefit" ratios here, then a Road King Classic should keep me alive even if I tumble down the side of a cliff...

Yeah, I'm irritated...this keeps coming up again and again, and I for one am kind of sick of feeling like I'm being told I'm an idiot for not buying in to the whole "buy the expensive helmet"; if you can afford it and are loyal to a certain brand, more power to you...if you choose to save a few and skip paying for the name, still get a DOT and SNELL approved helmet, I think you're doing just fine...can we hop off our soap boxes please...

 

[VaBusa]

Oh, and jay, this wasn't really directed at you...I am sorry you've had problems with your helmet, and now I'm not looking forward to swapping out shields on my HJC...

I think if you've owned something and don't like it for some reason, you're entitled to gripe...glad the new helmet saved your melon...

 

[ralnsplder]

I dissagree here though about helmet quality and the price.

also why would gp racers wear cheaper helmets then? they are doing way faster then we would yet Valentino Rossi is wearing an agv helmet in this pic. also if you look at what a lot of professional riders are wearing, you will see not all of them are wearing shoei or arai. i have seen them wearing everything from hjc to kbc to arai. I dont think they would take a chance of getting killed just for sponsorship from a certain manufacture if it wasn't safe

Paid alot of money, Hmm Rossi's actual lid prolly $600 or so...  Other racers PAID TO WEAR their lids... And they are Hand laid, custom fit lids... Not OFF the SHELF prolly.

Um, Seriously though I am tired of this particular argument.  I have gone round and fuggin round with it...  It's NOT a HARD CONCEPT.

A Freakin Hyundai Excel will get you from a-b RIGHT? Just like a BMW 3 series.  So are you going to argue that the fuggin Hyundai is just as good of car?  Just as safe?  Etc???

NO

But Hell it's just your brain, can't be all that important...  By all means strap on your $50 lid and get out there....  Obviously it's just as good.... as a Hand made Arai...  Fuggin A

Ok and on the other side of it, a ducati cost twice as much as a busa, does it mean that it is a better bike? hell it isn't even as good as the regular Gixxers 1k and 750s

The point is if you are going to hit something hard enough to break a snell and dot approved helmet, you are probable dead anyway due to your neck snapping.

I haven't seen to many lawsuits where HJC and some of the other less expensive helmets makers were sued because their helmet split open during a crash.

And i don't recall anyone saying go buy a $50 helmet. I'm saying a $200 helmet will protect you as well as a $600 one. The $600 may be lighter and have better vents but doesn't mean it protects your brain any better.

If your so worried about your brain, why get on a bike at all, hell why leave the house without a helmet. you could fall off your porch and split your head open. Maybe instead of hats we should alll just strap Arais' on our heads and just walk around like that all day. Since our brian is sooooo important.

 

[ralnsplder]

as a Hand made Arai...  Fuggin A[/QUOTE]
do you really think that every arai is hand made and not made by a machine???

if that is the case I really don't want one. humans make more mistakes then machines do.

lol better hope yours wasn't made on a monday.

Funny thing about handmade things, I just watched a show lastnight with Jessie james and he hand made his bike, yet on a 1000 mile trip he had several problems. My bike was made in a factory by machines and i have 4k on it and not a single problem yet.

Glad to see you leaving your brain in somone elses hands.

 

[Revlis]

Umm, OK...

It's not about Spending power.

It's not about a fuggin Name.

It's not braggin rights.

It's not name brand loyalty...

It's about BOTTOM line, knowing without a doubt that the lid on your shoulders will do it's job 100% of time... I don't Trust HJC, KBC, or whatever to do their job everytime.  Shells mass produced by labor in China, maybe every 100th shell tested and inspected, assembled by disinterested uninvolved employees... No Thanks.  I simply don't trust em.  

The Shoei $230 From Moto-xtreme, The ARAI was Bought because I allready new that the Medium QuantumF fits me like a glove? $400 or so FROM MY DEALER no less...  So umm it's not really that much more money for something you really do depend on to save your life in the worst of cases.

What about Shopping for parachutes, lets do that...  

Now, You want chute "A" made on a budget, using lower quality materials, the minimum required inspection process, packed by disinterested minimum wage Highschool kid for $150? 

OR

Do you  want Chute "B", built with pride, rigidly inspected and tested, using the best proven materials and packed by a Talented riger with years of practice at $500? 

Oh and both are approved by the FAA...    But which one indeed? 


Over dramatic?  Sure, but totally relevent to the discussion, and exactly my point.  


Notice I don't go ON and FUGGIN on about Vanson Leathers, ZCustom, or Kushitani gloves VS the cheaper, more affordable versions of each.  Are the Vanson Leathers BETTER?  YUP!  In just about every way better than Joe Rocket.  Protection, abrasion resistance, comfort, LOOK.  On and On...  BUT, If your leather fails, it doesn't completely fail generally it just means you get a little rash, or a busted arm or something like that, generally not LIFE OR DEATH...  Gloves Same thing... NOT LIFE OR DEATH...  Merely Pain VS Less Pain...

Helmets are a different matter.  They fail?  Good chance you die or live droolin starring at a wall the rest of your life.  They meet the MINUMUM requirements and you take a hit that goes beyond the Lab "Minimum"?  Cheap helmets???  Who knows? Prolly not...  Arai, Shoei, Venmar, Soumy? You might still have a brain in your head, they have proven to exceed the minimums...

I don't want to make anyone feel bad, what the fug would my motivation be?  

  But I really do think that we all get a lot of crap products shoved our way and it's a good idea to know what the Fug your buying when it's your hard earned money on the line...

Oh and ralnsplder  Dude, if you really do not understand what I mean then what the FUG would be the point in my trying to explain it?  Small "HANDS ON", HAND INSPECTED operation...  Does that help?

 




Dayum.... Value and Quality... There is a definite point of diminshing returns.... I think that was covered in a different thread... Usually Eynlai is here somewhere...

 

[Revlis]

I dissagree here though about helmet quality and the price.

also why would gp racers wear cheaper helmets then? they are doing way faster then we would yet Valentino Rossi is wearing an agv helmet in this pic. also if you look at what a lot of professional riders are wearing, you will see not all of them are wearing shoei or arai. i have seen them wearing everything from hjc to kbc to arai. I dont think they would take a chance of getting killed just for sponsorship from a certain manufacture if it wasn't safe

Paid alot of money, Hmm Rossi's actual lid prolly $600 or so...  Other racers PAID TO WEAR their lids... And they are Hand laid, custom fit lids... Not OFF the SHELF prolly.

Um, Seriously though I am tired of this particular argument.  I have gone round and fuggin round with it...  It's NOT a HARD CONCEPT.

A Freakin Hyundai Excel will get you from a-b RIGHT? Just like a BMW 3 series.  So are you going to argue that the fuggin Hyundai is just as good of car?  Just as safe?  Etc???

NO

But Hell it's just your brain, can't be all that important...  By all means strap on your $50 lid and get out there....  Obviously it's just as good.... as a Hand made Arai...  Fuggin A

Ok and on the other side of it, a ducati cost twice as much as a busa, does it mean that it is a better bike? hell it isn't even as good as the regular Gixxers 1k and 750s

The point is if you are going to hit something hard enough to break a snell and dot approved helmet, you are probable dead anyway due to your neck snapping.

I haven't seen to many lawsuits where HJC and some of the other less expensive helmets makers were sued because their helmet split open during a crash.

And i don't recall anyone saying go buy a $50 helmet. I'm saying a $200 helmet will protect you as well as a $600 one. The $600 may be lighter and have better vents but doesn't mean it protects your brain any better.

If your so worried about your brain, why get on a bike at all, hell why leave the house without a helmet. you could fall off your porch and split your head open. Maybe instead of hats we should alll just strap Arais' on our heads and just walk around like that all day. Since our brian is sooooo important.

Hmm, OK... How about the difference is that the human skull is designed to absorb impacts up to a particular velocity. In Particular running speed...

Beyond that its all Man's mechanical machines of DEATH... BWA HAHAHAHAH!!!! And the human skull cannot deal with forces involved at that velocity without help.

But it's all good man... Really, If I were you I wouldn't worry about protecting your skull at all... No need...

He he he... Yeah I'm fuggin with ya... Yer getting all grumpy...

Sorry...

 

[ralnsplder]

where do you get your info from exactly, I would like to see some stats proving your test scores foe the various helmets. I have looked and can't seem to find any.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but where is the hard proof? and I still doubt that every Arai helmet is hand inspected too. Have you been to china and checked out where they make thier products? if not then you really do not know anymore about it then my 3yr old son. you assuming or what you heard are totally different then what might be going on.

if you have proof of the quality of different helmets, please share it with the rest of us, instead of acting like the god of helmet making. I just think that before you slam people that use less expensive helmets,and say that they don't care about their brains, show some proof to back it up.

and we can go on and on about things being more expensive and what is better, for everything that you come up with that is more expensive and being better, i can come up with one that is cheaper and better. so it is pointless.

and I still stick with my point, if you are going to break a snell and dot approved helmet in a crash, you are most likly dead anyway requardless of the brand of helmet. you know they did a study a few years back about people wearing helmets and dying due to neck being snapped was just about as high as people dying due to not wearing one at all.

 

[Revlis]

Uh Huh...  Well sir. I gotta stack of Magazines, and such at home about yeah High, *Insert image of hand at about 5' high*  and It was a couple of articles in that stack.  I believe one was wotorcyclist and the other was SuperBike? Performance Bikes?  Something like that...  Anyhoo, they had a complete tour of Arai's Facility, their History, and yes their Manufactering process...  Never been to china...  Never read anything about their facilities.  BUT I do have a lifetime of experiance with Shiddy Chinese made junk to go off of, some decent stuff too.  But I didn't need to go to china to find out that HJC KBC etc is junk.  I can touch em'  try em on, move em around...  and determine that they are DOT and SNELL Approved... little else...  

if you have proof of the quality of different helmets, please share it with the rest of us, instead of acting like the god of helmet making. [/QUOTE]

Acting?

" BEEEEYOTCH I AM THE GOD OF HELMETS!!!! NOW BOW DOWN BEFORE MY MIGHTY HELMET!"

and we can go on and on about things being more expensive and what is better, for everything that you come up with that is more expensive and being better, i can come up with one that is cheaper and better.[/QUOTE]

I expected as much really. Some folks just cannot recognize or understand the concept of Quality or Value... Instead focusing on "Cheaper"! Good Luck with that,

OK OK Seriously Though All playing aside...


you know they did a study a few years back about people wearing helmets and dying due to neck being snapped was just about as high as people dying due to not wearing one at all.[/QUOTE]

This is so much outdated misguided disinformation it almost hurts. It's complete Bullsh!t! Quit telling me to do all the work and bring you the facts... Fuggin DO YOUR OWN READING, DO SOME FUGGIN research before you spout off ignorant crap like this... and you get someone fuggin hurt... Jesus, worst I might do if all I am screaming about is opinion is make em' fuggin poor.... Read the Fuggin HURT report, Check out Minnesota's Research on Motorcycle accidents. DO Something...

 

[Revlis]

Now I am the one that got sucked in.... Ah well, Guess I removed all doubt....

 

[ralnsplder]

what I mean by cheaper is really less expensive not cheaper made. if you don't buy things because they are cheaper, then I guess you have never bought something from one store because it was cheaper then at another. I dont think so.

As for the outdating material, i did mention it was a few years back.

Once again you think you are the only person on here that thinks he knows what quality and value are.

so what you read an article on arai helmet factory, big fuggin deal. i'm sure if they had an article about one of the other brands, you would jump on that band wagon too.

Here is a bit of news for you, that you should probably know. Kbc and HJC are both made in Korea not china, but your beloved Arai helmets are made in china and was started by china. They now also have a plant in europe that was built in 1981.

here is the article about it smartguy



Why don't you read befor you talk smack about something you have no clue about. you basically called your own helmet junk by saying that all stuff from China is junk.

 

[loboboy]

It's ok Rev, I am behind you.

I have wrecked with HJC's and the like and wrecked with Shoei and now I wear nothing other than a shoei. With the "CHEAPER" helmets I recieved concussions on 3 occasions and with the shoei helmets never recieved one. This is based on my experiences, no scientific facts just my own experiences.

3 wrecks HJC= 3 Concussions
4 wrecks Shoei= 0 concussions

All my accidents were when i used to race flat track ATV's and it seemed it was always a high side like crash but none the less I will always spend the extra money for a good helmet.

If a person doesn't want to understand or even listen to peoples experience then let them make their own choices. We are not calling you ignorant or stupid for not spending the extra cash for the better helmets, but we are trying to get you to look at things from a different perspective.

Open you mind a little and look outside the box!!!!!

Like i said before i base my thoughts and opinions off of my own experiences and hope that someone will learn from them.

 

[ralnsplder]

Loboboy, here is an interesting fact about helmets and concussions during races

Last Five Years With Head Hit, Retired Helmet
(Or Should Have Retired Helmet)

Brand Crashes Crashes With Concussion Percent With Concussion
AGV 73 26 35.6%
Arai 449 144 32.1%
Bell 21 10 47.6%
Bieffe 16 8 50.0%
HJC 86 31 36.0%
Shoei 361 123 34.1%
Suomy 9 4 44.4%
Simpson 4 2 50.0%



Looking at this chart shows HJC only 1.9 % behind shoei. It does show arai 6% less then HCJ though.

here is tha article this was from has too info on it

http://www.armyofdarkness.com/helmets.htm

 

[Revlis]

what I mean by cheaper is really less expensive not cheaper made. if you don't buy things because they are cheaper, then I guess you have never bought something from one store because it was cheaper then at another. I dont think so.

As for the outdating material, i did mention it was a few years back.

Once again you think you are the only person on here that thinks he knows what quality and value are.

so what you read an article on arai helmet factory, big fuggin  deal. i'm sure if they had an article about one of the other brands, you would jump on that band wagon too.

Here is a bit of news for you, that you should probably know. Kbc and HJC are both made in Korea not china, but your beloved Arai helmets are made in china and was started by china. They now also have a plant in europe that was built in 1981.

here is the article about it smartguy



Why don't you read befor you talk smack about something you have no clue about. you basically called your own helmet junk by saying that all stuff from China is junk.

Allright you little Smarty Britches.... READ YOUR OWN LINK DUMBASS!!!!  Says clear as DAY  ARAI MADE IN JAPAN....   Dayum...  I told you to go research your own shid and you still fug it up...

Holy crap your killing me....  

Oh and Korea?  My Bad...  We all know what fine Automobiles they make right???  Let me refer you to an example I used earlier...  BMW vs Hyundai...  Yeah,  I think I covered that as well...

A few years?

 Dude were talking since the Hurt report about 20 Years ago...  Helmets do NOT CAUSE NECK INJURIES....  From MAIDS  Report


<span style='font-size:13pt;line-height:100%'>Figure 9.6 shows the distribution of rider neck MAIS by collision contact code. As
expected, the OV and the road/roadside were the dominant collision contact codes for
neck injury. There were no reported cases in which the helmet was identified as the</span>



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[jay21112]

you know they did a study a few years back about people wearing helmets and dying due to neck being snapped was just about as high as people dying due to not wearing one at all.

That's why everyone should workout and workout their NECK!!! I could snap cables with mine!!

(As funny as it sounds its true, in high school I tackled someone the wrong way and hurt my neck pretty bad. After that I worked neck into my workout every week, and some 11 years later, any helmet I wear is gonna break long before my neck!) If your only as strong as your weakest link, and you don't have a weak link... your unbreakable!! Hehe

But I know this post has taken on a mind of its own. But for VABusa and people like her who would think people like me (and I think Rev as well) are scolding you for buying a "cheap" helmet, we are not. (Remember as of right now I own 2 KBC's and 1 HJC)

I didn't know the differences in helmets before. I thought they were all the same. Now I know that there is more than just a DOT/SNELL sticker to a helmets safety (and comfort.)

I look at it in the way that if someone had given me all this information before I bought a helmet, I would have bought a high end helmet and never had a problem with this CL-14. So, in this way I'm trying to help someone else the way I wish someone had helped me.

But if no one out there wants to listen I'll still ride with ya and hang out with ya if you show up to a ride wearing a fricken baseball cap on your head instead of a helmet!!

Now for some gratuitous use of smilies to lighten up the mood of this post.