best place to buy helmets online

looking for moto helmets, jackets, pants, gloves, etc... need it all! any good spots to shop online to save some coppers?

 

I haven't bought any gear online in a awhile, but I would highly recommend not buying a helmet online unless you've already tried that make and model on in person and know 100% the size is right.

That said motorcyclegear.com(newenough) get's raved about on most bike forums I'm on. If your on a tight budget and not picky about colours your local craigslist/kijiji can have some great deals, that and your local forums for sale section.

EDIT

You've got a Cycle Gear nearby, have you checked their prices?

 

Cyclegear will match price on any brand they carry. If you know what you want, find the lowest advertised price and print the info. Call ahead to check stock and let them know you're coming. They will match the price for ya. I wrote a review of their new helmet line. You can put a Bell faceshield on the helmet I reviewed. That tells me the Bilt line is re-branded Bell. I am impressed with those Bilt helmets and recommend checking them out.

Jose

 

I've bought from www.revzilla.com and had a great experience from them. Had to do a couple helmet exchanges and it went really well.

 

Everybody has their own personal favorite place, and I'm sure for good reason.

I'm a fan of motorcyclegear (formerly new enough, as mentioned above). I've bought multiple (dozens?) items from them. I think they do one of the best jobs on-line of describing the product. They will talk about sizes, and if its true to fit. They'll even tell you when they aren't satisfied with something (i.e. inadequate storage, zipper was cheap, padding was off, etc.). When I was trying to figure out the right saddle bags to order (after ordering 3 others that I wasn't happy with), I sent them a picture of the bike and high mount exhaust so they knew exactly what I was looking for. His suggestion (Nate) was right on. That's some great personal service.

Any time I've had an issue - whether I ordered the wrong item, or it wasn't what I expected, I'm able to call and actually get a person on the phone! And quick - none of this press 1 for English shit. If e-mail is your thing, they respond to that almost as quickly.

They also have a closeout section where you can get some awesome deals (as I'm sure most places do).

 

Not a fan of online headgear. It is the one thing that I will purchase at local shop. I haven't had any issues getting the right helmet locally, properly fit at a price at or below online costs. I do realize that people do need to shop online so at minimum go reputable. Motorcycle superstore, cycle gear, knee draggers, sportbiketrackger.com. The last company sportbike track gear is a bike shop owned by bikers racers. They hace decent prices on helments and evern closeouts. They care about protection. It is the name of the game.

Fitment is the MOST important aspect of helmet purchasing. Get the fit however you need to then pick the helmet. Good luck with what ever you end up with happy riding.


The above shops also have decent selection and prices on other gear.

 

I have also been shopping for a new helmet. I agree with the 'support the local shop' comment above. If the local retailer wants $20 or $30 more for the helmet, but you can try on each brand / size for 20 minutes to see how it feels, to me they're providing me with a service that's worth that extra money. They have a lot of expenses in keeping helmets in inventory, shipping them to the store, paying the rent on the space and the staff, all so I can come in and try that lid on. It's fair that they get paid for that. The on-line guys can't do that for you, and how many helmets do you want to exchange before coming up with the right one? Aside from the dis-comfort (headaches, etc), a poorly fitting helmet can cost you your life, and the only way to be sure it fits is to try it on.

 

I don't shop by price. I ONLY buy a helmet I have tried on and fits well. Online doesn't work well for me.

Jose

 

My problem was that the local dealers don't carry but the cheap helmets and after traveling to the next dealer that had other helmets in stock they didn't have anything that fit my head..... I ended up getting a Bell RS-1 XXL, it just fits and if I let my hair grow for more than a couple weeks I have a hard time getting my helmet on, lol. I'm no small guy... lol. None of my local or even semi local and farther carried anything different.

So online I went, I even called several of the online retailers for advice and I got a guy that said another bell would be a good fit, I got it and it sucked, called back talked to a different guy, told him all the helmets I tired on and what was not good about them and he told me the RS-1 would be a good fit but it's a tighter helmet and I could probably go up a size, he nailed it dead on. The RS1 is pretty much an exact fit for my head shape. I have a slightly longer oval shape, just outside the "round oval" and a little closer to the "long oval" but not quite all the way there... He said that because I'm in the middle of those 2 groups options are limited but the RS1 would be a good fit. And he was right. There is just enough room for me to wear a skully (dew rag for others) so that I can have an easily washable cover on my head. It helps keep the inside of the helmet cleaner so I don't have to take the liners out and wash them as often.

My advice would be to go to a dealer, see what they have in stock, try on some helmets and if you find one you like and it fits great then buy it, if not you will have to resort to online or maybe you'll get lucky and find a local shop with some one that knows what they are talking about and be good to go.