Portland Helmets?
 

Hey! So I need a road racing/autocross helmet. Full faced, Snell 2010 I think (autox less stringent, but I only want one helmet).

Eugene has motorcycle and a little autox. I'm figuring pdx is my best buy to try any.

Any recommendations on shops up there that carry them (and seats preferably)?

I need to find a pdx get together so I have a legit reason to go other than spending a few months food money on a helmet.

So, place, would be awesome, and any upcoming get togethers that accept strange dudes that people look at funny?

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There's the first Thursday meets. That happen regularly. Like I said tho. Just make an event and people will come. People want to get together and play grab ass. Just to lazy to set it up.

Well I don't know anybody, so I can't set it up. I just have to figure out how much a helmet will cost, if I have enough, go up and find one, and hopefully meet a few cool peeps. Don't want to wait until 1st Thursday of Sept because I want to be racing by then! ;)

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I mean it like just have an event. IE oh, I'm gonna be in PDX on x date and want to hit up the breweries and want to talk about cars. Who wants to kick it?

Lol, said to someone with too many anxiety disorders to list, including social! Lol. I'll try to do that though. Need to find a shop up there first I suppose

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Helmets isn't my thing. Lots of people w/ experience tho. @Rio @Decay107 @thehapaone @digital_assassin @BRZPDX @DarrenDriven just to name a couple that come to mind.

You need a SNELL 2010 or 2015. The only shop I know has helmets in stock is Sidedraught. Call them at 503.548.6334.

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Will do sir! Thank you!

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Bastards aren't answering. Their website hasn't been updated since 2014 and has no information of value or products. Of course! Lol. I'll keep bugging them! Why can't people answer their phones? And no, lunch is no excuse!

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Because it's a one man shop and he also works on cars.

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I still use the helmet you gave me. Fits good.

Depends on what you want to do...

Most (all) trackdays and autocrosses will only require Snell "m" rating, which is for motorcycles. You can find appropriate motorcycle helmets insanemy cheap (sub $100) at any local motorcycle store, Revzilla, motorcycle superstore, sportbike track gear... etc.

If you actually want to do wheel to wheel you'll need an SA rated helmet which is for automotove racing. There is not a lot of places local that stock them, but what you can do is try on motorcycle helmets from the same brand then assume that the automotive equivalent will be similarly sized and order online.

If you want information on prices, you can check out any online store. In person prices will be similar. I bought one recently from https://performancestop.com/. They were cool - very helpful in figuring out size, then doing a quick exchange when we got it wrong on the first try. Turns out my head is right on the border between L and XL, especially for Pyrotect lids.

That's not the case with SCCA, Porsche Club, and other clubs. They are getting stricter about helmets being Snell 2010 or higher. 2005s are not even allowed after the end of this season in many Racing clubs.

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I was speaking on the differences between SA and M, don't think anyone even sells 2005s anymore.

While calling and annoying the Portland guy, I looked up helmet buyer's guides, ended up finding a store that was really helpful. Windingroad.com

He's checking on some stuff, but I'm leaning towards a Simpson Bandit SA2015. I'm sure I'll mostly autocross, just because it's cheaper and more events, but I don't want to not be able to do track days...

Any opinions towards this helmet?

Taking a risk if I buy it online and it doesn't fit properly (some just don't fit "right" for me, even at the right size). Free shipping to me, and no restocking if it doesn't work...Might go that route.

Just figured out I don't have the money to pay for that and, you know, food though, which was a surprise. So my racing career I suppose will have to be postponed a bit...Or I'll get thinner.

SA Helmets are expensive, SM are not

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...incline-helmet

This will let you run just about any autocross or track day for the next 5 years. The only thing it won't let you do is wheel to wheel competitive racing. There is really no reason to spend $500 on a helmet while you are just getting your feet wet.

Edit: just in case you don't have a tiny head

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...blaster-helmet
http://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/hj...edline-helmet/

While I agree with your selection being complete over kill. I would not trust a $50 helmet in a track day. $200 gets you a very nice full face Pyrotect or RaceQuip SA2015 helmet. And you can find cheaper ones in those brands also. My head is a little important to me :-)

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I disagree (though I do wear better shit for motorcycling) there are STANDARDS for a reason. More money only buys exotic (lighter) materials, better more comfortable sizing, and additional features. A $50 helmet that meets the regulation will protect just as well as a $500 will.

Wait. I'm confused. Is someone saying I'm going overkill? The standards for some road course thing I wanted to do was Snell 2015 (or 2010). So, I figured I'd get one that didn't specifically EXclude me from an event I'd like to try. I haven't looked at a lot of brands of that variety, but from that store, it would be my choice. I think it's like $400. Way lower than the bike helmets I used to use. I thought that was a good price point. Is it high? I'll keep looking, but it's not like it had a lot of features that I could just cut out to lower the price. I admit, that includes $25 for matte paint :)

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TL/DR YES

Long version
I was arguing the it is totally unnecessary to limit yourself to only SA helmets when every organization I have ever dealt with or heard of accepts snell rated motorcycle helmets as well. Snell motorcycle helmets can be had much cheaper than snell automotive helmets. The only place that will require SA ratings exclusively will be real racing (like roll cages, fire suits, HANS devices, crashes expected, racing seats and harnesses required type of shit) which appears to be well outside of your intended usage. Just trying to save you a bit of money here (to be spent on all the extra consumables like tires, brakes, fluids, etc) :thumbsup:

I will go with something more in tune with my safety concerns. To me I don't look for the minimum of a standard which is what that label means. I want something that surpasses the standard. ;-)

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Oh, I appreciate it. I must have read things differently. I'll look up all possible track/road races and see if I got the ratings wrong.

One thing though, I rode bikes a ton, and found a great helmet (I thought) for less than $100. Bought it as a backup to my main helmet. Man, the difference between the two was night and day between that cheap one and my Shoei. I'm definitely willing to pay more than bare minimum for better workmanship, operation, and comfort I guess. Maybe I picked too high, especially if I picked the wrong rating. But I'm not going to go find the cheapest either, you know? It's just not worth it.

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@Rio you know a lot of these cheap helmets actually do better overall right? My knowledge relates to motorcycle helmets rather than automotive, but the British SHARP ratings have been showing that some of the cheapies outperform the established names by a bit. It's not the early 2000's anymore where Chinese helmet manufacturers were basically slapping DOT stickers on converted bicycle helmets and selling them on eBay.

But safety is a highly personal subject and there is certainly a reason to pay extra if something makes you feel safer. What I am saying though, is that the old adage of "you don't have a $50 head, why wear a $50 helmet" has not applied since around when SNELL 2010 came out.

http://blm.io/blog/motorcycle-helmet-safety-price/

I need a 99 cent helmet then...

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@FNCrazy SA is not "wrong" by any means, but the advantage of SM is that there are TONS of motorcycle stores that will allow you a level of exposure to different helmets that you just don't get with SA helmets. There's not a lot of places to try on automotive Snell rated helmets, but there is a ton of places to try on Snell motorcycle rated helmets.

And yeah, I ride as well so I do get the quality argument. My Bells are way nicer than some of the cheaper ones I've tried from a fit/finish standpoint.

I don't know man, I agree that's not about price but I really believe in a product reputation when it relates to safety. I want to reduce risks. I am also not saying you should buy expensive helmets. Just that you should do your research so that you don't end up with too little or too much. ;-)

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I agree, research is key :cheers:

There are some autocross groups that require SA-rated helmets (Porsche club is one). But you can get a good one for reasonable money. Check the rules for the group you want to run with, and make sure what you buy meets their requirements.

I agree with @Decay107 and @Rio; do some online research and you should find something that meets your needs in your budget.

I just want the one the Stig wears... Is that too much to ask people? ;)

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Then why even ask? By the way the stig has a Simpson Diamondback helmet.;-)

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I actually knew that. Sad huh? :)

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My wife knows that. She knew before I did. Lol

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You are an incredibly lucky man.

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I have a large pyrotect open face helmet for sale if you are still looking. I got it from sidedraught city.. its a few pages back in the nw classifieds.

@Whooosah You have a PM sir!

Even though I know they're not technically as safe, I love the kind that pop up from a full face to 3/4...Can't remember what they're called. Except pure bliss. ESPECIALLY, since I went to a motorcycle shop to look at helmets yesterday, and now Shoei has one!!! But, bike's gone now :(, and pretty darn sure Snell doesn't approve of that design :)