I purchased a Shark Skwal i3;

[p6x]

On 5/24/2024 at 5:49 PM, audiomick said:

I beg to differ. Decibels are a relative unit, and logarithmic. That means that 2 dB does mean a significant difference in sound energy. Whoever can be bothered can look here, for instance:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel

https://www.quora.com/How-many-dB-decibels-represent-a-doubling-or-halving-of-the-sound-volume

 

2 dB difference is a difference that the untrained ear registers as "that is louder". As far as exposure to noise goes, it can be quite relevant, depending on how loud the environment is and how long the exposure is. 97 dB, probably dBA, is quite loud. 99 dB is very loud.

To get it into perspective, look here. I don't know how reliable the publisher of the site is, but the numbers more or less correspond to that which I have seen elsewhere

https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/loud-noise-dangers/#dangerous

 

Any wonder. According to the information on their site, they dampen by 30 dB at 2 kHz. That is really a lot, and 2 kHz is a frequency that is really important for the transmission of information (speech, awareness of the surroundings, whatever...).

So an ear plug that dampens that much will indeed provide good protection, but will also isolate you from your surroundings.

 

By the way, this

is nothing more than marketing bullshit. I believe I wrote in another thread that wind noise is not a single frequency, but rather very broad band, i.e the entire range of audible frequencies is involved. You simply can't filter out "the wind noise frequency". All you can do is dampen everything. How isolated you feel then depends on the "frequnecy response" of the filters. If they are neutral (flat), you will still feel like you are in touch with the surroundings to an extent.

The Moto Safe ones are anything but flat. Their figures

show that they dampen significantly more in the high frequencies than in the mids and lows. Particularly the difference between the damping at 500 Hz and 2 kHz is extreme.

They must sound like shit.

So, after your post, I did a full immersion in decibels, and wow.... it is anything but simple.

I thought I just needed to plot decibel levels on a semilogarithmic scale, just to figure it out, but there is more than one type of decibels.

I am not even certain the Champion comparison should be Db, or Db(A).

[po18guy]

I am another who dislikes the flat/matte black "invisible" look. You risk adding red to the black - your blood. If my Chinese no-name bicycle helmet has a programmable rear LED, shouldn't all M/C helmets? You can get a wireless bicycle computer for less than $20. Is it so difficult to do a wireless brake light using the same technology? Riding the freeway/Interstate in urban traffic, I swapped on an LED taillight and an accessory LED brake light under it.

On my Kwacker, I have flash 5 times then steady brakelight bulbs. The V11 got Amazon "iBrightstar" signal bulbs.  I like that they use both the OEM reflector as well as a projector beam lense aimed straight forward and back. Nary a problem with any of them.  

[p6x]

On 5/25/2024 at 10:26 AM, gstallons said:

Helmets are like BBQ sauce . What you love , I just might turn my nose up to.

 A while back this progressive motorcycle shop was closing and I went over in hopes of getting a bargain on a NAME brand helmet . The owner told me "you better buy what fits you and disregard the name . It turns out I got what I needed and am enjoying it still. 

I think the number one criteria is what you specified: having a helmet that fits you, but also the safest construction possible. The EUR certification has been upgraded to the ECE 22.06 standard. The impact points testing went from 6 to 12 and there are other changes such as the impacts are done at various speeds.

The 22.06 standard was introduced in 2022.

The DOT certification is comparable, although less stringent than the European ECE 22.06 standard. The DOT does not test all helmets for approval. They roll out a set of standards and regulations for manufacturers who target the U.S. market to follow. Makers will then be allowed to self-certify that their helmets will pass the FMVSS 218 tests and append a DOT sticker.

I chose Shark for my first helmet, because it was the only one that let me put my prescription glasses easily once the helmet is on my head. This is something Shark does seem to do better than the top known brands.

The Shark I3 is sold in the US and compliant to both DOT and ECE 22.06, like probably most helmets. To be noted, Shoei sells the same helmet under different product names. I am talking about the Shoei RF1400 here in the US, and NXR. This was my target helmet, because sold as one of the quietest. Unfortunately, this is one of those helmets that give me difficulty to put my glasses on.

Thereafter, come the secondary considerations, such as colors, pinlock, and what not.

The I3 is heavier than my current Shark, and a lot cheaper. I don't expect it will be one of the most quiet, but I do like the additional braking lights.

[p6x]

8 hours ago, po18guy said:

I am another who dislikes the flat/matte black "invisible" look. You risk adding red to the black - your blood

For some reason, a lot of motorcycle riders favor plain traditional colors, with a majority wearing black helmets. I do not know why. I looked for a red helmet in the brand and line I favored, and could not find one at Cyclegears, where I bought my "black" Shark Race R Pro Carbon.

In any case, I was looking at increasing my visibility at night, and during the day, the braking lights are driven by an accelerometer.

Once I get the helmet, I will be able to give an educated opinion.

 

 

[audiomick]

19 hours ago, p6x said:

So, after your post, I did a full immersion in decibels, and wow.... it is anything but simple.

I thought I just needed to plot decibel levels on a semilogarithmic scale, just to figure it out, but there is more than one type of decibels.

I am not even certain the Champion comparison should be Db, or Db(A).

Well, it is simple on the one hand, but not so simple on the other.

There is only one type of decibel, but...

as I mentioned further up, it is a relative unit, i.e. x dB is not an absolute value, but rather always a "more than" or "less than" value. The "difffernt types of decibel" are in fact not different decibels, but rather different specified reference values. For instance dBV states a value relative to 1 Volt. There is a listing of the suffixes here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel#List_of_suffixes

 

A dB figure regarding the loudness of something is almost always dBA. That is included in the linked list of suffixes.

[Tomchri]

Did ride to my Duc dealer, 320 km r/t to try an AGV carbon, last year. No didn't fit. Ended up with a Caberg, very good fit and reasonable and Italian. Yes  black. Prefer to be invisible. 

Cheers Tom.      

[audiomick]

9 minutes ago, docc said:

"A" = audible?

Well, sort of.

"A" weighting. It refers to a frequency weighting applied to the measurement that reflects the sensitivity of the human ear across the audible frequency spectrum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-weighting

 

[cowtownchemist]

I was using an HJC i10 for quite a while but wanted to move to a modular helmet.  So I had purchased a Sena Outrush R.  Although more comfortable, the wind noise at high speeds was just way too much.  Even with earplugs in.  So I went back to the HJC.  I do not know how many decibels louder the Outrush helmet was, but I do know it was it was enough to make me go back to my old helmet.

 

[p6x]

14 hours ago, Tomchri said:

Did ride to my Duc dealer, 320 km r/t to try an AGV carbon, last year. No didn't fit. Ended up with a Caberg, very good fit and reasonable and Italian. Yes  black. Prefer to be invisible. 

Cheers Tom.      

You kind of stand out in the snow with a black helmet, don't you?

[p6x]

1 hour ago, cowtownchemist said:

I was using an HJC i10 for quite a while but wanted to move to a modular helmet.  So I had purchased a Sena Outrush R.  Although more comfortable, the wind noise at high speeds was just way too much.  Even with earplugs in.  So I went back to the HJC.  I do not know how many decibels louder the Outrush helmet was, but I do know it was it was enough to make me go back to my old helmet.

 

Most helmet makers put forward the safety and comfort of their helmets. I am of the opinion that wind noise is part of the overall safety because it contributes to fatigue and interferes with the necessary focus you need to conserve if you want to stay upside up, particularly on long rides.

 

[audiomick]

9 hours ago, p6x said:

...wind noise is part of the overall safety...

 

Including what it does to your ears.

But to be fair, how loud a helmet is does depend to an extent on the seating position of the bike in question, and whether it has a fairing, and if so, how high. And how tall the rider is. And so on.

So it is a bit difficult for a helmet manufacturer to make a helmet that is definitely quiet under all foreseeable conditions.

Having said that, good helmets tend, in my experience, to be quieter.

For "good", read "expensive".

[p6x]

I received the Skwal I3 today, and I have not yet ridden with it.

I tested the three lighting options; I am most likely not going to use the front lights, still or flashing. Reason is the lights bounce on the fairings of the Le Mans, which makes it a distraction. My father would have said those lights look like a brothel' sign...

Tomorrow, I will take it out for a spin, to check loudness.

 

[audiomick]

The blinking LEDs remind me of a garbage truck doing its' rounds....

[p6x]

So, I have some miles under my (new) helmet and this is my first impressions:

-the incorporated sun visor is magic! I have two pairs of prescription glasses, one sun, one normal. I don't have to bother changing them any longer.

-My GP Pro is lighter, but not that I can make the difference so far.

-The GP Pro has better ventilation than the I3. That may be an issue, but in any case, hot humid air is always hot humid air.

-The GP Pro has better internal padding.

-The GP Pro is certainly a tiny less noisy, but I have no actual measurement.

So the I3 is acceptable. I have not yet wore it for a long period of time.

There is one question that I am wondering about. The slider to lower the sun visor is on top of the helmet. What happens under a serious rain? does the water filtrates in?

 

 

[audiomick]

19 minutes ago, p6x said:

The slider to lower the sun visor is on top of the helmet. What happens under a serious rain? does the water filtrates in?

I expect you'll find out sooner or later.

But I can't imagine a helmet producer not having thought about that. I expect that the mechanism is more or less water tight.

 

If you really want to know, put the helmet on, and go under the shower.