Buying a cruiser helmet is like buying a new mattress. You need to make sure the investment is right for you before buying it. If you don’t find the right one, you’re going to be faced with a problem every time you strap the uncomfortable thing to your head.
You need a helmet, there’s no question about it. But cruiser helmets need to qualify for a few factors, like comfort and aerodynamics, above other types of helmets. You need to consider the times when you’re blasting along an open highway and the times when you take a moment to look around and enjoy the scenery.
In this article, I’ll go through some of the best cruiser helmets and the many factors you should consider when buying one.
What This Article Covers:
Why Get a Cruiser Helmet?
While cruising, you’ll learn the ins and outs of your ride and your gear. If your gear fits comfortably, it will feel like you aren’t wearing any, putting less of a buffer between yourself and the world around you. You’ll be free to experience the world around you.
In this case, the comfort of your helmet is just as important as your saddle. Your gear affects how you experience the long drives and scenery. So there are some things that cruiser helmets do better than others.
Cruiser helmets have better vision and freedom of movement than other helmets. This means you can make the most of the scenery and feeling of the wind that makes cruising so special. Our selection of helmets gives you all that while not compromising on your safety.
Shoei Neotec II
First up is the best touring motorcycle helmet. Shoei has an excellent reputation for producing helmets with clear style and build quality. After releasing an earlier model, Shoei built features into the newer design based on years of feedback and produced a winning result: The Shoei Neotec II.
Construction
You won't find any remnants of construction on the Neotec 2. This creates a luxuriant look and feel. At the same time, the Shoei has no extravagant colours or unnecessary design features. It’s the perfect blend of quality and minimalism.
The helmet incorporates Shoei’s proprietary Multi-Ply Matrix Shell which is strong, lightweight and elastic. This shell makes for a strong first layer of defence.
The helmet is available in four sizes, so you’re sure to find one that fits comfortably.
Comfort
The Neotec’s padding doesn’t sacrifice safety for comfort. It’s removable, washable, and combines with channels in the liner to create a well-ventilated system. The liner also works hard to mitigate vibration and sound to create a quiet ride.
The quiet helmet complements the option to add a hands-free Bluetooth intercom system. You can use this for listening to music and communicating with other riders.
The eye-port hasn’t changed much since the first version. There’s little that needed changing. The face shield and visor don’t distort your view, don't fog up, and allow for excellent peripheral vision.
Safety
The Neotec 2 is DOT certified and scores a 4-star SHARP rating. As far as safety goes, this is impressive, although the helmet hasn’t achieved a SNELL rating yet.
Summary
Shoei has made an effort to make a distractionless experience without sacrificing your safety. This is important in all aspects of riding but especially when cruising. On long drives, the helmet isn't likely to take your attention from the experience. The Shoei is a serious contender for the best all-around motorcycle helmet out there at its price.
Shoei RJ Platinum-R
Of course, I can’t talk about cruising without covering some great open face options. They’re somewhat riskier since they lack jaw protection. Yet, some riders prefer the feeling of the wind and mobility.
If this is what you’re looking for, the Shoei RJ Platinum-R is an excellent place to start.
Construction
The shell is moulded from AIM+(Advanced Integrated Matrix Plus Micro Fibre). This is a strong and lightweight option created from multiple layers of protective materials. Coming in 4 shell sizes, there are plenty of options for fit.
Comfort
Overall, the RJ Parinum-R is tight but comfortable. The cheek pads are soft and the lining keeps your head secure. Having said that, you might only feel the comfortable benefits after a while of wearing it, especially if you’re not used to this kind of helmet. The inside pads take some time to conform to the shape of your face, so it’s a good idea to wear them in before you take it out on any long rides.
Once the helmet moulds to your shape, it feels very well balanced. Despite weighing just over 1.5 kg, you barely feel it.
Visibility
The real winning feature is the helmet’s visibility. The RJ Platinum-R is wide open, giving you a perfect vision of your surroundings.
The helmet comes with a face shield but can be removed. This gives you some protection from the wind while riding. You can buy an aftermarket visor since Shoei uses a 5-Snap Gt shape to give you more options for compatibility.
While the open face style gives you the natural feeling of the wind, it’s always mitigated where possible. It’s no full-face helmet but the RJ Platinum-R does a fantastic job at noise reduction due to its tight fit.
Ventilation
You might find that some snug-fitting open-face helmets can get uncomfortably hot on your head. Shoei’s newer design features clever airflow and vents that keep you cooler without removing padding on the inside making it an excellent hot weather motorcycle helmet.
Safety
The RJ Platinum-R is DOT, ECE and SNELL certified. Most open face helmets are DOT and ECE certified but few manage to achieve SNELL certification, making this helmet special.
The SNELL test is a rigorous version of the DOT test. This means that you’ll be exceptionally protected with the RJ Platinum-R in the event of an accident.
Summary
This helmet is about as safe as an open face helmet can get. It’s strong, comfortable, and fun to ride with. If you enjoy the feeling of the wind on your face but don’t want to sacrifice your safety then this helmet will serve you well.
Bell Scout Air
If money is a limiting factor but you still want something with a great look, the Bell Scout Air is a powerful competitor. This helmet is an open face helmet with no frills. It does what it needs to do and nothing more.
If you have a small budget and you’re not worried about the details then this option will get the job done.
Construction
The Bell Scout features an expanded polystyrene inner and Composite Tri-Matrix outer shell. This wins a DOT and ECE safety rating, so you can be sure that you aren’t losing value there.
Suede covers the foam interior. This feels amazing and is removable for washing. So you’re never going to have the problem that most helmets like this have, which is that they soon become quite filthy and have to be replaced.
You'll get a very well built product, despite the small price tag. And you aren’t sacrificing looks either since you get this great retro feel. The shape is great for aerodynamics so there’s less noise than some other open face helmets.
Ventilation
A downside to the open design is that you get wind and bugs directly into your face. There’s an option to add the visor to the buy. The Scout Air doesn’t have air vents at the top so you’ll lack any kind of circulation in the top and back of the helmet which can make it heat up on warmer days.
Noise
You might think that because the helmet is open there would be a lot of noise but that’s not the case. It forms a great seal over your ears so the whirring of the wind is somewhat mitigated. That’s why this helmet gets a special mention in this department.
Summary
The helmet is light and comfortable, making it ideal for longer rides. It’s built well and sports a retro look. If you’re a cruiser on a budget then the Bell Scout Air will please you. Needless to say, it's built for slower speeds. It’s one of the best helmets for a café racer but if you’re looking for some higher budget open face helmets in nz then you can find them here.
Bell Broozer
The sleek and stylish Bell Broozer is a two-piece modular helmet. This means you can choose between an open or a full-face design. The main piece is a half helmet to which you can attach a chin guard.
Looks
First off, the Broozer is a mean contender for the coolest looking helmet. It has a great streetfighter look and comes with many graphic options. These options are all monochrome black but there are plenty of options for you to look the way you want.
Construction
The Broozer comes in at 1.3 kg which gives you a featherlight experience on the road. This is because of the blend of thermoplastics that also makes it sturdy while keeping it light. For this shell, there are six options for sizing so you can make sure you have a snug fit.
You won’t have to bother much with complicated locks when you want to change the chin guard out. It’s made from the same plastic as the rest of the helmet and is easily exchanged. Unlike most modular designs, this chin guard comes off completely. This turns it into a full-face helmet in seconds. The Broozer is undoubtedly one of the most advanced motorcycle helmets on the market.
The helmet’s liner is removable so you don’t have to struggle trying to clean them while they’re still attached. After a while on the road, chin straps can become a bother but the Broozer’s strap is padded for extra comfort. All in all, the helmet is surprisingly comfortable, though it does tend to wobble a bit at higher speeds.
Visibility
Visibility is fantastic when the helmet is open. The visor/chin guard combination doesn’t obstruct your vision any more than most full-face helmets.
The visor can flip up and down easily enough while wearing gloves. This adds to the general versatility of the helmet. The coated and tinted visor protects you from the sun and won’t fog up except in exceptionally cold or humid weather. In the box, you’ll get a clear visor if you prefer one.
Without the chin guard, you can still keep the visor down for some protection but over 50 km/h, it causes some instability.
Ventilation
The helmet has excellent ventilation coming in from the chin guard and the top. You can adjust them however you’d like to get your desired airflow. However, there aren’t any exhaust vents at the back. This might make it quite warm.
Users have reported that the wind is loud and can come up into the helmet at speeds over 80 km/h. This is mitigated if you have a windshield on your bike or if you wear earplugs.
Safety
You might be concerned with the detachable chin guard but the helmet easily passed DOT and ECE. These ratings applied both with and without the chin guard on. Bear in mind that in an open-face configuration, you’ll run the same risks as all open face helmets.
So you’ll get the most protection from having the chin guard on. You still won’t get the same level of safety as a helmet with a fixed chin bar but this helmet is a good step between the two.
Additionally, when the chin guard is on and the visor is down, you’ll get the best protection from debris that the helmet can offer. In total, you can change the functionality of the helmet to suit your needs but also the level of safety that you are comfortable with.
Summary
With either setup, the Bell Broozer is a wicked-looking helmet and people won’t let you forget it. It’s perfect if you are cruising around at medium speeds. It’s well built and people might even mistake it for a non-modular full-face helmet. Grab this one if you like the look and the functionality.
Final Words
We’ve looked at a few types of head protection. Each one might serve a different audience but all are great on a cruise. The Shoei is arguably the best all-around motorcycle helmet. It makes for great high-speed cruises and a luxurious ride. If you desire the mobility and visibility of an open face but don’t take chances on safety then the RJ-Platinum-R is a great choice.
If you like the benefits of the half style but don’t have a huge budget then the Bell Scout Air will get the job done. Can’t make up your mind between full or open face? You can have them both with the Bell Broozer.
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