Hawk helmets?

[artyboy]

Does anyone have experience with this brand? They're very inexpensive. I'm not sold on the "the more expensive the better" philosophy when it comes to helmets, though. They start at $40 for a full face. They have some with really nice graphics for $70-$80. They even have some Snell approved helmets for $80. I've been looking at them here (http://www.leatherup.com/c/Hawk-Helmets/start_1/2/140.html). Obviously the price makes them automatically suspect. Does anyone have any firsthand experience with them? I don't know if they're a newer company or what but I can't seem to find many reviews or much information on them.

[WACB650]

I have not heard of them. They look nice. Are there any warranties or guarantees? I would stick with the snell certified, but also it is important to look for DOT certification as well.

[artyboy]

It looks like all of their helmets are DOT certified.

[WACB650]

If you try one out let us know what you think.

[artyboy]

I ordered one for my wife (she'll hardly ever wear it anyway since she's not a big fan of motorcycles) and she said that it's comfortable. I had her leave it on for about 15 or 20 minutes and she was happy with it when she took it off. I just ordered a different one for myself so I'll let you guys know what I think when it gets here.

Here's my initial impression without trying her helmet on. The finish was excellent. The padding was plush and seemed to be good quality. The vents seemed serviceable. They were kind of small but the helmet that I'm getting has bigger vents. For $50 you can't go wrong. Even if you decide you don't like it the graphics are cool enough that you should be able to pawn it off to some schmuck on craigslist for close to what you bought it for.

[kek515]

I just bought a silver hawk full-face helmet for $40 off of that same website. It's very comfortable, the shield is great and easy to clean. The strap isn't a clip like my old helmet, but it's easy to put on and remover. The cheek pads are removable and easy to clean. So far, so good.

The only complaint I have is that the cheek pads have a rouch edge that scratch my cheeks when I put on the helmet. (But I have fat cheeks)

Good luck! And watch for sales on that site, I think my helmet was originally $119

[artyboy]

I got the red and silver arrowhead helmet for $50. It fits well but it is a little tight. The padding on the inside seems to be thicker than some other helmets that I've tried on. On long rides it can get uncomfortable but if I were to actually need it I'd feel safer wearing that than some of the more loose fitting helmets that I've worn. It's not too noisy and you can't really feel the airflow but you can tell that it's working when you shut the vents and it stops. The visor is solid, doesn't fog up too bad and rain rolls off of it nicely. It's got several positions that you can open the visor to but unless you have it wide open it doesn't stay open very well when you're riding. For the price it's an excellent helmet. It's probably a better helmet than a lot of what you'll find for 3-4 times the price. If you're on a budget then this will probably suit you fine.

[Goliath616]

Thanks artyboy, I planned on getting a full face for winter riding (I have a 1/2 helmet now) and this looks like a good deal to me. :cool: