After receiving my motorcycle license, I would say this is the next step to motorcycle ownership. I browsed quite heavily online to sort out which helmet was right for me, and as always I was also considering which item would give me the greatest bang for the buck. I spoke with a friend from my high school and he recommended a few brands to me. This is were I started. He said I should aim for a Bell, HJC, or AGV helmet. Tania and I had seen a few bell helmets when we visited the progressive motorcycle show last year. I liked Bell, but my friend (Johnny) said it was his first helmet and started falling apart after about 3 years of usage. So I thought maybe I could go with something better. I then looked at the AGV k3 SV helmet but did not like the fact that the chin was pointed (or at least seemed to be). Other than the k3 SV all the other helmets were a bit out of my budget. Next up was HJC. I never thought I would own an HJC helmet because I never even heard of the brand, but after reading and watching some of their reviews I felt confident that they made good helmets.
I narrowed it down to one helmet; the HJC RPHA 10 helmet. At the time of purchase it was on a closeout sale for $217 (marked down from $364). The $217 price was for the solid colored versions. I was initially thinking of purchasing a matte black color but that was no longer available in my size (XL – 60.5 in circumference of head). The only two colors available in my size were the solid black and solid silver. I personally did not like the silver version since I felt it would not match with anything, and I had concerns that the black would be too hot (since darker colored helmets attract more heat than lighter ones). Unfortunately, I waited a day too long because after coming back the next day the black helmet was sold out.
There were graphic versions of the helmet available also, but graphics meant more money. One of the graphics I was looking into also was the Lorenzo Replica of the RPHA 10. Revzilla had it priced at $389.99 (marked down from $549.99). Was I really about to shell out an additional $170 for the graphic? No way! I quickly learned that Revzilla had a price match guarantee. All I had to do was find another helmet distributor operating in the United States with a lower selling price. Was I lucky or what? I found the same helmet from motorcyclegear.com for $239. That’s about $20 more than the solid. I filled out the price match application and kept my fingers crossed. About 2 days later I was approved and never looked back!
I love the HJR RPHA 10. The helmet has a really comfortable (and completely removable) inner liner, a chin guard, chin vent, adjustable head vents, and above all not only is it DOT rated but it is Snell rated as well. It is fairly light, comes with a pin lock shield (to prevent fogging), and the visor is easy to remove. As the featured picture suggests, I have worn it around the apartment quite a bit. I am just waiting for my Motorcycle Safety Foundation class to see just how comfortable it is for a longer duration.
