quote:
Originally posted by ajmatt
thanks for the links!
A.J.,
Wonder why you're thanking MiketheVigo for providing you with a link to a Taiwanese electronic components manufacturer (
http://www.hjc.com.tw)?!?! Mike was either pulling your leg or he was very drunk/high/spaced out, etc... at the time of writing his post! ;-)
As far as I know, the only foreign (quality) helmet manufacturer in Thailand is the French brand 'Shark', which is one of the high-end helmet manufacturers in Europe. Shark helmets are rated very highly in comparative tests by European bike magazines, but they are very pricey too.
Since Shark helmets are manufactured in Thailand, buying a Shark here makes sense if you're looking for a quality lid, as they are much cheaper here than in the rest of the world. Sa Moto in CNX sells Shark helmets.
As for HJC helmets, they offer great value helmets (I've got HJC system helmet, very happy with it). HJC is relatively cheap compared to western or Japanese brands. HJC is a Korean helmet manufacturer and this company has no manufacturing operations in Thailand (
http://www.hjchelmets.com).
BTW, if you or someone else is looking to buy a high-quality lid for their thai gf/wife/bf/etc., I've got a brand-new ECE-approved 'Arai' full-face helmet, model 'Maverick', size: XS (head size 53-54cm), color: titanium-gray. It has a tinted visor/face shield and it comes with a spare clear visor/face shield (bought it separately).
I bought this model helmet for my wife because it came out tops for the ventilation criteria in published helmet comparisons both in European bike magazines and online sites, e.g. check out the 'Aerations' criterion in the comparative table (it's in French, but you'll see it scored top ranking with 3 'stars' for 'aerations') in a helmet survey on the following site:
http://www.lerepairedesmotards.com/casquestop10.htm)
I considered getting my wife a helmet with the best possible ventilation system was an important comfort criterion for riding in the tropics. The Arai Maverick has got fully controllable ventilation ducts on both the helmet (mouth, top and rear vents) and on the visor/shield. Unfortunately enough, my wife never wore it because the helmet turned out to be too small when it got here. Expensive mistake!
To have an idea what it looks like, look up the following link:
http://img.dooyoo.co.uk/GB_EN/175/motor ... verick.jpg
I paid €560.85 for it (€499 for the helmet plus €61.85 for the spare visor/face shield), which is approx. Baht 24,698 or USD746 at the current exchange rate. Any acceptable offer will be considered. My loss is your gain!
So if you care enough about your gf/spouse/bf/etc.'s safety and comfort, this helmet would certainly do the job, plus it looks great. Email me for pictures of the actual helmet. It comes with the original box, protective helmet bag, manual (with face shield changing instructions), stickers, etc.
A.J., in case your wife changes her mind on keeping the CBR150, I would be interested in trading the helmet (plus cash) for your bike.
I live in Chiang Mai (actually Hang Dong).