26 posts on this thread and I still non the wiser.

granted Arai make good helmets that fit some heads but that doesnt mean any other brand would not keep you from suffering severe head injuries in an accident.

nearly anyone who survives a bad crash swears by whatever helmet they were wearing at the time.

my personal opinion is that by wearing a lighter helmet I will hopefully suffer less damage to my neck in the event of an off.

as consumers we have to rely on reviews from magazines etc when buying helmets and it can be a costly game

Except what Luca Manca said about his 'lightweight' helmet in last year's Dakar x

Quite possibly, but there are so many variables in an accident - neck 'whiplash' is only one - I would say impact and abrasion are far more likely scenarios?

Jx

I use a Shoei Sychrotec 2 because it suits my purpose and is extremely comfy. Flip up is dead handy in a lot of situations especially when you want to sneeze. lol.

Helmets used on R6's

I owned the following helmets (no baffles on bike no ear plugs)

shark RSR helmet cost �200.00
arai Astro R �350.00
Some bright coloured AGV helmet �250.00

The shark helmet and arai were super quiet the AGV helmet was deadly within 10 minutes of riding along a 50 limit road I would get the worst headache ever. Even with earplugs in the AGV was shocking. I owned the helmet for a grand total of 1 day before selling it to a friend.
In terms of weight the AGV was the most heavy by far followed by the Arai then shark being the lightest.

I really do believe helmets can differ big style.

I also found that visor mechanisms vary big style some good, some very bad. Much to my supprise I found the Arai visor mechanism a fiddle and frankly a paint to remove even though Arai boast about their quick release mechanisims. My original Shark helmet had an awfull mechanism however the new Shark helmet is very good and fairly Robust.
In terms of safety not yet tested any of them if I live I'll let you know!

I currently own a Shark RSI prime helmet and it has been very good so far, I'd say it is fairly quiet and the cheapest helmet I have owned �185.00 on offer.
The mechanism is good on the visor and easy to change visors.
In terms of aero dynamics my XT isn't exactly the most streamline of machines so really dont think it makes that much difference to be honest.
The only downfall I think is the mechanism on the air vents. I find it confusing to work out when the vents are open or closed.
Overall I have always been impressed with the shark helmets.