Opinon On a Lid and Leather?
 

So my Shoei x-12 is 3 years old so its getting close to replace it and to top it off while unlading it into the storage unit i dropped it on the dome. The x-12 was not one of the quietest helmets I have ever had but it was fairly light and comfortable. I am open into trying another QUALITY brand. HJC is not really on my radar and I have owned 2 scorpions and don't think I will go back down that road.
Now on to a leather. I am looking for a 1 pc for track days. I will be transfering from WA to CA where the track days are damn near year round and looking input on what brands lean towards and which to stay away from. I had a ZLeather back when I was on the track 4" shorter and just not sure what has changed in the past 7 years in that department. Thanks.

Bell RS-1 has treated me well. Like it better than the HJC I had before it. Cool features, nice venting and fit for my head, and the shield is stupid easy to remove.

Nice. How about wind noise? is than an issue with it?

cortech is a great brand for gloves 1 peice suits and boots. they are actually right down the street from me and my buddy works there so i get some free goodies. but they have great customer service and will replace things without a hassle. i have the cortech latigo 1 pc suit and its really reasonable on price, great quality, and fits me well. i have the cortech latigo rr boots and the cortech adrenaline gloves. love all of it. i got the gloves and booots for free from my buddy at cortech

It seems pretty good for me. I had one of those Hawk leatherup.com brand helmets that was noticeably louder. I may not be the best to compare that one though because I ride with earplugs...

Ah, I may have to try that. I know alot of people do.

I've been a Shoei guy forever BUT there is one lid that has me ready to jump ship...

http://www.motorhelmets.com/library/...n-helmets1.jpg
http://revgirl.com/wp-content/upload...ta-profile.jpg

Wolverine, I hear ya on that. I was looking at that thing and it looks sweet and I bet it flows air pretty nice! The only thing I do not like is Rossi is all over the damn thing. I hope they come out with just a blank C/F shell becuase if I am going to spend $1000+ on a helmet I dont want to paint over it, or just not get it, but weight is a pretty huge factor and this helmet is right up that alley.

Sorry I missed over your reply. Thanks for the heads up on the cortech. I have not tried them before from what I can remember. I use Alpine for boots and gloves. I may have to find a dealer up in WA to try some suits on compared to A-stars. How breathable is your latigo 1?

Damn, I wouldn't rule out HJC, they're coming out with some really good helmets. If you don't want too much wind noise I would recommend Nolan. I had one and it was nrearly quiet.

5 years is about how long I give my helmets the life of. I don't like to use a helmet past that because you don't know if youre being protected anymore. You could have damaged the helmet integrity in those 6 years so i'd try to avoid it.

Anyway, I have an Shoei right now but I would recommend ehcking out HJC too, they have some decent stuff out now. These companies that are always playing catch up to Arai and Shoei, I feel have a lot more to offer. http://www.motorcyclehouse.com/arai-helmets.htm

Thanks, I'll be looking into that a bit more.

Fieldsheer doesn't make race leathers anymore but I have an older Fieldsheer suit I picked up that I'm sending off to barnical bills for new zippers and a once over of the stitching. Fit and Finish is perfect for me and I've never had a more comfortable suit. Lots of perforation for air flow and the suit moves around and doesn't feel like its molded to hold you in one position.

If you have the coin to spend though give barnical bill a shout

Barnacle Bill's Racing Leather

send him your measurements and what you are looking for and he will custom tailor you a suit that I promise you, you will not find a better more comfortable suit for you

I would suggest trying an AGV as well...and on sale at Cycle Gear right now.

helmet
 

Last year me and a buddy bought helmets me a shoei him a bell HE got a bell VORTEX fit him nice ,I got a shoei Quest it fit me nice we both take XL the Bell pinched my forehead the shoei was tight on the sides for him THE SHOEI SEEMED QUIETER the BELL had better venting,how the helmet fits YOU is most important

This site was very informative.

Motorcycle Helmet Shapes - webBikeWorld

I found a good deal on a Tourmaster Jett jacket online. I'm impressed with all the features on the jacket and how lightweight it is compared to leather.

Helmets - Get one that fits - most important. Get the best helmet U can afford. I guy who raced & was an instructor once told me to flip a helmet upside (so the opening is facing U) squeeze the helmet at the opening = meaning bottom of helmet, on the sides where your ears would be, if it flexes a lot that's not good, it should flex very little.

As far as noise - most helmets are loud, due to providing you the best air flow possible. Thus I would strongly suggest ear plugs. I wear ear plugs on any ride over 30 mins. Go to Home Depot/Lowes and buy a party pack and get a small plastic holder for them & keep em in your jacket.

FWIW - I have a Scorpion EXO-700 about 4 to 5 years old & love it.

+1 on ear plugs. I've worn them most of my rides longer than 3 miles. That is, I don't wear them when I commute to work as I don't get over 35 mph much, and the only thing I need them for is wind noise at speed.

For years now my go-to helmet had been a Shoei MultiTec. It has lasted very well over the years, but I am hearing the siren-song of the NeoTec calling me, softly now, but getting louder. My track-day/ride-day helmet is a Scorpian Exo 500. Cheaper but with lots of goodies such as a sun visor and good venting for the hot summer days in Texas.

I prefer the modular flip-up helmet for most riding due to the convenience, but they are sometimes noisier than a full-face in most cases. I love the flip-down sun visor of my Skorpian, and my future helmets will all have this.

I can only speak for ARAI helmets, as that's all I've worn since the early 80's, but they come in different shapes to fit a variety of heads. Once I got the right shape and size for my head, it made an amazing difference in comfort on the road. And ARAI now has a sun visor that retrofits some of their helmets. I can't wait to get mine.

Stay away from KBC helmets. Mine is a POS. Agv is really good for the money. I also like my Joe Rocket jacket. Would have been an expensive jacket but found it on clearance at the dealer for a steal. Cycle gear is a good place to check out because they have some stuff in stock to test out the fit before you buy anything. Just noticed your only interested in a 1 piece suit. The agv pants I have has the 360 degree zipper to attach to a jacket. I bet those 1 piece deals are a pain to get in and out of.

Shoei is a nice helmet. I like the various sizes of cheek plates. I have AGV leathers for track days. They look nice, seem to be well made and they fit me well. The price is quite reasonable as too. I also have some AGV, Spidi and Alpinestars clothing. They're all nice but I think AGV has some of the best features and best detail work. Price is well under the other brands.

Thank you to all who have replied. the woman just bought me a bell RS1 RSD helmet that fits my pin shaped head just fine, bless her heart, not to mention a transition visor to go along with it. I have been looking into a 1 pc but I don't think it will fit into the budget any time soon, nor will the track day. but I am still doing my research on them. Thanks again for all the input.