Hello & Welcome!!

You can always get the helmet painted...I crashed in a HJC, my fiance crashed in an Arai....he had a concusion and short term memory loss, I didn't.....So because you may more doesn't mean you get more...it also depends on the way you fall, etc....each helmet has a reason why it's so expensive....look into it and you'll find one that fits you....

 

KBC is a great helmet and is affordable ($200 ish). If you go with the name brands, you should be okay, but you don't have to spend $600-$700. A snell and dot rated helmet is a great choice...make sure it fits well. Welcome to the site...glad to have you here.

 

I'm a newbie to the world of riding myself and have done plenty of research, both on-line and speaking with long time riders. The concensus seems to be that the most important aspect of the helmet is the fit. Make sure you get something snug- at first, a helmet that may seem a tad small may actually be the correct size (as you wear the helmet in, the liner can reduce it's dia. about 1/16th of an inch is what I hear.) There is alot of good info and reviews onwebbikeworld.com.From the reviews, I gatherthatthehigher end helmets (not necessarily higher priced) are distinguished fromlower level helmets by characteristics such as comfort, visor quality/attributes, venting and noise.

I'm a newbie too, so I don't pretend to knowit all, but I figured I'd share some ofmy findings with someone else in the same boat. Hope this helps.

I myself just bought a shark rsi helmet(on sale for about $250) andso far, I love it.

 

While in Italy, our local MSF instructor was involved in a nasty accident involving a fully loaded tractor trailer driving across his head. He was wearing one of the cheapest Nolan helmets and he walked away from the accident with relatively minor injuries. Yes, fit and comfort would be my primary concern, not name brand or color scheme. My KBC was all I could afford after buying my bike. It works, but fogs up severely in wet or humid conditions with the visor down. My 2 cents would be, go to a shop, try on ones you can afford/like and pick a winner. You can always upgrade later too....that's what I'm gonna do. Also...if you plan on racing at all, find out what your local track requirements are.