www.kaliprotectives.com is who I work for. We have some revolutionary technology in our helmets but of course we are starting small against giants like Arai, Shoei, AGV, Suomy, etc. If any of you PA riders would like more in detailed info PM me & i'll see what I can do for my classy PA gentlemen.
www.kaliprotectives.com is who I work for. We have some revolutionary technology in our helmets but of course we are starting small against giants like Arai, Shoei, AGV, Suomy, etc. If any of you PA riders would like more in detailed info PM me & i'll see what I can do for my classy PA gentlemen.
I kind of like the looks of some of your stuff. Closest dealer is an 8 hour drive for me up here in Canada. I might have to make it. I hate the idea of ordering a helmet online and hoping it fits right.
My reqs are as others listed above: full face, snell.
What I'd like to find is something with a decent retroreflective design. Kinda tired of tribals and vector art swirly designs, and don't think I've seen a helmet come reflective.
Slap a big strip of reflective tape on the back.
That's what I *have*. It looks sorta lame. Something like this, I'd dig:
That's so cool. If it wasn't modular I would want one.
I have to ask Xero, what about your helmets sets them apart from the rest? Frankly I don't know a hell of a lot about helmets but I understand intermediate materials science so I'm not sure what the differences can be other than styling and basic shape.
Helmets can be more expensive because of the features. Some have Bluetooth, some have vents, some have an anti-fog visor...
I'd imagine the actual structure and composition doesn't vary a lot. It's like a car that has all features or no features. Same car guts for the most part.
That's so cool. If it wasn't modular I would want one.
I have to ask Xero, what about your helmets sets them apart from the rest? Frankly I don't know a hell of a lot about helmets but I understand intermediate materials science so I'm not sure what the differences can be other than styling and basic shape.
So our key difference and the thing that makes us different from everyone else is a technology called Composite Fusion. What this means is that we are able to bond multi density foam directly to our fiber shells. This allows the helmet to be one piece. Unlike other helmets involve an outer shell being formed, an inner eps foam shell being formed, then all pieces being press fit into the shell with tape or adhesive as a bonding agent.
Now why we are so excited about our innovation is when you have no gaps between shell and foam you can greatly reduce the g load that will act on the riders head during an impact. So the outer shell will spread the load upon impact and instead of having a time delay waiting for the shell to break down into the foam the foam instantly starts absorbing the g load. Pairing this with a multi density foams and using the lowest density next to the riders head we consistently show a reduction of g loads of 20-30% over traditionally made helmets.
While the graphs are simplified they illustrate the characteristics of an impact.
For Standard Construction:
The first spike is the initial impact so you have a rise in g's. As the shell starts to actually break down and distribute the load g's start to drop slightly as energy is being dissipated by the shell itself. However once the shell breaks down into the foam and depending how the helmet is made layers of foam you get another spike in g's. Then the sharp drop off as the foam begins to dissipate the rest of the energy. All the while your brain is accelerating inside your skull due to the violent forces during an impact.
For Composite Fusion
Our Technology aims to remove some of the violence of an impact by dissipating the g load in a more efficient manner over time in order to reduce the risk of traumatic brain injury. That's why the graphic of composite fusion is more gradual.
The tech and performance is so close between helmets nowadays I don't think you can just "see" a difference unless the test is totally contrived and more marketing than performance, it seems to me.
Well, if your goal is to set yourself apart from your competition, you need to actually do something to show people in a clear and visceral way that you're tech saves lives. Don't pick on a specific competitor; grab the most generic looking helmet you can find and hide all the logos on it.
And, yeah, if you have to make a test contrived to show a difference, it's going to be an uphill sell anyway.
The most noticeable thing although we try not to focus on it is what we are able to do with the weights of our helmets. Example our Carbon MX Helmet weighs 1200g's at size L and our Carbon Street helmet weighs 1250g's at size L. We achieve that with the composite fusion technology because we don't have to use the same amount of materials to achieve our desired results of strength to weight or to pass DOT & ECE.
We are very popular with our bicycle line of helmets with our full faces being all the rage with Down Hill Mountain Bikers and BMX riders. Getting traction in the moto world is a lot tougher.
Well, if your goal is to set yourself apart from your competition, you need to actually do something to show people in a clear and visceral way that you're tech saves lives. Don't pick on a specific competitor; grab the most generic looking helmet you can find and hide all the logos on it.
And, yeah, if you have to make a test contrived to show a difference, it's going to be an uphill sell anyway.
The feedback you folks have been giving has been greatly appreciated. I am going to use it to strengthen some of things I have been pushing for during the next meeting.
I've been looking at getting a new helmet for awhile now, since I'm not 100% on the HJC I picked up; it does it's job, but it whistles in the wind, and the padding isn't holding it as tight to my head as it used to. So, yeah, convince me that your brand is worth buying. ;-)
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Giggles_FunsworthBlight on DiscourseBay Area SprawlRegistered Userregular
That's so cool. If it wasn't modular I would want one.
I have to ask Xero, what about your helmets sets them apart from the rest? Frankly I don't know a hell of a lot about helmets but I understand intermediate materials science so I'm not sure what the differences can be other than styling and basic shape.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of modular helmets? I ask because Tron helmet up there is pretty slick. Xero could you dudes make something like that, I would buy that.
That's so cool. If it wasn't modular I would want one.
I have to ask Xero, what about your helmets sets them apart from the rest? Frankly I don't know a hell of a lot about helmets but I understand intermediate materials science so I'm not sure what the differences can be other than styling and basic shape.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of modular helmets? I ask because Tron helmet up there is pretty slick. Xero could you dudes make something like that, I would buy that.
My understanding is modular helmets aren't as durable as one piece helmets and considering the image last page indicating around 40-50% of impacts are on the part of the modular helmet that is modular I'm not big on risking it. The idea of an open face helmet terrifies me on a motorbike.
Interesting stuff on the helmets Xero, I have the Joe Rocket Hardcore Canadian one which I think is the same as their RKT-1000 but I have no idea how much it weighs to make reference to your weight notes. The kicker for me is that the prices they have in Calgary for your helmets start at twice the price of anything else I can buy. So how are you convincing people your helmets are worth twice as much?
Edit: Actually the calgary based dealer barely has any sizes and is a terrible web site so I will look around elsewhere.
Canadian pricing is something we are looking towards bringing lower. There is a ton of love for Canada(our bicycle helmets got tons of exposure on the North Shore & at Whistler) here but everything sold up there right now is coming from the US first on the moto side. You will notice our bicycle helmets are much more in line price wise in Canada. So the price differences are more due to supply chains for Canada vs what we would like to sell them for.
In my last job I worked for a big parts reseller of motorcycle parts and noticed most Canadian customers would order from the US due to the savings despite duties.
Canadian pricing is something we are looking towards bringing lower. There is a ton of love for Canada(our bicycle helmets got tons of exposure on the North Shore & at Whistler) here but everything sold up there right now is coming from the US first on the moto side. You will notice our bicycle helmets are much more in line price wise in Canada. So the price differences are more due to supply chains for Canada vs what we would like to sell them for.
In my last job I worked for a big parts reseller of motorcycle parts and noticed most Canadian customers would order from the US due to the savings despite duties.
That's what I tend to do, motorcyclegear.com and twistedthrottle get a lot of my business. Thanks for the PM by the way, I'm currently good for my helmet but it's going to be it's 3rd summer this year so I may start looking into a replacement as I'm not sure what the life expectancy for them is.
So, I put a new chain and sprockets on my Ninja 250 today. (15,000-and-someodd miles).
1) I used a screw-type master link.
This is really neat and I don't know why more companies don't do this. (Maybe EK has a patent or something?) Basically, clip-type master links are unreliable, and rivet-type links require a $100+ chain tool to put on. (Yes, yes, I know, you put one on with a ball peen hammer, a C-clamp, and a 2x4 back in the seventies, and it only took five hours and you only hit your thumb three or four dozen times. Moving on.) With this thing, you assemble the link and tighten these two nuts until they pull the rivets through the link. Then you break the studs off with a wrench. It's as strong as a rivet link and the only tool required is a wrench. The downside is that the master link costs like fifteen bucks, but I'm still out ahead vs. the cost of a chain tool.
2) I switched the front sprocket from 14T to 15T. Holy shit, I should have done this two years ago. The bike can actually keep up with traffic competently on the highway now. Each gear has more of a usable range. Low end power is still more than sufficient. I have no idea why this isn't the stock gearing.
So, I put a new chain and sprockets on my Ninja 250 today. (15,000-and-someodd miles).
1) I used a screw-type master link.
This is really neat and I don't know why more companies don't do this. (Maybe EK has a patent or something?) Basically, clip-type master links are unreliable, and rivet-type links require a $100+ chain tool to put on. (Yes, yes, I know, you put one on with a ball peen hammer, a C-clamp, and a 2x4 back in the seventies, and it only took five hours and you only hit your thumb three or four dozen times. Moving on.) With this thing, you assemble the link and tighten these two nuts until they pull the rivets through the link. Then you break the studs off with a wrench. It's as strong as a rivet link and the only tool required is a wrench. The downside is that the master link costs like fifteen bucks, but I'm still out ahead vs. the cost of a chain tool.
2) I switched the front sprocket from 14T to 15T. Holy shit, I should have done this two years ago. The bike can actually keep up with traffic competently on the highway now. Each gear has more of a usable range. Low end power is still more than sufficient. I have no idea why this isn't the stock gearing.
I've been considering both of these changes. I trust your judgement on the Ninja 250, so I might have to do this myself. Did it take a lot of time/money to do?
Have you replaced your brake lines from rubber to braided stainless steel? I've only upgraded stuff when it has to do with safety, and this is a big one.
So, I put a new chain and sprockets on my Ninja 250 today. (15,000-and-someodd miles).
1) I used a screw-type master link.
This is really neat and I don't know why more companies don't do this. (Maybe EK has a patent or something?) Basically, clip-type master links are unreliable, and rivet-type links require a $100+ chain tool to put on. (Yes, yes, I know, you put one on with a ball peen hammer, a C-clamp, and a 2x4 back in the seventies, and it only took five hours and you only hit your thumb three or four dozen times. Moving on.) With this thing, you assemble the link and tighten these two nuts until they pull the rivets through the link. Then you break the studs off with a wrench. It's as strong as a rivet link and the only tool required is a wrench. The downside is that the master link costs like fifteen bucks, but I'm still out ahead vs. the cost of a chain tool.
2) I switched the front sprocket from 14T to 15T. Holy shit, I should have done this two years ago. The bike can actually keep up with traffic competently on the highway now. Each gear has more of a usable range. Low end power is still more than sufficient. I have no idea why this isn't the stock gearing.
I've been considering both of these changes. I trust your judgement on the Ninja 250, so I might have to do this myself. Did it take a lot of time/money to do?
Have you replaced your brake lines from rubber to braided stainless steel? I've only upgraded stuff when it has to do with safety, and this is a big one.
Well, the previous owner hadn't taken very good care of the chain, so it was due for a replacement. With proper service it's supposed to last longer than 15K miles. I figured I'd replace the sprockets while I was there. I'd never done this before but it was all pretty straightforward; I cut off the old chain with a Dremel, and then all you do is just take off the front sprocket cover, clean off ten years of accumulated tar, dirt, and other disgustingness, and replace the sprocket (held in with two little 8mm bolts). The back sprocket probably didn't need to be replaced this early (it wears slower because it has more teeth) but I did anyway; just take off the back wheel, put it on something so the brake disc doesn't rub the ground (I used an old tire), and the sprocket is held on by six nuts. With a new chain and two new sprockets it was a little over a hundred; if your chain is fine and you're just changing the front sprocket it should be significantly cheaper.
As for SS brake lines; haven't done that yet. I should probably replace them sometime soon, I suppose.
I must admit, I'm intrigued by the tech in the Kali helmets, but I don't think there's anywhere to try one on; Kali's site lists Lynnwood Cycle Barn (for the Seattle are peeps) as a retailer, but their site doesn't list any Kali product.
Lynwood Cycle Barn will have Kali product in stock. I just sent them an order of helmets recently ask for Kim in parts. The Pacific Northwest is part of my territory so if anyone is interested I can talk to your local dealer and have helmets sent out for you to try on.
Well that is her/his job. If you had a dealer in Edmonton I'd definitely be trying one on as they look and seem quite cool. When I replace my Joe Rocket I'll have to ask you more about them.
I actually get angry when that one available spot in a parking lot full of cars is taken by a motorcycle.
Anyway. I took my GSXR in for the 11,000 mile service and they adjusted my clutch lever. I don't like it. How do I move it back, so it's easier to grab and engage the clutch?
SRSLY? Your problem is considering it the one "available" spot. *crossesarms*
Swung by Cyclebarn over the weekend. They had a couple of Niri, no Naza. The Niri Med fit my head right, but the cheekpads squished me painfully; the Large was ok on the face, but too big for my head. Doesn't look like there are smaller pads for sale on the website, either, so it may just be out for me. Oh well.
I've been looking at getting a new helmet for awhile now, since I'm not 100% on the HJC I picked up; it does it's job, but it whistles in the wind, and the padding isn't holding it as tight to my head as it used to. So, yeah, convince me that your brand is worth buying. ;-)
Our Naza's actually come with 2 different thicknesses of cheek pads plus you can order supplemental pads from dealers. I also would like to inform Seattle folks Kim is bringing more sizes in of our Naza Carbons to be tried on.
Ugh, I just had the "loud pipes save lives" discussion on another forum I visit. It was also interspersed with a discussion on graduated motorcycle licenses being a pain.
I can't even take people who make those arguments seriously. Especially as I watch them duck walk their bike out of the parking lot after making those statements.
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I don't know if that's possible, though.
I kind of like the looks of some of your stuff. Closest dealer is an 8 hour drive for me up here in Canada. I might have to make it. I hate the idea of ordering a helmet online and hoping it fits right.
Hmm, road trip to Calgary is in my future.
That's what I *have*. It looks sorta lame. Something like this, I'd dig:
I have to ask Xero, what about your helmets sets them apart from the rest? Frankly I don't know a hell of a lot about helmets but I understand intermediate materials science so I'm not sure what the differences can be other than styling and basic shape.
I'd imagine the actual structure and composition doesn't vary a lot. It's like a car that has all features or no features. Same car guts for the most part.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
So our key difference and the thing that makes us different from everyone else is a technology called Composite Fusion. What this means is that we are able to bond multi density foam directly to our fiber shells. This allows the helmet to be one piece. Unlike other helmets involve an outer shell being formed, an inner eps foam shell being formed, then all pieces being press fit into the shell with tape or adhesive as a bonding agent.
Now why we are so excited about our innovation is when you have no gaps between shell and foam you can greatly reduce the g load that will act on the riders head during an impact. So the outer shell will spread the load upon impact and instead of having a time delay waiting for the shell to break down into the foam the foam instantly starts absorbing the g load. Pairing this with a multi density foams and using the lowest density next to the riders head we consistently show a reduction of g loads of 20-30% over traditionally made helmets.
While the graphs are simplified they illustrate the characteristics of an impact.
For Standard Construction:
The first spike is the initial impact so you have a rise in g's. As the shell starts to actually break down and distribute the load g's start to drop slightly as energy is being dissipated by the shell itself. However once the shell breaks down into the foam and depending how the helmet is made layers of foam you get another spike in g's. Then the sharp drop off as the foam begins to dissipate the rest of the energy. All the while your brain is accelerating inside your skull due to the violent forces during an impact.
For Composite Fusion
Our Technology aims to remove some of the violence of an impact by dissipating the g load in a more efficient manner over time in order to reduce the risk of traumatic brain injury. That's why the graphic of composite fusion is more gradual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TXJPzPhOGQk
At the 6:25 Mark we have our founder & chief engineer explaining the tech.
As you can see this is a mouth full and possibly why there is a challenge getting people to consider us.
Talking about tech and forces is cool for people that understand tech and forces. Demonstrate it being awesome.
Interestingly enough this came up during a meeting. However we don't want to seem like we are bashing anyone's brand i.e. melon helmet #2.
And, yeah, if you have to make a test contrived to show a difference, it's going to be an uphill sell anyway.
We are very popular with our bicycle line of helmets with our full faces being all the rage with Down Hill Mountain Bikers and BMX riders. Getting traction in the moto world is a lot tougher.
The feedback you folks have been giving has been greatly appreciated. I am going to use it to strengthen some of things I have been pushing for during the next meeting.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of modular helmets? I ask because Tron helmet up there is pretty slick. Xero could you dudes make something like that, I would buy that.
My understanding is modular helmets aren't as durable as one piece helmets and considering the image last page indicating around 40-50% of impacts are on the part of the modular helmet that is modular I'm not big on risking it. The idea of an open face helmet terrifies me on a motorbike.
Interesting stuff on the helmets Xero, I have the Joe Rocket Hardcore Canadian one which I think is the same as their RKT-1000 but I have no idea how much it weighs to make reference to your weight notes. The kicker for me is that the prices they have in Calgary for your helmets start at twice the price of anything else I can buy. So how are you convincing people your helmets are worth twice as much?
Edit: Actually the calgary based dealer barely has any sizes and is a terrible web site so I will look around elsewhere.
In my last job I worked for a big parts reseller of motorcycle parts and noticed most Canadian customers would order from the US due to the savings despite duties.
That's what I tend to do, motorcyclegear.com and twistedthrottle get a lot of my business. Thanks for the PM by the way, I'm currently good for my helmet but it's going to be it's 3rd summer this year so I may start looking into a replacement as I'm not sure what the life expectancy for them is.
1) I used a screw-type master link.
This is really neat and I don't know why more companies don't do this. (Maybe EK has a patent or something?) Basically, clip-type master links are unreliable, and rivet-type links require a $100+ chain tool to put on. (Yes, yes, I know, you put one on with a ball peen hammer, a C-clamp, and a 2x4 back in the seventies, and it only took five hours and you only hit your thumb three or four dozen times. Moving on.) With this thing, you assemble the link and tighten these two nuts until they pull the rivets through the link. Then you break the studs off with a wrench. It's as strong as a rivet link and the only tool required is a wrench. The downside is that the master link costs like fifteen bucks, but I'm still out ahead vs. the cost of a chain tool.
2) I switched the front sprocket from 14T to 15T. Holy shit, I should have done this two years ago. The bike can actually keep up with traffic competently on the highway now. Each gear has more of a usable range. Low end power is still more than sufficient. I have no idea why this isn't the stock gearing.
I've been considering both of these changes. I trust your judgement on the Ninja 250, so I might have to do this myself. Did it take a lot of time/money to do?
Have you replaced your brake lines from rubber to braided stainless steel? I've only upgraded stuff when it has to do with safety, and this is a big one.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Well, the previous owner hadn't taken very good care of the chain, so it was due for a replacement. With proper service it's supposed to last longer than 15K miles. I figured I'd replace the sprockets while I was there. I'd never done this before but it was all pretty straightforward; I cut off the old chain with a Dremel, and then all you do is just take off the front sprocket cover, clean off ten years of accumulated tar, dirt, and other disgustingness, and replace the sprocket (held in with two little 8mm bolts). The back sprocket probably didn't need to be replaced this early (it wears slower because it has more teeth) but I did anyway; just take off the back wheel, put it on something so the brake disc doesn't rub the ground (I used an old tire), and the sprocket is held on by six nuts. With a new chain and two new sprockets it was a little over a hundred; if your chain is fine and you're just changing the front sprocket it should be significantly cheaper.
As for SS brake lines; haven't done that yet. I should probably replace them sometime soon, I suppose.
Hrm.
We got snow over the weekend. I rode in to work today at -6C. Laaaame. Roads were completely dry, though.
Our Naza's actually come with 2 different thicknesses of cheek pads plus you can order supplemental pads from dealers. I also would like to inform Seattle folks Kim is bringing more sizes in of our Naza Carbons to be tried on.
Have some of you ever tried shipping your bike anywhere?
This might sound a little crazy, but perhaps you could ride the bike to Washington?