Any recommendations on where is a good place to buy a motorcycle helmet? I’m still a beginner and need it for the MST course

Whereabouts are you in Vancouver are you and any particular brand preference or budget in mind?

I’m in the Killarney area. I don’t have any brand preference yet and don’t mind spending somewhere in the $300 - $500 range. I was also thinking about checking out pacific motosports

People say Modern on Commercial is the best value place especially if you need other things like jacket & gloves. Guy gives you a package price that you just can't say anything else other than, 'Please, just take my money, now!'

For a helmet, fit is pretty important. Shop around the local stores like Modern Motorcycle. They'll pressure you into buying all sorts of other things but if you don't need it, no need to buy it. A simple "no" will suffice.

Brian at Burnaby Kawasaki and Daytona Motorsport are good places as well. I think there's a store in Burnaby called Imperial but I don't know if they sell gear.

I've never been to Pacific Motorsport but worth checking out. Shop around and try as many helmets as possible.

The maybe official quick motorcycle question/news not worthy of a new thread, thread
 

Like bcrdukes said, Buy whatever fits your head the best


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When I was shopping for a new helmet last year, I find Modern is best for pricing. (Got a great deal on last years Shoei RF1200, it was under $500 tax included)

I can attest to modern as well. Picked up a whole set new for about $1200 (boots, gloves, jacket, pants, hjc helmet, back protector)

Went back a couple weeks later to exchange the HJC for Shoei RF1400 $600~ tax included and they let me since I didn't use the helmet yet. I thought might as well spend more money for safety standard and quality

^ did you get the exciting reveal from the chubby son .. here's the individual price, here's the package price ... oh wow, take my money now!

Yeah that's their usual sales gimmick and people often eat it up but c'est la vie. They are a business and not a charity.

I asked him is it the best price you can do :lol: can't help it I'm in sales, but yes in the end I just asked if they take AMEX

My friend and I did comparisons with prices on Fortnine and they are like 20-30% cheaper, probably because they get supplier pricing. Likes Dukes say, they're a business so I'm not expecting smoking deals. Plus they got someone to go through all the recommended gear and sizing as well. That was key since I am a beginner and didn't know where to start. That service has a price to it as well.

hahaha fatal blow with the AMEX :D

Aaron and Murray are alright; They tend to rub people the wrong way but they're really just there to make a living and once you get to know them, they can really go the distance for you.

When I was a noob, Murray used to give me hell for coming in to ask when there's a free spot to do some maintenance and he gave me shit and just taught me how to change my own oil and stuff and told me not to waste my money on services there. I was like WTF? Any way, he meant well and it took me a while to figure that out. If you catch him on a good day and talk about vintage Briitsh motorcycles, he may even start give you free stuff :lol

Any how, I think it's ok for people to start out buying stuff at a shop like Modern and what have you. Takes some experience to know what works and for someone with experience to guide you down the right path. You'll have the typical buddy guy who will brag about how much of a savings or great deal they got their helmet for, only to realize it's ill-fitting and they give up on motorcycling in a season or two.

Fun fact: They own a majority of the block :)

Accident Kingsway Burnaby by Wendy’s. Do a quick check if you have a friend who rides a white sport bike and wears a black helmet. They were taken out by a left hand Turner in front of Wendy’s and it looks bad.


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In some of your guys opinion, do you think one road ride through a riding school is good enough to prepare for the road test if you don’t own a bike?

You mean like, do your skills test, only ride one time then try to do your road test?

The rules of the road don’t change, but you’d be an extremely inexperienced rider. Maybe? But I wouldn’t

I’m going to register with 1st gear riding school and after the MST is done, they have a road ride prep and road ride to get comfortable. I just wanted to know if I would be comfortable enough to pass the road test after that or I would need to buy a motorcycle. I was hoping I could use their motorcycle for the road test before buying mine since that option is available.

I think only you can answer that. But for the general mc learner, even as a seasoned driver with experience, in your described scenario with one group ride ... no.

Its been a few years since I was trained at 1st gear. But if I recall correctly. After your training, they provide 1-2 group rides for experience, then you have the option to rent/borrow a bike for the road test.

Would you be comfortable enough to pass the road test? That is all dependent on your ability to ride safely during the Road Test. If you dont think you have the confidence to do it, then you should probably get your own bike for more experience, you could rent their bikes, but why spend more money renting when you're buying anyways.

Just curious whats the reason for not buying a bike right away?

Thanks guys, I had the wrong idea. I was under the impression that people normally buy their bike after passing their road test since they’re less likely to drop it.

I don’t have an issue buying a bike right away. I’ve already been browsing to see what I might be interested in and looks like I’ll buy a bike after my MST is done.

Most schools have the option of you to rent their motorcycle for the Class 6 road test. Some even include it in their student fees where you get to use their motorcycle once or twice.

If you aren't confident in passing on the first try, you can also ask the school for an additional lesson. When I did my course through Pacific Riding School, I wasn't super confident I'd pass so the instructors there gave me a 30 minute session where they followed me around and gave me feedback and pretty much said you're good to go, and I passed on the first attempt.

^Thanks for the info, I’m probably going to do the road prep and road rides with 1st gear.

I passed my MST and my confidence in my riding ability isn’t there. I definitely need to practice and get comfortable riding in an empty parking lot or residential streets before I ride in traffic.

That being said, I’m looking at buying a used bike. How did you guys bring home your first bike if you didn’t have anyone to help you? I was thinking of calling a flatbed tow truck to tow it home lol

Way back, I was still in highschool. My big brothers coworker rode it home.

You have any buddies that can ride it home for you? If it's from a dealer they can likely deliver it.

Maybe a beer for someone from RS to ride it back for you?

Sign up for BCAA, For $120/year you get tows up to 160km distance + all road side services. You can choose to tow your new bike home or have a friend ride it. Imaging having to tow your bike from Squamish to Vancouver you would be fully covered with BCAA.

What you can do is ask the seller during the sale whether he or she can ride it over to your place or not and then offer to give them a ride back to their place. In my experience, most people are open to it but given COVID, I would assume people may feel differently. As suggested too, I'm sure someone here on RS is willing to lend a hand, or ask a friend of yours who rides to help out.

Also, given that you are looking to get into the hobby, I recommend keeping a small list on hand of friends/colleagues you know who have a truck or something, or get to know some parts guys at the shops who often have a truck.