[JimB]

My wife and I took a nice ride over to a cafe yesterday (she's on the CTX700). Upon arriving in the parking lot, she asked about how we should go about securing our helmets (we're experienced dirt bike riders, and have a couple of street-legal scooters with cool little pegs to lock the helmet strap on to).

I had been doing my homework, and so ceremoniously removed my seat to reveal where the supplied security cable attaches to after threading it through our helmets.

As my entire seat laid there in the parking lot, thereby exposing what appeared to her as the internal organs of my bike, my wife looking at me and said, "You're kidding, right? You need to disassemble the bike to secure your helmet?" (as least I knew how to efficiently reattach the seat after reading Bob's tutorial).

Is it me, or is that just the way it goes?

 

[bob]

My Burgman was the same as this bike for using that security cable looped over a hook under the seat. At least is only takes a key to remove the seat on both. There are aftermarket locks available. One attaches to the license plate mount. I, again, take the cheap route and use a small retractable cable lock similar to THIS around the handlebar between the clamps in the middle and set my helmet on the top shelter. Been doing that with the Burgman, my ST, and now the CTX. The cable lock stores very nicely in the smaller left storage box. I have another cable lock, like what is used for securing bicycles, that I use when I want to secure my jacket over my windshield. That one I run through the jacket sleeve and secure to the bike the same way. I have secured multiple jackets and helmets with just these 2 cable locks before, usually when the bags are already full of shopping goodies when my wife did ride with me.

 

[TennesseeSmith]

I just carry my helmet inside with me.

In this part of the country most bikers view helmets as a Bad Thing. While you are in the restaurant with the helmet secured to your bike, some Harley-riding manly man is spitting (or worse) in your helmet to teach you a lesson.

I blame 30 years of Harley Davidson marketing for turning a few normally decent folk into morons when they go riding. If Harley hadn't played up the biker gang image, we would have far fewer helmet vandals to deal with.

Most folks won't mess with your helmet. But it only takes one.

 

[sleepngbear]

That's just the way it goes, Jim, Honda has done this with a number of other bikes as well. There are some options, though, like the Helmet Guardian that mounts to the license plate bracket. Not sure how it work on the CTX, because it's kind of tight in there between the back of the bags. But there are other options as well.

Helmet Guardian, Black - TwistedThrottle.com

 

[ShadowRider]

I can tell you that the Helmet Guardian works just fine! I ended up with a LOT of stuff around my license plate--so much that I found it was simpler to remove the whole plastic assembly that the plate mounts to in order to get everything on.

I have the Helmet Guardian, plus the Skene Design P3 lights. Then there is the license plate itself, plus a small rectangular plate (like an overgrown dog tag) that is my City of Chicago registration tag. Over that is a black license plate frame, and it's all bolted on with tamper-resistant bolts covered by black plastic caps. As you can imagine, lining everything up in the right order was a challenge, and I had to use some washers as spacers in a few spots to make it all even. But I can tell you that the Helmet Guardian just fits between the bags with a bit of space to spare, and it provides two easily accessible helmet locks. There's no way I'd mess with removing the seat just to lock up my helmet, so this was a perfect solution for me.

The only drawback is that I have the Helmet Guardian key on the same ring as the bike key, and it likes to wedge itself into the drain holes below the ignition key. I've just learned to arrange it to prevent that before I start riding.

 

[gadgetman]

Post Pix please?

Helmet Guardian sound and looks like a perfect solution :smileygarden_de_ban... in fact what HONDA could/should have done from the start vs the &&^%#[email protected]! cable and loop after removing and installing the seat hassles!
I knew if I waited long enough some tasteful options beyond my brainstorms might surface. :smiley-happy0034:Thanks for sharing.:ty:
I hope you will next share some good pix with and w/o helmets attached?!

 

[ShadowRider]

You asked for photos. It just took me a little time to remember I had them and get them posted! See the thumbnails attached.

The first picture shows everything close up. The Helmet Guardian is at the back, with the Skene Design P3 lights on either side of the plate. As I said, there are several layers to get all of that stuff on the plate!

The second picture shows that everything fits fine between the saddlebags, with a bit of room to spare. The third picture shows my helmet hanging from one side of the Helmet Guardian.

I hope you find this useful!

 

[gadgetman]

Thanks

:ty:
Good to see the pix. Thanx for posting. Shortly after your original
Post I did some surfing and found I'd be very close to the RI store on way back from Cape Cod to S/E CT in a few days. So on ride home we stopped for lunch at the "Middle of Nowhere Diner" , and proceeded 2miles further to TT. I stopped to see it in person and bought it. Not installed yet but should do soon. Where did you get the hardware with black caps? Perfect look!:smiley-party0005:
And... GR8 PL8 I might add!:smiley-party0005::520::520:

BTW
I was also very I impressed with their Denali SoundBlaster. Extremely loud and obnoxious! The CTX needs something like that since the OEM horn is so wimpy. I need to brainstorm where I can properly/tastefully install it.

 

[sleepngbear]

I wish I knew you were going to be in town! I'm about a half hour away from the diner. Would love to have hooked up. I was out putting on mile's Saturday too, going nowhere in particular. Oh well -- maybe next time.

 

[ShadowRider]

Where did you get the hardware with black caps? Perfect look!

Everything came from Amazon, in a single order, actually. See the attached thumbnail pic for descriptions of the items.

I used everything except the handlebar switch mount (the diameter is just a little too small, though I might still find a use for it). That T-shirt is GREAT, by the way, one of my favorites. The bolts are tamper-resistant and are a bit of a pain to tighten down, but work fine. The caps just cover up the heads anyway.

The USB cable is a shorty one designed to plug into the bike's USB port so that I can charge my iPhone 5. My only gripe with it is that is just BARELY fits in that pocket and you really have to wiggle the phone in there so that the lid will close. I got the really short cable since space in there is already pretty limited.

 

[sleepngbear]

So I'm down on the couch watching crap on the tv and decided to order a Helmet Guardian for myself the other night. Since I was away from the desktop computer and the PlayBook tablet was handy and because I'm basically lazy, I went hunting for it using the tablet. Found it and a place that takes Paypal (also because being lazy and not having my credit cards handy, PayPal only needs a password). Set up the order, get switched over to PayPal to authorize the purchase, and the session just hangs up, as it occasionally does doing such transactions on the tablet. So I said **** it, I'll just wait until the next time I'm upstairs on the computer.

Next night (last night) I'm up on the computer and hit up Google again, go to the site I was going to order from, and for some reason which still remains a mystery to me, I didn't order it. No particular reason, I just said to myself, I said "self, there's really no hurry to toss out $60 for one of these things that you won't likely need any time soon," or something like that.

Tonight I get home from work, throw on the sweats and get ready to set to my usual Friday night routine of doing as little as humanly possible and still be able to call myself a life form. And this little light pops on in my head, and says hey, you used to have a Helmet Guardian on another bike years ago, and I believe you took it off before you traded it for whatever whim it was that year. On a hunch, I traipse out to the garage and look up on the shelf that's collected years of cans and bottles of oil and cleaner and that sort of usual garage junk, and right where I thought I had left it was my old Helmet Guardian. Now keep in mind I have trouble remembering what I got up to go into the next room for; but somehow I remembered exactly where I left this thing God only knows how many years ago. With a key and the special allen wrench taped to it, no less, in case I decided to use it again. Wow. Anyway, to make a long story short (yeah, yeah, it's WAY too late for that unless you're Dave), I've got a years-old and perfectly functioning Helmet Guardian now installed on my CTX.

And not only that, while I was hunting for my spare key for the Thunderbird a few months ago, I came across some other odd looking thing that I had no idea what it belonged to. Well, it's the second Helmet Guardian key -- imagine that. Now if I can just remember where I left it.

Time to play PowerBall, eh.

 

[bob]

Better check your PayPal account.

if it did go through you could sell me your old one for a big discount and keep the NEW one.

 

[sleepngbear]

Better check your PayPal account.

HA! I did -- it never went through.

 

[gadgetman]

I wish I knew you were going to be in town! I'm about a half hour away from the diner. Would love to have hooked up. I was out putting on mile's Saturday too, going nowhere in particular. Oh well -- maybe next time.

Sorry I missed your reply post. Been wrapped up on many house things so not on forum that much. Timing that day was tight anyway since on way home with better half after several days at the Cape and she was in a hurry to get home. It took a lot of sweet talk to be able to make the short stop at the diner before Twisted Throttle ... Both a last minute decision as it was.

However, I learned they (Twisted throttle) just down the road have a bike night last Thursday of the month. Good weather permitting etc., I'm hoping I can make it this month to see what they are like. Maybe you'd want to try it as well. I

 

[sleepngbear]

However, I learned they (Twisted throttle) just down the road have a bike night last Thursday of the month. Good weather permitting etc., I'm hoping I can make it this month to see what they are like. Maybe you'd want to try it as well. I

Absolutely. Let's keep an eye on the weather.

 

[HwyFuzz]

You asked for photos. It just took me a little time to remember I had them and get them posted! See the thumbnails attached.

The first picture shows everything close up. The Helmet Guardian is at the back, with the Skene Design P3 lights on either side of the plate. As I said, there are several layers to get all of that stuff on the plate!

The second picture shows that everything fits fine between the saddlebags, with a bit of room to spare. The third picture shows my helmet hanging from one side of the Helmet Guardian.

I hope you find this useful!

I saw "Rahm Emanuel" and that was it - before I could see the Helmet Guardian, I clicked off.....:350x700px-LL-66dd6d

 

[bob]

that looks like an inspection sticker/tag. Also has the name of the city clerk.

 

[Barrettmusicman1]

I just carry my helmet inside with me.

In this part of the country most bikers view helmets as a Bad Thing. While you are in the restaurant with the helmet secured to your bike, some Harley-riding manly man is spitting (or worse) in your helmet to teach you a lesson.

I blame 30 years of Harley Davidson marketing for turning a few normally decent folk into morons when they go riding. If Harley hadn't played up the biker gang image, we would have far fewer helmet vandals to deal with.

Most folks won't mess with your helmet. But it only takes one.

Ya know, that's ridiculous. My wife's first bike was a Harley, she kept it for not even a month before trading it in on a Honda Sabre. The Harley guys at work won't talk to her now. You're only cool if you have a Harley I guess. I view them much like a gang of young adolescents. I just put my helmet in my rear carrier and lock it up.

 

[HansenCTX]

My turn to chime in! I too struggled with the helmet lock issue. I tried using the helmet thing Honda put on the bike... but it flat out sucked. Not practical. Difficult to use. I need something simple, quick, and reliable. I found a product called the 'Helmetlok.' This cool device is a large carabiner with a combination lock on it. The metal is coated with a soft/hard product so it will not scratch painted surfaces. I use it with a steel cable tether when I want my helmet on the handle bar, but I also use it on the cargo rack on the back of the bike... no tether needed. When my wife and I ride I can tether both helmets to the bike. If I really want I can tether just about anything!! This thing cost $29 bucks at my local Cycle Gear.

 

[HansenCTX]

Here is a link to Cycle Gear if you want to purchase it online:

ROCKY CREEK DESIGNS - HelmetLok Carabiner Combination Lock - Locks - Security - Accessories - Cycle Gear