I respect SC’s opinion, but… I’m not afraid of wearing a used helmet, that I’ve inspected. There’s a difference between used, and thrashed. I passed on a nice looking $100 Arai just this weekend because there was a divot in the back.
As for the size of bikes, inevitably in SoCal you’ll be highway riding with the SUV’s and monster trucks. You need a bike with weight and power to handle that experience.
Everyone should read Hough before they even begin to ride. I own and love my Aerostich, but prefer the twopiece.
