When riding a sportbike my helmet is very loud. I have a Bell and a HJC full face style. Both similar in noise levels.
Is there such a thing as a "Quiet Helmet"? Or should I just count on wearing ear plugs till I buy a GoldWing?
Thank you!!
Hip

I too was in your situation up until a couple days ago. I had only ever used one helmet, a cheap HJC one. I just picked up a Shoei RF1100 and it is noticibly quieter than the HJC. I love that thing, I'm kind of wishing I would have bought it long ago. I always used to wear earplugs with the HJC when riding on the freeways but with the Shoei, I dont feel like its required any more, I still do because I like my hearing too much...

The less venting a helmet has the quieter it will be.
The tighter the seal for the face shield the quieter it will be.
The more the bottom of the helmet seals around your head the quieter the helmet will be.
The more aerodynamic the helmet the quieter it will be.

Since I live in a hot climate I prefer a helmet that flows air to keep me more comfortable and I wear ear plugs to compensate for the increased noise.

A chin curtain, a Neck gaiter help with noise coming from under the helmet.

Look at helmet reviews at webBikeWorld

The quietest (if that's even a word) helmet I've had they don't make any more, it was a full-face NAVA with an automatic shield that recessed into the helmet on a rubber gasket. I could take off with the shield open and around 15 mph it would drop but stay about 3/8 in. off the helmet, at around 40 mph the spring tension of the shield would 'pop' it in place shutting out all wind noise.
This was in the late 1970's. Now I just wear ear plugs all the time.

I have a Bell Star and a Scorpion EXO400... The Scorpion is quiet, but stifling hot in the summer. So it is used in fall and winter only now. The Bell is very noisy, but that is because it has a TON of air flow through it. You can feel the air rushing by your face from the front vents and as well as feel your hair blowing inside the helmet from the top vents... I'll take that noise over cooking my melon any day. Besides, I always use earplugs or earbuds when riding.

In reality, most humans basis of loudness is not true in the sense of dBs, but in a sense of a frequency. No helmet is quiet (safe to ride for extended periods of time without hearing damage) at highway speeds without ear plugs.

Had an HJC, extremely loud. Bought a Bell RS-1, very nice helmet, very noisy. Just bought a Shoei RF1100, helmet itself is super quiet. I can hear the differences in wind noise now due to windscreen changes/settings. If I'm in clean air, the helmet has a very smooth quiet airflow. If the windscreen is pushing air under the helmet, it gets noisey. I think I need the tighter cheek pads though as I went from a Med HJC or Bell to a Large in the Shoei.

I just bought a Scorpion EXO-1000. Very quiet and for sale from $300 to $150. I've got 2 other helmets an AVG and an Arai Profile. The Arai is quieter than the AVG but the Scorpion is the quietest. Though it is not the best with air-flow. I cant even here my Z1000 running with helmet on.

It's not only the helmet. It's also the bike and how the air flows. Your riding position and the angle of the helmet. How tight the helmet fits around the back and sides of your neck. And more.

You just gotta spend some coin on a decent helmet man, thats the deal not bashing what you got but trying to answer your question at the same time. Personally I use shoei or arai. Its your head, I would think youd want a nice helmet anyway...

Like it was said the scorpion is one of the better choices as it doesn't flow much air and has a good seal along with a nice chin skirt. I love my exo 750 for winter riding as well as riding in any rain. They simply have the best fog treatmet of any company out there regardless of price. For when its hot and clear out i wear my bell rs1. I always wear ear plugs with either helmet, dont think its a big deal to spend the few seconds to put them on so that you dont have to worry about a hearing aid 20 years down the line.

I have a shoei qwest. Very Quiet in non-turbulent air. Sportbikes are bad for turbulence though and can be quite a bit louder because of it.

I've had a lot of helmets from all the major brands and the only one I would consider quite is the Shark RSR2.