Where in MD to go for gear?

[sprk_sprd]

Fellow MD'ers,

Is there a dealer that has a *good* selection of helmets that you can recommend? The dealers near me (Heyser in Laurel) and Bob's BMW in Savage (?) don't have the biggest selection of helmet brands/models. I'm in PG County, but don't mind riding out if there's somewhere worth going to.

Thanks in advance.

[SLK50]

  I know this isn't the answer you were expecting,
but Iron Pony in Colombus, Ohio is worth the trip.
  Take the SO and make it a weekend.

[02Tac]

Diamond Motor sports ( Near Dover DE) usually has a pretty good selection.

[Mr. Whippy]

There aren't any places with BIG selection.  You could try Pete's cycle (The closest to you is in Glen Burnie I think).  I usually get helmets from The Motorcycle Gear store (whatever NewEnough's new name is )

[radon222]

Not know what specifically your looking for, but Pete's and Cycleworld usually a good selection of the HJC's, Shoei's, Aria's etc.    Also if you're looking for the sizing info,  check out the Washington DC IMS show next month.

[Cablebandit]

Yeah, Pete's is probably best for something relatively close.  

We went to Iron Pony this summer and I was generally unimpressed.  They have lot's of dirt gear, but not a big selection of street gear.  When you are supposed to be a Firstgear dealer and only stock 2 jackets and two pants that unacceptable.

I wouldn't mind checking out Competition Accessories the next time I'm down SC way.

[sprk_sprd]

Thanks for all the replies folks!  I've never been to Cycle World.  That sounds like a good first try.  And I didn't even know CompAcc had a SC location.  That may be a nice waypoint during the next tirp to BRP!

I'm with you, Mr. Whippy, about shopping online - for selection and prices.  However I didn't want to plunk down $$$ on a helmet without trying it on first.  The dealers near me have somewhat small selections.  Either really high end Arai's (nothing wrong with them, but I like more choices) or really low end stuff that I've never heard of.

Thanks again!  

[AutoXer]

Not sure if its the lousy economy or what, but it seems that the local Maryland stores (except for Bob's) have really cut back on their inventory.  I recently went jacket shopping, and after stopping at Heyser's, Cycle World, Ellicott City Motorsports, and JT Motorsports (Frederick) I was left with mail order.  I really want to support my local dealer, but cutting their inventory to the bone makes that pretty hard to do.  What does it matter if they are willing to order anything for you (but you get to wait a week or two) when I can order on the internet, get it as fast or faster, and pay less?  They are cutting their own throats ...

Heyser's used to have a pretty good selection of jackets and pants, but it seemed their inventory is half or less of what it used to be.  Cycle World seemed to have a more "biker-style" crappy brands than anything else.  Ellicott City wasn't impressive.  In all three their racks were mostly Joe Rocket, in fact, if you want something other than Joe Rocket at any of those stores you won't have much of a choice.  The best general inventory I found is JT's in Federick - Yeah, lots of Joe Rocket again, but they had a larger selection of Joe Rocket than the others AND also a decent selection of First Gear (but not the one I wanted) and some River Road, plus heated gear and a good helmet selection.

[vulcanbill]

Bob's BMW?

Meh...  They have on OK selection but very few of any one thing.  It's hard to find your size in a given style.  It's about 4 minutes -----> that way from Bob's and the last time I stopped there was when traffic was so heavy I was sitting just outside it anyway.  Ironically, I did find a helmet that I wanted.    A Shark convertible that was on clearance.  But I'm a helmet whore and don't need another one.  

JT's was pretty good last time I was in there but like previously mentioned, there seems to be quite a concentration of entry level stuff...many that I'd not even heard of but in the right price point.  There was a rack of Arai's though nothing else that could be considered higher end.  Nice stock of KTMs to drool over though.  Twigg's in Hagerstown is a pretty decent sized store but I haven't been there in a while and when I was, it was much like JT's.  Lots of bikes though.

[dan88z]

RE: mail order- the dealer we go to (diamond in Dover) will match internet prices, so if I find something I want, I ask them to order it for me. I don't mind riding down to pick it up when it arrives, it supports the local shop.

They not only matched the best price I could find on a V&H 2:1 pipe for my wife's Vulcan, they knocked another 20 bucks off.

I bet if you approach  your local shop and ask if they'll match internet prices, they just might. It doesn't hurt to ask.

[BigBen]

Try Bob's BMW... I was there in October for the first time, they have a wide selection.

[Cablebandit]

RIF....he mentioned in his first post that Bob's didn't have a huge selection of helmets.

[sprk_sprd]

Thanks again for all the suggestions.  My biggest issue is that I haven't yet been to a dealer where I can physically try on several different makes/models of helmets.  I do order most of my gear/accessories/parts online.  However, helmets obviously are the one item where every square cm counts.  And while my Scorpion EX700 fit me well for the 20 minutes I wore it in the store, after an hour it hurts a certain point on my forehead like a @#$%!.  So I have to look for a new make/model since the pain makes riding for more than an hour pretty unbearable.  

And I echo what some of you have mentioned:  some dealers carry only high end (i.e. $500+) Arais along with low end, lesser-knowns (i.e. Vega?).  I'd like to try on some of the helmets I constantly see on clearance online.  I understand that different helmets have different inner shell shapes, etc. which go beyond MD/L/XL etc.  I just have to find somewhere where I can compare, for example, the fit of a Shark ___ to an Arai ___ to a Shoei ___ to a Bell ____.  Specifically, I'd love to order the Bell Vortex I've seen advertised for $89.99, but I'm worried that it will be another painful experience unless I try it on first - and for a long time.  Would any of you happen to remember if any of the MD dealers stock the Bell Vortex?

Thanks again!

[DkKnight]

None that I have seen in MD.
If you have the time then Coleman Powersports in Falls Church or Woodbridge, have a good to great selection of helmets and gear and normally have some pretty good clearance sales.
Used to be a independent in College Park right near the piano place on Rt 1, that was cool to go in and see what he had.
There is also Crofton powersports on Rt 3, mostly HJC and Joe Rocket gear though.

DK