I'm interested in this discussion too. I see some of the major international helmets -- HJC, Nolan, Caberg, and several others -- selling in China for maybe 33% less than in the US market, and I'm making two big presumptions: 1) they are genuine not ripoffs and 2) they are made in China so they can bleed into the local market at much lower cost. But beyond that, what is it that makes a Shoei or an Arai or a Suomy helmet worth $500, $600 or even $800 when helmets with DOT or SNELL or CE or all three ratings are selling in China for $50 or $100.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not questioning the value, I'm just not understanding it. Last night I tried on an HJC IS-Max BT, which is "bluetooth ready" and it was the best fitting modular I could find, and I tried a lot. The price in Shanghai? 616 RMB, or a bit south of $100. That's less than half of its US$199 MSRP. Build quality was very good. Fit excellent. Is this helmet one-sixth the value of a $600 Shoei or Arai? One half? Equal? Better? Are there ratings on these things?

For what it's worth, here's the review of this HJC model in WebBikeWorld.com, which seems a pretty authoritative site.

Thanks!