Helmets Bell Revolver helmet.

Whenever I have seen a Bell helmet in a store they look cheap in the exterior details and interior padding. Once in a while we all get a great deal and beat the "you get what you pay for" maxim but in the long run lower priced products are missing something that, well, costs more. This might be features, fit, or quality of materials. I want Bell to succeed in the market - my first couple of helmets in the 70's were Bells. When I came bck into riding in 2005 Bell no longer had the same reputation I remembered. To be fair I don't think I have seen this model helmet and it might well be very constructed.
 
I have a Bell Apex helmet and I don't think the quality is any worse than my Shoei RF1100. That's not really saying much since I'm not impressed with my Shoei. The rear pads never stay clipped in and the visor always fogs in cold weather. It's also a noisy helmet.
 
I don't know too much about Bell anymore. Used to be the best back in the 70-80's until they were reborn being manufactured in Asia. - Webbike World raves about the quality on their latest reviews.
 
I don't think Bell actually is Bell anymore. There seems to be an increasing tendency to buy old respected names and apply them to bargain merchandise. (Anyone buy Herter's ammo?) I used to wear the Magnums, and their successors. The old Mag4ST was the best open faced helmet I've ever seen. Unbelievable cooling with the cheek vents and cooling channels.

I noticed that the new Revolver is polycarbonate, instead of cloth (fiberglass, carbon fiber, spectra, kevlar, or whatever...) I prefer the cloth laminates; too bad they don't offer it that way, even at a higher cost.
 
I have a Bell Star and it's a very nice, high quality helmet. I recently got a Bell Arrow Snow helmet for snowmobiling. It's not as fancy as the Star, but is a good solid helmet and was a bargain at only $89 on sale. Now when I look at the new Revolver, I get a little concerned. The "rocker switch" actuator for the sun shield looks identical to the one on my piece of junk Fulmer MB iShade helmet that I wasted good money on last year. There's another cheap helmet on the market that uses the same mechanism, but I forget the brand name it's sold under. I'm starting to think these all come from the same factory and get different brand names slapped on them. I hope I'm wrong because it was starting to look like Bell was back in the quality helmet business. I'd sure like to see the Revolver in person or at least read some real reviews on it.
 
webBikeWorld review:

link

They talked a little about the rocker for the internal sun shield but I wish they had commented on how easily it moved. The one on my Fulmer was so loose it had a mind of its own. If the mechanism had a little friction it would have been better. I was happy to hear that the internal shape of the Revolver was more narrow than round. I have a narrow head and find most flip-ups too round for me. I'm kind of interested in the Revolver but need to see one in person.
 
Same here. I've seen other reviews showing the visor mechanism has a locking detent, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Here's another review. (about 4:13 he talks about the visor)

[video=youtube;sv-HCKdQ-iI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv-HCKdQ-iI[/video]
 
I was trying out some helmets the other day and ran into the bell revolver. I didn't spend much time with it because it was really uncomfortable on my odd-shaped head. If I remember correctly, the mechanism for the shades was a bit flimsy.
 
+1 I also have a Bell Apex and bought a Shoei RF1000 thinking I was going to get a Superior helmet!! I did not, in fact I feel I sent lots more money for nothing. The Bell was every bit as comfortable and quiet as my Shoei. The Bell Apex doesn't fog up as easy.
I now wear the Scorpion EXO900 but would look very hard at the Revolver if I was in the market.
 
My dealer had the rep drop one of the Revolver helmets off so I could check it out.

It's a really nice looking helmet and you can put it on even in the closed position.
The inner visor mechanism does feel pretty cheesy the way it opens and closes but does lock in the open or closed position solidly.
As one of the reviews stated, the shield does not fit tight on the upper seal, not a big gap but some on the far left and right sides.

The one thing that killed it for me was that you could move the chin bar a good 1/8-3/16" if you pulled on it in the locked position.
I was curious about this so I checked the HJC ISMAX-BT and it had no movement. I also checked the Scorpion and it was tight.

My dealer is going to ask the rep about the play in the Bell as I'm not sure any of the play can be adjusted out.
 
My wife got a Bell Revolver today and we're both pleased with it so far. It fits her well and she likes the ventilation, visibility, and comfort. She hasn't tried the sun shade yet. She reports the noise level is about the same as her previous Fulmer M1 and Nolan N100 flip-up helmets while riding her 599. Some of the reviews I looked at online commented on the top vent sliders moving too easily. Her top vent sliders seem to move nicely with just the right amount of friction to keep them open or closed. The rocker type control for the inner sun visor operates nicely and has very positive detents at both the up and down positions. When the helmet is sitting on a flat surface, the sun visor control does not contact the surface so it doesn't get accidentally bumped. The similar looking control on my POS Fulmer MB flip-up gets hit every time I set the helmet down on a table or shelf, and it has no detents to keep it in place. I was initially concerned when I saw pictures of the Revolver with the same type of mechanism, but the one on the revolver works just fine. With the chin bar latched, I found no play like the one Throttlejockey looked at. The manufacture date on this helmet is Febuary 2011. I wonder if some of the earlier ones had quality issues. It looks like we got a good one.
 
I've had mine for a few months now and like it for local rides. It is is a bit noisier than my RF1100 and heavier. The venting isn't very good either, like just about every modular helmet.
My vents on top do move very easy like some others have stated, the mechanism doesn't have any play in it like the first one I looked at. It was an early production unit supposedly.

One thing I don't like is the smoked shield I got for it. It doesn't seem clear like the one on my Shoei, kid of a haze to it. I did get my Sena to work with the sun shade mechanism. It's a little tight but it still operates properly. Not a big fan of it though. Never use it.
 
I, for one, have been using Bell helmets for the last three years due to the finding that the Bell better fits the shape of my head. It is known that some craniums are more oval or more round than others. The Bell just fits better on me. I also like full face. Haven't had any air-flow issues with full face but then again, I tend to ride with the cycle windshield all the way down. The one issue that I do not like with full face is the when we stop at a light for instance and a rider starts talking and if I want to respond, I have yell to be heard. Well I'm just yelling into my own ears inside the helmet so I do more sign language. With the modular, the Revolver would allow me to flip-up the face instead flipping up the finger--my usual sign language (j/k). So I am intrigued as well with this helmet. I'm about due for my next one and the Revolver is on my short list. What I think is additionally important is how well a helmet handles wind noise--something that seems to be pretty subjective and I don't use ear plugs. I'm not sure how this one actually fares against the rest in the modular class. Maybe I can find a dealer who will allow me to test drive one.
 
I now have the Bell RS-1. An excellent helmet and quiet too. Airflow is amazing, never felt anything like it before. The liner is super soft too and feels great on the head. I also put on the photochromatic shield, which I like but it doesn't get dark enough for me but that's my main complaint on that. I've tried on the Revolver, and the Vortex, then ended up with the RS-1. It was worth the extra bit of money for me, not only for the comfort but it's arguably the most important piece of gear a rider has.
 
I think 90% of whether or not a helmet is good or not is if YOU like the way it feels on your head. I've had very good luck with Scorpion for overall fitment however they are heavy. I've had three Shoeis, 2 RF1000s and one RF1100. The 1000s were very light and ventilated well but were unwearable to me because they felt like a vise on my head. The RF1100 is almost like it isn't there and is comfortable enough but has a lot of wind noise. Believe it or not the most comfortable helmet I have had is the GMAX with the lights on the back of it. It didn't move on my head but wasn't tight either. Visibility was great and it didn't have any little nuances that distracted me. The GMAX was about $110 dollars and I wore it exclusivly until one fateful day when it fell of the back of my ST seat. If you find something you really like, don't worry if it doesn't have all the bells and whistles. If it's comfortable you're more likely to always wear it and enjoy your riding even more.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Jeff
 
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