My 1995 Arai Quantum/s has been begging for retirement for a couple of years. I have struggled to find a helmet that fits me well. According to a salesman at one of the dealerships I visited, I have a "designer head shape." How lucky for me!
I spent a rainy Saturday afternoon driving around the Portland/Vancouver area trying on helmets. I tried on Shoei (all of them put pressure on my upper forehead), Arai (they fit pretty well but are priced in the stratosphere), Nolan (not even close on head shape), HJC (one of them fit ok, but only ok), Scorpion (not even close), Shark (not close again). Finally I tried on a Bell Star. It was easily the best-fitting helmet I had tried on. The only one they had in my size was Matte Black and was priced at $549.00. I got back home and got online and found them at $429.95 at Extreme Supply. I thought the "Contra Red" color scheme would look good with my '96 ST1100. In doing a little more research online I happened to stumble across Motorcycle Closeouts: $199.99 + 9.99 s/h in the "Recoil" color scheme. I wasn't planning on buying a helmet until next Spring, but for $210.00 delivered I couldn't pass it up.
It comes complete with a nice velvet-lined helmet bag with external pockets and a zippered pouch for a spare visor that attaches with velcro to the inside of one end of the bag. It also comes with a spare set of 'firm" cheekpads and a chin curtain that I have not yet ridden with. The owners manual says it is designed to decrease wind noise and for colder weather. I'm sure I'll install it for cold weather riding, much like the pull-down chin spoiler on my Arai. I also bought a Dark Smoke faceshield, which was installed in all the pictures I took.
My first impressions were very good. The fit and finish are excellent. The paint is very nice and has great depth. The venting works as advertised. It was 97? when I first road tested it and it moves enough air that I was very comfortable. I also now realize how very noisy my old Arai was. I've been trying to find quieter windscreens...maybe it was my helmet? The reviews of the Star I have read online mention that the trade-off to the Star's great ventilation is wind noise. Compared with my old Arai, the Star is pretty quiet. You can definitely hear the wind coming through the vents, but overall it's quieter than my previous helmet. I wear -33dB earplugs so the noise isn't a big deal. I haven't ridden at speed without earplugs, but I'd guess it is probably loud enough that earplugs are almost a must.
All the other features work just as advertised. The faceshield latch is very similar to the Shoei system. Faceshield swaps are tool-less, quick and easy via a release lever hidden under the shield and exposed when the shield is up. The liner is soft, comfortable and fully removable.
As mentioned in other reviews, the Star runs large. The Star I ordered was an XL and fits snugly, but comfortably. The Arai helmets that fit me nicely were XXL Quantum and Profile. I tried an XL Arai Quantum and Profile with some encouragement from a salesman at one of the dealerships but my face felt like it was in a vice. So I'd guess most should order one size smaller than they usually wear in Arai or Shoei.
The more I ride with the Star the more I become aware of how stable it is going through the air. It resists buffeting very well. It is very stable when I turn to head-check before a lane change or riding through turbulent air like passing a semi.
It's a good helmet at $429.99-549.95.....BUT....for $210 delivered, the Bell Star is a real deal.
Added in Edit: The sizes run big. I bought an XL Star, when I fit in a XXL in most of the other helmets.
More pics:
The Helmet Harbor's Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpkV5Z-gfuw
I spent a rainy Saturday afternoon driving around the Portland/Vancouver area trying on helmets. I tried on Shoei (all of them put pressure on my upper forehead), Arai (they fit pretty well but are priced in the stratosphere), Nolan (not even close on head shape), HJC (one of them fit ok, but only ok), Scorpion (not even close), Shark (not close again). Finally I tried on a Bell Star. It was easily the best-fitting helmet I had tried on. The only one they had in my size was Matte Black and was priced at $549.00. I got back home and got online and found them at $429.95 at Extreme Supply. I thought the "Contra Red" color scheme would look good with my '96 ST1100. In doing a little more research online I happened to stumble across Motorcycle Closeouts: $199.99 + 9.99 s/h in the "Recoil" color scheme. I wasn't planning on buying a helmet until next Spring, but for $210.00 delivered I couldn't pass it up.
It comes complete with a nice velvet-lined helmet bag with external pockets and a zippered pouch for a spare visor that attaches with velcro to the inside of one end of the bag. It also comes with a spare set of 'firm" cheekpads and a chin curtain that I have not yet ridden with. The owners manual says it is designed to decrease wind noise and for colder weather. I'm sure I'll install it for cold weather riding, much like the pull-down chin spoiler on my Arai. I also bought a Dark Smoke faceshield, which was installed in all the pictures I took.
My first impressions were very good. The fit and finish are excellent. The paint is very nice and has great depth. The venting works as advertised. It was 97? when I first road tested it and it moves enough air that I was very comfortable. I also now realize how very noisy my old Arai was. I've been trying to find quieter windscreens...maybe it was my helmet? The reviews of the Star I have read online mention that the trade-off to the Star's great ventilation is wind noise. Compared with my old Arai, the Star is pretty quiet. You can definitely hear the wind coming through the vents, but overall it's quieter than my previous helmet. I wear -33dB earplugs so the noise isn't a big deal. I haven't ridden at speed without earplugs, but I'd guess it is probably loud enough that earplugs are almost a must.
All the other features work just as advertised. The faceshield latch is very similar to the Shoei system. Faceshield swaps are tool-less, quick and easy via a release lever hidden under the shield and exposed when the shield is up. The liner is soft, comfortable and fully removable.
As mentioned in other reviews, the Star runs large. The Star I ordered was an XL and fits snugly, but comfortably. The Arai helmets that fit me nicely were XXL Quantum and Profile. I tried an XL Arai Quantum and Profile with some encouragement from a salesman at one of the dealerships but my face felt like it was in a vice. So I'd guess most should order one size smaller than they usually wear in Arai or Shoei.
The more I ride with the Star the more I become aware of how stable it is going through the air. It resists buffeting very well. It is very stable when I turn to head-check before a lane change or riding through turbulent air like passing a semi.
It's a good helmet at $429.99-549.95.....BUT....for $210 delivered, the Bell Star is a real deal.
Added in Edit: The sizes run big. I bought an XL Star, when I fit in a XXL in most of the other helmets.
More pics:
The Helmet Harbor's Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpkV5Z-gfuw
:STOC:
