Hi All,
I have been hunting "the one" for helmets since I started riding again ~2 years ago. Mostly, I am cheap - so I have been buying deals, which ends up biting me because I compromise on my purchases based on price. So here is my ramblings on several different helmets that I have owned over the last two years in hopes of you saving you folks a dollar or two. I don't know if you can call it reviews, you will just have to settle for "my opinion".
I am a size small, intermediate oval (I mention this because some manufactures share shell sizes between different sizes). My commute is 5 miles, 10 minutes mixed freeway and residential. I frequently take the long way home for about 45 minute / 30 mile rides. I prefer full face helmets.
1. (Purchased April 30, 2020) Bell Eliminator Outlaw Helmet, $199.99 on clearance RevZilla, added a rain guard for $9.95 and a smoke face shield for $12.59 = $222.49 total.
I used this on my 2003 Moto Guzzi Breva 750 (no windshield) over summer/fall to commute back and forth from work. If I recall, fog resistance was amazing (I had water pouring through the top vents and no fogging), very loud wind noise and more "snug" than other brands in the same size. There was fairly decent distortion/and or vibration at 70mph, but that could have been the bike as well.
2. (Purchased September 25, 2020) Scorpion EXO T1200 Mainstay, $179.99 on clearance Revzilla, added a tinted visor for $64.95 and a used Sena 10C for $256.00. = $500.94
Used both on the Moto Guzzi and the Honda ST1300. Bought this for two reasons, sunglasses were adhering to my skin from the Bell (this has an internal visor) and I wanted a warmer helmet for winter. This was my preferred helmet until this week. Very comfortable, quiet, has the EQRS system with the pump up air bladders for a tighter seal. Biggest gripe - the internal visor lever is complete crap. It broke within the first three months of owning and I started "JB welding". I am on the third JB weld/and or superglue paperclip "fix" because they do not sell a replacement lever. Overall, great helmet, but the main reason I purchased was unusable about 30% of my ride time with this helmet.
3. (Purchased April 18, 2021) Bell Qualifier DLX MIPS Illusion Helmet, $179.99 on clearance at (you guessed it) Revzilla, added a Sena 10S $200 - which if I remember correctly I had to buy a 10H(?) for the special integrated bracket built for this helmet. Seems like I worked a deal with a buddy so I didn't lose too much there. $400-ish total.
I really, really wanted to love this helmet. It comes with the "Protint" (transitional visor) that is pretty darn good. It is responsive but never too dark, it has NEVER fogged over. The Sena speakers and unit mount cleanly, has good air flow. However... it is loud. Probably the loudest helmet I have used, and it has a wicked distortion/vibration above 65mph that vibrated my head so bad that I was having problems seeing. It may have been my windshield or the angle that I sit, but user error or not it was just too severe to ignore. So I traded back and forth with my Scorpion depending on if I were going on back roads or longer rides as well as what temperature it was (over winter I didn't have to worry about fog). I will say that I had hoped I wouldn't need an internal visor, but even though the shield was very good, I ended up with sunglasses on most of the time. A big annoyance I had was the visor would slam shut past 20mph. I wasn't able to "crack" it for more air flow.
4. (Purchased August 13, 2022) Shoei GT-Air II Haste, $599.99 at Revzilla, added Sena SRL II integrated for $299.00. $898.99 total.
I have 10 miles, 20 minutes on this one, so I will have to update at a later date with a long term opinion. Initial thoughts; quality seems very good the external visor mechanism seems better than any other I have had notchy, yet smooth. The internal visor is very smooth, no hitch at closed like the Scorpion. Surprisingly - it is louder than the Scorpion with wind noise. The Sena SRL II is seamless though, very clean install with even pre-slotted wire channels that were perfect. Much better integration than the Bell Qualifier. Very aerodynamic from what I can tell, no "pull" when you turn your head on the highway. Only items that I am unsure of is the Pinlock visor, it does give the impression that you are looking through goggles. Also, with the breath guard and the chin curtain in place it has a "dead air" at your mouth/nose area. I am going to play with this a little and see if I can get some air movement. I would say this is the lightest helmet I have owned (with a Sena attached). Oh, it does have the EQRS too.
Okay, there you go. I have riding buddies that swear by Shoei, so the hype may have got to me a some. I was a little underwhelmed on my first day commuting with it. Don't get me wrong - it is a nice helmet, but I am not sure at the moment that it is worth 3X the Scorpion's initial price. Of course, I will need to use it for a few months before I can really make that comparison. Time will tell I guess!
Take care all!
Ryan
I have been hunting "the one" for helmets since I started riding again ~2 years ago. Mostly, I am cheap - so I have been buying deals, which ends up biting me because I compromise on my purchases based on price. So here is my ramblings on several different helmets that I have owned over the last two years in hopes of you saving you folks a dollar or two. I don't know if you can call it reviews, you will just have to settle for "my opinion".
I am a size small, intermediate oval (I mention this because some manufactures share shell sizes between different sizes). My commute is 5 miles, 10 minutes mixed freeway and residential. I frequently take the long way home for about 45 minute / 30 mile rides. I prefer full face helmets.1. (Purchased April 30, 2020) Bell Eliminator Outlaw Helmet, $199.99 on clearance RevZilla, added a rain guard for $9.95 and a smoke face shield for $12.59 = $222.49 total.
I used this on my 2003 Moto Guzzi Breva 750 (no windshield) over summer/fall to commute back and forth from work. If I recall, fog resistance was amazing (I had water pouring through the top vents and no fogging), very loud wind noise and more "snug" than other brands in the same size. There was fairly decent distortion/and or vibration at 70mph, but that could have been the bike as well.
2. (Purchased September 25, 2020) Scorpion EXO T1200 Mainstay, $179.99 on clearance Revzilla, added a tinted visor for $64.95 and a used Sena 10C for $256.00. = $500.94
Used both on the Moto Guzzi and the Honda ST1300. Bought this for two reasons, sunglasses were adhering to my skin from the Bell (this has an internal visor) and I wanted a warmer helmet for winter. This was my preferred helmet until this week. Very comfortable, quiet, has the EQRS system with the pump up air bladders for a tighter seal. Biggest gripe - the internal visor lever is complete crap. It broke within the first three months of owning and I started "JB welding". I am on the third JB weld/and or superglue paperclip "fix" because they do not sell a replacement lever. Overall, great helmet, but the main reason I purchased was unusable about 30% of my ride time with this helmet.
3. (Purchased April 18, 2021) Bell Qualifier DLX MIPS Illusion Helmet, $179.99 on clearance at (you guessed it) Revzilla, added a Sena 10S $200 - which if I remember correctly I had to buy a 10H(?) for the special integrated bracket built for this helmet. Seems like I worked a deal with a buddy so I didn't lose too much there. $400-ish total.
I really, really wanted to love this helmet. It comes with the "Protint" (transitional visor) that is pretty darn good. It is responsive but never too dark, it has NEVER fogged over. The Sena speakers and unit mount cleanly, has good air flow. However... it is loud. Probably the loudest helmet I have used, and it has a wicked distortion/vibration above 65mph that vibrated my head so bad that I was having problems seeing. It may have been my windshield or the angle that I sit, but user error or not it was just too severe to ignore. So I traded back and forth with my Scorpion depending on if I were going on back roads or longer rides as well as what temperature it was (over winter I didn't have to worry about fog). I will say that I had hoped I wouldn't need an internal visor, but even though the shield was very good, I ended up with sunglasses on most of the time. A big annoyance I had was the visor would slam shut past 20mph. I wasn't able to "crack" it for more air flow.
4. (Purchased August 13, 2022) Shoei GT-Air II Haste, $599.99 at Revzilla, added Sena SRL II integrated for $299.00. $898.99 total.
I have 10 miles, 20 minutes on this one, so I will have to update at a later date with a long term opinion. Initial thoughts; quality seems very good the external visor mechanism seems better than any other I have had notchy, yet smooth. The internal visor is very smooth, no hitch at closed like the Scorpion. Surprisingly - it is louder than the Scorpion with wind noise. The Sena SRL II is seamless though, very clean install with even pre-slotted wire channels that were perfect. Much better integration than the Bell Qualifier. Very aerodynamic from what I can tell, no "pull" when you turn your head on the highway. Only items that I am unsure of is the Pinlock visor, it does give the impression that you are looking through goggles. Also, with the breath guard and the chin curtain in place it has a "dead air" at your mouth/nose area. I am going to play with this a little and see if I can get some air movement. I would say this is the lightest helmet I have owned (with a Sena attached). Oh, it does have the EQRS too.
Okay, there you go. I have riding buddies that swear by Shoei, so the hype may have got to me a some. I was a little underwhelmed on my first day commuting with it. Don't get me wrong - it is a nice helmet, but I am not sure at the moment that it is worth 3X the Scorpion's initial price. Of course, I will need to use it for a few months before I can really make that comparison. Time will tell I guess!
Take care all!
Ryan
