Californian Company Aerofex have released video of their scary real-world hoverbike. Check out the video below.
It’s apparently filmed in the Mojave desert and shows the hoverbike being tentatively driven/ridden/flown/whatever in a fairly steady manner by a test pilot who seems more concerned with keeping his toes intact than putting the hoverbike through its paces!
It looks pretty cool though. Initial thoughts are that it’s probably an early version of what may come in the not too distant future and with further development, they might actually make something that’s reasonably user-friendly. They say they’re trying to make something that uses simple rider inputs to do the steering, rather than complex controls.
The version on the video looks pretty difficult to handle though which, considering it’s essentially a seat strapped to a couple of giant rotor blades, ain’t particularly surprising! A spare several hundred thousand quid, a desire to get from A to B at walking pace and nads the size of boulders are a prerequisite to ownership.
Summary: A good quality, medium priced full faced helmet that features an integral sun visor and Pinlock anti-fog visor. It’s also SHARP 4 star safety rated (which is very good!)
We recommend Motoin (Ger) for quality service and decent prices (even with the current £-€ exchange rate). Or you can click through to the Nolan helmets pages at Amazon UK if you prefer to buy from them. Please see here for more info on these stores or click the links to go straight to their Nolan helmet pages where you'll find the latest designs and deals.
The Nolan N85 is in a competitive sector in the crash helmets market. It’s a full face helmet with integral sun visor that scores well in the crash helmet safety tests – but it’s the price point that’s particularly exciting. It’s not the cheapest by any stretch but it is well featured for this price point- which is undoubtedly where many of us live.
The N85 has a polycarbonate shell which will put off quite a few people I reckon. Polycarbonate shells offer perfectly good protection but they are a little less durable than fibreglass or composite helmets and prone to weaken if you don’t look after them. This helmet, like all crash helmets for sale in the EU, has passed the EC 22.05 regulation 22 test but it’s also scored highly on the SHARP test (like many 4 star helmets showing only a slight weakness on the side-impact tests).
In silver with the N-Com flap visible.
One of the key selling points of the N85 is the integral sun visor. It’s operated by a little lever on the left hand side of the helmet. There are a couple of reports that it’s a bit fiddly and that the smoked visor can catch on the lining so it’s worth checking out on the one you buy to make sure it operates correctly. The sun visor is anti scratch too.
The main visor is pinlock-enabled and there’s a Pinlock included in the package. We reckon pinlocks are the dbs as far as anti-fog goes so this is a fantastic inclusion. The visor is another that can be removed without tools (it has a button to press to remove the visor) and users report it has a nice solid movement and feel to it. It’s also labelled as giving UV 400 protection.
Onto ventilation. The N85 has a couple of vents on the forehead which are closeable individually and are fiddly with gloved hands. It also has a single central chin vent. It has a large rear exhaust vent along the rear of the helmet. The idea of this is that the helmet produces a little vacuum behind it on the move which actively pulls air from the helmet, drawing it in towards the front. It works effectively, even in hot weather, and there’s a couple of vents that exit directly onto the scalp inside the helmet to keep the head cool.
It’s widely reported that the N85 is pretty comfortable. The lining is anti-bac/fungal treated and fully removable and washable, including the cheek pads. The chin strap is the usual Microlock system, which is good. A couple of buyers said the helmet was a little noisy compared to other helmets they’d used – the overall opinion seems to be that it’s about average.
There’s also a little flap on the side of the helmet which can be removed so you can slot in the Nolan N-Com communicator which is sold separately. That’s pretty cool, if you want to go with the N-com basic version but it can be tricky to fit in any non-N-Com kit (or even retro-fit the N-Com bluetooth) so best to check it’ll fit before you buy.
The Nolan N85 is a medium-priced helmet but for the price you get a reasonable specification and some good features – including the integral sun screen which riders found very useful. It’s a sound buy for the money – especially as it’s being pretty well discounted around the place. It’s a good buy compared to other similarly specced crash helmets for sale. Recommended.
If you want to check out more helmets, check out our Crash Helmets Reviews section or click the brand name in the main menu.
If you’ve used a Nolan 85 – we’d love to hear what you thought of it by using the comments box below. Thanks!
Best place to buy this Nolan crash helmet?
Motoin (Germany) get great feedback (4.9 and 4.5 out of 5 on Idealo and eTrustedshops at the time of writing) though note, there's a delivery charge to ship outside of Germany, so factor that in (see here for details).
Or you can jump through to the Nolan helmets pages at Amazon UK if you prefer to buy from there - but make sure you only buy from the most reputable sellers.
Please click any picture below to visit their Nolan helmets pages. And if you buy from any, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you - a massive THANKS! (it's how we finance the site). Click here for more info on our recommended retailers.
Click above to drop onto their Nolan helmets pages or *quick view retailer T&Cs here.
Summary: A stylish SHARP 4 star rated full faced crash helmet known for excellent ventilation and good value for money, reviewed in our Crash Helmets for Sale section.
Target Price £85 (now discontinued, though some stocks are available)
The HJC FC-15 is a full faced helmet, available as the FG-15 in Europe and the FS-15 in the US. It varies widely in price depending on paint and whether you go for the fibreglass or carbon fibre version (the carbon is much more expensive at the time of writing). The SHARP 4 star rating came from the fibreglass version and as it’s not much heavier, is the one to go for unless you love the carbon fibre look.
The visor comes as Pinlock-ready – meaning it has the Pinlock mounting posts on the visor but no Pinlock insert. Still, the visor that comes with the helmet is coated with an anti-fog treatment which is OK, though not as good as a Pinlock. The visor opening mechanism is OK though the ratchet is a bit plasticy feeling in comparison with premium brands, and HJC has decided to put a locking button on the visor which seems slightly bizarre as most other manufacturers seem to manage without one.
The FG-15 also comes with HJCs ‘rapidfire’ visor removal system. It’s similar to Shoei’s and works really well.
The helmet has a single chin vent, double forehead vents (operated by one sliding toggle) and two rear vents. HJC have put a lot of effort into creating a ventilation system that takes air and blows it over the head without interfering too much with the air flow – or making the helmet noisy. Well, it’s succeeded in making a very effective cooling system as most riders say it’s second to none – though that’s not necessarily a good thing in colder climates.
HJC FG-15 in plain matt black
The chin vent is a little fiddly to operate with a gloved hand but otherwise, the ventilation system does just want HJC intended.
Onto the lining. Both cheek guards and lining is removable and machine washable and the interior is sold as both wicking and anti-bacterial. That ‘wicking’ claim always seems a little odd to me as usually there needs to be somewhere for your sweat to wick-away to and in a crash helmet, there isn’t anywhere! Having said that, it’s the same problem encountered by all helmets and the removable lining is a help in keeping things clean and stink-free. The lining is good quality too and the helmet also comes with a breath guard and chin apron. Riders report that it’s generally fine for people with glasses too with plenty of room to fit the arms. The chin apron reduces noise and draft from around the neck area.
The FG15 is a stylish crash helmet that’s got some great features and is available at a great price. It’s definitely worth considering if you’re on a tight budget or want an alternative to the big brands.
To see reviews on other helmets, click our crash helmets review section. For other four or five star SHARP rated crash helmets, choose the tag from on the right.
If you’ve any experience of the FG-15 I’d love to know what you think in the comments section below. Nice one.
Best place to buy an HJC crash helmet?
If you want piece of mind when you buy, we recommend you buy from Sportsbikeshop. They're based in the UK and offer outstanding service (9.8/10 on Trustpilot) including 365 day refunds. They may not be the cheapest but are our recommended retailer for quality of service.
FC-Motooffers the best range of helmets, scores a decent 8.7/10 on Trustpilot - and are based in Germany. If you want good prices with the widest choice, we recommend you check these guys out.
GetGeared is another recommended UK retailer, with a no-quibble 365 day returns policy and scoring 4.8/5 on eKomi.
Please click any picture below to visit their helmets pages. And if you buy from any, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you - a massive THANKS! (it's how we finance the site). Click here for more info on our recommended retailers.
Click to visit HJC helmets page at SportsbikeshopClick to visit HJC helmets pages at Get Geared then use site searchClick for HJC helmets page at FC Moto then use site search
HJC crash helmets are known for two things. First, they’re widely available with pretty much all bike shops that sell crash helmets in the UK having at least a small selection. Secondly, they’re relatively cheap. They don’t tend to have helmets at the top end of the price range but focus on making reasonably priced helmets which are well featured.
That’s no accident of course. It’s HJCs stated goal to produce helmets that offer great performance at a very competitive price. And talking to dealers, they’ve also got a great reputation among buyers too so it seems like it’s all going to plan for HJC.
HJC crash helmets was established in 1971 and currently make helmets in three manufacturing centres; in Vietnam, Korea and China, which HJC state are designed to satisfy entry-level buyers as well as mid and high end of the markets.
Their facilities include a wind tunnel, which not many manufacturers can boast, and this helps produced aerodynamic helmets with low noise levels. Like many other crash helmet manufacturers, HJC invest heavily in materials and construction technology as well as features such as visor locking technology. And they’re pretty successful at it, producing high performing helmets such as their RPHA range that have been used across racing series from MotoGP down.
Top is the HJC Manufacturing site in Korea and lower is the R&D centre
One of the features HJC have been working on is producing an aerodynamic helmet which directs the air through, what HJC claim, is the best ‘ventilation channeling system’ on the market.
This is designed to produce a slow air flow from the outside to the inside of the helmet which results in less wind resistance and noise and directs the air around the head to reduce humidity and increase cooling.
HJC produce a wide range of crash helmets covering most motorcycle categories – full face, off road, open faced – and also snowmobile helmets. They distribute their helmets to over 50 countries.
And they must be doing something right. Chatting to a couple of helmet dealers recently, they say that HJCs are their most popular sellers. And in the US, the Motorcycle Industry Magazine (now defunct) called HJC their No.1 helmet maker for many years running.
To read our reviews of HJC helmets, read our HJC section.
Interested in buying an HJC crash helmet?
If you’re interested in seeing a range of the latest HJC crash helmets for sale (or just want to check out some prices) – please click the picture below to visit the HJC page at Sportsbikeshop below. If you buy from there, we get a small sum from the sale – thanks!
What is ECE 22.05 (concerning the approval of protective crash helmets)?
The ECE stands for Economic Commission for Europe and the 22 refers to Regulation No.22. The 05 part refers to a specific amendment to the regulation (yawn!). Essentially, they’re rules put in place to make sure crash helmets for sale in Europe protect the head adequately in an accident – and include info. on the tests each helmet must pass to prove they do so. The regs also cover the performance of visors, chin straps and protective chin guards.
ECE 22.05 is the most widely respected and used regulation in the world and is endorsed and used by many countries outside Europe too: as of Nov 2015, that includes most states in Australia.
ECE 22.05 approval label from inside an AGV
A quick note on UNECE 22.06
The ECE 22.05 standard is being superceded in 2024 when the new ECE 22.06 regulation comes into force. Till then, you’ll see a mixture of old 22.05 helmets and newer 22.06 on the market. Read more about ECE 22.06 here.
Why do we need Regulation No.22?
The rules are there to make sure if you’re buying a crash helmet to protect you on a motorcycle, then you know the helmet’s giving you at least a minimum level of protection. If there aren’t standards there, manufacturers have a tendency to push out any old tin bowl with a strap on it and claim it’ll save you from headbutting lamp posts, and you won’t have a clue if they’re telling you the truth or not until it’s too late. Regulation 22 tells manufacturers what they have to do in order to produce an effective motorcycle crash helmet and how to prove they’ve complied with the regulations (through testing and labelling). It also gives us buyers/wearers/crashers confidence we’re buying a helmet that offers us at least some protection.
Where can I read about Regulation No. 22?
Funny you should ask. It’s available as a pdf on the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) website. Grab it by clicking this link.
So how do they test the helmets?
They test helmets in a few funky ways under a few even funkier conditions. These include testing for initial impact, rigidity, friction, chin strap strength and ‘retention’ (making sure the helmet stays in position during impact). But while testing for these, they also subject the lids to various environmental conditions to make sure they carry on protecting wherever we go. That includes subjecting helmets to solvents (!), low and high temperatures, ultraviolet, humidity and moisture. Testing is also supposed to be carried out using the helmet size which is determined to be weakest.
They test the chinstrap to make sure it won’t slip loose, stretch or break under load. They connect the helmet to a test rig that tries to pull the helmet off the head from the back to make sure the chinstrap does its job effectively.
Then they test the visor for scratch and abrasion resistance, refraction, light transmission, opening angle, defects and field of vision. If the manufacturer claims the visor is anti-fog, then they test for that too.
On the helmet itself, they test impact resistance at various points around the helmet including the side, front, rear, crown and chin guard. And they test the reflectiveness of safety stickers too.
And once they’re done testing, they test some more – taking a batch of large and small sized helmets from the first production batch as well as continuously testing throughout the production run.
So you can see, you don’t pass the ECE test easily and unlike the US DOT certification, every helmet has to undergo testing. With DOT, each manufacturer agrees to comply with safety testing but only a selection of lids are chosen to undergo testing to ensure they comply (if they don’t they’re hit with heavy fines).
Helmet labelling
The regs also stipulate what protection each helmet provides and tests/certifies only that protection – such as no chin protection for open faced helmets. It also shows how each helmet and visor should be labelled. For example if a helmet’s approved under regulation 22 it displays a capital E in a circle followed by a number that represents each country (see the pic above). This is followed by a series of other numbers and letters representing specifics of the type approval, approval number and production serial number.
While Regulation 22 ensures motorcycle crash helmets are fit for purpose (and labelled as such) it’s important to realise that this is only one step towards you being able to buy and use a helmet that will protect you in an accident. Crash helmets are always compromised to some extent (what’s effective in a single high speed impact isn’t the same as what’s effective in an impact that has multiple slower speed impacts and includes lots of abrasion for example). It’s also probably true to say that where there’s a helmet testing procedure to be taken (and passed) then a manufacturer’s focus tends to prioritise the passing of the test over other more practical (and effective) ways to protect the rider’s head. But then, that’s one of the drawbacks of imposing any test and arguably a drawback worth risking.
Also, one of the most important factors in reducing head injury is making sure your helmet fits properly (so see our helmet fitting guide).
What about ECE AND DOT Certified Helmets?
Many helmets on sale across the world and are both ECE certified for sale in Europe as well as DOT for the US. But does that mean an ECE helmet’s legal to wear in the states, and vice versa?
It’s a bit of a grey area because if it went to court and you could prove to a judge that they’re identical helmets, you might well be OK.
But the problem lies with the fact that if you got pulled over by the police, they could look at your helmet and expect to see the correct ECE tags and stickers on your helmet. And if it hasn’t got them, that means you’re not wearing a legal helmet.
So you need to wear a helmet with the correct certification and tags relating to the country you’re riding in. Otherwise you could end up with a fine and a confiscated helmet.
P, J & NP labeling and flip-up helmets
When you buy a modular helmet, you probably hope that it’s going to work as a full face helmet when the chin guard’s down. But not all are designed like that – or approved to work as a full face. When they are, they’ll be labelled as both J (open face) and P (protective chin guard) inside the helmet and usually on the label sewn into the chin strap. That’s sometimes called dual homologation. Click the link to see all our helmet previews and reviews of dual homologated helmets or read here for more information.
ECE accreditation and country code in the circle, serial numbers and type approval shown below – including J/P designation
If it has a chin guard that’s not designed and approved to offer protection, it’ll have the label NP inside.
Finally, SHARP testing supplements the ECE 22.05 testing procedure as they find there’s a wide range in how well crash helmets perform even amongst those which pass Regulation 22, and which is why we focus on helmets that are ECE 22.05 approved and score the highest ratings in the SHARP tests.
Crash Helmets can be pretty sculptural – especially when you get your new un out of the box for the first time. But that’s nothing compared to this helmet.
It was apparently created by the Daishin Seiki Corporation to show off their amazing automatic milling machine. It was programmed to mill a complex 3D motocross helmet out of a single block of aluminium and it’s been watched about 1.5 million times on YouTube.
The crash helmet was created in the 3D cad software and then milled in a single process to cut the helmet. It was done to show of the quality of the software and the milling machine, and to show that milling is still the best option in a world where 3D printing is an increasing threat to traditional methods when creating complex engineered metal parts (as if you didn’t know that!).
If you thought crash helmets aren’t very sculptural – think again (and watch the vid!)
For other cool videos, check out our Fun Stuff section.
Click to visit our look at cheap v expensive motorcycle helmets.
(Image by Paul https://www.flickr.com/photos/vegaseddie)/5700609302/in/photostream/
We’ve all had the same conversation (usually down the pub). Should we buy cheap crash helmets and replace them more often or go for an expensive brand and change less often? There’s vocal proponents on both sides of the argument. So who’s right?
Let’s take a look at some of the arguments and the reality, based on some of the helmets that were/are available in the marketplace.
Here at Billy’s Crash Helmets, we use the UK’s SHARP safety testing rating as an indicator on how well a crash helmet performs in an accident. All crash helmets for sale in the UK (and EU) should be ECE 22.05 rated in the first place, which means that all crash helmets for sale should achieve at least a minimum level of protection. However, even though they all pass this test, the SHARP test shows there’s quite a variance in safety performance among those. So, we’ll choose to look at helmets that scored the maximum sharp rating of 5 stars (and look to see if any of the cheapies do score 5!).
Argument 1: Cheap crash helmets aren’t as safe as expensive helmets.
Let’s say that a cheap helmet is one that’s under £100, medium priced are £100-250 and expensive helmets are £250 and above (up to around £1000). If we then look at the price ranges of the helmets that have been tested and rated 5 stars for safety, then there’s certainly a handful of sub-£100 helmets that have scored highly. They’re not from the most well known manufacturers and probably not as widely available (in fact some are now discontinued), but they’re rated as being as safe as the big names. They’re mostly full faced helmets too:
Now, if you buy one of these helmets, you’ll be getting more crash protection than lots of helmets made by some of the best brands. There’s also a stack of 4 Star rated cheap crash helmets too – 35 to be precise – right down from as low as £40. Again, these will offer great protection in most circumstances and will probably outperform more expensive, well known brands in terms of crash safety.
We also reviewed the scores reported by the SHARP helmet safety scheme, looking at the safety of helmets by brand name. We then ranked them in order of safety – those with mostly 5 star rated helmets first – and produced a top 10 safest crash helmet brands list. There are lots of surprises in there – including a couple of budget brands making it into the top 10 – ahead of names like Arai and Schuberth!
How can cheap helmets be as safe as expensive ones?
Well, without getting into the detail of testing regimes and Cost 327 European crash investigation reports, it appears most survivable motorcycle accidents actually require relatively ‘soft’ crash helmet designs. Most survivable accidents involve moderate impact speeds and require the shell of a helmet to flex and absorb some of the impact. This further allows the shock-absorbing EPS (polystyerene) liner within the helmet shell to do it’s work as effectively as possible and absorb further impact – because it’s the shock that’s passed through to the brain that does most of the damage.
It seems that plastic (polycarbonate or other themoplastics) are good at doing this while some harder materials aren’t. Because some helmets are much more solid, the shells fail to flex on impact, stop the liner doing much of its job and instead transmit more shock through to the rider’s head and brain.
And because cheaper helmets are often made of these plastics, they’re just as able to score very high marks on SHARP tests – and more importantly – are probably just as good, and in many cases better, at saving your bacon as expensive lids. Hurrah (unless you’ve just shelled out £700 on a helmet in which case boo!).
As a slight aside, this is one of the arguments against the Snell testing regime in the US which tends to require helmet shells to be harder and less flexible. Many now argue this leads to helmets that, somewhat counterintuitively, allow more shock to be transmitted through to the brain, causing internal brain injuries due to the rapid deceleration or change of direction that occurs during a crash.
So the argument that cheap crash helmets don’t offer the same protection and expensive ones is not necessarily true. Price doesn’t really come into it, rather it’s the ability of the helmet to limit how much shock is passed through to the skull and the brain. And, surprisingly, many lower priced helmets are just as good at doing this.
Having said that, check out our definitive guide to motorcycle crash helmet safety where we analyse SHARP crash helmet data to answer (once and for all) lots of questions – including whether carbon fibre helmets outperform thermoplastic ones.
Argument 2 – Cheap crash helmets don’t offer the same quality and features as expensive helmets.
Nitro Aikido – safe, cheap and pretty cool looking
Now this is probably true. Expensive helmets and better brands own patents to mechanisms and features that perform better. They also take the time (and expense) to finish helmets using better quality linings, fastenings, paint finishes and so on. Generally, more expensive helmets are quieter, better ventilated, more aerodynamic and comfortable. Though again, that’s a broad generalisation as many budget helmets have features such as removable linings or micrometric fasteners that more expensive helmets don’t have.
To see reviews on some of the cheaper helmets check out our cheap crash helmets section.
However, using better materials and having good quality control processes to make a well-built helmet doesn’t necessarily translate into safety. It might make a helmet nicer to use and a more comfortable place to put your head, but in terms of safety in an accident, the two things don’t necessarily tie together. For example, my mate swears by his Arai Condor helmet. He bought it because it’s an Arai, it was pretty expensive (for him) at over £200 and he thought, because it’s an Arai, it’d be one of the safest helmets around. Unfortunately, it only scored 2/5 in SHARP testing making it substantially worse than your average cheapy Grex helmet which, incidentally, score at least 4/5 for every helmet tested by SHARP and took them to 8th in our safest helmet brands top 10. Grex produce some nice helmets too so he’d probably have been better going for one of those, saving some dosh and riding round with a much safer lid into the bargain.
So there you have it. Cheap crash helmets can be just as safe as expensive ones. They probably lack features and finish, but they can look pretty cool too. So next time someone starts off that argument, just point them at this web page and save yourself half an hour and go do something more useful with your time!
There’s not a huge amount of information to be found online about Caberg to be honest. Not even the Google Streetview car’s been down near the factory for us to take a peek. Caberg helmets was founded in 1974 near Bergamo in Northern Italy and now exports its motorbike helmets throughout Europe, with a particular focus on Germany and the UK (as well as Italy).
Caberg’s helmets tend to be at the lower end of the pricing spectrum. That’s not to say there’s much budget about their construction with, out of seven helmets tested, six score four or above (out of five) in the SHARP crash helmet safety testing scheme.
They’re a fairly small manufacturer but they’ve recently expanded their operation to increase production and testing areas. Their testing and QA ensures their helmets meet the required European ECE 22.05 safety standard (a batch testing standard which ensures manufacturers of motorbike crash helmets produce a consistent product which offers high levels of safety protection. More on ECE testing here).
Caberg carry out three main tests: a shock absorption test, a rigidity test (both fairly self-expanatory) and a retention test (ensuring the safety strap is fit for purpose and keeps the helmet securely fastened during and after an impact).
If you’re interested in buying a Caberg crash helmet – please check out the prices by clicking the link to the page at Sportsbikeshop below. If you buy from there, we get a small sum from the sale – thanks!
Bell M1 Review: Crash Helmets for Sale. For other motorbike helmet reviews click the links in the menu above.
Summary: Bell’s entry-level motorcycle crash helmet is rated top for safety, has good finish and is light. Noise levels are good and it comes with an anti-fog visor. No major problems reported and it’s good value for money. A recommended buy in our crash helmets for sale section.
5 Star SHARP safety rated (maximum score)
Weight 1.35Kg (light)
ACU Gold Star (for track use)
Double-D Ring fastening
Typical price about £145 (though now discontinued)
Even though it seems Bell helmets have always been around, it seems they’re not that popular in the UK. Which is surprising, because they’ve been at the cutting-edge of motorycle crash helmet design for a long time – since 1954 in fact. And most of their crash helmets score the maximum 5 out of 5 SHARP safety rating! So let’s take a look at one of those 5 star rated helmets, the entry-level crash helmet in Bell’s range – the Bell M1.
The Bell M1 comes in two shell sizes which is OK as those two outer shells will cover the 6 available sizes (XS-XXL) reasonably well – meaning internal padding won’t need to be too thick or thin to cover the extremes of sizes (click the link to find out more). The Bell Europe website states it’s constructed of composite fibre which isn’t particularly descriptive as both fibreglass and carbon fibre are composites. However, with a 5 star rating, you can be sure it’ll do its job well. It’s also the lightest full faced helmet we’ve seen on this site weighing in at 1.35 kilos which is exceptional.
Best places to buy this Bell?
Please click below to visit the Bell helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you - a massive THANKS! (it's how we finance the site).
The shell has also been wind tunnel tested to be slippery and reduce buffeting – something users agree is noticeably better than many other helmets – and it’s pretty quiet too. What’s slightly less good is the paint finish. Of course we’re used to exceptional standards in higher priced helmets (and let’s not forget this is Bell’s entry-level helmet) but the lacquer on some patterned helmets have been reported to be a bit ripply.
However, and certainly for the price, build quality and finish (other than the lacquer) is generally reported as good (one user said it was better than the Aria’s and Shoei’s he’d had!).
No complaints about comfort either – though a couple of guys with glasses said they found it difficult to get them to fit. The M1 has both removable cheek pads and liner so keeping things stink free should be pretty easy (if you want to know the best ways to clean the inside or outside of your lid, please click the links). Of course, as with any crash helmet, it’s important to get the right fit – but if you do, the M1 is a nice place to be and well designed for riders – with one rider commenting that it gives great vision looking up when you’re cranked over and driving out of a bend.
Something else that’s commonly agreed is good is ventilation. It’s got the usual chin and forehead vents which do a pretty good job, though the chin vents can be fiddly to operate and a couple of guys mentioned it was difficult to get it to close fully. Having said that, it’s reported the design of the vents and chin guard, coupled with the anti-fog visor, mean it’s hard to get it to fog up, even in low temperatures.
However, there are some negative comments about the visor. One guy mentioned a problem with getting the visor to shut properly (it still leaked air a little) and another complained that it doesn’t open far enough – when fully open you can barely see below the bottom edge and it didn’t open far enough for him to get his glasses on. However, for others, it was fine.
Best places to buy this Bell helmet?
Please click below to visit the Bell helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you - a massive THANKS! (it's how we finance the site).
Overall, the Bell M1 is well received. It’s not a mega-budget level helmet by any means, but it’s the entry level Bell helmet and it’s good quality. It’s as safe as they come and finish is good for the price. It’s also ACU Gold stickered and has effective Double-D ring fasteners (as do all ACU Gold helmets). It’s comfortable, decent ventilation and quietish. For the price, it’s a well recommended helmet.
If you’ve experience of the Bell M1, we’d love you to add comments on it below. And if you found this review helpful, it’d do us a real favour if you share it using our social sharing buttons at the top of the post. Cheers!
I was surfing YouTube the other day (like you do), checking out the real life Tron Lightcycle video which I posted about a while back, when I came across this video. It’s apparently taken from an Australian TV programme in the late 1980s where a bloke has invented something pretty radical – a hubless motorcycle wheel!
According to the video, it seems what he did was to enlarge the bearings so much the whole rim is a circle of bearings – thus removing the hub to where the rim usually is. I can imagine it requires quite a bit of engineering precision to create lightweight, thin, reliable bearings that can be used in this way, which I guess may be one of the reason’s we’ve not seen this sort of bearing make it into the mainstream. Another reason is often that mainstream manufacturers recognise that joe public tends to shy away from radical innovation on their bikes, even though they may be a step forward in terms of technology. Thinking specifically about something like the Yamaha GTS of the ’90s here, although history’s littered with similar examples.
It also made me think that Australasia in those days was a bit of a hotbed of motorcycle innovation. There was the Britten racing motorcycle which promised wonderful things (only to be cut short by John Britten’s early death).
Anyhow, enough rambling. Check out the video – it’s pretty cool!
