Bell Custom 500 open face motorcycle helmet review.
Bell’s classic open face helmet has been around – in one form or another – since 1954 when Bell Helmets was formed.
It’s a reasonably minimal open face helmet that’s been designed to look super cool – with a low profile shell, designed to keep the size of the helmet to a minimum, as well as a huge range of classic and custom graphics.
I suppose those are two of the reasons the Custom 500 has always been such a great seller for Bell.
First, Bell got the looks just right, which is arguably the main thing in a helmet like this. And second, even though there are carbon versions that run into the mid hundreds, you can also buy a base fibreglass version for around £100. So it’ll fit most rider’s budgets.
So, you’re looking for an open face helmet. You like the look of the Custom 500. Then here’s the low-down on what owners think of theirs and whether it’s worth your money.
- 3/4 Open Face Helmet
- Fibreglass composite shell
- Carbon fibre shells available
- 5 Shell sizes
- Double-D ring fastener
- 1.3kg (2.8Lbs)
- No vents or visor
- Designed to be low-profile
- Sizes XS-XXL
- Expect to pay:
- £100-£140 Fibreglass
- £320 Carbon
Best places to buy a Bell Custom 500?
Please click below to visit the Bell Custom 500 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/Summary
Great build quality, low profile, classic looks and a range of excellent paints. If that’s what you’re looking for in your next open face helmet, then the Bell Custom 500 may well fit the bill.
OK so there’s a few issues with getting the fitting right in the first place because they size a bit small. And there’s no ventilation. And they can squash your glasses a bit.
But if these aren’t issues for you (and you don’t mind not having the best protection like you’ll get with one of these full face helmets) then the Custom 500 is a well rated helmet. It’s got the right name on it and there’s sure to be a graphic that’ll suit you and your bike.
All in all, if you’re in the market for a new 3/4 helmet and like the looks of the Custom 500, then go for it. It’s a fine helmet.
Safety
(more about helmet safety)
OK, I’ve gotta say it. It’s an open face helmet. If you want the best protection, buy a full face helmet instead and preferably one from our safest helmets pages.
Now that’s out of the way… looking at some of the ‘safety’ features of the Custom 500, it’s got a classic style double-d ring fastener on there – which is fine and should do a great job of keeping your lid attached to your head (read more here). And if you want some protection from the rain/dirt, there’s some poppers on the front of the helmet so you can clip on a visor.
But in terms of protection, that’s about it.
And if we’re trying to find out more information about what sort of protection you’ll get from a Custom 500, well, there’s not a whole lotta data out there to help us work it out.
Bell does get plenty of their full face helmets tested and approved by Snell in the US. Though, weirdly, none of their open face helmets have ever been given Snell approval, so that’s not much help.
And in the UK, SHARP won’t go near an open face with a shitty stick.
Of course, coming from the same stable as the likes of the Bell Star range, the 500 does share some of the same tech and manufacturing as a number of highly rated Bell Snell helmets.
And Bell helmets has always hovered around at various places on our Top 10 Safest Helmet Brands list since we started analysing the data.
So that’s all promising I guess.
The Custom 500 is available in either fibreglass or carbon shells too, and they’re backed by a multi-density EPS liner. None of Bell’s Flex or MIPS tech here tho – I guess because that’ll make the helmet look bigger and no-one wants a bobble head open face helmet.
Least of all Bell who has designed the Custom 500 to be as low a profile as they can get away with because that’s what the market wants. Having said that, low profile is generally the enemy of great protection because, as a rule of thumb, the more helmet you have between you and the road, the better.
But then again, if no one will buy an enormous helmet, then there’s not much point in making one, right?
One big plus that Bell helmets have going for them – pretty much across the board – is that they tend to make their helmets with five different shell sizes. In the case of the Custom 500, there’s one shell shared by sizes XS and S then a different shell size used for sizes M, L, XL and XXL.
That allows Bell to optimize the amount of EPS padding for each shell so there’s the right amount of liner to give optimal protection while keeping the profile as low as possible.
But that’s about all we can read into the safety of the Bell Custom 500. The best we can say is it should give a reasonable amount of protection – as long as you don’t faceplant anything of course.
If you think there’s a chance you will, then go for a full face helmet.
Helmet Noise
(more about helmet noise)
Again, if you’re after a really quiet helmet, check out one of our quietest full face helmets because you’ll not really get a particularly quiet open face helmet.
All that open front – with or without a visor fitted – creates turbulence and that makes open faces particularly noisy helmets.
A couple of owners we found reckon it’s quiet for an open face helmet. But overall folks seem to think it’s noisy and especially noisy at highway speeds.
Of course, it’ll depend on how you ride and whether you’re behind a screen or not. Either way, stick in some decent ear plugs and keep the speed down to legal speeds and you should be good.
Ventilation
(more about helmet ventilation)
It’s a similar story for ventilation on the Custom 500. You can get most of the ventilation you’ll ever want coming right in the front of the helmet. Which is just as well, because you’ll not get any at all coming in anywhere else.
A couple of useful links…
– Retro Motorcycle helmets –
– Open Face helmet reviews –
To keep the form pure and the profile low, Bell’s opted to do without any ventilation at all – just like in the old days.
So, you’ll find a big zero airflow inside unless some creeps in from the front and your helmet’s a bit oversized. If you ride slow and the sun’s out, you might boil in the bag. Up the speed a bit and you should be OK most days.
Or maybe check out the LS2 Spitfire that cunningly incorporates vents and a hidden visor. Or Bell’s other open face/modular that incorporates a couple of top vents – the Bell Broozer.
Visor
(more about visors)
Most Custom 500s don’t come with a visor as part of the package – though some of the carbon helmets come with a visor and/or bag (worth checking before you order).
But there are quite a range of snap-on retro visors and peaks available in lots of fancy colours.
Comfort and Sizing
(more about comfort and sizing)
Bell have designed the Custom 500 to suit medium oval headshapes, so that should mean it’ll generally fit most of us.
However, they do tend to size a bit on the small side. The advice here is to go for your correct fitment size – so if you measure your head and you’re an M, then buy an M. But if you’re between sizes, then go for a size up. Quite a few owners we came across advised doing this.
Comfort on the Custom 500 is mostly rated as pretty good – as long as you’re the correct head shape and you get a helmet that fits just right by following the sizing advice above.
The comfort liner inside is nicely designed for that retro, classic look. And while it looks like it’s leather, it’s actually fake. Which is really a good thing as leather can get really smelly unless it’s looked after whereas the liner of the Custom 500 can be easily wiped down.
Unusually tho, the liner’s not removable so if you want to wash it, you’ve gotta wash it in-situ and leave it a day or two to dry thoroughly.
It is anti-bac treated out of the box though so you should be OK for a while.
Overall then, get the right size for the correct head shape and you should find the Custom 500 a nice and comfy helmet.
Looks & Graphics
As we’ve mentioned, it’s the great classic looks of the Bell Custom 500, along with how tightly it fits to the head (so no bobble head here) combined with a fantastic range of retro graphics that really sets the Custom 500 apart.
In fact, in the US, Bell has a custom helmet painter on its website where you can choose your lid then customize your helmet with a range of graphics. It’s great fun to play with but it’s really not cheap – typically adding £250-£350 to the base helmet.
But if you simply must have that orange metal flake star on the side of your purple lid, then you know where to go. Shame it’s not available in the UK though.
Of course, if you’re happy with more standard colours, then there’s a wide range of off the shelf graphics and designs to choose from. Click our partner retailers below to quickly check them out.
Best places to buy a Bell Custom 500 helmet?
Please click below to visit the Bell Custom 500 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).
Bell Custom 500 Video
Here’s a 5m look around a solid black Custom 500 from Canadian Chaparral Motorsport.
Bluetooth
I guess quite a few of us will be looking to fit a bluetooth headset to our helmet and the word out there is that the Custom 500 works just fine with most sets. Obviously you’ll need a boom mic but there’s space inside for speakers and we heard from owners having no problems fitting a couple of Sena units in there.
Weight
The regular fibreglass Bell Custom 500 weighs around 1.3Kg or 2.8lbs . That’s pretty light weight. And of course, the carbon version’s gonna shave a good few grams off that too if super light weight’s your thing.
Glasses
If you need a helmet that’ll work well with glasses or shades, then they should fit inside the helmet no problem. But beware. Because it’s a low profile helmet, that means it’ll sit lower on your head and if you have larger glasses, the helmet may press them down a bit.
We came across a few Custom 500 owners who found that a problem, so check it out when you buy one and before you head out on your bike (after which point you can’t return it).
Build Quality
Overall build quality is reported as very good with several owners saying the paint, fit, finish and materials are great. Which is exactly what you want with a classic style open face helmet – and especially if you’re paying 400 quid for one.
Warranty
And Bell will back up that quality with their 5 year warranty, which is great for peace of mind and should cover you for manufacturing defects for the suggested lifetime of the helmet.
Crash Helmet Buying Guides & Top 10s
For (hopefully!) other useful information to help you when buying your next helmet, check our various Motorcycle Helmet Buying Guides - or have a look at our Top 10 best helmet lists where we've got the top 10 best rated helmets overall along with Top 10 Best Budget/Top 10 Safest/Top 10 Best Full Face/Top 10 Best Modular/Flip-up/ Top 10 Best Sportsbike/Track helmets.
Good Alternatives to the Bell Custom 500?
Well, we can’t really recommend any open face helmets from a safety point of view for obvious reasons. But if you are set on buying one…
Arai’s Classic V is a very similar helmet to the Custom 500 except it’s also got hidden venting in there which is a great feature – but it’s generally a bit pricier than the fibreglass Custom 500’s – though not necessarily the carbon versions.
Much lower down the price range is LS2’s Spitfire. It’s reasonably low profile and has a useful pull down visor built in. It costs around the same as an entry level Custom 500 too.
For more options, check out the rest of our open face helmet reviews or maybe mosey on over to our Retro Helmets pages for some great old-style lids.
Best places to buy a Bell Custom 500?
Please click below to visit the Bell Custom 500 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).