Bell Moto 10 Review: Bell’s Top of the Range Dirt Helmet

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Bell Moto-10 (UK) Review: Amazing ventilation. Mips Liner. Great Helmet.

It’s pretty safe to say that Bell Helmets have been working hard on improving the safety and performance of their dirt lids for quite a few years now.

And with the Bell Moto-10, Bell reckon all that learning and know-how have condensed to make their best performing dirt helmet to date.

bell moto 10 spherical mips dirt helmet pro circuit front view — Front view of the Pro Circuit Moto-10.

It’s the replacement to their Moto-9 range and Bell say they’ve worked with a range of pro dirt riders to create a helmet that offers outstanding protection, ventilation and weight reduction.

On that last point (weight) that’s not so much an issue with the ECE (UK) version of the Moto-10 as it weighs around 1.3Kg (3lbs). If you’re in the US, your DOT Moto-10 helmet is a different construction and weight – please read our DOT Moto-10 review.

As far as protection’s concerned, there’s a bit more to the boast because you can trace their development work going on through the evolution of the Moto-9 series.

That was available with either a tri-composite or a carbon shell. Then they introduced a Flex version where Bell experimented with their own slip-plane internals (designed to reduce rotational forces during an impact) and gave it a trick three-ply shock absorbing liner.

They then licenced tech from Mips and stuck their liner in there which, I’m guessing, had a bit more proven protective performance than their own slip-plane liner.

So, It’s clear Bell does take protection seriously in their dirt lids – which is just as well when you consider the risk dirt riders face, even compared to street riders.

Here it is then, Bell’s top-flight off-road helmet. It’s not cheap, but is it good? Is it worth the money? And are there any better alternatives out there (see the bottom of the page for alternatives)?

We hope to answer all these questions in our full Bell Moto 10 review.

Bell’s top-of-the-range pro dirt helmet
Carbon fibre shell
Snell Certified (DOT helmet only)
Mips liner
Magnetic EQRS
Double-D fastener
Weighs 1.3Kg (3lbs) ECE helmet
3 Shell sizes
Medium Oval Fitment
Sizes XS-XXL
Expect to pay around £650

Best places to buy a Bell Moto-10?

Please click below to visit the Bell Moto-10 helmets pages at our recommended store and Amazon UK. And if you buy from either, 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

Bell has done a great job with the ECE version of the Bell Moto-10.

The only real negative is the price – but then you’re always going to get a high price if you want a top-dog helmet from any premium brand.

bell moto 10 spherical rhythm motocross helmet side view — Side view of the Moto-10 Rhythm

And with the R&D that you can see has gone into the Bell Moto-10, you’re gonna have to pay for that in a price that’s North of £600.

So onto the good stuff. It’s got a MIPS liner, collarbone-friendly NMR base and carbon fibre shell, so should offer excellent protection for when things go wrong.

It’s also got amazing ventilation along with a CoolJade liner, so if you’re serious about your off-roading and need a helmet that’ll keep you cool, then the Bell Moto-10 is one of the best venting on the market.

It’s also comfortable, has a huge eyeport that’ll take the biggest goggles and there’s some great touches like their use of magnets for cheekpads and strap.

Overall then, if you want one of the best dirt bike helmets out there and can suck up that premium price, then the Moto-10 is a great helmet and worthy successor to the popular Moto-9.

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

Bell obviously work hard to ensure their helmets perform when it comes to safety, and they’ve thrown every trick in the book at the Moto-10. And rightly so because it’s no laughing matter when you drop things in the dirt – especially in competitions.

Safety/protection features with the Moto-10 include:

Carbon fibre shell
Spherical Mips liner
EQRS cheek pads
Shoulder/collarbone protection (NMR)

Obviously, having a carbon fibre shell is a great starting point for any helmet because carbon fibre helmets tend to be both light and strong. The shell on the Moto-10 has a 3K weave giving it that classic carbon fibre look and it’s made in three different shell sizes to give a more optimized look and performance. All of which is great to see and should improve protection levels.

bell moto 10 spherical mips motocross helmet fasthouse blue grey rear side view — You can clearly see the NMR collarbone protector on the bottom edge of this Fasthouse graphic Moto-10

Lining the shell is a Mips liner. Mips is actually a Swedish company who licence out their tech – in this case their Spherical Mips liner.

The idea behind the liner hasn’t changed in a few years; namely to produce a liner where the outer surface of the liner is connected to the helmet and the inner surface is in contact with the rider’s head. So when you have an accident that tries to rotate the helmet, there’s a degree of independence so your head (neck and brain) won’t take the full impact of the rotation.

Severe rotations can cause lots of nasty injuries so it’s great to see Mips and Bell doing what they can.

The only slight fly in the ointment here is the lack of independent verification of their system. Sure, there’s lots of stories of people swearing by the protective powers of Mips and Bell helmets, happily relating how it saved their bacon and how they’d never buy a different helmet.

Thing is, you can usually find similar stories with even cheapo helmets – and I guess the fact of the matter is if a helmet doesn’t do its job, then the wearer may not be around to say otherwise!

Interestingly, the only independently tested Mips helmet was actually a Bell Qualifier DLX Mips – an ECE full face road helmet. That only scored a mediocre 3 stars out of 5 when SHARP tested – and their test does include an oblique test for rotation too.

Still, common sense does make you think that having some sort of rotation protection has to be a good thing. And besides, without a closer understanding of their testing methodologies and data analysis, it’s nigh on impossible to know how effective the Mips part of the test actually was.

bell moto 10 spherical mips dirt helmet marmot design side view — Funky Marmot graphic Moto-10

But Bell has obviously thought safety on the Moto-10 through.

There’s EQRS cheek pads to help get the helmet off in the event of a spill. They’re held in just by magnets too so they’re super easy to pull out – unlike the EQRS in some other brands.

And the Moto-10 is Eject system compatible too (not included) so both these will help first responders safely remove a helmet.

Interestingly, the ECE (non Snell) version of the helmet is a few hundred grammes lighter than the DOT helmet; that’s usually because you need a harder (and heavier) shell to pass Snell’s penetration test (which is arguably not that real-world relevant as things rarely actually penetrate a helmet).

So I guess if you’re in a DOT territory and you do want a lighter Moto-10 you could always buy an ECE version; though of course that wouldn’t be road legal in US helmet law states.

OK, there’s other stuff that contributes to safety of course.

Bell has worked to make the eye port bigger to accommodate a wide range of goggles and give good all-round vision. They’ve also included softer lower edges to the helmet – what Bell calls No Missed Races or NMR – so if you do suffer a severe impact, the softer edges of the lid shouldn’t break your collar bone or shoulder. Handy that.

And the helmet’s secured to your head using the usual Double-D ring fastener that pro racers (and racing authorities) usually want.

The Moto-10 hasn’t been independently tested by SHARP yet which is a shame (though it is ECE 22.05 certified like all UK helmets). In the US, the DOT helmet has been Snell Certified and if you look at past SHARP test data on carbon Bell helmets, everyone so far has scored a maximum 5 stars. .

So we’re gonna go out on a limb – with their past history and Bell’s focus on safety innovation, we expect the Bell Moto-10 should really give you all the protection you can currently get in a modern dirt helmet.

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

You’d expect a helmet with a ton of vent holes to let in a load of noise too. If it did, it probably wouldn’t be the end of the world in a dirt helmet because chatting with your friends and being aware of your engine and environment is important too.

Thing is, owners we came across say it’s surprisingly quiet. I guess it might be because those generous cheek pads and lack of speaker pockets keep padding around the ear pretty thick, insulating you from noise?

Either way, it seems the Bell Moto-10 is not a noisy helmet. Result.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

Note gazillion air holes around the goggles. This thing vents very well.

If you’re a serious off-road or motocross rider, you work really hard in some of the most demanding of conditions. So great air flow is really important to keep you cool and able to stay focused.

Bell say they’ve put the hours in on the aero and ventilation of the Moto-10 to allow as much air as possible to get directed towards the vents and pass through the helmet.

That includes designing intake vents into the peak and moulding the outer shell to help pass air through and into the helmet. It’s a system that Bell calls their Thermal Exchange Airflow System or TEAS.

A couple of useful links…

– All our Dirt/Motocross helmet reviews –
– Safest helmet reviews –

That system includes a large five section chin bar inlet, six smaller inlets around the eye port along with large exhausts around the sides and rear of the helmet.

And the word from Moto-10 owners is that it all works really well. Folks reckon it’s got great cooling around the goggles and helps (along with the wicking interior) to push sweat out of the helmet when you’re working hard. And compared to the outgoing Moto-9, Moto-10 owners say it’s a big improvement.

From what we’ve heard, the Moto-10 is one of the best venting dirt helmets out there with riders saying they can really feel the airflow over their heads and around the face, so it’s very much job done on the air flow front.

Peak & Goggles

bell moto 10 spherical dirt helmet slayco purple white front view — This one’s the Slayco graphic showing massive eyeport and goggles groove

There’s not much new in the peak on the Moto-10. Bell calls the peak on the Moto-10 a flying bridge design because it’s not secured in the centre, but other than that, it’s big, it’s pointy and it can be removed with thumb screws if you need to swap it out or clean it.

Peaks can be easily damaged if you impact them too heavily so you can buy replacements – the only downside is there’s only one in the box and they’re around £50 a pop if you break one.

Bell’s designed the eye port to be nice and large so it can take pretty well any goggles and gives excellent peripheral vision.

And of course it’s big enough to let them scatter loads of vent holes around the goggles to pull air into the helmet and let air vent around your goggles and brow.

Owners reckon that large eyeport (surrounded by nice and soft rubber for extra comfort) has fitted their Airbrakes and 100% Armegas well and because it’s so large has helped seal them around the face better than some other helmets.

All good here then.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

Bell Moto-10s are a medium oval fitment which is the most popular internal shape for a helmet and means – if you’re unsure of your head shape – that it matches the shape of most riders’ heads.

There’s a few nifty features inside the Moto-10.

As mentioned, it’s got EQRS (like all sports helmets should) but in the Moto-10 the cheekpads are held in with magnets. That means they’re super easy to pull out and refit, whether you do it to clean them or whether it’s first responders looking to carefully remove your helmet. Either way, they work well.

bell moto 10 spherical mips helmet tomac replica top down view — Top down view of the Tomac replica

What also works well is that double-d ring fastener. OK double-d’s can be a bit fiddly, but on most straps you have to tie up the end using a snap. Not so on the Moto-10 because Bell’s used magnets there too making it really easy and mega convenient to quickly tie up the end of the strap and stop it flapping about. Great touch that.

The comfort liner’s fully removable and washable too of course, and it’s laced with ventilation holes to let masses of air straight through to your head.

It’s also a a Virus CoolJade liner which means it uses a fabric that’s laced with Jade which Virus (the material’s maker) reckons can actually leach heat away from the head and keep your head cooler. As far as we know, you’ll only get one of these liners with Bell helmets.

We’ve heard reports from a few owners that they do size about right (so measure your head, order the right size and it should fit correctly) though they can be tight around the cheeks when you first wear them; though they break in pretty quickly and fit about right after that.

Other than that, Moto-10s are generally regarded as a comfy helmet with no issues reported.

Looks & Graphics

There’s a ton of graphics out there including some Monster Energy, McGrath and Tomac replicas. There’s also the Fasthouse, Rhythm and Slayco designs alongside some more plain solid and matte black or carbon weave helmets.

As usual, we’ve slung some of the most popular graphics up and down the page, but if you want to see the latest designs and deals on the Moto-10, please click the links below.

Best places to buy a Bell Moto-10 Helmet?

Bell Moto-10 Video

Here’s an 8m look around the Moto-10 from Revzilla.

Other stuff – Bluetooth, build quality, warranty

Bluetooth and Comms

bell moto 10 spherical mips dirt helmet pro circuit rear view — Here’s a rear view of that Pro Circuit Moto-10

I guess most riders don’t wanna stick a bluetooth and speakers into their dirt helmets because Bell hasn’t fitted any speaker pockets into the Moto-10.

Quality/Warranty

A few owners reckoned the Moto-10’s well built with a great quality liner and good finishing. I guess Bell have faith in their helmet quality too as it’s sold with a full 5 year warranty. That should last the life of the helmet.

Good Alternatives to the Bell Moto-10?

Alternatives you should check out? How about…

First up, while they’re still around, the Bell Moto-9 is still a great alternative. Cheaper, lighter and a highly rated Snell helmet.

The Shoei VFX-WR is also a Snell certified dirt helmet. And it’s also got an anti-rotate liner and is slightly cheaper than the Moto-10

shoei vfx evo crash helmet matt black side view — Shoei VFX-WR

If you’re after a budget dirt lid that vents well, you should take a look at the LS2 Subverter. It’s got slip-plane internals and EQRS too – though it is noisy.

Finally, if you fancy a helmet that’ll work like a dirt helmet but offers many of the advantages of a road helmet, check out our Adventure Helmet pages. Or click to see all our Dirt/Motocross helmets reviews.