#helmet

Guess what month it is at MO? It’s geeaar month, sergeant. The kind of motorcycle gear you wear, that is, that makes life on your bike much more pleasant no matter the climatic conditions. No doubt there will be amazing breakthroughs in the future of which our feeble 21st-century minds can’t even conceive: I’m picturing a shoulder-mounted rocket-propelled drone that deploys in 0.001-second to lift you above and away from an imminent left-turning Buick hovercraft. For now, we celebrate the 10 best pieces of gear the human race has come up with so far. Some you wear, some carries the gear you might want to wear later, some just makes the ride way more enjoyable.

It occurred to Shoei that there was a bit of a gaping hole in its line-up where a helmet for urban hip riders of Ducati Scramblers, Sportsters and things might fit, and so here it is, the new J-O. It’s available in five solids and six graphics (Sequel TC-5 in lead image). My newest open-face is a Bell Tracker from the ’90s (looks like they now assign that name to a bicycle helmet), which I still pull off the shelf now and then for short hops around town. But really, now that the modular helmet is here, to offer both open-face freedom/convenience and full-face function in one, for me there seemed to be very little need for an open-face. Then Shoei unveiled its new lid there at Deus ex Machina in LA, and suddenly I am into open-face again! Because style! Where do I get the tattoos?

“Smart” technology: it’s a buzzword that tells you a device is enhanced in some way, usually by connectivity to other devices. Odds are your helmet is dumb: it’s just a helmet. But in an era of smartphones, houses, appliances, cars and even eyeglasses, odds are you want your helmet to do more than just protect your melon from wind, weather, or bouncing off the ground. 

Helmet communication systems have moved beyond the upstart phase of their existence, and now the major manufacturers (primarily Cardo Systems and Sena) are working on ever-increasing refinement. Case in point is the Cardo Systems PackTalk Bold. The company’s Dynamic Mesh Communication (DMC) system has been around for a couple years and has grown quite popular with its increased flexibility compared to Bluetooth group communications. To this improved group chatting, the PackTalk Bold takes the company’s top-of-the-line communicator and adds next-generation voice control, allowing riders to keep their hands on the motorcycle’s grips where they belong instead of manipulating the controls of a helmet-mounted communicator. 

It seems like the Skully saga is getting a bit old at this point, what with broken promises, angry (potential) customers, and resurrection via new ownership. At this point, moto-technophiles who geek out over the Fenix AR helmet’s futuristic options like a head’s up display, rear-view camera, and smartphone integration (which enables GPS navigation) just want to see the thing get in their hands. That said, Skully – or more accurately, Skully Technologies, its new name after the change in ownership – hears the criticism and has stated its hopes to make helmets available come the summer, which, if you’re paying attention, is right around the corner. Of course, tech like this won’t come cheap, and the Skully Fenix AR is set to retail for a staggering $1,899.

Welcome to motorcycling! Maybe you just bought your first bike or are about to do it. Either way, you’ve probably realized that you’ll need to buy more than just a motorcycle. Motorcycle gear can get really expensive really quickly, but you don’t need to spend a fortune (which you probably don’t have since you just bought your first bike) to keep yourself comfortable while riding or protect yourself in a mishap. While all motorcycle safety gear is important, there is a hierarchy of necessity. Since the assumption of this article is that you’re short on cash, we’ll work our way down the list.

Bell Helmets is a name I have known and thought fondly of since I was but a wee child, riding my bicycle from dawn to dusk every day. I’m not saying that I ever wore a Bell bicycle helmet as child but I remember seeing them in different shops. Later in life, when I became interested in motorcycles, I would start seeing the brand popping up more often.

The market for motorcycle helmets is saturated with choices, but there are surprisingly few options for street (not off-road) helmets that fit the smaller head sizes of children. So, when I was trying to outfit my daughter with decent motorcycle gear so I could take her on street rides with me, I found few options.

Skully, the techie helmet company with a reputation among riders worse than Harvey Weinstein’s, has reorganized itself and is preparing to deliver its AR-ready helmet this summer, according to a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last Sunday.

The new Star MIPS is Bell’s latest attempt to improve protection for our brains, introducing the Swedish-engineered Multi-directional Impact Protection System to its popular street helmet.

What we have here is a fun Halloween video involving a pumpkin, a motorcycle tie-down, a hand saw, and an electric jigsaw – all in the name of creating the ultimate Halloween costume for a motorcyclist. While we can’t vouch for the DOT or Snell certification of this homemade helmet. It’s good for a laugh.

When you’re the editor at a motorcycle magazine, new helmets are a dime a dozen. Actually, they don’t usually cost us even a dime. So, we’re blessed with the luxury of strapping on premium lids at nearly every opportunity.

The RPHA MAX Modular that HJC so graciously sent to my passenger Chrissy Rogers for our recent Yamaha Star Venture first ride was such a nice-looking lid when it popped out of the box, I thought it was a new model. I was wrong; T. Roderick tested it five years ago.

Just imagine the panic of crashing into the back of another racer’s motorcycle at speed and flipping over the bars. Then imagine hitting the pavement and feeling your helmet squeeze itself off your head as you slide along at 100+ mph!

We’re not going to assume that everyone enjoys wearing a helmet when they ride, and while we are of the mindset that safety is always a top priority, we realize not everyone shares our opinion about helmets. For a lot of riders, the decision is made for you based on the particular laws of that state but if given complete freedom to choose, what’s your position on wearing a helmet?