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View Full Version : New Lid.


Megadan
05-23-2020, 12:13 PM
It took almost a month to get here, but I finally got my new helmet in. The Bell SRT Predator "Blackout" helmet. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/bell-srt-predator-blackout-helmet

Right away, I have to say, that this is the best helmets for the dollar I have ever owned. Revzilla has it for $175, and it is a fiberglass shell, not plastic like many in this category. I even got an additional $30 off because it took them a month to get one shipped out to me. For a Snell2015 rated helmet, it's an absolute bargain.

It's not the lightest helmet in its class, but I will trade a couple ounces of weight for the very solid feeling the construction gives me. All of the vent detents are nice and tight, and they feel much more solid than many other $200 range helmets. The face shield locking mechanism is actually kind of nice, and the locking detent is REALLY firm. If I had one complain, it's that the face shield has no intermediate detents, so it is either open, or shut, but I can live with that honestly.

The interior is actually quite comfortable. Obviously, again, this is still a lower price scale helmet, so you are not bathed in a swath of microfiber and other plush luxuries, but the material is decently comfortable, breathes really well, and doesn't cause any irritation. Fit is almost perfect for my big American shaped head, I followed the sizing suggestions on the guide for the helmet and ordered a 2xl. Spot on.

It also comes with a breath guard and chin curtain to go with the chin vent, visor vent, brow vent, and top vent. The rear vents are passive and do a great job. Airflow is quite acceptable even at lower speeds, and at highway speeds, while obviously louder than my Schuberth, is actually quite tolerable. I wouldn't want to go a long distance without ear plugs, but it isn't so loud that you can't go without them either.

It came with two face shields, a clear and a dark smoke. If I had one complaint it would be that the clear shield did not come pinlock ready, but you can order a pinlock shield separately. The Bell Panovision shields are amazing for their clarity and lack of distortion though.

One luxury that makes up for the lack of the pinlock is the ability to order a transitions face shield. The price is a little steep for a face shield at $150, but in my opinion it was worth every single penny. It gets dark enough to stop eye strain without being too dark, and the transition is fast enough.

https://i.ibb.co/3dddZmS/Bell-Helmet.jpg

Biker_Andy
05-23-2020, 12:53 PM
That looks like a hell of a deal, I am long overdue for a replacement lid. I've never had a Bell helmet yet. Last helmet I bought was a HJC IS-17 and I hated it, barely worn but falling apart. The ones I currently wear are both THH and one was Snell rated that I picked up for $99 at Princess Auto (Canadian Harbor Freight) and absolutely loved it but nobody sells THH helmets.

Megadan
05-23-2020, 02:15 PM
That looks like a hell of a deal, I am long overdue for a replacement lid. I've never had a Bell helmet yet. Last helmet I bought was a HJC IS-17 and I hated it, barely worn but falling apart. The ones I currently wear are both THH and one was Snell rated that I picked up for $99 at Princess Auto (Canadian Harbor Freight) and absolutely loved it but nobody sells THH helmets.

I am well aware of HJC helmet quality. Even on their more upscale helmets the fit and finish was always sub par for the price point.

My Schuberth held together fairly well the first two years of its life, and then the internal sun visor had a cable go wonky, Fixed that under warranty until it did it again a year later. Then the visor latch mechanism lost one of its tabs, and that happens to be the one piece you can't get in the repair kit they sell.

Basically, the small parts of the Schuberth were the issues, everything else was solid. I Think my only other complaint about it was airflow. It relied entirely on airflow through the neck roll to draw air through the top vent, so it sucked. If you rode without the neck roll, you got good airflow, but then the helmet was no longer very quiet, which was kind of a selling point for the helmet.

I never felt like I got the $500 worth of helmet I paid for with it. I obviously don't expect a helmet to last forever, but it would be nice if they would at least make them so they didn't start to fall apart until they reached their unofficial 5 year expiration.