Tag: helmet (Page 2 of 2)

High-End Helmet Bag About to “Kick-Off” from Neo and Sons

December 4, 2017 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

Singapore based startup Neo and Sons has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for a new helmet bag they have been working on.

Dubbed “The Classic”, this helmet bag doesn’t look or function like your typical lid carry-all. Most helmet bags I’ve seen are pretty simple affairs made from nylon, polyester, or a similar textile. The Classic is made from full grain leather (there is a waxed cotton version too) and uses quality hardware like YKK brass (or gunmetal) zippers as well as heavy duty D-rings. The interior is lined with black twill cotton and an optional hounds-tooth pattern will be available for a bit of extra style on the inside.

The materials aren’t the only thing that set this helmet carrier from the rest. Neo and Sons make use of the empty space within the helmet for additional storage. I often carry my gloves in my helmet when I carry them around but this carrying bag has an integrated storage pocket that protrudes into the open helmet space from underneath.

Vemar Zephir Helmet Review – wBW

June 27, 2017 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

My review of the Vemar Zephir helmet is posted today over at webBikeWorld.com. The Vemar Zephir has entered the ring to slug it out in the sub-$200.00 helmet space and it packs a wallop! To start with, the feature set is comprehensive with an internal drop-down sun visor, provision for a Pinlock Max-Vision insert, and a unique port for communications devices.

The Zephir also comes out its corner swinging with a comfortable liner and accurate sizing. If that’s not enough, the finish and overall build quality has this helmet punching well above its weight (or price!). All is not perfect but the minuses are definitely minor compared to the pluses. So is the Vemar Zephir a contender for your next helmet purchase?

Check out the complete review over at webBikeWorld.com

There’s a New Lid in Town – Shoei RF-SR

April 21, 2017 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

Rick and “Burn” have just wrapped up their review of the newest addition to Shoei’s helmet lineup, the RF-SR. The new RF-SR is now the lowest priced member of the full-face lineup coming in at $399.00 (MSRP). Despite the low price you still end up with a lid that has the feel and fit that Shoei wearers have come to expect over the years.

While $399.00 might not sound like a budget helmet, it still is quite the bargain for those looking to move into Shoei for the first time. Despite being on the low end of pricing you still get great features like four shell sizes and excellent ventilation that are typical of the brand.

The initial offerings for colors is a bit thin with just solids available in black, grey, white, blue, and “tangerine”. Black and grey offer a matte finish option as well but no Hi-Viz or other bright colors are shown right now. Hopefully more will be on the way later this year.

Sounds interesting? Check out the full review over at webBikeWorld.com

Night Vision Helmet Visor – Scotopia NVx

April 1, 2017 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

My latest review for webBikeWorld is posted and this one is pretty sweet. The product being reviewed is a pre-production sample of the new NVx night vision helmet visor from Scotopia Technologies.

The NVx uses some pretty amazing engineering to create a visor that can literally see in the dark. The information on the Scotopia Technologies website is brief and kind of a tease. Of course I’m sure they want to keep their secrets.. well .. secret.

NVx Visor powerd up

Here’s a bit of what Scotopia has to say about their tech “the Compound Eye™ elements matrix and be embedded into a transparent material (ABS, PU, etc) and cover several several square inches”, and it continues “To create a lightweight and low-power display we developed FlexIris™. This system combines near-transparent OLED’s (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) with focus-able microlenses.”

NVx Helmet

I’m not going to pretend I understand all of what that says, but it’s pretty spiffy to see it in action. To see the complete review, head over to webBikeWorld.com.

Pilot ST-17 Helmet Review at wBW

March 23, 2017 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

I recently reviewed a helmet (ok, the helmet) from Pilot Motorsports for webBikeWorld and is published as of today. The ST-17 at first glance is a good helmet. By that I mean it is really good in some ways, and just “OK” in other ways. However, what makes the ST-17 stand out from the crowd is the price.

It sells for $100.00 direct from Pilot and that’s were a “good helmet” becomes a great bargain! In fact right now that great bargain is even better if you go to Amazon right now as you can get a new ST-17 for only $84.43! A good helmet for that price is outstanding!

Now you might be thinking “Who is Pilot Motorsports and are they actually making this helmet themselves?”, which is a valid question. Pilot has been making apparel for years for the likes of Honda, Suzuki, and other brands under those names. In recent years they have been selling custom racing suits and more recently begun selling technical riding gear under their own label.

The ST-17 isn’t manufactured on premises by Pilot but is being manufactured in Vietnam for Pilot by Gao Jin Industries. Gao Jin might not ring any bells but their Zeus brand of helmets might. We reviewed some Zeus helmets over at wBW and I had my own 3000 series Zeus helmet myself. These were well made helmets that offered great “bang for the buck”.

So what we have here is a budget priced helmet, designed by a company that makes a lot of experience making riding apparel, that has teamed up with a helmet manufacturer that has nearly twenty years in the industry making affordable and well put together helmets.

Sound too good to be true? Read the full review and find out for yourself – Full Review Here.

Arai Vector 2 Owner’s Report

August 4, 2016 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

My latest review, an owner’s report on the Arai Vector 2 helmet, has been posted over at webBikeWorld.com. This is a fantastic helmet, which being from Arai isn’t that surprising, but is it perfect? Well nothing’s perfect, now is it? Excerpt is below, or click here for the complete review.

Looking closely at the paint shows a lot of metalflake which is, in my opinion, super slick. It is most noticeable in the black and gray areas of the helmet but it is present in the white as well. This leads me to believe the “flakes” may be in the clearcoat layer. The paint is beautiful no matter how you look at it.

Picking up the Vector 2, one gets the sense this is a quality piece of protective equipment and not just a “brain-bucket”. The fiberglass laminate which makes up the shell of an Arai is hand laid and the care that goes into shows. The shell is light but very strong. Not a creak or squeak is heard when trying to flex the helmet such as pulling it onto the head.

Scorpion EXO-T510 Helmet Review

May 17, 2016 / Brandon Jackson / 1 Comment

My review of the Scorpion EXO-T510 Helmet published over at webBikeWorld.com.

The EXO-T510 is aimed at the sport-to-touring rider segments, although it would be equally at home in the commuter arena too. It is also competing in the very crowded mid-range pricing area between $200 to $250 USD. This price range used to be full of products that may have been somewhat compromised on comfort, build quality, features or other aspects — the things that differentiated them from their lofty cousins costing $350.00 or more.

In 2016, technology advances in materials and manufacturing are really making those differences harder to see though, if not harder to “feel”. Scorpion has outfitted the EXO-T510 with a wealth of features that I’m not certain all exist in one place on any other helmet in this price range. At least at the time of this writing I can’t seem to find one.

Full review at webBikeWorld.com