Well I was in the market for a new helmet so decided to go looking for something that would suit what I wanted. I decided that I wanted a flip up helmet and not spend only £40 which you can pay for the budget range.

I pretty much had my eyes set on another Shoei my last one has served me well for over 5 years so past it's shelf life. I went to the local Hein Gerieke shop which since there restructure is 150 miles away and a 3 hour ride. I thought that it would give me a good chance to bed the helmet in! That it did as I shall explain.

First a couple of photo's:











As you can see from the photo's I have got the optional inbuilt headset which is bluetooth compatible capable of connecting to 3 other G4 type headsets or a bluetooth device and 2 G4 headsets. It also has a built in FM radio and you can connect a media device via a headset jack.

First up what problems have I had with the helmet... Well when I bought it from the shop they helpfully fitted the headset for me this meant removing the original collar and installing the replacement one. What they did was to install the optional pads behind the speakers designed to move the speakers closer to the ears... Thats fine if you have a head to fit the smaller part of the size spectrum! After 15 miles I my ears were hurting from a lack of blood circulation. Not a problem I thought I can hack this I just need to allow the helmet to soften with use. 30 mins further riding I found a layby to pull in and gave myself 5 mins break from riding and wearing it. This carried on for 100 miles of riding stopping every 30 mins. I hasten to add that it was late in the day and I left the shop shortly before closing!

After 100 miles I had enough and decided I was going to remove the headset part and fit the standard collar. That was when I noticed the 2 offending pads! I took the pads out and carried on. The last 50 miles was a lot better and I didnt need to take another break although the damage was done. It took a couple of days for my ears to recover!

Having now worn the helmet for a couple of weeks and having used it on both the K100LT with its massive fairing and also on my Thundercat I can honestly say that the helmet is great. The padding has stretched with wearing it so is now comfortable, it needs to be as I commute to work just over an hour each way. It's easy to put on and take off just so long as the ears don't fold over!

I wear earplugs when riding and the noise level is very low I would say comparable to my sold helmet with ear plugs removed the noise levels are lower than my Shoei which is saying something. I was always concerned that a flip lid would be noisier.

The buckle system it uses is a very simple ratchet device which locks into the position. They provide a chin guard which I have binned as I find it pushes the buckle back into my throat! not conducive to a good ride in my books.

Riding on the K there isn't a lot of air that gets past the visor so around town there is a need to open the visor slightly but when moving along with the top air vent open ajar it allows plenty of air to circulate keeping everything clear. That includes my glasses. As a glasses wearer its a pain to have to swap over to sun glasses when the sun comes out. Not a problem with this helmet it has a built in sun visor which drops down with the slide of a lever. Even this early in the year I have used it loads again no fogging and is superb.

Riding on the Thundercat I found there is no need for the top vent to be open just the one under the visor this allows a decent amount of cool air to flow around the helmet. Whats more at high speeds there is no wind buffeting at all due to a couple of aerofoils at the front and a slight wedge at the back. I didn't think they would make any difference but they make a world of difference!

With the headset listening to the radio is a dream the volume isn't deafening most people can't believe I have a clear volume when I take the helmet off and then remove my ear plugs! It has built in VOX which works very well and doesn't leave you noticing to much the change in volume as you change speed. Using it as a bluetooth headset with the phone is also crystal clear. I phoned the shop by mistake the day after purchase as I was riding and they couldn't believe that I was riding the bike with the phone quality.

Conclusion:

An expensive helmet with an expensive headset built in, but considering I ride the bike most days and high mileages I think it is worth it. When I come to replace this helmet it's probably going to be hard to beat it for comfort and noise levels.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Excellent review TC, thanks for posting.

I have always wondered if these were worth the money. Obviously they've found a fan in you. A little out of my budget at present but will definitely be looked at when it's time to change my lid.

88

I had been considering a flip-up helmet for some time, but am not a glasses wearer (I wear contacts) so couldn't justify the cost.

The G-Max 68S was helmet of the year in 2007 and is priced under $100. This distinctive full face helmet has LED lights on the back for added safety and nine (9) adjustable vents in the front. Most of the popular colors have long been out of stock, but I liked the solid appearance of the titanium color and so recently bought one.

Have decided against bluetooth headsets in favor of over-the ear earbuds (which stay on when putting-on and removing a tight-fitting helmet). The earbuts are connected to my iPhone, which is bluetooth capable, and can therefore receive instructions from my bluetooth-enabled TomTom GPS. Being one for safety I prefer audible instuctions rather than looking at a map while on the go.

Here in the states we're legally not suppose-to wear ear buds (or any ear plugs for that matter), but having ridden many, many years without them I can say it doesn't make a lot of difference especially given the low noise levels of the BMW.

Nice report TC,
I bought a C3 just before christmas after the visor coating on my BMW system 4 deteriorated. I was very impressed with the Pinlock visor fitted to the Schuberth.
The Schuberth weighed in at 1552gms, the system 4 at 1848gms!

However, although Pinlock told me that there was no fitting for BMW helmets , I found Crossan Motorcycles in Northern Ireland listed a system 4 visor with Pinlock. I bought one, not cheap though, and it came with BMW approved instructions!

So, now I have a white C3 (with some red pinstriping) for use with the white outfit, and a blue system 4 (with white pinstriping) for use with the blue solo.

Paul.

hehe Can see what your going to do if you get another bike for the collection!

It's great when a company has no idea what there full range is in accessories I love the pinlock design my shoei didn't come with it but I found they made replacement visors so I went that route with that one in the end....

I've been looking for a flip up as well and just spent the day riding with a C3 and Neotec and I finally decided on the Neotec. It's a personal preference but the points that sold me were

It's quiet

It feels really solid

The flip was silent to deploy

The venting was about the best I have experienced so far

It is however a heavier helmet on the scales without a doubt, but after riding them back to back for a few hours, the only time I noticed the weight was when I was carrying it around in my hand.

All in all I am really happy with my choice and I am also thankful the store had loaners for me try buy.

Just realised you bought the latest C3Pro. The one I tried was the C3.

Alheng,
You're lucky to have a dealer with demo helmets.
I've never seen that option in the UK.
Paul.

I'm actually in Singapore at the moment, so it was on a borrowed bike too! To be fair, I had to ride the helmets with the shields opened just a crack as its super hot and humid here, I suspect that in cold countries where you would ride them fully closed the helmets would "feel" different.

Went to check out the bike shops here too and bought some toys, you folks also don't want to know how affordable tires are here.

I wear glasses and suffer from misting lenses (need to get pinlock on my glasses I think!) I was riding with the helmet open to keep them clear, then I found that if you lock the visor closed fully and have the lower vent open it keeps them clear! Open the top vent to increase the air flow.

This is on the K LT with its full windshield, on the Cat I only needed the lower vent open.

The C3 Pro is supposed to be a couple of dB better than the old version but can't comment as not used the original!

One thing over here is if Sir walks out the shop with a helmet and wears it Sir can't decide it doesn't fit correctly! Which is always a worry with a £400 + item that will be used over 4 or 5 years!
If there is a proven technical problem returning it wouldn't be a problem as unfit for purpose, so not to sure how that would stack up here.....

Twincarb, I have the same setup as you including the misted up glasses, changed the Scala G9 to the SRC system and would agree the C3 Pro is very comfortable and the FM radio is definitely better than on the Scala probably due to the factory fitted aerials. The SRC collar cuff seems to be a tighter fit compared to the standard cuff, just back from a 100 mile trip through some very heavy rain and it never misted up, this is my first Pinlock equipped helmet and am pretty impressed.

Ali

I have to say I love pinlock! When I bought my shoei it didnt have pinlock used bob heath sticky insert at first then upgraded to a pinlock visor that had me sold!

Ali have you binned the small triangular bit that fits at the bottom on the chin? I took it out of mine as it seemed to push the locking mechanism too far back. I ride 70 miles to work each day and back again so the helmet is well bedded into my head.

Only have to charge the SCR every 3 or 4 days thats with it connected to the sat nav, and the radio playing to and from work. The helmet is great on sports bikes as well there is absolutly minimal head buffeting as well...

Don't have it in at the moment but may try it again, definitely let's a cooling breeze in to the helmet.