Bell Helmets

[LoveMyKat]

I bought a Bell Zephyr helmet at Wally World 4 months ago. It was only $80 and it was my first helmet, but it has been pretty dang good... I even fell on it once so I know it works well. Only complaints are that I have to go online to buy visors and the vents could be a little bigger. Anyway, I was on bellhelmets.com to buy a new visor and saw that they were selling Bell Sprint helmets on closeout for $100. These are $140-$150 every where else I've seen them and they look like they have a larger vent and a nose cover so I decided to get one. Has anyone here had this model? I wanted a Scorpion EXO 700 but I can't afford $260 right now so this slightly better Bell will have to do. I'll give everyone a report on it later next week.

[BarMatt80]

the local walmart sells them and a couple visors...clear and a dark smoked. I had a fulmar at the time, and the visors appeared to be the same. might try one of those maybe.

i think one of the bell's ranked high on a motorcycle magazine test as one of the safer ones. good to have some feedback on more gear!

[Rothman]

you know you need to replace your helmet now right? A good rule of thumb is that if your helmet hits the ground with impact comparable to being dropped from waist height it's no good.

[ChuglyXJ]

it sounds like he is replacing it but great reminder. Also good advice on why to never buy a used helmet, just because it looks fine doesn't mean it wasn't dropped.

I saw that Bell's rated well in testing but I kinda find it hard to trust wally world stuff to keep my melon safe.

[JBLUE]

my first helmet I brought was a Bell back in the early eighties they was top of the line back than now they are in walmart wowwwwwwwwwww

[allblackkat]

I'm on my second Wally World Bell Helmet.... Though they've updated it and it looks just fine compared to the more expensive brands... I can only assume that it's cheaper because of its weight compared to a Shoei or something along those lines...

[KansasKat]

I have no complaints about the Bell Sprint that I bought two years ago.

[LoveMyKat]

Helmet replacing...

I don't believe this stuff about replacing a helmet if it's barely been bumped. I would think that it would depend a lot of the particulars of the fall and the shell material. I'm willing to bet that the heavy plastic helmets are better in this regard than the fiberglass/Kevlar ones. At least that's what I've seen in industrial hard hats. The cheap plastic ones withstand more for longer than the FibreMetal ones, but it's cool to have the FibreMetal ones cuz they cost more... And the one time I fell on my helmet was riding in someone's yard and I landed on grass. A good jolt but nothing that seemed to hurt the helmet. My friend's bike on the other hand...

[the wind]

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...-test-results/ they only list the m1 but any helmet is better than not wearing one.

[katanakeith]

i have a bell zephyr as well as a shoei. nothing wrong with the bell if it is what u can afford.

[Jfrantz1802]

I would totally recommend a Bell Apex...love mine alot. Its very soft on the ears and the padding is quality.

[JasonChen]

http://www.bellracing.com/public/index/product/category/1/

wow, I didn't know there are that many options.

I looked for one at walmart when I first got my scooter, didn't find any. so I ended up went to a pro shop and scored me an Icon. other than the non-removable lining, no complains here

oh yeah, it was weird riding a scotter with fullface helmet.... that's why I bought my Kat

I kid, I kid

[cereal_killer]

Ok, until two days ago, I was the parts manager at my local Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Polaris dealer. We sold Shoei, HJC, Bell, and KBC street helmets. I've had a lot of training and done a lot of research in the field of helmets....so let me tell you a few things.

1. Any helmet, plastic, fiberglass, AIM+, etc, when dropped from 3 feet or more, should be considered a dead helmet. The liner actually takes more abuse from a plastic shell helmet being dropped because the plastic shell does not absorb as much impact as the fiberglass or AIM+ helmet will. I've seen the results of a helmet dropped from 3 feet, 10 feet, and 30 feet on a plastic shell helmet-in all cases the shell looked ok, while the liner was toast.

2. Everyone has their opinion on various helmet manufacturers. Here's mine. Bell's quality has fallen off over the years. I've seen way too many issues with Bell Sprint and Apex helmets. The chin vents on the Sprints have a nasty habit of breaking. The shields have a tendancy of yellowing with age. (I've seen it as early as 2 months on the shelf) The interiors have an issue with falling aprt at times. I don't say this as a guy who as owned a Bell or two and had bad luck. I say it as a guy who was selling about 2-3 dozen helmets a week.

3. If you are looking for an entry level helmet, look into an HJC CL-15 series. If you are looking for a helmet that costs a little more, but offers all the quality (lightweight, safer, better ventilated) you are paying for? Buy a Shoei RF-1000.

4. BEWARE OF CHEAP HELMETS ONLINE!!! More times than not, those guys selling helmets for incredibly low prices are selling older helmets. The maximum life span on a helmet is 5 years. Even if you bought the helmet, put it on a shelf and never wore it, it would be a dead helmet after 5 years. The lining in the helmet that absorbs impact starts to harden with time. Sweat and body oils can speed this process up. Those guys that are selling super cheap helmets are usually selling you helmets that have been sitting on the shelf for 2-3 years. You spend less, but you get less lifetime.

5. You get one head in life. What's it worth to you? And why trust your head to something that Walmart tosses on a shelf?

[thetable]

I don't believe this stuff about replacing a helmet if it's barely been bumped.

Believe what you want, but if you are not sending it back the manufacturer to inspect, then you are taking a risk. Your head, your risk, do what you want to with it, just please don't become a burden on society.

[Jhonyquest97]

yea i have the graffiti apex helmet and i love it. It fits better than my hjc. i say go for it cause ive only heard good things about them..