I just bought and used once, the Bell Revolver modular helmet. I’ve enclosed the link to the Webike Review, and I’ll include my comments. I currently have a HJC IS-16, I really like and fits well.
I’ve worn a good variety of street helmets over the years, Bell’s, Shoei’s, Arai’s, HJC…
Webbikeworld Bell Revolver Review clicky.
First off I am NOT a fan of modular helmets, I don’t trust the chin guard’s to stay in place on an impact to them. Just me maybe, but that’s the way I am.
That being said, I saw the look of this helmet online and really liked it. I thought I have to at least try one, but I didn’t want to spend the big $$. I also like the internal sun visor, that’ll be in all my future helmets since my HJC, I just wish the sun visors were darker. The retail price for this helmet ranged from $199-$219, the one I purchased was on sale at Cycle Gear (online only, no store had these so I couldn’t try one on beforehand) for $99, I hesitated and pulled the trigger during and even better Cycle Gear sale for $79! I received it and discovered a few things. I bought and wear a Large helmet fine in most manufactures helmets, this was tight for me and I thought it would have pressure points. I wore it at home in the house for a few hours and after a nasty headache it conformed to my head and it no longer hurt when wearing it. The manual is all about how to strap it on properly, nothing else. No info on anything else, just CYA.
I had to contact Bell Support to ask for information on removing/installing the face shield, internal sun visor, and liner/cheek pads. Bells customer service was excellent (Cheri helped me, she was very kind and informative), they promptly returned my E-mails, answered my questions, sent me a couple pdf’s on sun visor and face shield removal/installation. They wrote me and explained the head liner & cheek pads, I had the check pads figured out, the liner I didn’t want to screw up. They also sent me a chin curtain, free! I asked how I could order one and they sent it. My feedback to Bell was don’t be so cheap and include a comprehensive manual to help others with my questions.
I took off on the frwy for about 20 minutes and at low speeds (street) the helmet is very quiet, at freeway speeds it’s noisier than my HJC which I consider a fairly noisy. I wear ear plugs so it was fine on noise. The helmet fits well with the exception of the chin strap, it cuts me on my neck not just under my chin. It is almost like being choked a little, the more you tilt the helmet forward, the deeper it wants to cut into your throat, never had a helmet do this before.
The face shield is actually noisy when actuating up and down, it’s weird. The internal sun visor works fine wish it was darker though, that goes with my HJC as well. The interesting thing I noticed with the sun visor down was that I was seeing weird things flying by and I didn’t even borrow Old Michaels or Papa Chuy’s special Irish mushrooms. What was happening was the reflection of the landscape was being projecting into the edge of the sun visor where it’s cut, and I could see it in my peripheral vision. That may take some getting used to since I’m already looking for cages coming into my peripheral vision.
Another item I figured out and would have been more simple if in a comprehensive manual, the sun visor drooped down when in the up position. Bell stated this should not be drooping in the up position. If you look closely at some of the photos of the helmet you’ll see it hanging down about an inch or so. What I discovered was there’s a detent in both up and down position, when I pushed harder the sun visor did properly lock into place in both positions.
A few other items I noticed:
1) the front chin vent is a little hard to find with cloves on, and my gloves were just leather day riding gloves, not thick winter gloves. That may be just something to get used to.
2) The airflow is poor at best with the top vents open, I could not feel any difference with the front top vents open of closed. Upon closer inspection vents in the helmet, the Styrofoam has a hole to the vent. This vent hole does not seat to the hole in the helmet, it leaves a gap and there’s even a bigger gap at the top of the Styrofoam so the air essentially goes in, and between the outside of the Styrofoam and the inner shell, not very good. My HJC has this little hole lined up well and the Styrofoam meets it well, I can feel the airflow big time in the HJC. Unlike the video review, my upper vents did have a ratcheting effect when opening and closing, worked fine and easy to get to
3) Even with the chin curtain a great deal of air gets into the helmet around your face. In the cold this may be a little chilly, probably also contributes to poor head vent airflow due to positive pressure within the helmet.
4) There is no locking mechanism for locking the shield down, I don’t get this at all.
Otherwise, it fits nice with exception to the chin strap, the modular chin bar works great going up and down, easy to unlatch and latch. One thing I notice is the nose guard on the inside of the helmet rubs and may get torn off eventually when opening the chin bar, closing is not an issue.
I like the sun visor, works well. The styling of the helmet is bitchin’, period! The helmet is a little wider than my HJC due to mechanism for the chin bar, but the helmet does not feel heavy.
All in all for a $100 -$200 modular helmet doesn’t seem too bad. I’m sure there are far better modulars out there for more $$, for Bell’s and mine first modular helmet and the price it doesn’t seem too bad. Mind you I’ve never owned the perfect helmet yet.
I’ve worn a good variety of street helmets over the years, Bell’s, Shoei’s, Arai’s, HJC…
Webbikeworld Bell Revolver Review clicky.
First off I am NOT a fan of modular helmets, I don’t trust the chin guard’s to stay in place on an impact to them. Just me maybe, but that’s the way I am.
That being said, I saw the look of this helmet online and really liked it. I thought I have to at least try one, but I didn’t want to spend the big $$. I also like the internal sun visor, that’ll be in all my future helmets since my HJC, I just wish the sun visors were darker. The retail price for this helmet ranged from $199-$219, the one I purchased was on sale at Cycle Gear (online only, no store had these so I couldn’t try one on beforehand) for $99, I hesitated and pulled the trigger during and even better Cycle Gear sale for $79! I received it and discovered a few things. I bought and wear a Large helmet fine in most manufactures helmets, this was tight for me and I thought it would have pressure points. I wore it at home in the house for a few hours and after a nasty headache it conformed to my head and it no longer hurt when wearing it. The manual is all about how to strap it on properly, nothing else. No info on anything else, just CYA.
I had to contact Bell Support to ask for information on removing/installing the face shield, internal sun visor, and liner/cheek pads. Bells customer service was excellent (Cheri helped me, she was very kind and informative), they promptly returned my E-mails, answered my questions, sent me a couple pdf’s on sun visor and face shield removal/installation. They wrote me and explained the head liner & cheek pads, I had the check pads figured out, the liner I didn’t want to screw up. They also sent me a chin curtain, free! I asked how I could order one and they sent it. My feedback to Bell was don’t be so cheap and include a comprehensive manual to help others with my questions.
I took off on the frwy for about 20 minutes and at low speeds (street) the helmet is very quiet, at freeway speeds it’s noisier than my HJC which I consider a fairly noisy. I wear ear plugs so it was fine on noise. The helmet fits well with the exception of the chin strap, it cuts me on my neck not just under my chin. It is almost like being choked a little, the more you tilt the helmet forward, the deeper it wants to cut into your throat, never had a helmet do this before.
The face shield is actually noisy when actuating up and down, it’s weird. The internal sun visor works fine wish it was darker though, that goes with my HJC as well. The interesting thing I noticed with the sun visor down was that I was seeing weird things flying by and I didn’t even borrow Old Michaels or Papa Chuy’s special Irish mushrooms. What was happening was the reflection of the landscape was being projecting into the edge of the sun visor where it’s cut, and I could see it in my peripheral vision. That may take some getting used to since I’m already looking for cages coming into my peripheral vision.
Another item I figured out and would have been more simple if in a comprehensive manual, the sun visor drooped down when in the up position. Bell stated this should not be drooping in the up position. If you look closely at some of the photos of the helmet you’ll see it hanging down about an inch or so. What I discovered was there’s a detent in both up and down position, when I pushed harder the sun visor did properly lock into place in both positions.
A few other items I noticed:
1) the front chin vent is a little hard to find with cloves on, and my gloves were just leather day riding gloves, not thick winter gloves. That may be just something to get used to.
2) The airflow is poor at best with the top vents open, I could not feel any difference with the front top vents open of closed. Upon closer inspection vents in the helmet, the Styrofoam has a hole to the vent. This vent hole does not seat to the hole in the helmet, it leaves a gap and there’s even a bigger gap at the top of the Styrofoam so the air essentially goes in, and between the outside of the Styrofoam and the inner shell, not very good. My HJC has this little hole lined up well and the Styrofoam meets it well, I can feel the airflow big time in the HJC. Unlike the video review, my upper vents did have a ratcheting effect when opening and closing, worked fine and easy to get to
3) Even with the chin curtain a great deal of air gets into the helmet around your face. In the cold this may be a little chilly, probably also contributes to poor head vent airflow due to positive pressure within the helmet.
4) There is no locking mechanism for locking the shield down, I don’t get this at all.
Otherwise, it fits nice with exception to the chin strap, the modular chin bar works great going up and down, easy to unlatch and latch. One thing I notice is the nose guard on the inside of the helmet rubs and may get torn off eventually when opening the chin bar, closing is not an issue.
I like the sun visor, works well. The styling of the helmet is bitchin’, period! The helmet is a little wider than my HJC due to mechanism for the chin bar, but the helmet does not feel heavy.
All in all for a $100 -$200 modular helmet doesn’t seem too bad. I’m sure there are far better modulars out there for more $$, for Bell’s and mine first modular helmet and the price it doesn’t seem too bad. Mind you I’ve never owned the perfect helmet yet.
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