HJC Sy-Max II chin bar latch failure

[Mike Aldea]

I have an HJC Sy-Max II modular helmet, manufactured in October 2008 and received as a present in December 2009, that the chin bar latch is failing. I noticed today that the chin bar was not latching securely and when I examine the mechanism found the the latch on one side does not seem to be working properly. This is very disturbing to say the least since I have a ride planned for Saturday and do not have another current helmet I can use.

 

I've reached out to HJC to see what their reaction to the news of a major safety failure of my helmet will be. Their reaction will help me to decide whether to get an HJC Sy-Max III as a replacement or another brand of modular or just to go back to a normal full face helmet.

 

[TomInPA]

You have a lot of options, but continuing to use a known defective helmet, is your choice. Many good alternatives out there like the clearance priced Nolan N102 and 103 helmets, the Symax III which is hardly expensive in terms of helmets, or you could totally cheap-out and buy Bilt from Cycle Gear. The choice is yours, but IMO, the worst alternative is waiting on a replacement that will never be offered on a 4 year old helmet.

 

[Mike Aldea]

You have a lot of options, but continuing to use a known defective helmet, is your choice. Many good alternatives out there like the clearance priced Nolan N102 and 103 helmets, the Symax III which is hardly expensive in terms of helmets, or you could totally cheap-out and buy Bilt from Cycle Gear. The choice is yours, but IMO, the worst alternative is waiting on a replacement that will never be offered on a 4 year old helmet.

I have no expectation that HJC will offer me a replacement. I figure I might get lucky and be offered a discount on a replacement. But I just really want to see their attitude about the problem. I have not looked but I've been told there are plenty of others who have posted problems with the latching mechanism of the Sy-Max II on the Internet.

 

I'm going to check around today and see if I can find a good deal on a Scorpion EXO-700 on closeout. That is the helmet I would have bought if I wasn't given the Sy-Max II.

 

[rogdeb]

I like scorpion, except for one thing. If you wear glasses they are a ***** to get the arms slid in the side of the helmet properly! Might be different on the 700 though, I don't know.

 

[A41Billy]

I just got the Shark Evoline 3. A revolutionary modular helmet. Very happy with it.

 

[Mike Aldea]

A search of the Internet produced this report on

about HJC Sy-Max II Helmet Latch Failure. It is enough to make you think twice about wearing a modular helmet.

"Four of these tiny screws are the only things holding the rotating visor latching mechanism together."

"With the internal plastic chin bar cover removed, the flip-up latch mechanism can be seen. The broken post

is indicated by the arrow. The only other thing holding the latch on to the visor is the screw seen at the top,

to the left of the spring."

I haven't checked mine but I won't be surprised now if I find a broken post in my Sy-Max II.

 

[SkooterG]

A search of the Internet produced this report on

about HJC Sy-Max II Helmet Latch Failure. It is enough to make you think twice about wearing a modular helmet.

"Four of these tiny screws are the only things holding the rotating visor latching mechanism together."

"With the internal plastic chin bar cover removed, the flip-up latch mechanism can be seen. The broken post

is indicated by the arrow. The only other thing holding the latch on to the visor is the screw seen at the top,

to the left of the spring."

I haven't checked mine but I won't be surprised now if I find a broken post in my Sy-Max II.

I've seen that before. It's been reported here on the forum previously. That being said, I have a few miles on the Symax-II helmets, and a whole bunch more on the IS-Max helmets which share the same type of chinbar latching mechanism. I have not had any problems with any of my HJC modular helmets including one I was wearing when I crashed. It's probably not an optimal design, but it's not an epidemic. I mean, it won't stop me from buying HJC modulars in the future. That being said, HJC is a discount helmet manufacturer and if you want a really quality modular helmet and of course don't mind paying for it, well Shoei makes the Neotec.

 

[A41Billy]

This may be useful in your hunt for a safer modular helmet: Clicky

The Shark Evoline and Nolan N103 have a 4 star rating.

 

[TouringRider]

I have an HJC Sy-Max II modular helmet, manufactured in October 2008 and received as a present in December 2009, that the chin bar latch is failing. I noticed today that the chin bar was not latching securely and when I examine the mechanism found the the latch on one side does not seem to be working properly. This is very disturbing to say the least since I have a ride planned for Saturday and do not have another current helmet I can use.

 

I've reached out to HJC to see what their reaction to the news of a major safety failure of my helmet will be. Their reaction will help me to decide whether to get an HJC Sy-Max III as a replacement or another brand of modular or just to go back to a normal full face helmet.

My friend had the same problem last month.

 

[Geezer]

HJC has replaced the Symax II with the updated Symax III. It has some improvements, including an update for the latch.

 

[Mike Aldea]

This may be useful in your hunt for a safer modular helmet: Clicky

The Shark Evoline and Nolan N103 have a 4 star rating.

According to SHARP (Safety Helmet Assessment Rating Programme) the percentage of impacts where the faceguard remained fully locked is as follows for these helmets.

 

• Shark Evoline - 70%
  
• HJC Sy-Max III - 40%
  
• Nolan N90 - 100%
  
• Nolan N102 - 100%
  
• Nolan N103 - 100%
  
• Schuberth C2 - 100%
  
• Schuberth C3 - 97%
  
• Shoei MultiTech - 83%
  

Looks like a Nolan is the way to go for safety and the N90 is not that expensive.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Here is some info on the New Nolan 104:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=144195