Afterchecking outan Arai XD helmet and cringing at the steep price I decided to takea chance and ordered a flat blackAiroh S4 helmet from the UK.

Initial Impressions:
[ul][*]Very Light - when I picked up the box it was shipped inI thought they forgot to include the helmet as it was too light.[*]Nice finish & quality[*]The best fitting helmet I now own. My others are always a bit small or a bit big. This helmet fits perfectly. It's a little tight getting it over my head, but once its on it fits beautifully. The Arai XD was a little too tight in an XL, this one is a little roomier for sure.[*]Quick release chin strap is soooooo nice.[*]Has a whistling sound when doing 45 mph and faster but will determine the cause and try and fix it. The sound isnt too annoying but is noticeable.[*]Much less wind buffeting than a stock motocross style helmet[*]The shield locks in 2 position, all the way up and 3/4 closed. Sight line is somewhat obscured in the full up position. The 3/4 closed position is nice but gets some wind. Nice thing is, I can close it so it's only open a crack and it stays in place very well.[*]Overall - very, very happy!

The helmet cost me $99.00 UK pounds plus $30 for shipping (as I recall) - it took 5 business days to receive it.

So for under $300 USshipped it seems to be a very good alternative to the Arai.



I ordered it from - http://www.dirtbikebitz.com/2008-air...c-756_904.html [/ul]

 

Kevin is this helmet designed for dirt riding? just wondering as I am interested in how the dust stays out....

 

nice lookin lid..... thats one thing i noticed with my simpson helmet... there are a few gaps where dust gets in so its not good for dusty areas... but great for most other riding.

 

cool lid!

 

+1

 

I haven't had a chance to take it in the dirt yet - but according to the users manual/brochure, it can be worn for street, mix street/dirt, and pure dirt.

I'll likely bring my other mx style helmet along for the dirt test and see how this one compares. Will provide an update at that point.

 

Nice looking helmet. Let us know how the off road testing goes.

 

Nice helmet but I'm trying to get away from the visor type as the wind throws the head around like a rag doll on the highway,looks great for woods during deerfly season though

 

good lookin helmet...id be interested to see how the visor does in windy conditions.

 

Update - used my helmet offroad for the first time recently as it was colder than *&^% and we were heading up to the snow level.

It worked really well. In the slower stuff I tend to pull my goggles off to improve peripheral vision and with this helmet it's as easy as lifting the shield. At higher speeds, visor down is nice for keeping warm.

The helmet also came in handy as a Honda xr650 in front of me kicked up a golf-ball size rock which deflected off the shield. In my regular mx style helmet it would have caught me just below the goggles and done a serious ouch on my nose...lol - Only a tiny scuff on the shield so it held up better than expected although I would want to have a few spare ones just in case.

Once I get over getting the first few scratches on the helmet it may be my official on and off road helmet.

Regarding windy conditions - the visor works really well - didn't notice any real difference at all except for it being quieter at higher speeds.