I use a Bell M4R Indy........ £150 a couple of years ago......the visor would stop a bullet......... (well, maybe an airgun pellet)
.the visor would stop a bullet......... (well, maybe an airgun pellet) Quite some years back I was wearing a Bell Star helmet and doing a practice day at Brands hatch before a race meeting there. I saw a bolt fly off someone's bike just in front of me and it hit me square on the front of the visor. That was like getting hit with a brick (or a bullet!!) but the visor was unmarked quite surprisingly and no doubt a flimsier one would have shattered with possibly quite nasty consequences. That is where a good quality visor and helmet does come in.
Mine turned up today via Fed Ex, fantastic service from J&S. Fits perfectly, luckily. Amazingly light, my Suomi feels really heavy after putting the Bell down. It comes with a little piece that is a netting in a sort of horse shoe shape, and i'm not sure where it goes. Might be some sort of chin piece, does anyone know?
They look pretty cool. And there is always the hilarious potential to stick an 'END' sticker immediately after or underneath the BELL. Yes, I think I'll have one.
On the Safety grading website (what's it called now??.....not just the Snell Foundation) the Bell helmets appear to have the highest rating.....that's despite them being one of the lightest on the market. Any criticism I have is wind noise, especially when slightly open; and the worst bit, is that the M4R and some others only have 3 visor positions.......Open; Shut and Mid-way..........Mid-way can turn into Shut at speeds about 70mph. Getting it open from Fully Shut can be a sod..........so I added a 'thumb nib' from an old Arai visor.......works much better.
It is incredibly light, and the sound proofing (in my front room) seems fantastic, as as soon as i put it on my tinnitus went through the roof! The visor does seem quite stiff and tricky to raise upwards/open, and thats without gloves on. This is the piece it came with, any ideas? image share
It closes off the gap around the neck under the chin..........The plastic piece slides in between the shell and the padding. And then it will keep falling out...........so I don't use it........waste of time. The same happens with the breath deflector that came with my M4R (until I stuck it in). Remember that Bell Helmets were fundamentally designed for race car drivers in the first instance, then for racing motorcyclists, hence the three position visor on most styles. What you need to assist with opening the visor is find one of these.........they are held on with a small screw..
My Bell has a tiny opening just before it fully closes and I always leave it that fraction open even when doing track days just in case I get any misting. My only criticism, like others, is that it doesn't open very wide and can be a little awkward when trying to ride a short distance with it fully open as it seems to be slightly in the way of my line of sight.
PS....If you can't find the visor button (I know they are available new from Arai, but not sure where in the UK), you could always fit a tear-off button...........just remember the Bell visor is thicker than most when it comes to fitting the screw.
ive got a MSR carbon indy. love it. super light, comfy and quieter than my other lids. ok it was a little more in money but worth every penny.
