Helmet review - HJC IS 16

Since I was asked to give my feedback on my new helmet, I decided to go ahead and post an informal review for you guys. I'll try and grab a couple pics of it and post them when I get a chance.

I'd been planning on buying a new helmet all winter, and I recently purchased an HJC IS-16 helmet in the Scratch Yellow color. I'd made periodic stops to the motorcycle dealerships to check out pricing and to see how comfortably the different makes and models fit. I had finally settled on spending the money on a new Nolan, but then I saw that HJC had just released their IS series helmets. I checked out the series in person and really liked the features and the fit, especially for half the price of the Nolan. After some research into available colors, and since I no longer needed to accomodate my glasses (wearing conacts now), I decided to go with the full face and get something with some bold, bright color to it - the Yellow Scratch pattern was the choice.

Initial impressions taking it out of the box - The Scratch pattern is a lot bolder than the catalog pictures make it out to be. Definitely an attention getting color combination. I also found it to be noticeably lighter than the SyMax I'd borrowed, which would make it about on par with most <$200 full face helmets. It appeared to be vented well (2 vents above the visor and one in the chin), the lens mechanism works solidly and smoothly and it fit very comfortably. Overall, looks like a pretty well designed and built helmet.

First Ride - Since this was the first "out of the mothballs" ride for my bike this spring, I took it around the block a few times. Residential speeds the helmet was comfortable and pretty quiet. I played with the vents a bit, but couldn't really notice much change in comfort below 30mph. I tried the sun shield, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

Second Ride - A few hours later, I needed to make a run to the local Home Depot (8 miles away via freeway). At freeway speeds, though not a terribly dramatic difference, I could definitely tell the difference in the venting. The helmet was still pleasantly quieter than the SyMax and I didn't feel my head being buffeted around at 65mph like I did previously either. Also, the removable chin curtain really helped to keep cool air (50F) from blowing up from under the bottom lip of the helmet. This ride really took advantage of the sun shield. I wasn't terribly impressed with it on my previous ride, but riding into the sunset with it down changed my mind right quick. Yeah, I was definitely glad I bought it now.

Features worth mentioning:

• Integrated Sun Shield: Yeah, I know, it sounds kind of gimmicky, but being able to change from a clear to tinted visor at the touch of a button is definitely something to think about. It's easy to engage while riding - simply sweep your hand over the top of your helmet. This slides the locking lever into place and lowers the sun shield into position. To retract it, simply push the button on top of the helmet and the spring system retracts it automatically.
• Removable chin curtain: A lot of (expensive) helmets I looked at had these, and I found them to be rather uncomfortable. This one is made from a stretch fabric was very comfortable, works better than I expected and is and easy to remove.
• Breath Guard: It also came with a removable breath guard that snaps in place using 3 little "lego" style nubs on top of the chin bar. Worked well to keep my lens from fogging up when I wasn't using the Sun Shield. When using it and at a complete stop though, the Sun Shield did have a tendency to fog up a bit. I'll have to try riding without it a bit and see how it goes.

Not so great points:

• Certifications: DOT only. Some people like seeing the Snell cetification on their helmets and these are only certified to US DOT standards.
• Sun Shield coverage - there's a gap along the bottom edge of the sun shield that gets wider and more noticeable out towards the edges. It's a similar affect as sunglass lenses not covering your peripheral vision. Some may find this bothersome, but I found it easy to get accustomed to and pretty much ignore after a few minutes.
• Polycarbonate shell - This means that it's only good for 3 years, instead of 5 like the composite construction helmets.

My final opinion; for a helmet with a MSRP of $200 and street price between $145 and $199, I'd say it's worth the price. It's a solid, comfortable and full featured helmet. If I had to buy another helmet tomorrow, I would have no problem buying another one of these.