Hello all. As i mentioned on another thread, i have been to the mcn show in london to grab a few bits. My main mission was a new helmet as my current Arai Chaser is due a change coz I've had it quiet a few years now, but it has served me well ! Over the last few years i had a couple of Arai's, a Simpson and a Roof. Hated the Roof, loved the look of the Simpson RX7 but a bit noisy and shaky (made to go in drag cars really), but my Arai was great, couldn't be happier i thought... I thought for my new helmet i'll have a look at what everyone had to offer so id been searching and reading reviews for the last couple of weeks now and i was liking the look of a few AGV's and even a Nexx, so off i went to the show where i figured the most selection would be. I tried loads... After having a premium quality helmet like Arai it sets quite a standard in build quality and comfort and that really stood out with the likes of AGV and Shark etc, they just didn't seem to fit great and felt a bit harsher and the quality was a bit questionable in comparison, which i suppose is to be expected and reflects in the price.. No Shoei really grabbed me, saw a few nice Arais but wanted to try something new, and then i found i kept getting drawn back to the Bell helmets ! I had a bell nearly 20 years ago and now i think back i did love that helmet.. They were next to the AGV stand and even while i was trying on the AGVs i found my eyes keep wondering over to the Bells.. Bell helmets have been made since the 50s and i always found something nostalgic about the logo, it seems to have a certain heritage about it... Before even picking them up they shone with quality ! As i stood there admiring them, there it was on the shelf behind, an all carbon M6 bad boy... I originally had it in my head i wanted a matt black helmet, i hadn't even thought about or looked up any Bell's while i was doing my research and here i was... Staring at a pure carbon fibre Bell, that was over my budget and to be honest it did look different and i wasn't 100% sure if i was into it, but i couldn't stop looking at it none the less... I tried on a X5... Nice but not quite right and a lil close to my chin (not that I'm bruce forsyth or anything)... "Let me look at that carbon one" i say... As he picked it up and turned it slightly the solid carbon appearance was broken up by a contrasting red interior.. Nice... The quality was instantly obvious... Handmade in Italy by craftsmen... Nice.. He handed it to me as he said "you'll notice how light it is".. It is light ! Beautiful carbon, no join down the middle or any of that.. Nice set of old school D rings for fasteners, much prefer these to fiddly buckle systems etc. Big tag on it too so you can get it off with gloves on ! The interior is lovely, some breathable quick drying blah blah, removable, washable blah, but its red and looks cool ! You know, like the suit "The Hitman" wears, black, but every now and then you get a flash of the beautiful red satin lining, as he put his gun back.. Cool ! Its also a material that looks like it won't get fluffed up by my glove velcro when i forget and stuff them in my lid as usual... The visor.. Like some thick bullet proof looking thing that the military would hide behind and a very solid 2 stage ratchet. The visor is bolted on so no quick release like I'm used to but it is sturdier and safer i suppose. I put it on and it felt like it was meant to be.. really comfortable whilst still being snug ! A nice deflector slots in the nose piece for that ninja look, all the visibility i need, feels safe an stealthy ! How much i say... He starts with his pitch and the "These retail for £650+", "These are the flagship" "blah blah £420.. I gave it back and walked off saying maybe id be back.. I pondered.. I circled like a shark viewing it from afar, looking back at me from the self... "Im back", i said to man behind the counter, "come on, whats the best you can do right now" ! He gets a clip board out, flicks through the pages humming to himself, gets a bell trade catalogue out and shows me "see, these cost us £415.. " Do you have a black visor for it and how much all together" i ask !?The calculator comes out.. He leans over and whispers, "I'll do the helmet for £350 and the visor for £50, they should be £70, £400 the lot" ! "Oh sod it, ill have the thing" I said. Off i went feeling sophisticated yet hi tec with my new italian carbon... Today the sun shone ! Today i had a brand new tyre to scrub in, a new Icon jacket to flex and the Bell to test fly ! Happy days !! All kitted up, go to get the bike out the garage, boom, helmet straight into garage door :/ ! Much cursing and praying and throwing gloves on the floor more cursing as pulling the helmet back off although not really wanting to look anyway... Not a mark not a scratch ! Relax... Off we go, forgetting how waxy and unnerving a new tyre is on damp leafy roads :/, anyway, the helmet.. After the initial comfort that I'm happy with its real quiet.. Spookily quiet i thought at first but a nice change. The tint visor is serious quality but doesn't lock down as I'm used to but is firm enough it doesn't need too and seals nicely ! Got some anti fog coating on it that actually did the job pretty well. Would have liked it to have been a shade darker tho but I'm just picking.. Nose vent works well and is easier to use than i first thought because the switch is tucked inside the nose. Top vent is a lil trickier ! Here on the island, high speed testing is a bit tricky but i managed to hit about 120 and it performed beautifully. No whistling or anything.. No buffing about, good vision when tucked and light ! Checked myself out in a few shop windows as you do and it is a damn sexy evil looking helmet i think too ! All in all i can only praise it so far ! I may be back to amend something i later find that bugs me but i think its gonna be the start of a beautiful thing. They are fazing out the M5's and so focusing on the M6 and I've seen some nice new carbons that are the new season ones that aren't out yet. Real nice carbon and chequers scheme ! Thank you if you took the time to read my ramblings and one of the morals here is, next time you need a new helmet, have a look at a Bell... You might be pleasantly surprised..
Great review.. was going to pick up one of these on ebay before Xmas at that same price.. but was too late.. typical, never seem to find the bargains! Will keep looking..
I too love Bell Helmets........ And as you say, the visor is almost bullet proof. Just compare it with any other helmet visor out there and I'd lay odds it's not only thicker, but much stronger too. Having had a stone hit me full in the face of my Shoei and scare the shit out of me, I feel much more confident with the Bell visor. It seems to be a brand that most seem to overlook when going for a mid to top end helmet. Quality really is first class, I bought my MX5 Le Mans (Composite Fibre - Whatever that is) obviously because it was a great match for my Repsol and for no other reason. But now having worn it I'm so glad I bought it. Only thing to watch........ You say yours has the old metal "D Ring" strap fittings. One thing I have noticed is that the edges of the metal D Rings are not smoothed off too well and the edges are a little sharp and are starting to fray my strap. Not a lot you can do about it, but bear it in mind. Think I paid about £350 for mine about a year ago, so you got a great deal on your full carbon.
Nice one Jim ! Its true, they do get overlooked but maybe this will go a bit towards educating people into a better helmet ! Long live the Bell
Well I finally managed to track down a Bell M6 Carbon.. Blackness, couldn't not have one after your review! I'm sure my wife doesn't share the same view as me thought haha.. A couple of pics and one next to my Arai. On first impressions, the bell is narrower at the cheeks than the Arai but I put that down to being new. Its a considerably bigger helmet than the Arai on the outside as well.. still looks fantastic!
A thing of beauty !!! Just need that visor blacked down now ! Hopefully postie will be squeezing that through the letter box tomorrow eh ! My apologies to the wife
Where did you get the bell helmet mate.....I've been looking for one and had no luck so far.....I'm after a m6 carbon cb1
Scoob.. I just saved a search on eBay and it emailed me when the one I was looking for had just been listed - best kept secret about eBay!
