Joined
·
477 Posts
So I got this helmet about a month ago:
HJC RPHA 10 Ben Spies III Replica Helmet - RevZilla
It's the same type that Spies (used to) and Lorenzo wear in GP. I figured the Spies colors would fit good with the red 899. You can watch the video review on Revzilla to see the in-depth features if you want, but here's my impressions. I'm coming from an Arai Corsair V so my expectations were probably too high. I saw a good helmet for a great price and jumped on it.
The good: the helmet is very light and very comfortable. The HJC liner is very high quality and easily removable. It's really stable at speed. No buffeting or pull from the wind at all, even if your head is turned. It's also fairly quiet for a race oriented helmet. It comes shipped with a pinlock capable visor and a pinlock insert as well. The vent controls are easy to use with gloves on, and I really like the visor locking system. Also the visor change setup is really easy to use and quick. It has a removable chin curtain as well, that shuts off cold air coming in under the chin, which I like.
The bad: this is, unfortunately where the issue becomes "it's just not an Arai". The venting leaves a lot to be desired. I cannot actually tell if the chin vent is open or closed. There appears to be no discernible difference in airflow either way. The eye port doesn't seem much smaller than the Arai, but when you look over your shoulder to check traffic your visibility is drastically reduced compared to the Arai. The top vents have an unusual multi-position system that allows you to tune how much air is coming in. In practice, it's gimmicky and you end up either having it full open or full closed. As for the venting in general, even when you feel airflow through the top vents, the exhaust venting in non-existent. As I stated, it comes with a pinlock visor, but it's not good. Effective at being anti-fog? Yeah. Low light visibility, however is another issue entirely. I know most pinlock inserts are "not for nighttime use" but with the Arai, I noticed little to no difference using it in the dark. Also, the main time I needed my pinlock was early morning darkness when it was cold. With the HJC, the pinlock absolutely cannot be used in the dark. You get a massive reflection where you are actually looking at a mirror reflection of your own face in the visor which obscures the view like crazy.
So, there it is. I knew I should have stayed with Arai, but was tempted by the low price. The RPHA 10 is much better than any other HJC product I've messed with, but it's still not an Arai. If I was coming from a lower quality helmet, I'd probably be content with the HJC, but I should have known better. Now I just need to wait for a color pattern that I like to be released for the RX-Q and get it. At least I can still use my Corsair V visors on the RX-Q when I get it.
HJC RPHA 10 Ben Spies III Replica Helmet - RevZilla
It's the same type that Spies (used to) and Lorenzo wear in GP. I figured the Spies colors would fit good with the red 899. You can watch the video review on Revzilla to see the in-depth features if you want, but here's my impressions. I'm coming from an Arai Corsair V so my expectations were probably too high. I saw a good helmet for a great price and jumped on it.
The good: the helmet is very light and very comfortable. The HJC liner is very high quality and easily removable. It's really stable at speed. No buffeting or pull from the wind at all, even if your head is turned. It's also fairly quiet for a race oriented helmet. It comes shipped with a pinlock capable visor and a pinlock insert as well. The vent controls are easy to use with gloves on, and I really like the visor locking system. Also the visor change setup is really easy to use and quick. It has a removable chin curtain as well, that shuts off cold air coming in under the chin, which I like.
The bad: this is, unfortunately where the issue becomes "it's just not an Arai". The venting leaves a lot to be desired. I cannot actually tell if the chin vent is open or closed. There appears to be no discernible difference in airflow either way. The eye port doesn't seem much smaller than the Arai, but when you look over your shoulder to check traffic your visibility is drastically reduced compared to the Arai. The top vents have an unusual multi-position system that allows you to tune how much air is coming in. In practice, it's gimmicky and you end up either having it full open or full closed. As for the venting in general, even when you feel airflow through the top vents, the exhaust venting in non-existent. As I stated, it comes with a pinlock visor, but it's not good. Effective at being anti-fog? Yeah. Low light visibility, however is another issue entirely. I know most pinlock inserts are "not for nighttime use" but with the Arai, I noticed little to no difference using it in the dark. Also, the main time I needed my pinlock was early morning darkness when it was cold. With the HJC, the pinlock absolutely cannot be used in the dark. You get a massive reflection where you are actually looking at a mirror reflection of your own face in the visor which obscures the view like crazy.
So, there it is. I knew I should have stayed with Arai, but was tempted by the low price. The RPHA 10 is much better than any other HJC product I've messed with, but it's still not an Arai. If I was coming from a lower quality helmet, I'd probably be content with the HJC, but I should have known better. Now I just need to wait for a color pattern that I like to be released for the RX-Q and get it. At least I can still use my Corsair V visors on the RX-Q when I get it.
