Bilt Adventure Helmet Report

From your description, I think the helmet shape is not a good match for your head shape. It is a little on the narrow side and as someone who has a long oval shaped head I actually like it. It is not my main helmet - I have others for the street, but I like it for off road.

That is quite possible. It feels pretty comfortable when I first put it on in the morning, but by the end of the day, I am hurting. Never had this problem with the AFX...

Got the chance this weekend and I would say it did not work well for me. It allowed a lot of rain to run down the inside from the top. I don't have a lot of experience in rain riding, so this may be typical. However, it seams that a better sliding seal at the top of the shield could prevent this.

Well I ordered a Large which didn't fit me so the sizing is definitely different than other helmets. It was unbearably tight on my cheeks. Luckily I have a Cycle Gear nearby so I took it in to exchange for a larger one and what they ended up doing was just letting me try different sized cheek pads, while I normally fit a L, in order to have a proper fit I needed the XXL cheek pads. I have to say, I like the helmet now that it fits. My Sena SMH10 mount fit no problem. It would have fit securely without the double sided sticky tape but I used it anyway since I have a feeling this will be my commuter helmet. Unfortunately the mount I have doesn't have swappable mic's, it's just a hardwired boom mic so I ended up purchasing ($30) a new Sena mount that had swappable mic's because apparently I have a horse face and my lips rubbed the boom mic when installed on this helmet. Having the second mount is good because I can leave the old one installed on my other helmet. If you don't have a Cycle Gear nearby I'd be hesitant to purchase the helmet to avoid return shipping since in my case the sizing was off. I love the helmet now that it fits, the speakers for my Sena Bluetooth unit had to be placed just right or else I felt them on the side of my head and it was uncomfortable but with a little manipulation I finally got it. Let's just hope they stay put, if not I'll super glue the damn things. I bought the extra speaker/mic/mount kit for this helmet anyway so they're disposable

I did a product review of my Shoei GT Air helmet, after riding around in it for 2 months. I bought this instead of buying a duel sport helmet. I just posted my video on my channel if anyone's interesting in watching it. It's a pretty good helmet hey. Maybe worth considering buying this particular 'touring' helmet instead of the current range of duel sports, trade-offs are talked about on the video a little.

Questions:



1. Now that you've had it for a while, what do you think?
2. How is it on the highway at speed?
3. Is the sun visor dark enough? It looked a little light when I tried it on.
4. Any quality issues after 1 month?

Any other


1. For a $100 helmet its great, that being said...
2. Very noisy at highway speed and also squeaked when buffeted (the roost guard mounts/bolts are crap)
3. Internal sun visor was good for all but direct morning/evening sun in my eyes (I added sunglasses in those cases)
4. 1st drop from seat height pulled the roost guard off, the two small hex bolts that hold the back of the guard pulled through the guard itself. I found longer bolts and washers to remedy the problem

5. No room/means to mount bt speakers in the helmet. I ended up carving out some styrofoam to make room.


Surely undoubtedly someone reputable will make a DS helmet with a retractable internal sunvisor and clear visor eventually....
I am a fan of this type of helmet just not the current manufacturers; I previously had a Scorpion Cobnvertible (with internal sun shade) and liked it with exception to the wieght and the street look.

For note, I also bought an Acerbis DS with similar equipment. I ordered a 2X and it fit about like a typical medium. My head is 8 5/8ths and I couldn't get an Acerbis XXL past the top of my forehead.

It leaks, not to be smart but it is a $100 helmet. Noisy, air leaks, water leaks, cheap construction. That being said it is what I currently use because no one else makes a helmet with the same features and of better quality. (in the US/that I know of)

http://www.cyclegear.com/CycleGear/...-Discovery-Adventure-Helmet/p/43193_59409_199

Don't miss that Hundred Bucks AT ALL. My wishes for improvement match the other's, namely less noise, better ventilation, and a darker retractable shield. I've made a couple of mods that probably made the first worst but really improved the second and third.

First, remove all the screws and add LocTite then reinstall. You'll know their tight and they won't fall out. Several reports in this thread of screws falling out/parts falling off.

Second, If you remove the peak, which I recommend anyway to put LocTite on the screws, you'll see a square hole in the outer shell. This is directly under the top vent slider and is right on top of your head. The shell is cut out but the inner foam is not.

View from above:



Well, I took the handle of a plastic spoon and worked two groves into the foam connected the hole in the shell to the front of the foam. This allows the air directed into the vents on top to flow into the helmet. The air unfortunately has to make a 180* turn to enter the helmet and then another to leave but this is as good as it's gonna get without compromising the safety of it. The total amount of foam removed is MINIMAL. Wouldn't fill a teaspoon by a long shot.

View from behind, after mod:



View close-up of foam, after mod:



Makes a significant difference in overall air volume flowing into the helmet. Took maybe 5 minutes. You can tell a difference just standing in front of a fan, much less in 60 mile an hour wind.

Third, the retractable shield is not as dark as I'd like and there are no available options from Cycle Gear at this time. I used the peel-off lens protector that comes on the helmet as a template to cut out some static-cling style vinyl window tint from Wal-Mart's automotive department. I'm sure this is available in varying degrees of tint (rated in the % of light that passes through, so lower=darker) but I've had this roll a long time and used on everything from radio screen in my truck to car windows for when my niece is in her car seat to the windows in my bedroom at home (night shift=sleep during the day). Probably costs $10 or so. Given my intended uses I probably bought the darkest stuff available but don't remember. THIS FILM USES NO GLUE so it leaves NO RESIDUE and can be removed and reapplied over and over if you like. Peel the lens protector, stick on the tint film, cut around it with common scissors, and apply both to your shield.



The reason you leave the factory film on top of the tint is so you can work out the bubbles without risking damage to your tint. The stuff is pretty tough but this is most likely the most pressure/stretching/etc it'll see. I used a plastic shopping card to work out the bubbles. Took 5 minutes or less. So people use soapy water but I don't. There is plenty of room for the shield to retract with the tint on the outside of the lens, even with the factory protector on, so if you decided you wanted it even darker multiple layers could be used. This mod not only darkens the shield for sunny days but also protects it from scratches.



The flash makes the tint look a funny shade and you can definitely see all the lint I hadn't rinsed off yet. I'm super happy with the tint mod. The irregularities along the bottom are way below line-of-sight, even when looking down but I'm sure a more patient person with steadier hands could achieve more perfect results.

Perform any and all mods at your own risk.

EDIT: looks like cycle gear does sell replacement OUTER shields in clear, light smoke, and dark smoke so you could pair a smoked shield with the retractable sun shield i guess and get a little more relief from the sun but I like the tint mod because it only affects the inner shield and clear vision is always just a flick of the wrist away.

That vent mod looks good. I'll have to give it a go.

Does anyone know if they've changed the design? I tried a new XXL on the other day and no more ear fold. With a $20 off coupon I have it may be worth a try at $79.

I wish I could tell, I couldn't even get the XXL on at all and any other brand of helmet I am a L or XL. I ended up getting the non visor one in an XL and it is a great fit. For $79 I would jump on the other one and if it doesn't work out their return policy is pretty darn good.

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I pulled the trigger on the $79 helmet. So far so good. You guys are right about the sunshade. It is a little light in color. Not an issue for me because I always wear sunglasses under it. The fits is not bad with it being just a little bit tight. No more ear bending though. The sales manager at my cycle gear seems to thing they redesigned the interior pads.

I tried one on and the distortion on the shield was so bad I could not see wearing it for long with out getting a headache . To bad it would go go with my XT350 I just pick up.

I just tried on a Explorer yesterday and will probably buy it but when I asked the store manager about replacement interior parts ( cheek pads,liner etc ) he said they DON'T offer any!!.
I tend to keep my helmets a long time ( my HJC IS MAX is 5 years old and has 75,000 miles on it ) and rebuild the interiors as needed.


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The next model down is the DISCOVERY it's on sale right now for $69 till the first week of Oct.


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I just got my Suomy MX Tourer. Has the beak, drop down sun shield and clear visor.

Love it. Well made, quiet, seal and shield fantastic. Tight yes, no room for ear buds. Lightest helmet I have ever worn.

Yes 400 is more than 100, however this helmet is far better than my Arai Vertor 2 in countless ways (ok countable...)

Cheers.

I bought the Explorer exactly one week and one day ago, and have only used it for commuting thus far.

The sun visor jammed up a few days ago despite me only having used it once (during a ride to work at which point I realized the decal was still on the sun visor, so I flipped it back up).

This morning I started trying to move the deployment slider back and forth to get it to come out, but eventually it really caught up and I think it pulled the left visor's side out of its attachment. It was hanging in there at an angle, so I pulled it down and out until the other side also unclipped.

At this moment the flip down sun visor is now out of the helmet and sitting on top of it.

Hey, no worries - I normally ride with singlasses anyway (though sunglasses are painful in this helmet - I have another set of sunglasses on order that will hopefully work).

Overall, it's a very cheaply made helmet. I bought it solely for the few off-road dusty trips I do with other riders where / when I'd also want goggles to keep their dust out of my eyes. Because my good helmet (Icon Airmada) has a tinted visor on it that I don't like taking off, I started using the Bilt Explorer helmet for those commuting days where I'll be riding home after dark (because it ha a clear visor).

The straps seem so cheap that I really wonder if they're secured correctly (mainly because they skimped), but for $99 it is what it is.

yea i noticed sunglasses in this helmet starts to hurt after a bit of riding. i think its from pressing them into my head from a tight fit. i was thinking i might smash the foam a little where the sunglass arms press against. any other ideas?

Nope; I don't have any - but then I haven't examined it in a mirror to see just what was the 'pressing' issue.

Anyway, let me go on to describ the helmet. I was told they have three shell sizes, but I have no clue where the delinations of sizes, if they do make three, lie.

I bought a small for wht has alaways been a medium helmet head. I noticed right off what was said about the softer lining foam - that it would probably crush down in months and make the helmet a whole size larger. What I did, then, was to buy the small. Now that I own the helmet, I can assure ptoential buyers that the foam seems even cheaper than that. I mean there really is nothing to the soft foam, and I expect even this small helmet to become loose on my medium head.

A buddy here at work was able to snap back in the flip-dwn visor when I showed him it. It wasn't that I couldn't have, but I didn't even take a look at it since it already failed once - I'd rather just leave it out then.

A small squabble: the helmet doesn't come in pure white, it comes in pearl white. Ugh... I liked the all white cheaper Bilt helmet's loks better, but I need the (potential) venting this one has for Florida. For the money I could always take a gloss white spray can to it I guess.