Rain gear test #2

[JQL]

snip...

And don't burst my bubble about the Schuberth! I want one and all this talk of flaws in part of the design is disheartening

John, when did you buy the Bell helmet? I bought one in 1980 (or 81?).

I will buy another Schuberth C3 regardless of the 2 problems I encountered. I like it so much. The rubber strip probably didn't have enough glue on it and was an easy fix. The Visor/inner visor, I don't really have a problem with as, so far, only a very small amount of moisture has entered and it is beside the pinlock itself and not noticeable (until you take the helmet off).

I bought my Bell helmet in May or June 1983.

 

[charlie b]

Thanks.

FYI, you can get the silicone stuff not in spray form at most auto parts places. It is made for cleaning dashboards.

 

[garwil]

Back when I was a college student, and my riding gear consisted of an Aria helmet, bluejean jacket and work gloves, my rain gear consisted of a black plastic bag for my upper body, and produce bags in my boots and over my gloves. Just remember the plastic on your hands when you reach down to warm them on the headers. The burnt plastic leaves a bad stain.

 

[Warren]

Charlie, when the C-3 came out there was little doubt it was the premier flip-up lid to have but it's lofty price tag and unavailability in the US nearly doomed sales in the states. Those of us who could figure out a way to do so brought them in from overseas, usually at the bone jarring price of $650 - $725. To say they were worth it is one of those speculation moments, if you truly craved one and had the means than you'd likely feel it was so.

Fast forward to today and you'll find what I feel is the new benchmark lid, Shoei's ultra cool Neotec. You can read the initial report on webBikeworld.com if you follow this link:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/shoei/neotec/ Their suggested list price is in the mid-$600's but I've already seen them with street prices for $75 less and they've just recently become available. I had my first look at one of them last week and I can safely say it's a doozy. We sat one next to a brand new C-3 for an impromptu comparison and the overall quality of the Neotec may have a slight edge. They both offer similar if not identical features and street prices are so close as to not be a consideration.

My personal take is the C-3 looks a bit sleeker, maybe a bit smaller too depending on the size of the shell. Either one is sure to please but only if you don't require after sale service and in that case I think Shoei may edge out Schuberth. Remember, your experience may vary so this would be your call. Knowing what I know about the C-3 and having owned (still do) one of the old Shoei Syncrotec's (predecessor to the Multitec) I would opt for the Neotec.

Does that burst anyone's bubble? I surely hope not. One last thing to consider, I've seen two C-3's for sale on ADVrider in the last few days, one brand new and one worn very little. Both were available at reasonable price points. In the event one of you decides you just have to have a C-3 keep this in mind: Drop down one size. I normally wear a large but when I was placing my order with the Designer Helmet folks in the UK they were very emphatic about this so I went with a medium. It fits perfect.

So there you go, another 2-cts worth of my opinions.

LL75 :smile:

Note: Nolan has just come out with the N104 which appears to be similar in design to the C-3 and Neotec at a much lower price.

 

[Phil Tarman]

The N-104 looks good, as does the NeoTech. I wonder if either one is as quiet as my Schuberth C-3.

 

[Warren]

The N-104 looks good, as does the NeoTech. I wonder if either one is as quiet as my Schuberth C-3.

I don't know but being a gear freak I hate all these new choices. I just bought my N90 which I really like but that N104 sure looks inviting. The NeoTech and C-3 also look good but the price is a little harder for me to justify as far as them being incrementally that much better.

 

[larrylarry75]

Note: Nolan has just come out with the N104 which appears to be similar in design to the C-3 and Neotec at a much lower price.

Along with evaluating the C3 next to the Neotec last week I was also able to try on the N104. The first item I'd take issue with and it's a deal-breaker for me was the built-in sunshade. First off, in the lowered position the bottom edge of the shade is directly in front of your vision, very disconcerting. Second, the sunshade has two positions, all the way up or all the way down which means if you're like me and want to lower it just an inch or so to act as an abreviated sun block you can't do it.

It's also worth noting that the long slot that the shade lever follows is not sealed. To check it out we poured a little water onto it and waited. Within a couple of minutes there was a puddle of water on the table where it had followed the track down through the helmet. Not good unless you like soggy hair.

Beyond those issues the overall quality was fine, nice comfortable liner, etc., and quite good looking. So maybe riders will buy this model based on Nolan's fairly good name but I'll bet those who do won't be happy with the potential leak and limited performance of the sunshield. Reaching a price point almost always means cutting corners somewhere and in this case it seems fairly evident where some of those are.

Again, the above is my 2cts worth, your experience & satisfaction may vary.

LL75 :wink:

 

[Warren]

Along with evaluating the C3 next to the Neotec last week I was also able to try on the N104. The first item I'd take issue with and it's a deal-breaker for me was the built-in sunshade. First off, in the lowered position the bottom edge of the shade is directly in front of your vision, very disconcerting. Second, the sunshade has two positions, all the way up or all the way down which means if you're like me and want to lower it just an inch or so to act as an abreviated sun block you can't do it.

It's also worth noting that the long slot that the shade lever follows is not sealed. To check it out we poured a little water onto it and waited. Within a couple of minutes there was a puddle of water on the table where it had followed the track down through the helmet. Not good unless you like soggy hair.

Beyond those issues the overall quality was fine, nice comfortable liner, etc., and quite good looking. So maybe riders will buy this model based on Nolan's fairly good name but I'll bet those who do won't be happy with the potential leak and limited performance of the sunshield. Reaching a price point almost always means cutting corners somewhere and in this case it seems fairly evident where some of those are.

Again, the above is my 2cts worth, your experience & satisfaction may vary.

LL75 :wink:

Good information and thanks. The water leaking in particular seems like a major miss. I don't think the negitive things you point out regarding the N104 have anything to do with price. My N90 does not have any of these problems and it costs $200 less than the N104. I think these are just design issues which will however keep me from changing from the N90 if I was inclined to purchase a new helmet.

Note: the shade lever is on the bottom of the helmet not the top. Perhaps the helmet was an HJC as they have the lever on top.