Review: BILT Solar Modular helmet

[green427]

I tried this helmet on at Cycle Gear, and it seemed to fit my big head. I normally wear size XL, but on this helmet, XXL fit better. They only had black in stock, so I ordered the silver online.

"BILT" is CG's exclusive brand now. They've gotten rid of their "Motoboss" line of products and now they are called "BILT". This helmet looks identical to Street & Steel's helmets, so I assume one manufacturer makes this helmet for several retailers.

This helmet's regular everyday price is $199, and CG had a sale going on for $99. For that price, I decided it was worth a try.


Here are my observations:


Simple design. Has one big vent on top that is easily opened by pushing down. Has two large openings in the rear, and openings in the chin area. The DOT sticker looks 'fake' compared to other helmets.

I would rate the design as an 8 out of 10.

Fit and finish is okay, not as good as my old HJC. I would rate it at 6 out of 10.









The interior has a drop down sunvisor that is actuated by a red lever on the bottom. Neat idea, however, the visor is very thin, so you gotta be careful not to force it.






Here is where the cost-cutting really takes place. My old HJC helmet has generous padding inside, whereas this one has minimal padding. It was not noticeable during my 1.5 hour ride today, though. Also, there is one upside to having minimal padding: more air flow. I noticed that air flow over my balding noggin was generous. My HJC is very warm and I sweat bullets. Will see how well this one performs when it is 90+ outside.









For those of us that are concerned about the modular chin's construction, here are closeup shots of the linkage:








This is quite a bit better than some low-end modular helmets, as there are metal parts here. The lid closes easily and opens easily with one button that is easily found with thick gloves on.

During my 1.5 hour ride, I have noticed that it takes some getting used to having two shields in front of you. For those of you who never had this feature, the gaps between the inner & outer shields can be a distraction; it goes away once you are used to it. Since the inner shield is thin, riding with the outer shield up allows wind turbulence to shake it around a bit. Leaving the outer shield cracked open seems to work best. I wear glasses, so now I have 3 layers of plastic in front of me.

And, if you have a big nose, your nose will touch the inner shield while your head is turned far left or right. Can be annoying for those of us with sensitive noses.

Other than that, this helmet seems to be fine. I would not pay $199 for it, but $99 is a fair price. If this helmet does not sell for less than $199, I suggest you look at others like HJC before buying it. It was a huge convenience to leave the helmet on and flip the lid up and walk into the local convenience store to get a drink.

[texhawk]

I'm thinking I need a new helmet since mine has hit the ground a few times. Only once with my head in it. I saw this helmet in the Cycle Gear flyer. Since you've now had it for a couple of months, do you still give it a positive rating?

[happycommuter]

Whatever modular helmet Cycle Gear was selling last year (Eleven something?) had major latching issues when I tried it on.  Glad to see they fixed that up.

Is the internal sun visor height adjustable, or does it only click in full open and full closed?  That's how my Scorpion is - it can be made to float at varying heights, but it bobbles around a bit.  Also, have you figured out how to remove that visor?  They don't seem to be the most secure things, so knowing how to pop everything back together is worth knowing.

The little slide on the chin vent doesn't look glove friendly, but that's a minor niggle.  Very impressive at the purchase price, probably fair at MSRP  IMHO.

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=5010&L2=40&L3=960&L4=961&item=BLT_BLH6-BZ-SML_G&name=BILT_Solar_Modular_Motorcycle_Helmet#ReviewHeader

[green427]

I haven't been riding much lately since I got back into bicycling, but when I use that helmet, I find that I still prefer wearing my old HJC for the following reasons:

- Helmet is still tight at the bottoms, and my ears fold in half every time I put it on.

- D-rings are too close to the helmet, I find that I am struggling to find them and get the strap through them.

Once the helmet is on, it is fine. Taking it on & off several times a day (during commutes) is a pain. It would be great for long distance traveling.


The vent lever in front is confusing. I think it works by putting it in the center to get flow, but moving it to either side cuts flow off. My windshield is too big to effectively test air flow, will be taking the windshield off this summer, and should be able to figure out the vent lever.

Having the drop-down internal visor is handy, but only if you have a small nose. The paper-thin visor can irritate the tip of your nose. If you push the visor lever very slowly, you can adjust the height of the visor. I haven't figured out how it works internally, there appears to be a mechanism hidden inside the walls of the helmet.

[green427]

Update:

Would I buy this helmet again? No.

Right now I want to throw it in the trash. While it has not broken yet, there are a ton of very annoying issues with it, enough to make riding miserable.

First, the sides are wider and lower than my old HJC. When I wear my stiff leather jacket, the chin bar always hits my shoulders, causing my glasses to shift and hurt my nose bridge, as well as screwing up my vision. I can't make effective U-turns wearing this thing.

Second, the cheek pad seams are right where my glasses frames are, so my frames get caught in the seams and move my glasses all over the place. Very unpleasant.

Third, the D-ring strap is much shorter than my HJC. I am always looking for the second D-ring, it is always caught up inside the helmet. Takes longer to fish the strap through the D-rings.

I can only wear this helmet when I wear my old glasses that are narrower than my current ones, and when I wear a summer jacket with shoulders that don't push up easily.

Since my old HJC's visor is blurred, and the insides smell like old sneakers, I think I am going to order another HJC.

[Bostonshouse]

I have the Bilt full face helmet ( not modular) also in XXL. I too noticed that they seem to run a bit small. I do not wear glasses so I do not have some of the issues that you have. I know what you mean about the D rings, but otherwise I love my helmet. If you replace yours and want to sell it, let me know. I would be interested in a spare