Bell Star vs. RS-1

[ajskillz13]

Ah... yea, I like those but I couldn't pull the trigger! A little too patriotic if there is such a thing. Like how it's exclusive though.

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[CrazyCawi]

Ah... yea, I like those but I couldn't pull the trigger! A little too patriotic if there is such a thing. Like how it's exclusive though.

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I hear ya...for some reason I just cant do the flag theme. I know alot of people that ride cruisers do....just something about the sportbike...like id need my sportbike to have a military theme or something. Then I could rock it

 

[Captcha]

Nice deal. I tried on both and decided to go with the RS-1 over the star. One price for me wasn't a bi option but I felt that they were far to similar in comparison to justify the extra 2-300. Also the color ways I like better on the RS-1. And believe it or not the RS-1 is .1 oz lighter than the star.

My main deciding factor was the star was snigger than the RS-1 and in 10 minutes started to aggervate my head into a slight head ache. The RS-1 fits like my Moro 8 and I rarely noticed it was there. Literally almost walked out with it on.

Great choice either way though! And a steal of a deal.

 

[ajskillz13]

I get ya on the snug factor! Got it today (less than 24 hours from order! ) and have been putting it on and off all night.

Fit is snug in cheeks like my Vortex, but a little stiffer. I may consider thinner cheek pads after trying to break these in. Very much race fit. Padding in the crown is WAY better than the Vortex. Crown shell fit is also spot on. This is where I see a big improvement over the lower model. Only weird thing about the fit is that it rides higher in the back. The Vortex has a neck roll all the way around which caresses the back of your head. When I first tried the Star on, that was the first thing I noticed. Guessing this will help the helmet be cooler in the summer. I'll keep the Vortex for colder riding.

The last thing with the fit was the fact that there is more ear room in the Star. Hard to imagine with the space in the Vortex! After getting used to these few differences, I'm really into this helmet!

Pictures to come. Graphic is very busy, but super sharp!



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[ajskillz13]

Looks better with a smoke visor, but it's not sunny enough for my Transitions shield inside!

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[FZ6R_Blue]

I hear ya...for some reason I just cant do the flag theme. I know alot of people that ride cruisers do....just something about the sportbike...like id need my sportbike to have a military theme or something. Then I could rock it

I have been informed by several active and retired military that its very bad form for a Civilian to wear camo(military looking) gear. To each their own but i hold our service men and women very high and if they say no go then I listen.

 

[JSP]

Looks better with a smoke visor, but it's not sunny enough for my Transitions shield inside!

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Thats a kick ass helmet man!

 

[ajskillz13]

I have been informed by several active and retired military that its very bad form for a Civilian to wear camo(military looking) gear. To each their own but i hold our service men and women very high and if they say no go then I listen.

It's a flag helmet. He's not talking about camo. Just having red, white, blue theme etc... anywhooo, got the Star. Will post ride review when I get the weather!

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[BoneJj]

I don't think I have participated in this thread before but I have worn both and now use the RS-1 only.

The VORTEX (correction made!) is meant for slightly rounder heads, more of a oval shape to it than most though. It's near the medium/small long oval end or just slight more oval than the neutral shape. The RS-1 is for the more oval shaped heads, like mine. I had a lot of space on the sides of the star helmet and didn't like it at all. The RS-1 fits like a glove all around my head. just keep in mind that the RS-1 is a race fit helmet so for a more normal fit you will need to go up a size for it to fit you for normal riding. the race fit means it fits like a really really tight glove, lol.

I rather like the fit of mine, I just don't like the noise it has, I fixed that with a shemagh around my neck to fix the bad air that was getting under the bottom edge. It works much better now.

 

[buzzbomb]

I rather like the fit of mine, I just don't like the noise it has, I fixed that with a shemagh around my neck to fix the bad air that was getting under the bottom edge. It works much better now.

I don't mean to hijack. But a shemagh?

http://www.valkyrietactical.com/images/howtotie16nj.jpg

I've got a long, pencil neck and I think I look goofy with a helmet and the low collar of my jacket. So I wear collared shirts when I ride. But a shemagh? I considered a silk scarf, but thought that would look gay. But a shemagh? Yes the air noise under the helmet is bothersome. But a shemagh?

End of hijack. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

[BoneJj]

I don't mean to hijack. But a shemagh?

http://www.valkyrietactical.com/images/howtotie16nj.jpg

I've got a long, pencil neck and I think I look goofy with a helmet and the low collar of my jacket. So I wear collared shirts when I ride. But a shemagh? I considered a silk scarf, but thought that would look gay. But a shemagh? Yes the air noise under the helmet is bothersome. But a shemagh?

End of hijack. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

And I continue the hijack... lmao

Yes, I use a shemagh to go around my neck, like a scarf basically but wrapped 2 times and tied, works perfect. I am a vet so I am used to using such things to keep cool in really hot climates. I have done all kinds of nasty hot weather training and the shemagh is a great tool to keep cool, that sounds so damn corny. It serves a lot of purposes for me and I use my skull and crossed swords one around my neck when riding. I have like 10 of the things in my house. I used to not know where they were but then I found one of my bags that just never got unpacked from my time in the military and so I found a lot of stuff in there. I even found part of my field surgical kit....

Don't underestimate a good large piece of cloth... Especially when the sun can be as brutal as hell down in florida, lol.

 

[ajskillz13]

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[ajskillz13]

I don't think I have participated in this thread before but I have worn both and now use the RS-1 only.

The star is meant for slightly rounder heads, more of a oval shape to it than most though. It's near the medium/small long oval end or just slight more oval than the neutral shape. The RS-1 is for the more oval shaped heads, like mine. I had a lot of space on the sides of the star helmet and didn't like it at all. The RS-1 fits like a glove all around my head. just keep in mind that the RS-1 is a race fit helmet so for a more normal fit you will need to go up a size for it to fit you for normal riding. the race fit means it fits like a really really tight glove, lol.

I rather like the fit of mine, I just don't like the noise it has, I fixed that with a shemagh around my neck to fix the bad air that was getting under the bottom edge. It works much better now.

Dammit! I'm starting to see what you mean on fit now. The more I wear it around, the more I notice the loose space. It's so close, but not as snug as it should be. I don't want to have to send this back, but I'm leaning that way....

Where we're you feeling open space? Around the ears and the back of your head?

 

[BoneJj]

Dammit! I'm starting to see what you mean on fit now. The more I wear it around, the more I notice the loose space. It's so close, but not as snug as it should be. I don't want to have to send this back, but I'm leaning that way....

Where we're you feeling open space? Around the ears and the back of your head?

which helmet are you referring to?

You know I was looking at the revzilla site and I got my helmets mixed up....

I had the Vortex before my current RS-1, OOOPPPPPS

On the vortex I had too much space around the sides of my head. I had to return it because it was just uncomfortable like a SOB.

The RS-1 is a longer oval shape (front to back) and it fits me like a glove! Cost me a crap load more.

I almost went to the STAR but the price was just too much at the time. I'll have to edit my prior posts....

Vortex equals a slightly narrow to neutral shape IMO
RS-1 is more of a Medium Narrow-slightly narrow, I wouldn't quite say a full medium narrow, kind of in between a little. I could be wrong though, all I know is that I have to wear a XXL helmet because of my bulbous head! (that's what she said).

My apologize on the mix up....!

I had tried out the Shoei RF-1100 and that's a really nice helmet but I just couldn't settle on it. I was actually able to fit into a Large of the rf1100 and it was comfortable but I still felt that there was space on the sides. Granted the padding in the shoei is about Cadillac quality, I mean damn that stuff just squishes and feels really nice. It has a lot of give, I just wish they had a slightly more narrow version of that same helmet with better venting and I would probably have that one.... I will have to look at getting a shoei in the future as the rf1100 is just a sexy for comfort, if you have the right head shape.

 

[BoneJj]

also HJC can suck it..... I couldn't even fit in any of their helmets with my head.... at least not one store carried a large enough one.

not many manufactures build helmets to fit my fat head and literally no one carries any of these helmets locally.... It's that bad... I had to order online just to find the right fit. The guys and girls on the phone over at revzilla really helped me out big time.

 

[ajskillz13]

Hmmm... Yea, that confuses me even more! My Vortex has a more glove like fit than the Star when it comes to the sides and back. The Star's shell fits better with no hot spots, but there is less foam on the inside. Leaves more room for air flow. I might call Bell on Monday and see what they think. I wonder if a small with thinner cheek pads would do the trick?

 

[BoneJj]

Hmmm... Yea, that confuses me even more! My Vortex has a more glove like fit than the Star when it comes to the sides and back. The Star's shell fits better with no hot spots, but there is less foam on the inside. Leaves more room for air flow. I might call Bell on Monday and see what they think. I wonder if a small with thinner cheek pads would do the trick?

when trying out a helmet, take the cheek pads out for the first fit. Once you establish that the crown (top of your head) fits in good. Then you replace the cheek pads and figure out what size pads you need.

 

[ajskillz13]

when trying out a helmet, take the cheek pads out for the first fit. Once you establish that the crown (top of your head) fits in good. Then you replace the cheek pads and figure out what size pads you need.

Crown is perfect... issue is with the lack of padding due to the air flow channels down the back and sides of the helmet. It's just something I'll get used to. After thinking about it, I think it's all good.

Thanks for the help!

I did test ride the helmet today. (Didn't divulge that because I was thinking about returning it) It lives up to the hype. It moves a TON of air! 65 degrees was a bit on the cool side. I LOVE the lock/crack toggle for the shield. That feature alone was a selling point. It also has a two position chin vent that has one position that only directs air to the screen for fog busting and the other that opens up a second directly to your chin.

The helmet is definitely light, but you really notice quality when you head check up in highway blast. I seriously felt no buffeting on this helmet. 65 mph lifting up my head and turning both ways, it merely cut through the air like I wasn't moving! The aerodynamics are incredible!

I did notice a good bit of air coming up into the helmet around my ears. This was a majority of any noise I heard. If I put my shoulders up as a barrier, the wind noise was 80% less. I found that I could hear things much clearer than in my Vortex. However, if I don't wear a neck warmer or balaclava to fill in gaps around the neck, I'll probably opt for some ear plugs on longer rides.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the Star. I think that if I was only looking for a race helmet, I'd probably get an Arai based on interior glove-like feel. However, the Arai shields and how they lock annoy me and there is no photochromic option. If I was only going to lock down the screen on the track, this is no big deal, but for the street, I'll go with Bell all day!

 

[Nastybutler]

I've got the Star Carbon and while I love it, there are two issues that bug me about it. One, is the wind noise up behind the ears like you mentioned, AJ. The other is the narrow eye opening. When I go to look behind me, I see the edges of the helmet. WTF? They couldn't have made the opening a half inch wider on each side?

For anyone interested in a RS-1, someone on the Triumph675 forum is selling a brand new one that was a warrenty replacement: Bell RS-1 Gearhead - New with tags Medium

 

[ajskillz13]

I've got the Star Carbon and while I love it, there are two issues that bug me about it. One, is the wind noise up behind the ears like you mentioned, AJ. The other is the narrow eye opening. When I go to look behind me, I see the edges of the helmet. WTF? They couldn't have made the opening a half inch wider on each side?

For anyone interested in a RS-1, someone on the Triumph675 forum is selling a brand new one that was a warrenty replacement: Bell RS-1 Gearhead - New with tags Medium

Hmmm... didn't notice the vision issue, but my only other helmet was a Bell.

I tried thicker cheek pads to fill the air gap. Worked great! A little snug up front but better behind the ears.

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