New member with a new bike and helmet... but...

[gremlin]

Hello all!

I'm here thanks to Don Eilenberger showing me the light! I picked up my new crystal grey r1200r last week and just had it 600-mile-serviced today! I'm super happy with it and can't believe how $hit-of-a-shovel fast it is!

My question is this... I purchased a new System 5 flip-top lid from the same dealer during the week after reading a quite positive review on Motorcyclenews.com. My old helmet was/is an AVG Longway, which is also a flip-top, it was getting on a little, but was comfy and whenever it rained I could swipe my finger across the visor and the water pooled and ran away with the wind.

My new BMW System 5 on the other hand had a number of issues:

1. Every time i put down the visor I could smell... well... faeces to put it bluntly! I put it down to a strange kind of 'new car scent' but after 3 days hoped it would have faded, but it is still there each time I pop it down and it knocks me sick!

2. I find the lack of padding on the forehead to be very uncomfortable - the pressure stops me from being able to raise my eyebrows (usually at poor car driving!) and the other morning when I yawned the pad actually pushed my eyebows down into my eyes forcing them closed! I think it may aslo be causing me a headache behind my right eye!

3. I was reassured by the person in the Parts department of my local BMW what I had already been told: the BMW system 5 helmet is the quietest flip-top lid available. On my journey home I found the wind noise to be noticeably louder than my AVG, but also accompanied by a loud banging noise and some whistling - Even with foam ear plugs in, I have ringing in my ears after about 1 hour of 70 mph riding. As another test of my fears, I rode with my iPod on, which I sometimes do when I go for a long ride - with my AVG I can make out the vocals but some of the beat is lost. With the System5 I could barely make anything out!

4. This last problem was discovered tonight after a short shower on my way home. My AVGs visor is a little scratched and showing signs of wear, but when it rains I can swipe my gloved finger accross the visor and the rain-mist will pool and fall away with the wind. The system 5 visor does not react the same way; when I swiped my finger accross the water mottled and became a kind of greasy smear which drastically reduced my vision.

This final issue was, for me, the last straw - I cannot afford to ride with a helmet which distracts me from the road. I would put up with points 1 and 2, and maybe even 3 (with ear plugs and shorter rides) but 4 is a no-no!

So... my question to the community is in 3 parts:

a) Has anyone else ever used a System 5 and had any of these problems?

b) Do you think I will have any problems returning my helmet after 3 days of use?

c) If I get the refund I'd like, has anyone ever owned a Schuberth C2? This was another helmet I'd had my eye on, but it is almost double the price of the BMW one...

Oh... did I mention my local dealer had a sale on? I got the helmet for £190 rather than £280!

Anyway, thanks for readin' and thanks in anticipation of any replies!

Lee!

[Canyon Runner]

Welcome aboard, Lee!

A great group of people here...

I, unfortunately, have no help for you specifically on the BMW helmet. I will say that I completely agree that it is unacceptable to have a helmet that distracts from the ability to ride. Self defeating, in the worst way.

I have seen signs in my local dealership that say helmets won't be taken back on return... don't know if you will run into that.

Also not familiar with the C2... I ride with a Shoei X11 full face that I like quite a bit (good ventilation with is essential out here in the desert).

Anyway, Good luck! And enjoy!

[gremlin]

Thanks for the reply Lifer, Im holding off new helmets now - I'm going to carry on with my AVG! The good news...

Went to Cooper BMW in Sunderland today and returned my helmet - the could only offer me a credit note for the full amount on account of it being used, but thats fine, i just put the extra 200 quid in and ordered the panniers (i had the pannier brackets fitted when i purchased the bike)

Pick them up Thursday - have to take my key in on Wednesday, but am going to ring and ask if i can get it done while i wait, as its a 60 mile round trip!

[DJ Downunder]

I've had my new BMW system 5 for a couple of years now..and love it..I've never noticed any smells..or had any visor problems..and it is the quietest flip that I've used..even quieter than my non flip sport integral helmet..and people rave about how quiet they are.

I would give it five out of five for comfort,quality and quietness...It's the best helmet that I have ever had...Maybe I have a system 5 head shape.. ..I've heard others say they feel pressure in the forehead area but I don't.

I think all helmets are slightly different in shape and you need to find one that fits your own head shape....also...I have found that helmet quietness can change depending in the angle of your head..Lean forward or back and the wind noise can change..Maybe your head position is in a noisy position.

Good luck with it...and welcome aboard.

DJ

[jm1515]

DJ...next time tuck in your tongue before you take the shot, will ya.......

[Biff's R]

200 pounds is like $400. That is one hell of a deal. I bet someone in the US could get one of those, and also save on the VAT. I have always heard great things about the BMW helmets, and have a system 2 in the Basement. BMW have not sold helmets in the US for 6-10 years. Too many lawyers.

Sorry to hear that the helmet is not fitting right. I have been using a Nolan N102 for a couple of years, and I really like it. It is definitely a step above the old N100.

[snowprick]

I have a C2. It is extremely comfortable and quiet. I also love the drop down sun visor. HOWEVER, I live in a hot climate and the helmet is hot and heavy. The padding can not be removed for cleaning and installing my Autocom was a bitch.

Other than that its a great helmet but expensive.

[brem]

I've got an Arai Profile. It's noisier than my old Shoei RF800 but the fit is amazing. Arai in particular seems to have the greatest ability to match your head shape to a helmet model and then really make it fit with pad thickness. It was staggeringly expensive. It does have the best combination of vents that I've ever seen on a helmet and really high-quality visors. The BMW-brand gear sure seems to get some mixed reviews; I'm kind of inherently leery of it just because of the mark-up factor but I don't suppose there's any reason to think their stuff is more marked up than any of the other high-end helmet makers. It's unfortunate to hear that it's fitting you so badly- any chance you can see if they have different-thickness pads so you can at least stop the headaches/forward-slide problems?

[digga]

@ Lee aka Gremlin

Give the Shoei multitech a try.. i like it, fairly quiet with the skirt, flip front for the fuel stops Autocom easy to fit into..

[gremlin]

Wow! Thanks lads! Didn't quite expect this kind of response!

DJ: That helmet looks good on you! Seeing it only from the inside its easy to forget what a good looking 'skid-lid' it is! I did try moving my head around at speed and the noise level went from deafening to annoying! Sadly, my horribly disfigured British head means I'll have to look elsewhere!

Biff: Yeah, its around $400, but Coopers had a sale on all their rider gear last week - they usually retail for around £290 *quick mental calculation* which is around the $600 mark. I did look at the Nolan range - the integrated sun-visor and their really good looks appealed, but their quite negative reviews on MCN's website quickly put them out of the race :-( I may have to have another look!

Snowprick: (interesting screen-name! Whats wrong with just making snow men?) Who make the C2?

Brem and Digga: I just caught the tail end of Coopers sale and they only had two black System 5's in - Can't actually remember the sizes, but the one I got was bigger than my AVG and seemed to fit just right; the discomfort caused by the lack of padding at the front didn't present itself until a few rides in. I'm clearly going to have to widen my search to include Arai and Shoei - to be honest I discounted them both early on because I wasnt aware they did flip-top-skid-lids!

With my helmet money going towards the pannier cases I'm now going to stick with my trusty (and crusty) AVG until I have saved up some money - and this means I can investigate all your ideas a little further and annoy my local(ish) Hein Gericke store trying out all the helmets until I find the right one, or get turfed out for being a pest!

Thanks again for all your help!

Lee!

[snowprick]

The C2 is made by Schuberth. It would be a great helmet for the UK winters but it was expensive and you cant clean the linings also fitting the Autocom speakers is an SOB. Its one quiet helmet.

[johnnyjs1]

Sadly, my horribly disfigured British head means I'll have to look elsewhere!

You look anything like this?

[gremlin]

Sadly, my horribly disfigured British head means I'll have to look elsewhere!

You look anything like this?

Not at all! I wear my parting to the left!

[TonyT607]

Lee, I've had my System V for almost a couple of years now with no major problems. I must say I don't have the odor problem that you do (are you sure yours is new and not a return?). Mine is quiet at speed (quieter than my Schuberth Concept and MUCH quieter than my full face no-flip Arai Quantum f). Not perfect but very quiet relative to those. With my Etymotic ER-6i's it is as quiet as a tomb. I can listen to talk radio on the highway at very low volume.

Regarding the pressure on your forehead, this is of course subjective as everyone's head is a little different. When I first tried the System V I also felt a bit of discomfort on my forehead but after a few hours' riding time I didn't notice it at all.

I have both the clear and dark shield and have not had any problem in the rain; a swipe of the finger usually does the trick.

The only small issue I have is with the dark visor: when the sun hits it at a certain angle, the view gets a bit 'cloudy', not quite like it's fogged up, but enough to make you notice a difference. It hasn't been a distraction or safety problem and when the sun isn't at that particular angle the view is nice and clear.

Regarding the odor, have you tried on another helmet at the dealer to see if it also has that new turd smell ?

Oh, and welcome aboard !

[gremlin]

Lee, I've had my System V for almost a couple of years now with no major problems. I must say I don't have the odor problem that you do (are you sure yours is new and not a return?). Mine is quiet at speed (quieter than my Schuberth Concept and MUCH quieter than my full face no-flip Arai Quantum f). Not perfect but very quiet relative to those. With my Etymotic ER-6i's it is as quiet as a tomb. I can listen to talk radio on the highway at very low volume.

Regarding the pressure on your forehead, this is of course subjective as everyone's head is a little different. When I first tried the System V I also felt a bit of discomfort on my forehead but after a few hours' riding time I didn't notice it at all.

I have both the clear and dark shield and have not had any problem in the rain; a swipe of the finger usually does the trick.

The only small issue I have is with the dark visor: when the sun hits it at a certain angle, the view gets a bit 'cloudy', not quite like it's fogged up, but enough to make you notice a difference. It hasn't been a distraction or safety problem and when the sun isn't at that particular angle the view is nice and clear.

Regarding the odor, have you tried on another helmet at the dealer to see if it also has that new turd smell ?

Oh, and welcome aboard !

Hi tony!

I must admit, I am starting to get a little suspicious of my local BMW dealer! Don't get me wrong, their bike team are GREAT, but both the helmet and my new panniers have both been through their parts department, and I do get the feeling they don't give as much attention to bikes than they do to cars.

Just today I rode the (boring) 60 mile round trip up to Coopers to pick up my new £400 panniers. They actually wanted me to ride up yesterday to drop off the key then go up again today to pick them up!!! But I called and asked if it would be ok for me to just sit around and wait until they get a moment to do it to save me the additional 60 (boring) miles - which they agreed to.

When I got there I handed in my keys and took a seat, after about 30 mins or so the parts chap came to see me to tell me that the lock barrel they were sent does not allow them to re-key them to fit my key - he said that the chrome cover plate does not give them access to the pin! He said if I wanted to have the same key as fits the ignition he would have to order it from BMW - a 10 day delivery!

... and the worst part... i asked him if he would need my key (the thing he said i had to ride 60 (boring) miles to bring him) and he said no - he would just give them my VIN!!!

Anyway, the thought of my helmet being a 'returned' one never even entered my head, but now you mention it... with service that cr@p, how could the helmet smell of anything else!

I think a visit to another BMW dealer may be worth while!

Lee!