Bell RS-1 Cataclysm Helmet - A Noob's Review = WOW!

All I can say is WOW! Like the title says, I'm a noob entering my second season so much of what I have to say might sound obvious. But since I don't see any reviews of this awesome helmet around here I decided to post my thoughts. Keep in mind my old helmet is a budget lid so almost anything would be an improvement.

My old lid is a HJC CL-16 with the "Carnage" graphic (size XXL). I bought it for the MSF course and have been using it since. By the end of last season I realized I should have gone with a size XL or maybe even Large so I started looking at other helmets. My target price was about $300 before tax but I was willing to pay more if I found something special. And special I found! After reading/watching countless reviews I tentatively settled on the Bell RS-1 w/ blue "Cataclysm" graphic. I had the opportunity to try it on at GP Bikes' booth at the show last weekend and was sold. It was on sale for $351 so I purchased it and picked it up from Whitby today.

What a night-and-day difference! I expected it to be somewhat better than the CL-16 but figured a helmet is basically a helmet and almost started to regret my purchase... until today. The RS-1 is miles ahead of the CL-16 in every measurable aspect that I can think of!

- Airflow: Incredible! I get hot VERY easily. Based on my experience with the CL-16, I just assumed that all air vents were gimmicky formalities that no one expects to actually work. Was I ever wrong! The RS-1 moves plenty of air at both low and high speeds. The difference was obvious and immediate from the moment I kicked it into first. Love it!

- Stability: I no longer get whiplash looking over my shoulder, yay! I'm sure the proper sizing this time round helps a lot here but the RS-1's aerodynamics are clearly superior to the CL-16. The spoiler on the rear looks slick.

- Noise: Again, beats the CL-16 hands, feet and c0ck down! Noise was a big motivator in my desire to get a new helmet. I'm sure it's not the quietest helmet on the market but I think I'll actually be able to hear my music now. I felt almost like I'd stepped into my car. There is a bit of whistling at speed with all vents open but perfectly manageable. Buffeting wasn't bad either.

- Fog: The anti-fog treatment on the stock visor seems to work but weather conditions weren't really conducive to fogging during the ride home. I had also cooled off from the hot rush-hour ride over by then. Still, I noticed a slight bit of hazing occasionally when I exhaled but I didn't find it distracting.

- Comfort: Having gone a size down this helmet obviously fits a lot more snugly than my last. The microfibre-like lining feels luxurious against the skin and seems like it'll stay drier on those steambath, icky days. However, by the time I got home I became aware of a couple of pressure points on the right side of my face toward the back of my jaw. The cheekpads are also a bit of a tight squeeze, enough to push my cheek flesh between my teeth (just my chubby face I guess). I'm sure this will lessen as the helmet breaks in but time will tell. I have a fairly round head but overall the fit seems fine.

- Quality: Excellent. Especially when comparing the two helmets side-by-side. CL-16 : RS-1 :: Honda Civic : Audi R8

- Features: I love the magnetic strap retainer! The plastic snap button on the CL-16 was always a bit of a pain to snap in with gloves on. The magnetic portion of the D-ring also makes it larger and, thus, easier to handle with gloves on. The included chin curtain and breath guard are appreciated (had to buy separately for the CL-16). The locking/venting lever is a handy feature and was a definite selling point as the "crack" detent on my CL-16 stopped working after a couple of weeks with all 3 of my visors and the replacement mounting plates :mad:. Bell's trigger-style shield release system looks and works very similarly to HJC's system and is super easy to swap out lenses. I do find the visor movement much smoother on the HJC but the hard, positive detents on the Bell give me greater confidence that the mechanism will continue to work properly over time.

- Aesthetics: I wasn't crazy about most of the graphics for the RS-1 but I do like the cataclysm and think it's the best looking--even if it is a little typical. While my bike is silver-black, I bought the lid in blue because it makes the design stand out more. The silver version is basically the same without the blue fill in the racing "spikes" which makes it look a tad unfinished.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with my purchase! I also considered the Shoei RF1100 and the Bell Star among others. The price difference made it very hard to justify either of those helmets over the RS-1. Further, the RS-1 reviewed online very well with many opinions stating it is just as good or better than the aforementioned skull buckets. If you're in the market for a helmet in the $300+ range definitely give this one a try!

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