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helmet "tester" finally breaks down and buys a Schuberth C3 Pro, lol

8K views 56 replies 22 participants last post by  WildDoktor 
#1 · (Edited)
I had to tell someone. Ever since I got this bike in the fall of 2013, I think I've purchased (and mostly sold) about 11 helmets. Just recently there was a great sale on the Bell Stars so I couldn't help myself. I got a Bell Star Carbon Joey Dunlop replica from here. However, after some reading and thinking I decided to end this helmet whoring and get what is pretty much what I always wanted. The quietest helmet made, the Schuberth C3 Pro Classic (Red).

Motorcycle helmet Helmet White Personal protective equipment Clothing


I'm one of the pickiest guys I know about wind noise. My last new helmet (Scorpion seen here) is a great helmet but I couldn't help buying that Bell anyway.

Motorcycle helmet Helmet Personal protective equipment Clothing Motorcycle accessories


I figured the best way to end the constant helmet whoring is to get the best money can buy and pay a crap-ton for it. LOL.

Is anyone using the C3 Pro? Can't wait to get this bad boy!

PS: This Scorpion helmet matches red BlackBirds perfectly and I'll probably be selling it sometime soon in case anyone is interested.
 
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#36 ·
Wow any color you want as long as it's black.
 
#38 ·
Well I used my C3 Pro in anger for the first time on my http://www.cbrxx.com/events-rides-ride-reports/29073-bimble-france.html and all I can say is what a lid! (well actually I can say more)

Having used Arai's for many years I was used to a more 'plush' interior, the C3 Pro seemed a little 'tutonic' ..... but no the interior is comfy day long even on very hot days. Open the top vent and I have never felt such a cooling draft ..... so much so that my hair showed 2 distinct 'grooves' when I removed the helmet .... a whole new style of 'helmet hair' that I have not experienced before.

The sun visor is very good since it covers a large proportion of the face hole. Really like the ratchet steps to keep the visor slightly open when necessary. Visor removal/replacement is so easy with no worries that something will break as you always had with the traditional Arai visor system.

But being a good road tester I also rode for a full day in torrential rain with added hail for good measure. No leaks around the visor or through the vents (very unusual in my experience) and as always the pinlok kept misting at bay.

Quiet certainly, stable at legal (and possibly above) speeds even when my head was above the screen with the chin bar almost touching the tank bag - normally this is head wobble territory.

..... but perhaps the best thing was when I got back to Plymouth yesterday. For the last couple of years border controls have insisted that helmets are removed when you show your passport. This can be bl..dy difficult and time consuming on a fully loaded bike and I have seen a couple of bikers drop their expensive lids. Chin bar up, smile nicely and through you go*, no need to even remove a glove.

Money very well spent, an excellent helmet.

*Before anybody says it no I'm not so ugly that even a glimpse of my face is enough to satisfy passport control :smilebig: ..... no oil painting but .......
 
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#42 ·
Ear cups?
 
#44 ·
Well update us when you get these things. I am quite curious.
 
#48 · (Edited)
Thanks everybody; this is great info! Decisions, decisions...

Update: I "temporarily" bought a Bell Race Star and photocromic shield at my local Cycle Gear yesterday evening before I read this. :) They'll have to order it, won't be there until Monday. But I'll be gone all next week, so won't have my hands on it until that next Saturday.

I say "temporary" because the plan is that I'll fit it in-store when it arrives, and will shove some demo Sena speakers in there to see if there's any way to mount them. If I hate it or the speakers really can't be mounted in there, then I'll get a refund and spend it on an X-14 with the photocromic shield, and try that on when it arrives.

That was the plan. But the store called me a couple hours ago, and the guy is now ordering in an X-14 because they've not had one in the store yet and they're all dying of curiosity! So they're ordering the one I want, in my size, so I can compare apples to apples. That one should be there tomorrow.

If neither of these work for me, then the C3 Pro may be what I buy. I only hesitate on that one because it's not been updated in years, and the styling isn't really to my liking. Purely personal, of course.

About the photocromic shields: I wear glasses with transitions lenses. The lack of UV protection will allow my glasses to get dark, so I'd have double-dark-coverage. But if they give me a sunburn and a super-hot interior, then as you say, that's a bust. I think Cycle Gear would exchange them if I hated them, but I'll ask about it.

Again, thanks for the info and all the research! I'm glad I wasn't the one going thru 11 helmets! :D
 
#49 ·
Update:

I'm back from my biz trip and now have both the X-14 and the Race Star in my living room! I have spent about an hour with them: tried both on, one after the other, wore them around my house for a while, then put the other one on, etc.

Thoughts:
Both are, truly, premium quality. But without question I liked the Bell better before I even put it on. The Bell fits my head a tiny bit better than the X-14 does. The eye portal on the Bell is barely - and yet *noticeably* - larger / better than the X-14. The looks of the Bell win hands-down, no contest at all (my opinion). I didn't weigh them officially, but it feels very definitely like the Bell is lighter than the Shoie.

Unfortunately, there's a huge issue with the Bell: my glasses don't fit in it due to the hard liner being in the wrong spot. *sigh* Also, there are no ear pockets for speakers in the Bell, and the photocromic face shield for the Bell is on backorder until Feb.

Conclusion:
I *really* wanted to keep the Bell. I like it so much better than the Shoie. Unfortunately, the glasses thing is a deal breaker for me, so I'll be keeping the Shoie. Don't get me wrong; it's a great helmet, with a ton of bells and whistles. But next to the Bell, the Shoie is for Goldwing riders, and the Bell is for Blackbird riders. Who don't wear glasses. :-(

So there's that! Once I get my bike back together, I'll report back with a ride report. (Don't expect that anytime soon...)
 
#51 ·
Yeah; Marc wears an X-14 so it should be good for me, but...it just seems a bit "old-man"-ish for some reason when compared to the Bell. Not much "soul". I'm actually torn about keeping even the X-14; I not convinced yet that I want to spend $900 on a helmet that I'm not "jumping up and down excited" about.

Granted, I had a couple Skully helmets on order until they went belly-up, so my expectations are maybe a bit higher than normal. :)

Sure wish Schuberth would hurry up and come out with a C4 Pro, or Sena would hurry up with their new helmet!
 
#52 ·
Not interested in my barely worn significantly price-reduced helmet? C4 Pro smo.... The C3 Pro is an industry leader man! LOL

And yes, I follow Sena on Facebook and EVERY SINGLE TIME they post I race to see if it's about their helmet. I'm really not in a rush since I have an Arai RX-Q (not exactly a crappy helmet) and two other helmets sitting around. :)
 
#53 ·
What size c4?
 
#55 ·
I thought you said it was the quietest helmet you had tried and loved it. What happened?
 
#57 ·
Shoie came out with new colors for the X14 last week, and one matches my riding gear, so on the 20th I went to exchange my current x14 for a new color. But Cycle Gear couldn't order the new one until the 22nd, so I used my old helmet and waited. In those 2 days I read/watched reviews on the HJC RPHA 11 Pro. It's $400 less than the x14, there's a "transitions" pinlock insert for it, and the Skyrym version comes in the colors I want. :) So I bought it and it arrived last night. (If I hate it, I'll exchange it for the X14.)

Revzilla said to absolutely order one size up because HJC messed up their sized, so I did that and I think it was a mistake; initial fit seems a bit big. :-( Tight in the cheeks, not tight in the temple/forehead area. But my glasses go in no problem, and the helmet is LIGHT!

We'll see how it does in the next couple days.
 
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