Speed and Strength SS2200 Solid Speed Helmet
4.5
5
4
4
Great bang for the buck.
I was drawn to this helmet as I was looking for something with maximum visibility and more protection than a 3/4. I ride vintage and modern-retro bikes and typically wear an open face style helmet, but I felt that I've already beat the odds and it's time for something safer. I didn't really care about the removable chin bar, I just liked the style and perceived visibility.
This helmet fits my need quite well. It also fits my head well. I've got a bit of a big noggin and ordered an xl. It fits my head shape perfectly and is just a bit tight when first wearing it, but not uncomfortably so. I love the visibility when wearing this helmet, it's better than any other full face I have tried. This helmet is also in my budget range. I also love the drop-down tinted shield. It is huge! much larger than other designs I have seen. This option allows full flexibility while riding and continues the trend of superior visibility.
On the negative side, I wish the ear wells were just a big bigger in diameter and depth. I bought a Sena SMH10 and had to remove the speakers from their plastic housings to make them fit in the ear wells. They still stick out just a bit and I wish they were fully flush or recessed in the wells. I can't bring myself to cut up the helmet to make these fit better so I'm going to live with it. On me, the helmet fits tight and I can feel a difference between speakers in and speakers out. It's not uncomfortable, but ideally you want to have a speaker install that is unnoticeable.
The helmet is noisier than I'd hoped, but I guess that's the nature of having all these moving parts and flexibility of design. I don't have the highest level of confidence in the chin-bar's ability to protect my face, but I'm hopeful that it's safer than an open face.
For my final minor gripe, there is no notch on the shield mechanism to keep it just cracked. When in town or moving slow I would like the option of keeping the shield just cracked, but the first detent on the mechanism leaves the shield much farther open.
This review may appear negative, but overall I love the helmet and intend to wear if for a long time. My intent was only to identify areas of improvement for the manufacturer and/or potential buyers to whom some of these factors may be more important. In the end, this helmet fits my needs well. It is comfortable, provides unsurpassed visibility, increased safety (for me), and I don't look like I'm off to the racetrack when wearing it. The last one is important for me. I like the subdued styling as it looks equally neutral on my vintage bikes as well as my modern machines.
May 20, 2013
I Love This Helmet
I'm 6'4 335 and have a 7 5/8 hat which meant on the charts that I should be wearing an XL however I went to the local motorcycle store and tried on some SS helmets and realized that I'd rather go bigger than small. So I got the helmet and after wearing it around the house for a few hours I broke it in. It was very very tight to begin with but I heard they are like that brand new. If they made a 3x, I would've exchanged it, but this helmet is snug, snug enough to keep but if I could go up I would've. This helmet has pretty good air flow that I know of however this is my first helmet so keep that in mind. The helmet is definitely LOUD, I mean you can hear every bit of wind unless you are driving 15 MPH or under but it's really loud.(with and without the chin bar attached) I went pretty fast to see if the loudness would go away and it didn't so that's the one and only thing I would change ! I bought the Smoke visor and I love it .. Overall, I will def. be buying more SS items.
May 15, 2013
fits well, great side vision, comfortable and light
Has good venting you can actually feel the air coming over your face. It is a little noisy on a really windy day, you can't even see the side of the helmet looking sideways.
April 23, 2013
Great design and ingenuity
Bought the helmet because of the versatility of going full to 3/4 by removing the chin guard. The design works well and is very intuitive. Drop down visor is awesome, especially when it means I dont have to drop another $30-$40 on a tinted shield. Helmet is a little snug and takes a little bit of breaking in to get used to the fit. Air flow is good, better then most, but no comparison to a GMax. One of the most versatile helmets I have ever owned. Would strongly recommend.
April 3, 2013
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SIZING CHARTS PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURER TO BE USED AS GUIDES
