anyone wear a KBC helmet?

I am looking hard at a kbc stealth helmet. I was wondering if any of you folks have worn this or a sylimar KBC lid?

Like it?

Hate it?

Let me know before I drop quite a bit of money (That I don't really have) on this new hat.

Yes, for an everyday budget helmet, I liked my KBC TK-7 so much I bought another one. Luckily the shop still had one left, as the TK-8 were coming out, so I got a discount. They were very highly rated back when the TK-7 came out.

At the time, I also tried AFX, and the Z1R brands. The Z1R didn't fit me properly, and the AFX had a wierd distortion in the visor. I also tried a few other lesser known brands I can't recall the name of.

(I actually bought the AFX because it was cheaper, but returned it. I checked all of the ones in the store and all of the AFX helmets had the problem. Even the store owner admitted he could see it too. It made stationary objects appear to move when you turned your head. It actually made me feel dizzy after 15 minutes.)

You have to try them on, though. All helmets have a different fit based on head shape. If it doesn't fit right, you end up getting one that's probably too big. If it presses too much in one place, try another brand to see if the shape fits you better.

EDIT: I should add, like Jeff said below, my TK-7 is loud if you ride with visor cracked open. I ride wide open or closed all the way.

I bought a KBC a few years ago. Overall a decent helment - although I think the lining has worn out far too quickly (it's getting replaced this year - probably with a Simpson helmet).

I don't like the wind noise around the visor. I always like to ride with the visor cracked open a little, and the whistling is very distracting - so it has to be open a little more than I like.

I just bought a HJC IS-MAX Modular. I took a 10mi 80mph blast today and was impressed. Room for glasses and headset. The inner shield is cool. I found it to be quiet and had good vision. I guess it's considered an economy model but I'll tell ya it's a lot more than I have ever spent on a helmet before. It's early but so far I'd say worth every penny.


www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/hjc/is-max/

I have loved the graphic on the stealth helmet since I saw it 3 years ago... Yes I know, and I tell myself every time I think about it... a graphic is THE WORST reason to pick a critical piece of safety equipment.

But as the price has fallen (from $300 2 years ago to around $160 now) I have become more and more tempted. My girl needs a helmet (she likes to use my current helmet, so if i get a new one then she can keep using it)


So yeah barring any poor reviews I think I may pull the trigger on this.


Please, talk me out of this if it is a poor helmet.

It is part of their VR2 line if that helps.

i bought a used miguel duhamel replica shoei for under two hundred..it came with a mirror sheild and the regular one and had never been worn it seemed..it had a crazy dragon pattern in black and gold ...but it has way grown on me,cuase it matches my bike but i bought it cause it was my size and a good deal,then found out it was great to boot...i bought an arai astral for 180 used /new condition for my girl same deal..500 helmet great shape.........when i was looking for the new price i googled..."is

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a good helmet?" and found a lotta blogs and write ups for each as well as some info on what kinda $$$ they are fetching new....hope this helps.......p.s the miguel duhamel rf900 is the best fitting non cheek crunching,queitest,coolest,one click to crack for venting the sheild a bit....helmet i have worn... and i've had some top brand good ones in the past too...the shoie rf-900 is tits up the best helmet to have imo...read some blogs about em.....hope the google tip helps....peace ...post a pic when you get it...

I currently ride with the KBC VR-1, and it is alright at best. The shield fogs up often, it leaks alot of air, the padding wore out quickly and it doesn't fit around my head the way it should...this is hard to describe...it "fits" but it's loose in some places and doesn't feel too good. My next helmet is a Suomy Spec-1r, they are a little on the pricey side but my head is worth it, once you have tried on a high end helmet, you will never want to go back. It's your head, do you really want to go cheap? Although, my first helmet I ever bought was an HJC CL-SP, the fit was very good, no fog, meant no fog lol the only complaint I had was that it leaked air around the visor straight into my eyes, but it saved my life when the bike landed on my chest/head after going down at about 65. I didn't even have a headache, although I had ALOT of other problems lol. I hope this helps in any way.

I also use a KBC TK-7 and it's a fine helmet, I bought it from a friend for $25, he wore it 3 times and it didn't fit him. It's my daily helmet.
Buy what fits you best in your price range. I bought a Z1R helmet after that Motorcyclist article came out with high praise for it. I only bought it because it fit great and the bonus was the $89 price. It's only DOT rated but it performed better than many SNELL rated helmets. However I don't wear it much anymore as I like the TK-7 more.

I have a Scorpion - and love it. It is light, comfortable, has good ventilation and does not fog up! It does whistle if you have the visor open, but I ride with it closed 99.9% of the time, so it is not an issue for me. It is both DOT and SNELL approved and for the price (around $150), is hard to beat! A friend bought one as a back-up to his Shoei and he prefers the Scorpion - at about 1/4 the price!