Bell Apex

I got my new Bell Apex Ripper helmet today. I paid just $50 plus shipping from LeatherUP.com. The only size they had at this price was XXL. These are available on eBay for $90 - $200 depending on the size and if they are the current year model. Here's the Apex review from webBikeWorld.

In trying on the Bell and several others at local moto shops all of the helmets seemed VERY tight when I was trying on anything close to my hat size. I know helmets are supposed to be snug but my face felt like it was in a vice.

There are different head shapes and different helmets for each. My head is round and the Shoei RF1000 and the Bell Apex both fit well but only in the XXL size. There are only two actual helmet sizes made by Bell in this model so if I ever want to downsize I can install the XL padding kit, available from the theBellStore.com for $30. For now, I'm VERY happy to find a good deal on a great helmet that fits very well. Even at the XXL size, the Apex is a much tighter fit than my LARGE sized Bell ProStar. After many miles, it really was time for a new helmet.

Now I'm looking at different colored visors and the Fog City Shield Hyper Optik inserts. This is a visor insert that attaches to your current visor. It is supposed to eleminate fogging and it gets darker in sunlight. I have some goggles that do this for off-road riding and I love them because you don't need sunglasses or have to spend time changing the lens. I don't know that I want to spend $40 on an insert right now but I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff.

UPDATE: After riding with the Apex for about 75 miles today I have several observations.

• It's light. It must be the kelvar construction but I can tell it's lighter on my head than my BellStar.
• It's tight. Going from a Large to XXL, you'd think I'd have all kinds of room but this is a snug fit on my round head. I'm sure the padding will conform to my head after some time but the XXL is a good/right size fit for me. I can't imagine what someone with a REALLY large head would do. I wear a 7 1/2 hat size.
• It's balanced, by that I mean that at speed, the helmet does not push or pull my head around.
• It's quiet, no whistles or throbing noises. I'll still wear earplugs for longer trips but the improvement over my older helmet is remarkable. Part of it must be the larger padding around the neck and ears. Not as much room for air to get in there...
• The vents are great! There is a chin vent and a top vent. There are ridges in the top of the helmet to allow for air flow. The air comes in the chin, up the face, over the top and out the back. The vents are easy to close even with gloved hands.
• The chin strap is difficult to work. For how many years have they been using simple D-ring straps? Here Bell had to make it fancy with a special snap for the end of the strap. It's hard to snap and the snap makes it harder to get the strap through the D-ring.