Bell Custom 500
First up is the Bell Custom 500 and when I picture a ¾ helmet, I’m thinking of this. It’s the icon of the open face category and probably one of the most recognizable helmets in the world.
That’s because it has a pedigree like no other. In 1954, the founder of Bell helmets – a guy named Roy Richter – formed the company’s very first helmet out of fibreglass. And he called it the 500.
A lot has changed since the beginning of the Cold War, but the 500 hasn’t changed much. It’s still a fibreglass bucket. No ventilation whatsoever and the liner is neither removable nor easily washable.
What Bell has updated is the fit. 500s of the past were typically quite round, while this new version is more of an intermediate head shape. And in that vein, the 500 was made a lot slimmer and lighter for its 60th birthday. This helmet is a featherweight 1100 grams and easily the lowest-profile open face of all my top picks.
For myself, I would choose this helmet over any other open face and there are a few reasons for that. It’s DOT and ECE approved, which means it’s very safe for the ¾ of my head that is actually covered. And I also get five different shell and EPS constructions, which is huge. Normally companies use three, which means that my medium helmet is chunkier than it has to be because it shares a shell with the large. With the Bell 500, however, every size except extra small gets its own tailormade shell.
I love how the exterior is a blank canvas for the million colourways and graphics that Bell makes the 500 in. I can also peel this sticker off for a cleaner look. And these five snaps make it compatible with a huge number of shields and visors from Bell or Biltwell. Even on the interior, you get style with this quilted pattern (CU).
At 150-170 bucks, Bell has done very well to make this helmet as good as it is. But why wouldn’t they? The Custom 500 is their inception. It’s their heritage – of course they’re going to make it a very special lid.
Shoei RJ Platinum-R
Now – if I want that classic look with a bit more practicality, I’ll look at something like the Shoei RJ Platinum-R.
Compared to the Custom 500, we have two big improvements. One – the interior liner is removable and washable, which should be a given nowadays but somehow the 500 got away without one. The other big improvement is ventilation – two active intakes on the forehead, with two active exhausts on the rear.
I often hear people talking about how much safer the Shoei is because of its Snell rating. To me, that doesn’t hold water. Based on my impression of ECE and Snell ratings, I would say that the Shoei absorbs impacts better while the Custom 500 transfers less inertia to your neck. Put simply – they’re equally safe.
The interior of the Shoei has a few refinements over the Bell. We get grooves that make it easy to wear eyeglasses, and little recesses for speakers. We also have more soundproofing than the 500.
The exterior – on the other hand – leaves a bit to be desired. We get the same 5-snap system for visors and face shields, but I wish Shoei had avoided putting these contours on the shell; it detracts from that minimalist, classic look. I’m also skeptical about the shell construction – it’s Shoei’s AIM+ construction, which basically means that it’s fibreglass plus some organic fibres woven in (WB). So it should be nice and light. However, the RJ tips the scales at a whopping 1330g which is both surprising and disappointing.
Of course, you can’t deny Shoei’s exceptional build quality. And at 350 dollars, they’ve thrown in a visor which makes the price a little easier to stomach.
Of course, you can get these same features – and a lot more – for much less money.
LS2 OF569
The LS2 OF569 comes to mind. At 130 bucks, this is the maximum value per dollar in the open face category. Removable and washable liner, jet-style face shield, drop-down sun visor, two active forehead vents and a passive exhaust slit out the rear.
LS2 says the shell is HPTT, which stands for High-Pressure Thermoplastic Technology. That might sound impressive, but it’s actually just the most basic plastic. However, LS2 was still able to get this thing pretty slim and lightweight. It’s lower-profile than the shoei and only 30 grams heavier, which is nothing when you think about how many more features this guy has.
What I love about LS2 is that they offer cheap helmets while still offering little luxuries. On the chin strap, they’ve gone for a ratchet system rather than the typical D-ring (CU) to make it easier to operate with gloves on. And on the face shield, this is probably one of the best quick-release systems I’ve ever seen. Flick the knob to open, rotate, and pull.
The only thing I don’t like about this helmet is the branding. For one, LS2 OF569 sounds like a tax form, not a motorcycle helmet. And then LS2 went nuts with the decals, putting their name on this thing not once, not twice, not three times … but four times (showing). They’re not removable either, so I’m going to be a rolling advertisement whether I like it or not.
But hey, maybe it’s the least I could do. Because LS2 is giving me a big break on the price tag here.
HJC’s IS-33
To show you what I mean, I brought along a helmet that I don’t like: HJC’s IS-33. It retails at 160 bucks, but FortNine.ca has these guys on for 130 right now, so it’s essentially the same price as the LS2.
And again, we have a quick-release face shield, a drop-down sun visor, a removable and washable liner – all the same features as the LS2.
But the HJC is only DOT approved, while the LS2 is ECE as well. The HJC’s shell is polycarbonate rather than plastic, but it somehow manages to weigh a colossal 1490 grams, which is ridiculous for an open face helmet. What’s even worse, they wasted weight on this stupid retracting mechanism that tends to leave the sun shield halfway down as soon as the spring gets worn out.
And on that note, the HJC’s sun shield is a half tinge below clear, which is not nearly dark enough to be useful.
Yes, you’re getting a sun peak in the box. But that’s maybe a 10-dollar plastic part and you can’t use it with the face shield at the same time, which is annoying.
I would say that the HJC is quieter and offers better build quality than the LS2, but it’s also bigger and heavier. Maybe you could call the IS-33 a decent helmet for the price. But to me, all it does is make me appreciate the LS2 OF569 even more.
And that’s it for my favorite open-faced buckets! Let me know what your favorites are in the comments below, and thank you guys very much for watching.