My thoughts on this helmet.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motor...met/hjc/cl-xs/

Seems that everyone has overlooked this helmet in light of more expensive and better options out there. to which I say:


The Arai TourX set the stage, the Shoei hornet is also up there with an awesome helmet.
Airoh S4 a gorgeous low cost helmet.

I went for the HJC CL-XS, and have been reasonably impressed. I have not tried on any of the above helmets, other than the hornet which did not agree with my head.

I tried the HJC on at a Hein Gericke shop and found the Medium to be a suitable fit and though I was uncomfortably claustrophobic with the screen covered in stickers, reasoned that I would get to grips with a full face and be happy with it. ie learn!
That may sound dumb but until now my only helmet has been a Schuberth C1 flip style helmet, and their quality is very very good (pricey too)

Then I found it on the net in white �60 cheaper. New
I think it looks great, and I went for white for better visibility and it goes with any bike.

The HJC, though it has a pointy chin bar is a surprisingly tight fit around the chin area, with only a little more air space than the C1
The ear pockets are deep and as it turns out theyre well ventilated. Would easily accommodate speakers for a comm�s system.
In all I found there to be a good deal of ventilation through the helmet, which other than taping up, your cant open or close, so perfect for summer, and once sealed ideal for winter.
I wear a ruff over my nose in winter and am very happy comfort wise in British wet winter you name the day! I haven�t ridden further than 80 miles with this so far, but I know I would be nearly as comfortable doing so as with my Schuberth in the cold and much happier in summer.

My take on the safety thing is simple, once you�ve hit your head the helmet goes in the bin� for this style of helmet you are more likely to be in a situation where you are going to fall off. Hence I would rather throw �79 in the bin than �330.
On an extended trip, this becomes more subjective, and you may be forced to ride for a week with a helmet that has a sacrificed shell before you can buy a new one. In this instance I have no idea which helmet would be the better one to have a second off in, and I doubt its tested!

One thing I have realised is in an off just how much self preservation kicks in and so far I haven�t landed on or even bumped my head on anything in my all my unplanned dismounts, though so far no serious offs.

Mine has an �upgrade� to the two D rings instead of a quick release system, I for one an mot a fan of the DD (in helmets) http://www.xt660.com/images/fhbanner/emoticons/titflash[1].gif and prefer the Quick release systems, but I wouldn�t bother swapping it out. Mine also have a tab to raise the helmet visor, so its not difficult.
I have not experienced the freeflow of air the above reviewer talks of, any more than a helmet with this much peripheral vision and open chin area. However it is ideal for desert (warm) conditions.

The Visor is not great, I would describe it as �adequate� It doesn�t quite rise high enough to get out of your view and when its raised on anything but the lowest detent (which is too open) there is a bit of visual distortion as you are having your vision refracted through the heavily angled visor.
Theres been some complaints about the Visor not sealing when closed, this is because the visor is not locked in properly, once it has been removed or accidentally opened all the way and pulled forward rather than down (It makes sense once you own it!) I have found it to seal very well when fully shut.
When fully shut I have absolutely no problems with it at all. When open one detent it is fine, and can be help open at about 1/2 detent for demisting. Having the angled visor also makes it leech waterdroplets away at a lower speed than the schuberth. Above 1 detent I find the melmet a tad annoying and need to move my head around to get an unobstructed vision, and it also flows air into my eyes.

But when fully raised you can then raise the shade to lift the visor sufficiently to wear a paid of goggles as well, however I would remove the visor if wearing goggles. And mine has not rubbed against the bottom of the shade

Up until 65MPH the lifting and drag caused by the shade is unnoticeable. About 70MPH it is, and side winds noticeable are too. For fun twist your head to the side and lift your chin up, you will experience the full effect of this aerodynamic travesty, but its not as bad as I make out! Any lid with a shade will do the same at these speeds I did it at 80 and am still here with no ill effect!

The inside is lined with a kind of vented heavy duty nylon mesh, again making it a very cleanable helmet and apparently this is removable, but in typical HJC fashion it is all tucked in here and there, so I haven�t done it yet.

The bottom of the helmet is finished in a rubberised band that is very durable and whilst not exciting is a great feature, in so much as the helmet wont slip away, because its grippy, it also doesn�t transfer hard surface jarring to the structural shell when being placed down several times a day.

Me I love it and it was ideal on my XT600 tenere, and will look great on my new tenere too.

I still use my C1 but its now 4 years old and I mainly use it on the BMW. The flip lid is still great, and so friendly when talking to ramblers and locals. Much easier than taking your helmet off with those bloody DD rings! I make a point of taking my helmet off when asking for directions/help from strangers, it makes people see you as someone and they can relate to you, it also creates an instant second impression.

My next Helmet will either be a Schuberth J1 (the open face chin bar thing) which you can get a shade for�
And
The Airoh S4 if it fits, if its not as comfortable I will be buying this HJC again. Its not that I don�t want the HJC, its that it would not be fair to not try the Airoh.

My only gripe is that it doesnt come with a built in sunshade, but then most helmets dont and it may well be a gripe because I have only ever had a built in sunshade. I will be investing in a pair of light adapting sunglasses

Cheers G