Motorcycle helmet review: VIPER RSV151 BL+ – do not buy.

I’ve ridden motorbikes for more than 20 years. I’ve owned and ridden Hondas, BMWs and Kawasakis. My current ride is a BMW R850R, and I love it – comfortable, fast, maneuverable, and reliable.

A few weeks ago, I bought a new helmet – a Viper RSV151 BL+. I’d owned  a Viper helmet before, and found it comfortable and quiet enough for around town.

The RSV151 is a terrible helmet. The main reason is that I cannot close the flip-up face mask with one hand – the helmet isn’t rigid enough, so when it’s on my head, the notches don’t quite line up. That means you need two hands to close the flip-up, which doesn’t really work on a motorbike.

Other issues are that the helmet is very noisy – even at 30mph, I cannot hear the bluetooth. The bluetooth is unreliable – I keep dropping calls.

So, even though it’s a cheap helmet, especially with the built-in bluetooth, it’s a terrible purchase.