Cycle World Evaluation
CYCLE WORLD EVALUATION
Bell Moto-4 Helmet
First things first: This evaluation of Bell's Moto-4 helmet is, er, not an evaluation. Not in the usual sense of the word, at least. See, we can tell you all about fit and finish and features, but when it comes to a helmet's primary reason for being—which is to protect the wearer’s head in the event of a fall—we can’t offer much of an evaluation. The only way to evaluate a helmet is through extensive crash-testing, and we’re simply not able, or willing, to do that.
We can, however, do the next-best thing, which is to tell you that the Moto4 meets the helmet industry’s most stringent safety standards, earning it the right to wear a Snell 80 certification sticker. And we can also state that of all the dirt-type helmets currently on the market, the Moto-4 is the unanimous favorite of this entire staff.
Among our reasons for that opinion is that, to our knowledge, the Moto-4 is the first helmet designed exclusively for offroad riding, whereas all others seem more or less to be street helmets adapted for use in the dirt. And so the Moto-4 has features that more directly address the needs of dirt riders. It has a unique ventilation system in its interior, for instance, that combats the build-up of heat that a rider can experience in a motocross or an enduro or even an extended playride, especially during the hot summer months.
In this system, which Bell has dubbed “Force Flow,’’ air enters the helmet through a small duct on each side of the nosepiece, flows between the helmet shell and the soft foam mouth pad, theft through grooves molded into the styrofoam helmet liner. From there, the air is funneled into smaller around the' very inside of the helmet. Covering those grooves and fitted against the wearer’s head is an open-cell foam lining covered with a fabric that has high-wick properties—that is, it absorbs moisture readily. "The air circulating through the grooves just above that foam evaporates the perspiration that the lining has wicked up. And, in theory, anyway, this evaporative effect cools the rider’s head.
Once air has circulated through the inside of the helmet, it is ducted through openings in the top of the styrofoam liner, then goes through passages between the liner and the helmet shell to finally exit through an exhaust port on each side of the helmet.
If all that sounds complicated, that’s because it is. But complicated or not, the Force Flow system works. Some riders claim they can actually feel the air flowing over their heads, others say they can’t. But all agree that the Moto-4 is substantially cooler than any other helmet they have worn. And even riders who can’t feel the airflow on a warm day notice the difference when the weather turns cold. In fact, it’s possible for the rider’s head to get too cool during coldweather riding unless the Force Flow intake ducts are sealed with the rubber plugs that come with the helmet.
Cool air flowing through a helmet might be a good idea, but the dirt that comes with it is not. And that just magnifies a problem that occurs with any off-road helmet in that the liner gets extremely dirty. But Bell thought of that, too, and designed a liner that is completely washable, and that can be removed and reinstalled in seconds without tools. Bell sells replacement liners, should an owner want a clean spare for easy between-moto changes. We seldom use them because the original can be washed and air-dried so quickly, especially during hot weather.
Besides the washable liner, the interior of the Moto-4 contains a bagel-shaped pad that attaches to the exposed styrofoam in the dome of the helmet. The pad cushions the top of the wearer’s head, and it can be slightly adjusted front-to-> rear to change the way the helmet fits. But while this sounds like a neat idea, it doesn’t work as well as it could, for the pad generally falls out any time the helmet isn’t on a head. We cured the problem by installing two additional Velcro pads with self-adhesive backing, available at most fabric stores.
In addition to the Force Flow system, the Moto-4 has other features that deal with problems indigenous to dirt riding. The eyeport, for example, is wider and deeper than on any other off-road helmet, and has sides that are squared-off and recessed. The size of the opening allows goggles, even the very large ones, to fit through easily, without the aggravating twisting and turning that some fullface helmets require. And the recessed sides of the eyeport (where the goggle strap first makes contact with the helmet shell) eliminate the problem of the goggles being pulled away from the rider’s temples and thus letting in dirt.
In addition, the Moto-4’s fiberglass shell is longer compared to previous Bell designs, allowing the nosepiece to be farther from the rider to eliminate nose/ chin contact. The nosepiece also has a large, screened vent in front that helps cool the chin and the front of the face. But the vent doesn’t come with a cover, so a bandanna might be needed in cold weather to ward off the blast of frigid air. Duct tape over the screen is another, if more unsightly, solution.
Even the Moto-4’s duckbill visor is of a new design. The black plastic visor attaches with four plastic screws, has elongated mounting holes that allow it to be adjusted up and down, and is long enough to be useful if the guy ahead is throwing mud or rocks your way. Water and mud can’t run down between the visor and the outside of the helmet to foul goggles, thanks to a foam strip glued to the underside of the visor in that area.
That’s typical of the kind of thinking that has gone into the Moto-4. The helmet was designed with off-roading as its top priority, and Bell’s specialized approach has resulted in a piece of dirt-riding headgear that’s in a class by itself.
The Moto-4 is available in red, blue, white or yellow in hat sizes from 63Á to L3/A in '/«-inch increments at Bell helmet dealers for $184.95. IS
