G-Max GM54S Helmet

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SpeedRacerOnline
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G-Max GM54S Full-Face Modular Helmet
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When I started looking for a new helmet, I had my heart set on the Speed & Strength SS2200 Spin Doctor, but it was not meant to be. I like the idea of the Spin Doctor for the removable chin bar when I want more open ventilation. Plus, the large shield provides more visibility than average. A local Honda dealer was kind enough to ship in a Large for me based on my measurements, and was willing to match online pricing. When it came in and didn't fit, she was kind enough to ship in a XL, too. It "fit", as in, it was the right size for my head, but the shape was too short front-to-back. After having it on for about 3 minutes, I started to get a headache from the pressure on my forehead. Plus, my chin was right on the chin bar, and really tight on it when I tipped my head back like riding laid down. That would not do at all. The other problem was the operation of the removable chin bar. It came off really easy, but even when looking in a mirror, I just could not get it to go back on when I was wearing it. The angle has to be just right, or it won't slide in, and that seemed to be impossible to do while wearing it. I tried several times and never did get it; off it was easy, but I couldn't do it while it was on. That pretty much renders that feature useless compared to a modular.

I really was not interested in an actual modular helmet. It just seemed like a silly "feature" to me, as I'm not going to ride like that; it'd snap my head back in the wind. Sure, it'd be nice when snowmobiling or something like that, but not overly useful on the street. I did, however, really want an integrated sun visor. I have fairly sensitive eyes, and it'd be nice to not have to put sunglasses in and out every time the helmet goes on or off. For some reason, though, it seems that most helmets with visors are modular. Only a few regular full-face have them, but almost every modular does, oddly enough. So, she showed me the G-Max 54S she had in stock. I liked it right away. It looked nice, had nice features, TONS (9 total) of close-able vents, and a built-in visor. When she said it was a modular, I was surprised. I didn't even notice it. That's a bonus. Lots of modulars are obvious, but this one looks pretty normal. Then, she flipped it up, and I was even more impressed. When flipped up, the chin flap (not shown in the pic) closes the gap between the chin bar and the top of the helmet. It doesn't look huge and ridiculous, and seemed like it would be decent enough to be able to keep open at low-speed in-town riding. She only had gloss black, though, so I had to wait for shipping again as I wanted flat black. Again, she was nice enough to ship in both an XL and XXL since she only had XL in the gloss and it felt a little tight. I'm glad she did, because the XXL fits just about perfect. Sizes are so screwy; I range from a L in a Vega to a XXXL in Scorpion!

Anyway, I got the helmet today. It was raining this morning, so I took the van to work, but I was really anxious to try it out... I wonder what people thought when they saw some weird guy driving a minivan with the windows down and a helmet on, lol! It turned out to be a very nice afternoon, so I hopped on the bike when I got home to really try it out. Mind you; my review will be somewhat tainted by the fact that this is my first new helmet ever in my life, so everything probably seems a little "extra shiny" to me.

First, it fits really nice and the padding seems to be just the right balance between soft and supportive. However, the cheek pads are a little too thick. The helmet fits me fine everywhere, but it's slightly uncomfortable at the back of my cheeks. I may upgrade later. They looked in the catalog and found the cheek pads for a XXXL are 5mm thinner than XXL pads, so I may try that out for $15 later. It's only slightly tighter than I'd like; not enough to not enjoy it anyway. I'm told they'll break in with time, though, so we'll see. The overall shape is good, in general. It really feels formed to my head. It contacts my head very evenly all the way around, as opposed to the S&S that was good on the sides, but extremely tight front-to-rear. The linings are all removeable and washable DuPont material. Plus, there's room for speakers in the ear pockets, and the good seal keeps them sounding nice, too.

The shield has plenty of visibility, and seems to be good quality with an anti-fog coating on the inside and scratch-resistant coating on the outside. Movement is easy with good "notches". Plus, if I should want it, they also have double-shields and electrically heated shields for winter (snowmobiling) use available, too (as well as a removable cold-weather nose cover).

While riding, I noticed another thing that really beats the S&S that I had never thought of. While they both have the integrated sun visor, they operate very different. The S&S has a cool quick one-touch system where a single touch makes it pop down, and another makes it pop back up. The G-Max has a slider on top of the helmet that you have to manually push into position. Seems like the S&S system would be better, but it turns out it's not. I had the visor down all the way (G-Max), and when I tilted my head back as I laid down on the bike, it dug into the bridge of my nose. All I had to do was reach up and adjust the slider up a bit and it was perfect again. The S&S can't do that; it's either down or up with no adjustment. The visor also blocks the wind well enough that my contacts didn't dry out, while still providing a nice open-air feeling.

I also found that I was right about the G-Max's modular design. I took off with it up while sitting up on the bike, and it was comfortable up to about 50 mph. Then, I started to feel a little pressure from the wind pushing it back. That's okay, though, cuz I always ride with the shield closed at highway speeds anyway. June bugs hurt! The point is that at 25-40 mph around town, it's just like riding with a normal open-face helmet. That actually encourages me to ride with my helmet on more often, as around town is where I usually don't wear it. The other nice thing about a modular design that I just didn't appreciate until I had one is non-riding time. It's so much easier to put on and take off, for one thing. Plus, when I get to my destination, I can just pop the front up to put gas in, get stuff out of the trunk, talk to someone, or whatever, and not worry about it falling off the mirror because it's still on my head. I knew about that beneift beforehand, but I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy it until I had it. It's nice!

I already mentioned the multitude of vents all over it that seem to be well placed and pretty easy to use. The front/center one even has a three-way position; middle is closed, down is open, and up is open with a tab that props the shield open a couple millimeters. That's very handy on cold mornings when even an anti-fog shield will fog up a little from my breath. It lets in enough air to prevent that, but not enough to blow on my face.

One positive I never would have considered is the shape of the helmet in the wind. I've noticed that it's more comfortable to ride sitting up now because this helmet seems to cut through the wind. I didn't like riding sitting up much before because I felt like a bobble-head doll in the wind with my old helmet. I didn't realize what a difference the helmet could make with that problem, but this one is vastly better in that regard.

As an added bonus, the helmet also has a light on the back; approx. 4 inches wide by 1/2 inch tall red LED. It's battery operated (of course), and an easy-to-use button on the back switches it from off, to on-solid, to on-flash, to on-fast-flash, and back to off. I'm not sure how often I'll remember it's there and actually use it, but it's a nice safety add-on.

The helmet also comes with a nice soft cover/bag to protect it, though I probably won't use it much as I hope to wear it every day possible!

The one feature I think they missed out on is a quick-release strap. It just comes with the standard double-ring. I have a quick-release add-on on the old helmet, though, so I'll just transfer it over. The S&S wins here. They have a really nice quick-release design. However, G-Max was smart enough to put a plastic snap on the end of the strap to secure the end in place so it doesn't flap in the wind and slap my neck like my old helmet always did.

All-told, I'm really happy so far! It's comfortable, got great features, and I know I'm a lot safer with it than the old one that is probably 15-20 years old and brittle by now. Ask me about it in a few weeks and we'll see if I still love it.
"I want to drive. I want to feel all of it: freedom, wind, curves, feedback, acceleration, unsteadiness, fear, joy... I don't want to ride. I want to drive."
- Speed's XJ Journal

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