My new helmet finally came in on Thurs. night. Its the Suomy Spec-1R Extreme. OMG ....I'm in love. I had an HJC and theres just no comparison. Literally night and day.

First off one of my biggest complaints was that the visor on the HJC fogged up bad. I even used Anti-Fog and it didnt stop it. You can breathe as hot and heavy as you want on the Suomy"s Iridium visor and theres no steam to be found. The visor closes with a very assuring 'snap' & glides up upon opening.

Ventilation. Oh wow. It almost feels like theres a small fan inside the helmet. Very gentle yet all encompasing throughout the helmet. Good circulation in the mouth and face area due to the special mouth diffuser. With the mouth vent locked air flow is almost completely locked out for those cold nights.

Lining is gravy. The material is called Alcantara and its like mink fur. PETAs got nothin on this. Padding is all removable and washable.

There is a button that snaps closed once you loop the chin strap through the buckle which is a nice touch too so theres no daggling or slapping around with the wind, or little rubberband prone to strecthing (HJC).

Weight: Oh damn this thing is light. Haha...seriiously.

I usually wear earplugs but the combination of a good fit and thick padding does wonders for sound attenuation. Hence I no longer dawn the plugs. Well I might on long rides(my Yosh pipe kinda owns ringing ears).

On the top is a small plastic vent with a open and closable cover for the air hole which at first glance seems a bit undersized to provide the kind of air needed to cool but it has done a great job so far.

I haven't ridden with it at high speeds yet but so far no buffeting.

Well thats about it so far as I've only ridden in it 4 times. Theres a whole lot of specs and additional info on this particular model but I'm not trying to sell anyone on it so go to there website if you want that. Just want to give people a first hand experience when potentially selecting a new helmet. I wish I could have read some feedback on it before I bought but I took a gamble and came out on top. Hopefully after reading this you dont have to. It was a pain deciding since none of the local shops carried Suomy and no one I know rides with them.

The helmet is relatively pricey but in comparison my friend paid $500 for his Shoei and is very unhappy with it. His complaints are heavy and uncomfortable. He tried mine on and the result: hes now selling the Shoei and putting the money towards a Suomy.

I can't speak for the cheaper lineups like the Spec-1R and so on but I am sure they are decent too.

In closing if you've got the cheddar go Suomy.

 

Helmets all come down to fit and where the weight of the helmet is located. I'm thinking your friends Shoei wasn't a proper fit for his head because my x11 is by far the best helmet I have ever tried on for my head. There are plenty of other helmets I would like but for my head shape the x11 is the clear winner.


Glad you're happy with the helmet

 

If you don't mind my asking, how much did you spend?

Also, if I'm not mistaken, the only difference between the Spec1R and the Extreme is the graphics, right?

 

Ive had arai helmets and my icon feels/fits the best for my head. Although the arai was lighter,vented more, and probably safer..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you don't mind my asking, how much did you spend?</TD></TR></TABLE>

MSRP is $650.00. I paid $495.00. My father in law works for Vance and Hines so I get dealers cost on all the good stuff out but this was the only Mfr. who wouldn't give us the discount. If they would have I would've gotten it for $425.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also, if I'm not mistaken, the only difference between the Spec1R and the Extreme is the graphics, right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Okay I have the spec sheets side by side. It looks like the Extreme comes with the following that the Spec-1R does not:

Ultra Tech Face Sheild Opalescent Iridium Finish w/ special hydrphobic coating to repel water.
State of the Art Anti-Fog coating
Anit-IR face sheild blocks heat to keep face cool.
Alcantara lining.
Open and closable top diffuser vent.
Weight: (M) Extreme = 1,250 grams
Weight: (M) Spec-1R = 3.2 lbs.
Graphics almost look airbrushed on the Extreme.

Essentially, the only differences appear to be the visor, lining, top vent system, weight and graphics. The side profile is also not the same due to the different venting system on the 1R, which won't have the vents slightly sticking out of the rear of the helmet.

Hope that helps.

 

i have to spec-1r as well and it is very comfortable and very light. great ventilation as well. picked mine up from a friend that never used it for a great price!

 

All the differnce is in the colors. You could say the shield as well but all you have to do is tell your dealer you want the optional shield and its like $20 extra.


The helemt is awsome I have had mine over a year now. It gets kinda loud and hot sometimes but I live in fl and anything outside this time of year is hot.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gumtape_deathmatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My new helmet finally came in on Thurs. night. Its the Suomy Spec-1R Extreme. OMG ....I'm in love. I had an HJC and theres just no comparison. Literally night and day.</TD></TR></TABLE>

&lt;petpeeve&gt;
It is not literally night and day. If it were, one helmet would actually be the daylight, and the other helmet would actually be the night time. What you meant is that figuratively they're night and day.
&lt;/petpeeve&gt;