I guess I should have asked for a favorite color, because they sent along the green Kawasaki model, which doesn’t really match any of my clothing. They sent me this VR-1 “Euro” model, which has new graphics (pictured) for 2002. So I contacted KBC and asked for a VR-1 to review. These are the same standards that most of the other premium brands of race-type helmets are designed to meet.
![kbc helmets kbc helmets](https://replicaracehelmets.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/hjc_rpha-10-plus_lorenzo-ghost-fuera_detail3.jpg)
The VR-1 meets all of the highest standards for motorcycle helmet safety i.e., Snell M2000, DOT and the very tough European EC22/05 or BS6658 Type A ACU approval. I’ve used several different types of helmets recently, and I find the VR-1 to be more comfortable than either the Shoei RF-900 and TZ-II or the HJC AC-10. Unfortunately, many of the VR-1’s competitors, even the very expensive ones, don’t give me that comfort. I like a helmet to fit over my head with a complete, overall snug feeling of firmness that doesn’t reveal any lumps. I must have a super-sensitive scalp, because with many helmets I find that I can feel bumps or pressure points inside the liner some, like the SCHUBERTH flip-up, are intolerable…and inexcusable at any price. I put on the size large VR-1 and it fit me like it was custom made - it was immediately very comfortable and the liner felt really nice next to my skin. This feature is very rare or virtually non-existent in any other helmet at sometimes twice the price - even the more expensive Shoei RF-900 doesn’t have a removable liner or cheek pads.
![kbc helmets kbc helmets](https://motorbikewriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/kbc-vr-1x.jpg)
What’s really nice is that the liner is removable and there are separate cheek pads that are removable also. I always use a helmet liner anyway - either a silk liner or Balaclava in the cooler weather, and a Cool Max liner in the summer, but it’s nice to know that the standard liner helps pull out as much moisture as possible. The liner uses the KBC “Aqua Plus” moisture control system, which is similar to Cool Max it’s designed to wick away moisture and to keep your head cooler. It’s something that KBC calls “Savoire Suede” - it has a really soft feel, almost like a cross between fine suede leather and microfiber (see photo below). The liner is definitely unique, both in look and feel. Turning it over, I was surprised to see something really different. It’s got a fiberglass/Kevlar composite shell, which brings the weight down to a light 3.4 pounds. I picked up a VR-1 and immediately noticed that it had that lightweight feel of high-end racing helmets. The dealer is a custom shop that focuses on radical sportbike creations he sells Suomy helmets and he just started carrying the KBC VR-1. I was introduced to the VR-1 at a local motorcycle dealer’s open house. Here’s the facts: there are definitely some great helmets out there that will do the same job and don’t cost anywhere near the five or more C-notes that you’d have to pay just to have the latest-in-cool logo on your brain bucket.Īnd I’d guarantee that if there was a blind test, where the users didn’t know which brand of helmet they were wearing, the results would be much different than if they first saw the logos.Īlternatively, I bet that if you put a Suomy logo on a KBC VR-1 helmet and told them that it was a new model and that the list price was $549.99, they’d think it was the greatest thing since lubeless splines and they’d immediately go reaching for their wallet. So, my rebellious character immediately told me that webBikeWorld’s job is to prove ’em all wrong, right? I chalk it all up to snob appeal - after all, no self-respecting street poseur would be seen in anything less that the “best” equipment, right?Īnd the “best” has to be whatever the magazines say it is. My instincts proved correct - the test turned out just as I had predicted. What else, but surely the Arai RX-7RR would come in first, closely followed by the Shoei XSP-II and the Suomy Gunwind.
![kbc helmets kbc helmets](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ZgoAAOSwl5dfQ~wI/s-l400.jpg)
It’s kind of funny but also sad, I thought, because I instinctively knew what the result of the test would be. I glanced down at the cover and noted that the big feature of the month was a test of motorcycle helmets. The latest issue of a well-known motorcycle magazine devoted to sportbikes and racing arrived in the mail recently. The VR-1 is comfortable and lightweight at 1621 grams.Īirflow through top of helmet is slightly weak and the helmet is also a bit noisy. Meets DOT, Snell 2000 and the tough Euro EC22/05 or BS6658 Type A ACU approval standards.