Talk to me about big adventure bikes.

[Gravy]

I spent a bunch of time talking to industry experts, ride demo days and YouTube reviews.
And the most quiet helmet available currently is a Shueberth. They are the only manufacturer that actually advertises a decibel deminishment rating. And quiet seams to be their niche. Alas they don't fit my head as well as I like, are expensive, and have a few other nitpicky drawbacks (for me specifically)
The Shoei Rf1400 is probably second in line on quiet. With the GT-air scoring well and also surprisingly a few HJC models like the RPHA pro 11. Obviously Bell's Star lineup is great as well.

What swayed me on the Bell Star MiPs DLX was the DOT, Snell and (although not advertised in the USA- ECE rating.)
These ratings allow me to use it if I have machinations of racetracks...
It's intermediate round shape fit my dome.
DLX transition lens and the fact that Bell has 4 shell sizes so you don't get a monster bobble head with fat padding in the smaller sizes. MiPs: it's saved me from ANY injury in my other crashes. Triple density foam (safe) so the shells are physical smaller (theory being: smaller shapes are quieter and impart less rotational energy in crashes. Shoei and Arai both make small very round shaped helmets for this reason).
And (important for my wallet) they support racers.




But ultimately whatever helmet fits your head, is very safe and has the features you want is the helmet to get.

 

[Tonkaman]

Honestly try on every brand to see what fits well. After you narrow it down to a few brands that fit, it will be an easier choice.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made up my mind about what I want, then find out it doesn’t fit me well.

 

[SnwMnkys]

I spent a bunch of time talking to industry experts, ride demo days and YouTube reviews.
And the most quiet helmet available currently is a Shueberth. They are the only manufacturer that actually advertises a decibel deminishment rating. And quiet seams to be their niche. Alas they don't fit my head as well as I like, are expensive, and have a few other nitpicky drawbacks (for me specifically)
The Shoei Rf1400 is probably second in line on quiet. With the GT-air scoring well and also surprisingly a few HJC models like the RPHA pro 11. Obviously Bell's Star lineup is great as well.

What swayed me on the Bell Star MiPs DLX was the DOT, Snell and (although not advertised in the USA- ECE rating.)
These ratings allow me to use it if I have machinations of racetracks...
It's intermediate round shape fit my dome.
DLX transition lens and the fact that Bell has 4 shell sizes so you don't get a monster bobble head with fat padding in the smaller sizes. MiPs: it's saved me from ANY injury in my other crashes. Triple density foam (safe) so the shells are physical smaller (theory being: smaller shapes are quieter and impart less rotational energy in crashes. Shoei and Arai both make small very round shaped helmets for this reason).
And (important for my wallet) they support racers.




But ultimately whatever helmet fits your head, is very safe and has the features you want is the helmet to get.

Ive got the Schuberth E1 ADV modular. Definately a quiet helmet but I dont think its more quiet than my Arai or Shoei full face helmets. Just because of the modular design. Its been a good helmet but a cheap small plastic clip broke for the visor release that I thought was a cheap design.

 

[J-mobzz]

Almost every new premium helmet is setup for COMS these days.

Ryan F9 has some really great info on Snell vs ece vs dot. Along with thoughtful info on adv and quiet helmets. But I agree with him that Snell is not the best rating currently. The higher ECE is more desirable.

He also quite likes the Klim helmet I believe. It just wasn't for me.
(Old video)

I wear these ear plugs (after trying about a dozen, these are the least entrusive and kill the most wind noise without killing my music quality and the ability to hear humans speak to me):

Amazon.com

The "race" version (26db reduction)

And a Cardo Packtalk Bold.

Shop

Shop a wide selection of top-of-the-line motorcycle helmet speakers, mic and audio kits. Discover all our communication systems and make your ride exceptional!

www.cardosystems.com

Cardo is releasing a new version called the Edge. It promises to be even better.
The speakers are excellent in the Packtalk Bold and even better JBL speakers in the Black. And the sound cancelling I love.
The battery lasts a long long time and I got to enjoy using mine 7 days through Alaska last year.
I've got a serious hookup with Cardo if you decide that's the way to go.

This was a really good information. Thank you for taking the time to put it together for me.

 

[J-mobzz]

So I’m not entirely blown away by the Klim. It looks nice when I pick it up it’s not really noticeably lite like everybody makes it out to be I mean I guess if I had two helmets and one in each hand it would be noticeably different but it’s not like I pick it up on my woah this is light.

It does fit my head really well and actually is really comfortable. I do really like the latching system it’s so fast and easy. It looks fantastic without the visor and it’s easy to take the visor off and has the pieces to cover anything cosmetically to make it look like it belongs that way.

I’m gonna see if I can go find a few other brands to Try on locally. I wouldn’t be mad if I kept the helmet it seems like a really nice helmet and does fit well but it doesn’t seem like it’s a $750 helmet by any means.

 

[rholbrook]

I will let you know how the Klim works out. I already have the Klim Moto helmet that I really like. I just need to figure out how to get my visor on with the shield and get the Cardo figured out

 

[glockman]

Sorry I'm late to the party. I just picked up a Shoei Hornet and have about 800 miles wearing it. I wanted a really quiet helmet that fits my huge round head. It fits those criteria very well for me.

I tried on several LS2 helmets, the Bell MX-9 an HJC DSX-1 and the Klim. I didn't ride in any of them, just walked around the show room. No one had an Aria or a Shoei. The HJC fit my round head the best of the ones I tried on. After much internal debate, I just bought the Shoei in and XXL from Revzilla and figured I could return it if I hated it.

Here are my thoughts.
I read about it being heavy, it is noticeably lighter than the helmet it replaces which is some $170 ADV helmet I bought 10 years ago, I think its an AGX? It feels similar to my Leatt MX helmets and way lighter than the Bell.
It fits my head shape well. That will obviously vary by the person.
It is SUPER quite. I can talk in the helmet at 60mph and my voice echo's inside the helmet like it's on a PA system. The cheek pads seal around my jaw very well. I can't hear my 1090 engine pretty much at any speed. One caveat, on the first ride, it had a lot of weird buffeting noise on top of the helmet like a strap was flapping and hitting the top. The windscreen on my 1090 was at it's highest setting which puts the "clean" air right at my visor. I dropped the screen to the lowest setting which puts my entire helmet in the wind and the buffeting is gone. I don't notice any neck strain and it helps keep the fogging down on my morning commutes. I've done several freeway runs from PG down to Spanish Fork at 80ish and the wind/strain is totally acceptable. If I was going cross country on the interstate, I'd definitely buy a street bike helmet like Stratton says. I try to keep 80 mph runs to a minimum on this bike.
The sound improvement comes at an airflow cost. It hasn't been very warm yet high 70's is the hottest I've ridden in it. I think it will get really hot on a 95 degree day going slow in the dirt I think all helmets suck here but this one will be on the hotter side of the helmets I've owned. However, I'm not too worried. I'll open the visor which seals extremely well and try to pick up the pace a little. ADV riding is hot, you have gear on and my 1090 has a built in under seat heating V twin.

I think helmets all boil down to personal preference. My head is Shoei shaped which is the biggest issue for me with helmets squeezing the crap out of my fat face. I can live with lots of other stuff if the thing fits well.

 

[moab_cj5]

And a Cardo Packtalk Bold.

Shop

Shop a wide selection of top-of-the-line motorcycle helmet speakers, mic and audio kits. Discover all our communication systems and make your ride exceptional!

www.cardosystems.com

Cardo is releasing a new version called the Edge. It promises to be even better.
The speakers are excellent in the Packtalk Bold and even better JBL speakers in the Black. And the sound cancelling I love.
The battery lasts a long long time and I got to enjoy using mine 7 days through Alaska last year.
I've got a serious hookup with Cardo if you decide that's the way to go.

Can anyone take advantage of your Cardo hookup? I am looking for one for fathers day.

 

[J-mobzz]

Sorry I'm late to the party. I just picked up a Shoei Hornet and have about 800 miles wearing it. I wanted a really quiet helmet that fits my huge round head. It fits those criteria very well for me.

I tried on several LS2 helmets, the Bell MX-9 an HJC DSX-1 and the Klim. I didn't ride in any of them, just walked around the show room. No one had an Aria or a Shoei. The HJC fit my round head the best of the ones I tried on. After much internal debate, I just bought the Shoei in and XXL from Revzilla and figured I could return it if I hated it.

Here are my thoughts.
I read about it being heavy, it is noticeably lighter than the helmet it replaces which is some $170 ADV helmet I bought 10 years ago, I think its an AGX? It feels similar to my Leatt MX helmets and way lighter than the Bell.
It fits my head shape well. That will obviously vary by the person.
It is SUPER quite. I can talk in the helmet at 60mph and my voice echo's inside the helmet like it's on a PA system. The cheek pads seal around my jaw very well. I can't hear my 1090 engine pretty much at any speed. One caveat, on the first ride, it had a lot of weird buffeting noise on top of the helmet like a strap was flapping and hitting the top. The windscreen on my 1090 was at it's highest setting which puts the "clean" air right at my visor. I dropped the screen to the lowest setting which puts my entire helmet in the wind and the buffeting is gone. I don't notice any neck strain and it helps keep the fogging down on my morning commutes. I've done several freeway runs from PG down to Spanish Fork at 80ish and the wind/strain is totally acceptable. If I was going cross country on the interstate, I'd definitely buy a street bike helmet like Stratton says. I try to keep 80 mph runs to a minimum on this bike.
The sound improvement comes at an airflow cost. It hasn't been very warm yet high 70's is the hottest I've ridden in it. I think it will get really hot on a 95 degree day going slow in the dirt I think all helmets suck here but this one will be on the hotter side of the helmets I've owned. However, I'm not too worried. I'll open the visor which seals extremely well and try to pick up the pace a little. ADV riding is hot, you have gear on and my 1090 has a built in under seat heating V twin.

I think helmets all boil down to personal preference. My head is Shoei shaped which is the biggest issue for me with helmets squeezing the crap out of my fat face. I can live with lots of other stuff if the thing fits well.

That’s great feedback. I ended up just keeping the Klim. I do wish it was a little quieter but I can listen to music with the Bluetooth speakers I installed easily without it being at full volume so that will work for me.


Bike Update** my bike has made it from Japan and has been ready to ship for over a week now from California unfortunately they are waiting on some “accessories “ I’m guessing the panniers and other “adventure” items. But hopefully I should have the bike in the next week to week and a half

 

[02SE]

So Cutlers down in Orem called me back. I spoke with the owner and man that was a really fantastic experience compared to everything else in the power sports industry I’ve dealt with so far.

So he seems to have a really good working relationship with Suzuki and he called and talk to them directly they have not shipped any of the 1050 XTs at all for 2022 but they will be preparing them for shipment in the next week. I put a deposit down with him and need to stop by tomorrow to sign some paperwork but that essentially I guess puts me in line with Suzuki for him to try to negotiate with another dealership nationwide to trade for a different ATV that would be shipped to him or possibly pull one out of Suzuki‘s slush fund if somethings available . He said realistically it’s probably of 40% or 50% chance that I’ll get one due to the extremely limited number that were produced this year. But he said he should know within five days if it’s going to happen or not and if it doesn’t obviously I’ll get a refund on my deposit.

He was also very upfront about all the fees included and didn’t mark up things like freight or some of the other areas that I experienced most dealers doing today. So if I can get one through him my out the door cost on the XT adventure set up with bags lights heated grips etc. will be about $3000 less than the Honda. I’m headed out of town for a week anyways so the timing works out well when I get back if I don’t have a Vin number for a bike then I’ll get my deposit back and keep shopping for something else.

If you don't mind sharing, what kind of pricing did they offer? MSRP? OTD at MSRP? I've never dealt with Cutlers, but I am looking at a Suzuki.

Cutlers does at least show the bike I'm looking at on their website, and to call for availability.

 

[J-mobzz]

If you don't mind sharing, what kind of pricing did they offer? MSRP? OTD at MSRP? I've never dealt with Cutlers, but I am looking at a Suzuki.

Cutlers does at least show the bike I'm looking at on their website, and to call for availability.

I paid full MSRP, Freight, assembly, taxes and licensing. With a super big shortage of bikes on the market particularly new bikes I don’t think there’s much wheeling and dealing to be done. I can say that the owner of that place is just a standup guy. He was very transparent from day one. He kept me in the loop every time he got any information and literally showed me the emails showed me the text messages not an ounce of BS. He is one of those old-school my word is my bond type people and that’s definitely a dying trend specifically in the motor sports industry. Every dealership I walked into was just a bunch of dudes blowing smoke up my ass trying to get me to initial on the line I’ll take delivery today if they can get my payment in the right area. And I’m not into that I’m gonna pay cash and you’re gonna tell me exactly what I’m paying for. Cutlers did exactly that.


So I guess it’s as good of time as any to update this. I took the bike about 10 days ago. So far I’m loving it. I have 800 miles on it and have done the first 600 mile break in oil change.

Some additions I’ve made so far.
-Quad lock wireless charger phone mount
-dual usb charge ports at accessory bar. (The bike does have one in the cowling but I don’t care for having to run a long usb cable to the wireless charger plus now I can easily charge a GoPro mounted to the bar also.
-large Tusk tank bag
- skid plate
- rear mounted pelican case.
-2 ea Nelson rig bottle holders and two 30oz msr fuel bottles.
-removable hard bag liners.

Current future plans.
- front fender lift kit
-dual sport tires
-upper crash bars
-second set of aux lights in a spot pattern

 

[02SE]

I paid full MSRP, Freight, assembly, taxes and licensing. With a super big shortage of bikes on the market particularly new bikes I don’t think there’s much wheeling and dealing to be done. I can say that the owner of that place is just a standup guy. He was very transparent from day one. He kept me in the loop every time he got any information and literally showed me the emails showed me the text messages not an ounce of BS. He is one of those old-school my word is my bond type people and that’s definitely a dying trend specifically in the motor sports industry. Every dealership I walked into was just a bunch of dudes blowing smoke up my ass trying to get me to initial on the line I’ll take delivery today if they can get my payment in the right area. And I’m not into that I’m gonna pay cash and you’re gonna tell me exactly what I’m paying for. Cutlers did exactly that.

I've run into that too. Some kid asking where I want my payment to be...

Just tell me the price out the door.

They sound like the type of place I can maybe work a deal with.

I did have an Email exchange with a Dale Cutler. No BS or attitude.

Thanks for the reply. Congrats on the new VStrom.

 

[Gravy]

Do you think the quadlock deal is worth the $215 investment?

 

[benjy]

Do you really really need to charge while riding? Why don’t you just wire in accessory power that could charge the phone when needed?

I would say yes the basic kit is worth it! It’s pretty slick

 

[Gravy]

Do you really really need to charge while riding? Why don’t you just wire in accessory power that could charge the phone when needed?

I would say yes the basic kit is worth it! It’s pretty slick

When @glockman and I went on our last multi-day adventure ride: I constantly had my music and or GPS running- To figure out routes.
When I rode with my wife through Alaska I listened to music and navigated (albiet with offline maps) much of each day, those kill batteries.
And it's a bit annoying to constantly unplug and replug back in when you want to take photos. Also it's annoying to show up at camp with a flat or nearly flat battery.

I have a RAM mount x grip deal. It presses side buttons and isn't that secure for rowdy riding without the rubber band gripper dealybob. And you've got to take off your gloves to mount and unmount it and add the complexity of plugging in a charging cable and it's a bit of a faff so I took very few photos of that epic Alaska trip.

 

[benjy]

I have a ram mount in our jeep and hate it, so the quadlock was a no-brainer… do it!

 

[moab_cj5]

I am a big quadlock fan. I use the mounts on my mountain bike, car, and motorcycle. I have never had an issue and love the wireless charging in the car.

 

[J-mobzz]

I don't have the dampener but I wouldn't hesitate to buy the setup again. Its really nice to snap it in and go without having to deal with plugs. I also picked up one of these and mounted it on my bars. Super slick for skipping music or pausing music.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JQ8Q6X6?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[glockman]

@Gravy I also don't have the damper but I absolutely love the wireless charging on my 1090 setup. I am a tight ass and I'd buy it again. I'm running a cheap phone as a GPS that will be on full brightness the entire time I'm riding so it needs constant charging. There is no way a cord will stay put on bumpy roads or with high speed winds. The wireless is just easy and works.

 

[rholbrook]

Do you think the quadlock deal is worth the $215 investment?

View attachment 150216

Yes it is. I have two sets and worth every penny. I have the wireless charging and dampner.