Whelp ... Bell Helmets are back. Bell used to be the benchmark company for helmets in the 80's and early 90's. They sold their stake in the powersports division to an italian company who only made bicycling helmets. Anyways, Bell bought back the division in 2003 (I think) and came out with the Star in 2005. Now in 2010 a newer version has been released and it really caught my eye.

Went to the local store (www.sportbiketrackgear.com) to try it on and it blew me away. Great fit. My head measures at 58cm which is right at the end of the medium on their sizing chart. I couldn't resist and splurged. Got a great discount on everything I bought on the spot. Got the helmet new for $530, and the transitions visor for $100 along with A* GPX gloves for $80. They really hooked it up.

Anyways ... this helmet is by far the best thing I have ever put on my head. (I have owned AGV, Shoei, and Arai lids in the past) The ventilation is second to none. Even at low speeds I can feel air flowing. I haven't had fogging problem and made sure to close the vents and leave the shield down at stop lights to test it out. Extremely stable at speed. No buffeting or anything at freeway speeds. It also comes with a "spoiler" type thing that tapes on top of the diffuser that improves stability at speed. Swapping shields is amazingly simple.

The transitions visor that Bell produces is too cool. If anyone has seen people with glasses with lenses that tint up when the sun is out you know what I'm talking about. Depending on how bright the sun is the shield will darken. At night or indoors it becomes fully clear in under a minute. I don't need to fuss around with extra shields anymore when I'm out and conditions change. Here's a demo of it on youtube if you're still confused:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc7cAGK0erc

PS I got the Cerwinski in white.

 

Nice deal. I just emailed Brian to see about ordering a Carbon Cerwinskie and the transition shield. I hope he comes back with a price like that.

Good luck with it!

 

Great Helmet !
A Bell Star saved my head back in the late 70's, when racing.
Bell have the best average safety rating (4.5) of all the brands on the market.
I'd buy one in a heartbeat !

The faceshield for light changes is great too - but 1 minute to change ? My current one changes in 4-5 seconds ?

 

my first helment was a bell, solid black, saved my head when i layed her down after i hit that bobcat too. Kept it for a keepsake

 

I remember seeing a lot of bell helmets being used/sold at auto-x events. I was considering getting one, but there was an HJC I really wanted even before my very last one.. maybe next time.

 

definitely thinking of picking up a star in the next couple of weeks. bought the blutek bluetooth helmet, and it moves too much from wind for me.

 

BA$$ helmet

 

I got my Carbon Cerwinski and it is sick. I went down a size from the Aria Quantum F I had. It's just as light and is rock steady at speed. I do feel like the Arai cradled my head more but I don't think the Bell is inferior in fit in any way. In fact the Bell will not move while I'm riding. the Arai got a bit loose over time and would move around a bit too much for comfort and safety. The Star flows more air than my Arai did. Nothing but praise for the Star. I also ordered the Transition screen for it. I just received that in the mail so I haven't had a chance to test it out yet.

OH, BTW great pricing from the guys at sportbiketrackgear.com

Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.