BMW System 6 Helmets - Availability

[cbck1200s]

Aren't our governments (both US and Canada) and Schuberth/BMW just great!

About a year ago I was looking to replace my Schuberth flip-face helmet, both because of age and small damage in an accident. At that time no BMW helmets were on the shelf - in Canada - and the only Schuberth helmets were a few "left-overs" which of course were not in my size. "Schuberth is no longer importing helmets to Canada." Did my research and ended up with a Shoei RF-1000 which fits perfectly. Bad reviews kept the Multi-tec off my shopping list, though I do miss what you can do with a flip-face helmet when stopped or even on the road. (Eat, drink.)

Now both BMW and Schuberth helmets are again available in Canada? But you are better off (a couple hundred dollars) ordering from GB? Maybe you need to have it sent to a friend in the states to avoid duties in Canada, if you live close to the border?

As for the legality of wearing one of these helmets in the US, do I have this right, as a foreignor, to wear one of these highly protective but not DOT approved helmets in states where helmets are required (is it now only 20 out of 50) where little beanie caps apparently have DOT certification?

Frankly, I'm to the point of agreeing with the "helmet laws abolitionists." Or maybe we should look to what the Europeans are doing in terms of helmet laws, helmet certification, and rider education.

Yes, I am a Walter Mitty. If you are too young to understand, google it.

You are absolutely right....one needs to ship a helmet to the USA not Canada as the duties and the "customs brokerage fees" would be a killer. I have a mailbox on Blaine that I use a it works great. I can import by driving over the border with the helmet and save all the hastle.
cbcK1200S - Colin

[eddolan69]

Great helmet, linked it to my iphone and my navigator 3, sounds great

[Petvet]

What kind of ear plugs do you wear withthe N103?
I have been wering one for a year. Cant wait to get rid of it. It is so noisy!

[D_TECH]

Funny thing here in Ontario is that Toronto dealer took out System helmets due to DOT regulations, where only 20 min from him another BMW dealer readily sells it no problem. You have to sign that it won't go to US. So it is legal - not legal?
BMW is not paying for the DOT sticker and you can read a lot about regulations and testing. I have it and it is a great helmet. I have Scala Q2 on it with longer mic.

[LRider]

I have been riding into the US with my System V for over 3 years.

Frankly whether it is DOT or not has not concerned me. The majority of the riders I see have either small 'pudding pot' or no helmets at all.

I don't think my full helmet is attracting too much attention.........

[marcopolo]

The original poster asked about alternative flip-ups. I'd suggest he check out the Shark Evoline Series 2 (the Series 2 is new for 2010 and has some improvements over the original, most notably a longer inner sun visor). The Evoline is both DOT and ECE 22-05 rated, and received a four-star SHARP rating from the UK. It's also unique in that it meets those safety standards with the chin bar down, and with it up (it folds all the way up and over the helmet to the back, thus avoiding the conehead look). That said, I don't plan to ride with the chin bar up, except perhaps in a parking lot. I bought mine online from the U.S. and received it just last week. I am not aware of Shark selling helmets in Canada, but the manual that came with the helmet shows both the U.S. and Canadian flags. The DOT/ECE 22-05 version is different from the version on sale in Europe in that it has the double-D chin strap over here and -- according to Revzilla.com -- the shell shape was modified to make it more rounded for the North American market. If anyone does get the urge to buy one, I'd suggest you make sure that it be the Evoline Series 2 (many for sale are still the original and not Series 2).

Here's Shark's website:

http://www.shark-evoline.com/English.html

Here's a review from WebBikeWorld (of the original DOT version, not the Series 2, though they just received a Series 2 for evaluation a few days ago):

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motor...k-evoline/dot/

Finally, if you want to see the Series 2 "in action", check out this 30-min video of a French moto-journalist test riding the new VFR1200F from Paris to Dakar. This is what first got me intrigued about this helmet. The lid he's wearing is the one I bought (in Wayer White).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stu45JW42W4

[cbck1200s]

Thanks for the information about the Shark Evoline helmet.

This past week I ordered a BMW System 6 helmet from Designer Helmets in Great Britain. The helmet cost 415 pounds which equates to $645 CDN which was $200 cheaper than the cost here in Canada. I also ordered a replacement visor for my Caberg Justissimo helmet and with the shipping the BMW System 6 & Caberg visor came to 479 pounds. I figured that was pretty good.

I shipped it to my Blaine Washington mailbox to avoid the huge customs brokerage and tax grab. I'll declare it at the border and avoid the brokerage fees.

The good thing about ordering the BMW was that I had the opportunity to test the fit at the BMW shop here in the Vancouver area. With so many sizes available I would have been truly miffed if I'd ordered overseas and when it arrived the fit just didn't fit. That would have been a bummer.

With the Shark I would have run into that issue as I'm not sure it is sold here in my area. This way there's no doubt and no hastles.

I thank each and every one of you for your comments, suggestions and experiences. You've been a great help. If anyone wants to check out the System 6 I will have it with me when I attend the Redmond Rally. See you there.

cbcK1200S - Colin

[marcopolo]

If you have items shipped to Canada via the postal service you won't encounter the brokerage fees that are typically charged by firms like FedEx, UPS etc. You will, of course, pay PST and GST on the declared value (converted to $CDN). Helmets are not subject to duty (at least from the U.S.), nor are most motorcycle-related goods.

BTW, the System 6 price in Ottawa is $999!

[cbck1200s]

Well the helmet arrived in just over a week's time and the fit and feel is just wonderful. I love both the clear visor and the inner smoked sunvisor. The optics on both are just like wearing sunglasses.

I have only two complaints. My wife and I wear Cardo Q2 headsets and the design of the System 6 does not lend itself to the design of the unit. I've tried a couple of different ways attachment but haven't come up with an acceptable solution yet.

Secondly, the visor doesn't seat fully when you close the lid. You have to really give it a shove down to get it to seat properly. Once is does, man oh man you've got a great seal and sound barrier.

I'm sure I'll get the visor issue straightened out at my local dealership and if anyone else has an answer for the Cardo, I'd welcome any suggestions other that drilling holes in the lid.
cbcK1200S - Colin

[Weasel]

I had a Schuberth from a few years back when they were sold in the US (it was DOT approved). When it came time to replace the helmet, and my dealer did not have any modular helmets, they offered to order a Skorpion helmet to see if I liked it. It has the inner sunscreen. I took a 1/2 hour test ride and was very pleased. The size medium fit like the Schuberth XL. Price was something like 275.00 US. You might look at one of these and see if it's your cup of tea.

[GSA Girl]

I would imagine that many manufacturers are Leary of the Litigious nature of the American Entitlement Mentality. Did you read about the Biker on PCH in the Big Sur Area who crashed his bike and Sued the State of California for $9.6M. He was Drunk, Unlicensed, Riding an Uninsured and Unregistered Bike, Speeding, No Helmet or Gear, On the Wrong Side of The Road, With no Lights on when He Hit a Wild Pig! The State of California should have Known that Wild Pigs lived in the Forests Surrounding the Big Sur area and Warned the Rider. The rider was awarded $9,600,000 of California Tax Payer's Money. The Only Consolation is that he is a Vent Dependent Quad now, who is Fed Through a Tube and the money will go for his Medical Expenses. The State of California would have picked up his medical expenses anyway. In California we don't need Obama Care. We Already have Deadbeat Care! I am a Health Care Professional and I see things You Would Not Believe!

[cbck1200s]

Well folks... I ordered the System 6 Helmet from Designer Helmets online. They are located in England. The helmet arrived in about a weeks time and fits great.

My only problem with the helmet is that the visor doesn't close tight properly. I took the helmet to my local BMW dealership and the informed me that because I didn't buy it in Canada, they would not cover any warranty issues.

So, now I've got to contact BMW Canada to see if that is REALLY true or not, If so, I'll need to then contact the MOTHER SHIP to see what hoops I've got to jump through to get the helmet fixed.

It is funny though....the dealership stated when I raised the issue: that is a common problem with the helmet, all you have to do is push down hard on the top of the visor and it will seat itself. Interestingly or not, none of their instock helmets had the same problem.

If anyone else has any other suggestions I'd certainly be interested in hearing them.

cbcK1200S - Colin

)))))))))))))) =o&o>

[pmdave]

Shipping: I've ordered a few items from England, and my experience is that if it goes by post (mail) you just pick it up without paying duty. The limitation is size. If it's too big to mail, you have to ship by some other means, and that will very likely involve paying duty. (and the hassles of doing so)

Quality: I've worn Shuberth/BMW helmets, the last one purchased in person in England. Frankly, I don't see much about a Shuberth that justifies the increased cost. If you can wear a full coverage lid, the top of the line is probably Arai. For a flip-front, there are several brands from Italy, including Nolan. I've worn Nolans for a number of years.

Approvals: In the US of A, any helmet sold as a motorcycle helmet must meet DOT approval. They don't actually test every helmet, or every size, but the law allows the helmet manufacturer to put on the DOT sticker on every helmet once they have tested that style of helmet.

In some states, helmet requirements are stranger than fiction. In Washington State, for instance, State Patrol rules require that approved helmets have the approaval and manufacturer formed into the shell, not simply identified by a sticker. Since there are no helmets sold in WA meeting that requirement, the cops can't buy a legal helmet to wear while issuing you a complementary green stamp.

Compliance: Since there are so many different types, styles, and makers of helmets, it's a practical impossibility for a LEO to determine if your helmet is legal or not. More to the point, he/she has more important stuff to do. Even if they strongly suspect that beanie "party helmet" is very unlegal, they will very likely ignore it. So, if you are wearing a helmet that looks reasonably legal (Shoei, Nolan, Arai, HJC, Gmax, Zox, KBC, Suomy, Scorpion, Shark, Bell, etc.) it is extremely unlikely any LEO will stop you to check your helmet.

Legality: You are required to obey the laws of the state or province in which you happen to be at the moment. But if someone can flip off at the law by wearing a party hat (in lieu of a real helmet) you can be technically not legal, but ignored by the LEOs. If there is a mandatory helmet law in some state, the only question will be, "is the rider wearing something or not?" And, if for some strange reason you should be stopped and your helmet declared not legal, you could add the appropriate DOT sticker (or engraving) and take it to court. Very likely the judge doesn't know any more about helmets than the LEO, so if you appear to show legality, it's lilkely you will get off.

Safety: The Shuberth and other European-made helmets will have to meet Euro standards, which are different from USA standards. Different does not have much to do with "safer". A cheap WalMart helmet can provide adequate protection for street riding, because the critical part is the crushable EPS (foam) liner, and that's really cheap to manufacture. The other critical part is the chin strap. Whatever helmet you wear, do the "rolloff" test by grasping the rear edge of your helmet (while fully strapped on) and seeing if you can roll the helmet forward.

Personally, I would have no qualms about wearing any of today's major brands, from any developed country. I don't believe the different standards in different countries provide much differences in impact attenuation. Nor do I feel a SNELL rating is better for street riding than DOT or whatever the Euro standards are. The major differences are in shell, faceshield, and comfort liner quality, and exterior paint and graphics.

And, while we're at it, let's note that a light-colored helmet is easier to see than something with bold graphics that looks a lot like expensive camouflage. If you're more interested in staying alive than looking cool, consider how your helmet affects your conspicuity. White is good, yellow OK, silver acceptable. Red, blue, dark gray, black are less conspicuous than average.

Fit: Different helmet brands are based on different shapes of headforms. For instance, the Nolan is more of a "roundhead" while the Arai is more of an "oblong head." So, when buying a helmet, it's very important to try on different helmets and see what fits you. I've discovered that my new Nolan N-103 is really too short in the jaw area. My jaw bumps the insert in the flip front. I wish I had checked that out a little more carefully when I was trying it on for size.

Also, be aware that manufacturers occasionally change their dimensions. Last year's "large" may now be a "medium." It's not just a matter of diameter, but the actual shape. The helmet needs to be snug enough that when new it is almost uncomfortably tight. With use it will loosen up. If your skull can bang into the inside of the EPS, your brain will slosh around inside your skull--which is what causes brain injury.

Now then, to be legal in Canada, would I need to switch from my DOT approved lid to a helmet approved by the Canadian authorities? Maybe I can make up a suitable decal.

pmdave