The new Bell Moto 3 helmet landed on my desk today and I couldn’t be more pissed off.
Let me be clear in the fact that my anger has nothing to do with the helmet itself. All things considered, I am excited for an opportunity to try this lid, but we'll get to that in a second.
I am pissed because Bell's infinite willingness to be accommodating (delivering this helmet straight to HQ), shot my opportunity of attending the Bell Pool Party and bikini contest in Sturgis straight to hell.
Instead of packing my bags and heading out to South Dakota to party with Lemmy (He’s currently there riding Guzzi’s new Flying Fortress) and Carey Hart in a pool with a bunch of fun loving ladies, I get to stay here.
“Here” is Philadelphia. While Bell is out in Sturgis throwing a pool party for motorcycle loving folks I am stuck in a town where the local government is cracking down on pool parties. Classy, Philly.
At least I have a new Bell Moto 3 to play around with.
So what are riders getting with Bell’s newest retro inspired lid? The Moto 3 follows in the footsteps of the Custom 500 and Bullitt of putting form before function. Simple, clean, retro lines that provide riders with an increased level of noodle armor over helmets hailing from the same era as the vintage bikes they’re riding.
Bell's success with the Bullitt harkened to the desire from a public yearning for yesteryear.
Bell isn’t alone in on this retro rage. Biltwell has the Gringo. Nexx has the XG100. And some could argue that Bell’s new Moto 3 looks a lot like Simpson’s M30 Bandit helmet. If imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, then Bell remains the Belle of the Ball in the world of retro lids as their TX-500 is arguably one of the most copied designs in the history of headwear. Bell even copied it themselves with the Custom 500.
Back in March of 2014 I was sent to New York City on my first assignment for Common Tread. My mission, as I accepted it, was to attend Bell’s 60th Birthday Bash, drink some beers, rub some elbows, and get some dirt on what was coming next. Even before the Bullitt hit showrooms there was talk of the Moto 3 coming next.
Next, as it turned out, was nearly three years down the road.
With the café racer crowd pushing away from the street and riders trading their CB550s for DT250s and spooning knobby tires on Sportsters and Bonnies, the timing is perfect for the release of the Moto 3. In order to get an idea for the Moto 3's performance I pulled our long term Yamaha XSR900 out of the shop and took off.
Photo by Spurgeon
Bell left me with an XL and it runs a half size large. I am normally an XL if not a XXL in every helmet I own. While I don't think I would have been able to size down a full size I would love some thicker cheek pads. Riders between sizes will want to size down.
The Moto 3 is light. I haven't had a chance to throw it on the scale but I would guess it's going to weigh in at or under three pounds. It carries an ECE and DOT rating and was initially comfortable with an intermediate oval fit. Other then the chin bar, there are no vents and my head was hot in the dog day heat of August. Even with the massive eye port cut away for goggles, I would have loved some venting up top.
I wore it with a pair of dirt goggles because there is no face shield option. I was surprised at the lack of buffeting at lower speeds from the peak. It wasn't until I got up to highway speeds that I noticed the peak grabbing air, and even then it wasn't as bad as my Shoei VFX-W.
With that being said, this is not the helmet that will be replacing my well worn Shoei for off-road use. For that I will most likely be looking toward Leatt's GPX 5.5. The Moto 3 is more of a street helmet hybrid with a mean look for riders that want something different. I commend Bell, as well as these other manufacturers, for giving riders who might otherwise shy away from head protection uniquely styled options to choose from.
The Moto 3 doesn't go on sale for a few months yet but I plan on having fun with this sample in the meantime. I could see myself wearing this with my T-100 blasting around the city. Better yet, I think I'll take this out to San Diego for Yamaha’s launch of the SCR950.
Thoughts?
