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Negative Helimot Reviews?

Z3n

Z3n

Squid.
Joined
Feb 3, 2005
Location
Oakland, CA
Moto(s)
help me prove my commitment to Sparkle Motion.
So...It came up in another forum I'm on, the debate of CE armor against non-CE armor. People were talking about how Helimot gear isn't CE certified, and thusly they wouldn't really trust it. My reply was that he's been making gear for 20+ years, he's got the most expensive stuff on the market, yet it's still incredibly popular among the people that are absoultely the hardest on their gear (racers), and i haven't heard a single negative review about the crashworthyness of his gear. I did read one negative review about fit, which was kinda :wtf? but it was a single, unsubstantiated claim, so i just sort of shrugged it off.

So: Is there anyone who is out there who wasn't happy with their helimot suit in a crash? If you have crashed in one, what happened and how do you think the armor worked out/it would have compared to another suit?

Thanks guys!
 
I think the padding is overrated in all these suits, I have a Vanson 1 piece suit and the paddign in there is just some foam with a piece of plastic sewn onto the top of it, and they have some fancy name for it. If you ask me it is not very fancy, looks like crappy foam too. Saying that I've crashed quite a few times in that suit and even one time really hard on my shoulder, there is a huge road rash mark on the shoulder of the suit and I walked away with not even a tingle in my shoulder.

I think being in physical good shape and having some muscle tissue in the important areas like your shoulders will help you even more than ce/non ce requirements. I think weenies that are out of shape and have more flub than muscle are more prone to get injured rather than what armor they have in their suit

I mean look at these suits, they are still relatively the same as 20 years ago. Are they really that much better, I doubt it.

EDIT: I also crashed on the street with a top of the line Dainese Jacket. This time ALL of the force (about 25 mph when I finally crashed after braking) went into my shoulder, I completely shoulder planted. It pretty much took all the force. My shoulder was sore for a few weeks after that one but still that was it. I was still working my shoulders out in the gym, just a lot more carefully. Instead of being a science nerd, go to the gym and work on buiding some muscle, the best amor/padding there is :laughing
 
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Yody said:
I think the padding is overrated in all these suits, I have a Vanson 1 piece suit and the paddign in there is just some foam with a piece of plastic sewn onto the top of it, and they have some fancy name for it. If you ask me it is not very fancy, looks like crappy foam too. Saying that I've crashed quite a few times in that suit and even one time really hard on my shoulder, there is a huge road rash mark on the shoulder of the suit and I walked away with not even a tingle in my shoulder.

I think being in physical good shape and having some muscle in the important areas like your shoulders will help you even more than ce/non ce requirements. I think weenies that are out of shape and have more flub than muscle are more prone to get injured rather than what armor they have in their suit

I mean look at these suits, they are still relatively the same as 20 years ago. Are they really that much better, I doubt it.
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Well, i wouldn't say that they're relatively the same as 20 years ago...20 years ago there was no padding, no real armor, no back protectors, etc. Granted, suit design hasn't changed much, we don't have anti gravity repulsors or anything to prevent us from hitting the ground, but overall, it seems that while it's still a leather suit, the armor has improved, the location, and design of the suits has improved.

It does sort of remind me of the sandwich CE test though. :laughing
 
CE requires testing. Simply because Helimot's armor isn't CE certified doesn't mean that it wouldn't meet that standard if Helmut sent the required number of pieces to europe to be tested.

That said, I tag along with yody. You don't really know what you are going to get in your armor until you crash in it, and then there are so many confounding factors you can never blame the armor if you end up with a broken shoulder or torn knee.
 
I thoroughly unimpressed by almost all the armor on the market, and the minimalist amount of overall thought to what street motorcycle "leathers" actually serve. Icon Field armor comes to thought...Dainese safety jacket comes to thought...each relatively feeble attempts to satisfy a market niche with flash and not substance. A few items like T-pro, D3o, and airbag jackets have upped the safety margins...but there is little integration into a comprehensive concept of what gear is actually more important at protecting the rider from. Seems gear is mainly aimed at protecting from rash and designed around that with plenty of comprimise for fashion and bling. THat being said, Helimot is the best gear currently on the market, if you compare all aspects of leather gear and customer support.
 
rritterson said:
CE requires testing. Simply because Helimot's armor isn't CE certified doesn't mean that it wouldn't meet that standard if Helmut sent the required number of pieces to europe to be tested.

That said, I tag along with yody. You don't really know what you are going to get in your armor until you crash in it, and then there are so many confounding factors you can never blame the armor if you end up with a broken shoulder or torn knee.
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This is true. However, I learned recently that any one off piece can not be CE approved simply because every suit is different. CE testing is destructive and thusly you cannot test things that are custom made by hand, like all of helimot's gear.

4tuneit1 said:
I thoroughly unimpressed by almost all the armor on the market, and the minimalist amount of overall thought to what street motorcycle "leathers" actually serve. Icon Field armor comes to thought...Dainese safety jacket comes to thought...each relatively feeble attempts to satisfy a market niche with flash and not substance. A few items like T-pro, D3o, and airbag jackets have upped the safety margins...but there is little integration into a comprehensive concept of what gear is actually more important at protecting the rider from. Seems gear is mainly aimed at protecting from rash and designed around that with plenty of comprimise for fashion and bling.
Click to expand...

I agree entirely. The tpro stuff and D3o is neat, but i haven't had a chance to really take a look at it yet. Helimot's armor is the first stuff that i've really felt comfortable in, simply because i can slam my knee into the ground with nothing more than mild discomfort. No other suit i've had has felt like that.
 
Brown81 said:
It would be cool if Helimot offered TPro armor like Johnson Leathers does.
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The padding in Helimot suits is removeable. It you don't like it, you can slap in some t-pro or wear the t-pro lycra suit (with sewn on t-pro padding) underneath your suit.






However, I used t-pro for snowboarding when I was first learning. That padding might help on a very severe impact, but with repeated snowboard falls, I was in serious pain after using the t-pro. The padding is too hard. The next time, I switched to a different CE padding that provided a more gradual deceleration & was in less pain from repeated falls.

When I crash tested my helimots at a mini-motard day and then at t-hill, I found that the padding had the ability to spread out the impact and decelerate me to the point that the impact never hurt.

:thumbup Helimots get crash tested by people who ride a lot faster than me and have bigger motorcycle careers at stake. If those guys (and gals) weren't happy with Helimot, they'd change brands.
 
Brown81 said:
It would be cool if Helimot offered TPro armor like Johnson Leathers does.
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He used to back in the old shop dayz. I bought my T-Pro back protector there.

On another note: Reading through the thread about the protection that all riding suit makers create I notice one important factor missing. Either be a hard plated armor or a multi-dense foam armor a key component is the fit of the armor on your gear. You may do have the every best armor in the whole motorcycling era ever had but it wouldn't do jack sh*t if the armor rolls around your arm or knees. Test and check you jacket out, bend that arm at 30 degrees and see if the armor moves more than 1-1.5" on either side. Irregardless of what armor or gear you get make sure the fit of the product is right.
 
At this price point ($1600+), few are going to argue that any one brand of suit is substantially better than another. I've seen top-dollar suits from Helimot (including my own), Dainese, and others hold up very well to a variety of crashes. (Conversely, I've seen sub-$900 suits from MotoGP and Teknic split at the seams from rather ordinary lowsides.)

Rather, the majority of Helimot customers choose them for the custom fit and customer service. I have a long torso and shorter legs which pretty much eliminates the off-the-rack offerings. And through 3 years of regular use (and 4 crashes, and 2 repair orders in which the suit came back looking almost new), it is still going strong.

This, in combination with the years of anecdotal evidence (however subjective it may be) of the crashworthiness of Helimot suits, is sufficient to override any perceived advantages of CE approval, for me.
 
I have zero experience with Helimot or Helmut altogether, but I've decided that if I'm getting a custom suit made any time soon, I'm going to have the manufacturer put in the BMW NP armor, even if that means bringing it in myself.

As it is I already replaced my street stuff with the NP, and it's super comfy once warmed up a little by your body heat.

And it's CE, and the pieces are FRICKING HUGE! Tons o' coverage with it.
 
I have crashed tested a Helimot suit very hard, both in terms of impact and abrasion and I can tell you it performed brilliantly. No bruises and no seam or leather breakdown at all. And that was one of his older suits made around 1999. The armor in his newer suits is even better.

Anyone who hasn't tried on one of Helimots newer suits really doesn't have any idea how good it is relative to all this 'CE' approved hard plastic stuff out there. His back protector is awesome as well. And when it all gets warm it just molds to your body.

Also, as another poster mentioned, fit is everything. That armor needs to stay in place on impact and it won't in an ill fitting suit.

I've never heard a bad word about a Helimot suit ever. And if someone was complaining about fit, that's their fault. Helimot will adjust and refit the suit until it's exactly how you want it. It's not a one-shot-you-show-up-and-take-what-you-get kinda thing.
 
Z3n said:
This is true. However, I learned recently that any one off piece can not be CE approved simply because every suit is different. CE testing is destructive and thusly you cannot test things that are custom made by hand, like all of helimot's gear.



I agree entirely. The tpro stuff and D3o is neat, but i haven't had a chance to really take a look at it yet. Helimot's armor is the first stuff that i've really felt comfortable in, simply because i can slam my knee into the ground with nothing more than mild discomfort. No other suit i've had has felt like that.
Click to expand...

1. CE Testing on crash protectors is not destructive. And even if it is so what? I'm sure not every piece of Helimot armor is unique. There are custom suit manufactures out there with complete CE cert, i think bks is one. I honestly think that Helimot doesn't do it because it doesn't make any business sense. Do you think ppl buy more helimot b/c it all of a sudden have a ce cert. And what if it doesn't pass? Not worth it. Ppl buy helimot for the brand and the reputation in the racing community. I'd probably buy one even if it wasn't certified.

2. Also even if no CE Testing is available on helimot armor, you can still get a pretty good idea of its effectiveness by knowing the material used and the thickness of the armor. The stuff Helimot uses is similar to what aerostich uses except helimot seals the armor with vinyl on the outside. And to be honest i think you can do better.

3. Just because they've been using the same crash protectors for 20 years doesn't mean there isn't anything better. With that said it would be nice to know how effective their armor is in preventing injuries ... not just my friend crashed and he was okay stories.

4. Banging your knee armor on the ground or getting hit by a bat or hammer with the armor on doesn't tell me anything. When i fall off my bike, it's not the same as getting beat up by hammers and baseball bats.
 
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nismodan said:
I have zero experience with Helimot or Helmut altogether, but I've decided that if I'm getting a custom suit made any time soon, I'm going to have the manufacturer put in the BMW NP armor, even if that means bringing it in myself.

As it is I already replaced my street stuff with the NP, and it's super comfy once warmed up a little by your body heat.

And it's CE, and the pieces are FRICKING HUGE! Tons o' coverage with it.
Click to expand...

I did that with my aerostich. I bought their NP armor jacket and had it under my aerostich instead of the stadard stuff. I'd actually advice using the tpro stuff instead. Their Type B impact protectors are much better than NP armor.
 
Yes the CE is the only way to go

It is such protective stuff.

It took one me one punch with the ball point and two kicks with the peg
 

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