BMW SportIntegral helmet questions

[RSL]

For those who have worn these:

 

Why are they quieter?

[JohnBeaven]

I believe they are supposed to be quieter due to their shape. They also have a neck role to further cut noise.

 

I find that the sportintegral is quieter than my old System 4 while I am wearing ear plugs. Without the plugs it is noisier - go figure. Another thing is that with the chin vent open it is very noisy.

 

How much noise that is experienced is going to depend on the motorcycle - faired or unfaired, and the airflow over or around the fairing.

 

I find the sportintegral to be an excellent helmet. Very light and comfortable. Also, the resistance to fogging is superb - so far I have found it just doesn't fog up even with the visor completely closed.

 

I got mine on Ebay for half the retail proce which made it even better.

[RSL]

Thanks, John, that helps.

 

Sounds like the chin vent is a noise maker.

 

Favor to ask/questions:

 

If, with the visor fully closed, you were to slip a piece of paper of about the thickness of a dollar bill or Post-It note between the visor and seal, how tight is it? Similar tightness all the way around the seal?

 

If you've ever had the lining out for, say, installation of an intercom or speakers, what's the lining around the ears made of, and is there any extra soundproofing in the ear area of the helmet shell?

[JohnBeaven]

I slipped a post it note betwixt the visor and seal and it was pretty dificult to move it at all in any position around the visor.

 

I has a feel around the ears and the material over the ears is just the cool max material. There are however indentations in the shell to allow the installation of speakers or such. This gap could well contribute to some noise.

[RSL]

I figured the seal would be pretty tight, or you'd get wind noise and/or whistle from it, just as with the weatherstrip seals on car windows and windshields. Lexus uses a triple seal, and is reportedly about the best.

 

As for any gaps around the ears or helmet liner, why not try this: Get some soft foam weatherstripping from the hardware or homebuilding supply store, and stuff it into those gaps. Obviously, don't do this such that it would compromise the craftsmanship or structure of your helmet. I suspect that at least some helmet noise is from air flowing through such gaps, and this would be a cheap and easy way to find out.

 

My BMW System IV helmet has all sorts of gaps around the chinpiece hinge, and I stuck some adhesive backed weatherstrip foam in those gaps..have not yet tested it, though. The 1/8" weatherstripping worked great with the visor seal on my Baehr Silencer II helmet, though. Stay tuned.