Bilt Adventure Helmet Report

Put a chin skirt on mine I used one from an hjc helmet.

Got mine today...I have a Fly Trekker and an AFX-39...the Bilt looks to be a better quality with the exception of the fit of the liner. The Bilt liner seems a bit loose and I catch my glasses on it.
Other then that I agree with what most others have said...the shield is currently tight and holds it's position well. The lack of a tab on the shield is annoying, not for closing the visor but lifting it...maybe with a bit a practice.





I tried fitting my Scotts OTG goggles and they seemed to fit fine.....



I do like how far up the shield goes...pretty sure this is higher then the other two



Though you can't see it too well in the photo, the liner is a bit loose



Size wise, all three of my helmets are XL, but so far the Bilt fits best...we'll see if it looses up when I wear it a bit.

I went out for a quick ride today after the helmet arrived (had to go see what damage the hurricane did )...It appeared to have less wind noise then the other two, and even getting the bike up to 80mph, the shield held it's 1/4 open position...

So far I like it....not bad for an $80 helmet (purchased with my NEX card and got a 20% discount on the $99 web price )

True. I called the office in Illinois about 2 onths ago and was told none of the distributors picked it up. So not sold in North America. I intended to test fit it when I passed through on a trip. The internal sunscreen was the deciding factor between the XD-4 and X-551. I still bought neither.

So the Bilt is the only one on the NA market with an internal sun visor. I bought a silver one today. Never had a DS helmet before. I figured 100 bucks isn't too bad in case I don't like it. I'm hoping it will be less noisy than a true dirt helmet.

It seems to fit pretty well. I normally wear a large in any helmet but the Bilt came in at Medium.

Only beefs I can see is the peak is non adjustable and the outer shield doesn't have a tab for lifting and lowering, just a contoured shelf around the perimeter. So you have to touch the shield to lower it. It does have positive feeling closing against the seal. But I'm not certain that the inside of the visor actually makes contact with the seal abover the brow. So, it may let in water. I'll try it at the next rainy day. Fogs up sitting still with the shield down and it was 80 degrees today.

It's probably worth 100 bucks. Cheap enough to try out.

To make it a bit better:

1. Needs a chin curtain.

2. Needs vents on side of chin bar.

3. Needs exhaust vents on the lower rear of helmet.

4. Shell needs molded in indentions for goggle straps like many MX helmets.

5. Allow peak to adjust forward a bit.

Pretty good first attempt at a budget DS helmet. For me, if I like this long term, it's a stepping stone to the XD-4 Or maybe the X-551 will make it to NA next year. Or I pick one up on vacation in Europe

I need to post up a pic of my liner tonight, but my only real complaint was that there is a odd seam in the front that it doesn't appear that yours has. Maybe mine is defective, like it's not sewn completely.

I have the seam also, I noticed it like you did. It appears to be the removable liner is attached behind the seam. But, it doesn't impact the fit or function of the helmet, so I guess that's ok, it's just a production thing.




This is the visor, as has been mentioned, there is no tab sticking out to raise/lower it. It just takes a little getting used to, it's easy to work the shield as is.



My new helmet next to my old helmet. Anyone wanna buy a really clean RF1100?

Even with gloves on?

I think so, yeah. It helps that the helmet is a super good fit (for me) and stays in place.

Honestly, this helmet may not be the best in the world, I am excited about it because

a. it fits better than any other full face I have worn
b. it's a really good value at $99
c. I love value gear that performs at a significantly higher level

If the helmet didn't fit me so well, I would not have given it much thought. If another guy tries the helmet and says, not a good fit for him, he should look elsewhere. But overall, pretty neat to see a moderately priced helmet from Cycle Geat blow up my expectations.

i like the looks of this helmet, trying to find my 20% off coupon right now.

I have had this helmet now for two weeks, riding my R1200GS Adventure.

Behind the Adventure fairing the helmet is almost as quiet as my Shoei Hornet. The beak is a little longer, thus providing better sun protection, although it is also a little narrower.

The internal sun visor works well and is one of my favorite features for everyday use. The large clear visor is fine, too. I like that it is infinitely adjustable. The shape of the visor allows opening it without a tab.

The interior is not quite as nice as the Hornet, but still comfortable. In terms of size, I wear an L in both Hornet and Bilt and the fit is excellent.

The Hornet has more vents and should vent better when it is hot. I was not able to test the Bilt in hot weather.

I have an AFX FX-3whatever, and a Vega street helmet with an internal sunshield. My concern with the sunshields is that most do not seem to be rated for UV protection. The problem with this is that they block visible light, causing your pupils to expand, potentially letting more invisible UV light in to damage your eyes. The AFX main shields block UV light, even though their helmets have no internal sunshield. I do really like the sunshield feature on my street helmet that has no peak though, and I would hope that mfrs start using clearly-labeled UV-blocking materials for these.

You wouldn't wear sunglasses without a UV rating, would you?

The flip-down feature on the Bilt seemed nicer than the one on my Vega, BTW. The padding and appearance of the Bilt seems good too. I'm also happy to see that Bilt decided to offer a helmet in white.

Mine has the same seam if i'm looking at the picture right. I agree it just seems to be the way the liner is made

Polycarbonate typically blocks out 98% of UV anyway, which typically all face shields are made of. If they were to try to get away with acrylic (not as impact resistant), it'd still block UV light.

That's my thinking as well. And since you have two shields the inner and the outer, shouldn't the result be even better?

I wish, though, things were more clearly labeled.

I'm planning to roll by Cycle Gear tonight for a closer look at the Bilt Adventure. I've been very happy with a couple of Shoei RF1000s. My only experience with an integrated sun visor was on a GMAX modular, and while it was convenient, I found it a bit tough to keep clean, (the sun visor that is) and it was the first thing to stop functioning correctly. The GMAX is definitely a heavier and louder helmet than the Shoei.

Would anyone know how the Bilt compares in terms of weight and wind noise?

OK.... The "Explorer" is not the lid for me. First, it just wasn't a good fit for my melon, but more importantly however (since everyone doesn't have the same shape head) the lack of a good way to close the shield without getting your fingers on the viewing area (as mentioned earlier) turned out to be a showstopper.

Does anyone have any thoughs on another budget DS helmet the "Fly Trekker"..?

Take a look at this one, the latest clone to enter the market:

It's the Cyber Helmets UX-32, WITH the sunshield already installed AND only $85
http://www.cheapcycleparts.com/produ...s-ux-32-helmet

So there is the Fly Trekker, AFX FX-39, MSR Xpedition M-13, and now this UX-32 ALL these helmets are virtually identical. SOMEONE never got the exclusive patent rights. I don't think I've seen this many of the same helmet from different companys before. <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

That UX32 might be the same as the Bilt, but the Bilt is a different lid from the Fly and the AFX. If the Bilt doesn't fit you try either the AFX or the Fly (neither of these fit me at all! the Bilt is right for my noggin).

S1 (still liking mine)

The UX-32 IS DIFFERENT then the BILT. I never implied it was the same. That is what he asked for, since the BILT didn't fit him right. . I offered up the Cyber and the other 3 similar brands. BTW The MSR Large was too tight for MY melon but the AFX Large fits just right Everyone is different.. Some more than others:eek1

i tried on helmets today and i usually wear a xl. i tried the built xl and it was a little snug but ok, then i tried the xxl and it felt tighter for some reason, then i tried another xxl and it felt better than the other xxl. so i guess the fitment could be weird on them. then i tried on a fx39 xl and it was way bigger than the built xl and xxl.