Recommendation - O'Neal Sierra Adventure helmet.

[Nick V]

Bought one of these this weekend.

So far, I've had one medium-length night ride and one long day ride in it. Observations so far:

• Everything looks and feels high-quality. No cheap and nasty mouldings here.
• A comfy fit on my (large, according to O'Neal) head. The helmet doesn't move around or tilt.
• It's reasonably cool in mid-spring Johannesburg heat. But then again, it's always hard to tell how well vents work on a GS with a tall screen, innit? I haven't been caught in the rain with it yet, so no idea how water-resistant or fog-resistant it is.
• A flip-down sun visor that works well.
• I can change visors without having to remove the peak. First Adventure helmet in my experience that allows you to do this.
• A REALLY good field of peripheral vision. Too many helmets I've owned make me feel like I'm wearing blinkers.
• So far, there doesn't seem to be any wind leaking in around the visor seal.
• Big props to O'Neal for this one: so far, this is the only Adventure helmet I've owned with a chin curtain that actually works! (a major bonus for me - I really, really hate dust being blown into my eyes and/or the visor being blown open when I check my blind spots.)
• Comparative prices: O'Neal: R2 099. Shoei Hornet DS: R6 999. Arai TourX4: R7 499.

The only negatives I've picked up so far:

• The 3-D visor moulding cuts off my field of view to the instruments. This means that instead of a quick glance down, I now have to tilt my head forward. Not nice.
• The same chin curtain that insulates me so nicely from the wind blast, tries to cut off my nose when I take the helmet off.

All in all, I don't think this is a purchase I'll regret.

Arai and Shoei really need to pull their socks up and start running - they have fallen way behind.
The Hornet DS hasn't changed at all since its inception, and the TourX3 (which I also own) tries to justify a price increase of R2 000 with two measly extra vents and some new paint.
If that's all they can bring to the table, they deserve to have companies like O'Neal taking away customers.

 

[Schtum]

I imagine that one of the justifications for the difference in price between this and the Shoei Hornet and Arai Tour-X is that this has an ABS shell whereas the Hornet and Tour-X are of a glass-fibre construction.

Also there is a new Shoei Hornet X2 which is considerably improved over the previous model and Arai now produce the Tour-X 4 which certainly offfers improved fit and finish over the earlier models.

 

[Nick V]

I imagine that one of the justifications for the difference in price between this and the Shoei Hornet and Arai Tour-X is that this has an ABS shell whereas the Hornet and Tour-X are of a glass-fibre construction.

Also there is a new Shoei Hornet X2 which is considerably improved over the previous model and Arai now produce the Tour-X 4 which certainly offfers improved fit and finish over the earlier models.

Sure thing!
But it doesn't change the fact that I could get 3.5 O'Neals for the price of one Arai.
I could understand that if the O'Neal were a use-once-and-destroy 'Taiwan Special', but my practical experience over the last 24 hours indicates that, on balance, the O'Neal is actually the better helmet.