Motorcycle Gear 101

What is the simplest way to improve something already excellent? Simple. Make it lighter. Everything you love about the HJC F70 Carbon Helmet is now available in a carbon shell. The HJC F70 Carbon full-face helmet was launched in 2020, and it brought about a whole new look for HJC with a dramatic design that looks like it's something from a movie. HJC F70 Carbon Review Shell Construction The Carbon fiber version, which arrived in early 2021, gives an even more eye-catching look with the use of very appealing Carbon fiber for the shell. With some helmets, the Carbon is only an outer layer on top of other types of fiber, but this one is a fully Carbon shell. Weight The size medium F70 Carbon weighs in on our scales at 1380 grams/0.8 lbs, making it a proper lightweight helmet. It's around 110 grams lighter than the regular F70, which has a fiberglass shell, and that's a significant weight saving. The price difference between the two helmets isn't that great, either. The F70 Carbon model costs under $450 as we write this review which is $135 more than a straight F70. Ventilation The venting is the same setup as the plain F70 with intakes at the chin and on top of the lid. There are twin vents at the chin. One is on a rocker, and the other is on a slider. They both draw air through to the inside of the chin bar and then send it up through an outlet on the top of the chin bar towards the inner surface of the visor. The top vent is also a twin setup with sliders pulling air into the helmet. The air then travels through the interior towards the back of the lid and out through this gathering of vents at the rear, which stays open all the time. Visor The F70s visor is very different from the company's other visors. It's shaped to wrap around the raised section in the center of the chin bar, and it has a v-shape across the top. There are dual lifting tabs on the visor so that you can operate the visor with either your left or right hands just as easily. Anti Fogging It's protected against mist by Pinlock 70 insert. A max vision insert covers most of the eye port for a clearer view. There's one thing that's worth knowing about this visor, and that's that you need a screwdriver to change it. The screw itself and the collar behind it are both vulnerable to making their escape when you're trying to change this visor. I wouldn't want to change visors regularly on this helmet, and I wouldn't want to do it all the time while I'm out and about. Sun Visor Thankfully, a tinted visor isn't strictly necessary, as a drop-down sun visor runs on a switch on the left-hand side of the helmet. The sun visor is coated to stop it from misting up, and it's worked well in my experience with this helmet. There's another difference internally to the original F70 when that helmet first came out, and that's the breath guard. This helmet has a much more traditional breath guard than those first F70s had. That one was very different from anything I'd seen before, and it filled the space between the drop-down sun visor and the chin bar. You still get one of those more dramatic breath guards, but now it's in the box rather than the helmet. So you can fit it to replace the standard guard if you like. Interior The F70 carbon has a comfy liner just as you'd expect with a helmet that costs over $400. It's fully removable, and the sections that line up with the intake vents have cutouts or mesh sections, so they don't block the airflow. A twin chin curtain is fitted to standard, and the extending section attaches with velcro. So it can easily be taken out if it gets on your nerves. Bluetooth Behind the liner are recessed for intercom speakers, and the F70 Carbon is prepared for HJC's smart intercoms. The cavity at the neck roll stores a battery then the control module attaches to the left-hand side of the lid. There's even a small recess inside the chin bar that accommodates the microphone for the smart intercoms. The padding is thinner just above the ears, and there's also a channel in the impact liner to make room for the arms of spectacles. Fastening Straps This helmet runs double D-rings, and they're a natty gold color in the F70 Carbon, which is one more thing to set it apart from the regular F70. Sizing The F70 comes in sizes extra small to double XL. In addition, there are two shell sizes. The first of those shell sizes covers helmet sizes up to and including medium, and the bigger shell covers lids from size large. Safety Ratings This lid meets ECE 2205 approval for the road and is also ACU gold so you can use it on track. It's also DOT rated for the American market. My experience with this helmet is that it's light, well ventilated, and offers a good peripheral vision. That peripheral vision is better with the narrower breath guard fitted rather than the big chunky breath box that filled all of the space under the sun visor on the original F70s when they came out. This helmet's interior shape differs from other HJCs I've reviewed. For example, it feels slightly longer and narrower than their alpha range, and it was a little too narrow for absolute comfort on my round-shaped head. If yours is a bit longer than it is wide, then this helmet or the regular F70 would be well worth a look. Features: Carbon shell that is both lightweight and strongAdvanced aerodynamic CAD shape with enlarged eye port for improved visibilityACS Advanced Channeling Ventilation System with front-to-back airflow channelsThe scoop top intake vent and the rear exhaust exit vent draw heat from the interior.The chin bar vent directs air across the face shield, reducing fogging.The MultiCoolTM interior is made of advanced anti-bacterial fabric that wicks well and dries quickly.The crown and cheek pads are completely removable and machine washable.Emergency cheek pads with quick releaseHJ-32 Pinlock-ready face shield with 95 percent UV protection (lens insert sold separately).HJ-V9 drop-down internal sun visor is larger.The patented sun shield mechanism deploys and retracts quickly and easily with a single touch.Speaker pockets that can be adjusted to three different positionsIncluded are a breath deflector and a chin curtain.Chin strap with D-ring closureThe Bluetooth-ready design accepts DOT-approved SMART HJC 10B or 20B Bluetooth communicators. Where To Buy ModelRevzillaSports Bike ShopHJC F70 CarbonFrom $423From £285

Motorcycle Gear 101

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