Hjc Hq-1

[James Deuce]

I'm a bit conservative when it comes to helmets and generally only buy long standing brands that have been crashed by guys who regularly travel at 2-3 times the velocity I do. You know those craaaaazy racing guys.

I muntered (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=41177) my Arai Condor Schwantz replica on the concrete steps leading up to the house and found myself in a bit of a bind.

TSS don't stock helmets that I know much about, and a session of trying on the AGVs, Sharks, and Suomys left me a bit gutted. They were all either too tight in my normal size, too loose in the next size up, or painfully uncomfortable.

Kerry handed me an HJC and said, "try it" and see what you think.

Behold, it doth fit! Not just fit either, but probably the most comfortable new helmet fitting I've had, ignoring the normal new helmet issues of slightly too tight here and there, and a different method of helmet installation and removal required, it fit my head perfectly. I could feel that the helmet fit my head shape bang on.

When Kerry said it was carbon fibre I had to have it. I firmly ignored the little voice telling me it was an HJC, took it home and watched telly and did a bit of work, and typed a couple posts on KB while wearing it.

Still mega-comfortable after a couple of hours.

I've ridden to and from work and out to the Supermarket yesterday (I'm not desperate or anything) and have found the helmet to be, well, bloody brilliant. Surprisingly good.

Features:

1. D-Ring fastener
2. Fabric chin fairing.
3. Chin and forehead vents that PUMP air much better than anything I've tried before.
4. Weight: 1300gms
5. Cool gang-banger graphics with dragons and Celtic influenced cues.
6. Aerodynamically designed - normally a BS claim that one. The HQ however, is the most stable helmet I've worn. Got freaked out a couple of times yesterday when the bike moved in a crosswind and my head didn't. Felt weird.
7. Fog free visor. AND IT IS!
8. Big giant breath guard.

Cons:

1. It's a bit noisy. But that's OK because I wear plugs, and it's no noisier than my Arai was. Gets a bit noisier when you turn your head from side to side, but the helmet is stable when you do turn and doesn't create any strain (at legal speeds) when you do.
2. Finish is a bit dodgey in a couple of places. If you investigate with a magnifying glass.

Overall I'm bloody pleased with it for $799 rrp.

[TonyB]

My last HJC survived two heavy hits- I know it should have only been one... money and stuff. So fear not the quality.
As for the antifog visor- they're bloody incredible aren't they? I've never seen anything like it. Fingers crossed that it lasts

[Sensei]

Own 6 Shoei's so thought time to try something else & spyed this Matt black Shark which goes Killer with my Aprillia RSVR so tryed on fitted mint like all my Shoeis do & walked out of the shop with my speacial deal price & a black lens to boot

[Hitcher]

Carbon fibre, eh? Does that mean it can be safely dropped down concrete steps?

[limbimtimwim]

My old HJC was a better helmet than my newish Suomy. Much less fogging up of my glasses. But, alas, it become too loose and has been retired.

Sounds like that's the top of the line model you got Jim2 :)

[vifferman]

Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!:mad:

I'd LOVE a new helmet, the more so since I face-planted the X-Vent into the footpath a coupla weeks ago, but I'd say there's feck all chance of that happening. My wife's too smart to buy an "accident" occurring, so what do I do?!?

[James Deuce]

Insurance claim.

Go bounce the helmet up and down the street a bit.

[NinjaBoy]

I recently went helmet shopping and ended up with a Shoei X-Spirit (X-11). My other helmet which I regularly use for commuting is an HJC CS14.

Even after a couple of month's use of the Shoei, I still find the HJC more comfortable. Fog free visor is way better than the Oxford insert I have. But hey I'm a fashion slave.

The only gripe I have with the HJC is on really hot summer days, the vents are not enough !

[Hitcher]

I see that Mr Shoei is now doing a XXXL, but unfortunately not in a flip-front or graphic. I may try an Anthracite...

[F5 Dave]

HJC is Americas top selling brand apparently & have been around for aeons.

There is a strong suspicion that Shoeis are made in the HJC factory. Even if not true HJC have been in bed with them somehow as they have long followed Shoei design, heck Henry's old HJC circa 1990 could have been a Task 5 (if you remember them). Had a few HJCs & I still prefer my Arai, but not by much.

My Touring, Racing & Dirt helmets are all HJC. Get better with every iteration. You can get Dark & double dark visors & the change takes a tickle to learn but is easy after that. Always too scared to change my Arai one after seeing it done.

[James Deuce]

Vastly better than my old Arai Condor in every way:

It's lighter by 30gms - less neck stress over time adds up to a happier Jim2 at the end of a long day.

Better fit around ears and top of head. Forehead needs to be correctly "settled" to get ideal fit. The back of the helmet is slightly higher than the Arai meaning that it doesn't foul the collar on either my leather jacket or my cordura jacket.

Wind noise is probably about the same as the Arai, but the helmet itself is a lot more aerodynamically stable. Again this reduces fatigue over a long day and side winds and gusting head winds are lot easier to cope with.

The vents. I'll probably regret this in Winter, but the amount of airflow is truly phenomenal. Actual cooling air rushing over the top of your head. A blast of air enters the helmet with the chin vent fully open. Very nice when working hard. Again this helps a great deal over the course of a long hot day.

The visors. The Antifog coating works, they seal properly in the rain and the mildly smoked one reduces glare enough to avoid the need to squint at high noon, while being light enough to cope with well lit situations at night. The clear visor isn't that great in that it is optically correct. Which is odd because the smoked one is.

The giant breath guard stops the visor from fogging in the rain.

It's Carbon Fibre. Set Wank Factor to 10, Ms Sulu.

The vision aperture is HUGE. Peripheral vision is excellent, helping with objects approaching from the side and planning lines through corners, as well as allowing good vision from a chin on tank position.

Visor changes are a dream. Pull back two spring loaded clips which lock in place and release the visor from the hinges. Line up the arrows on the visor with arrows on the hinge mechanism and push in gently. The spring loaded clips release, locking the visor in. Harder to describe in words than perform in life. I dare say that with practice you could change visors without removing helmet from head.

Downside:

Only 3.

Too many HJC stickers. They are too big and make the helmet look a little tacky, IMO of course.

The finish is nowhere near as good as the Arai.

The giant breath guard is difficult to get just "right", and can be a little claustrophobic.

Price: $899 retail, or the same as my Arai Condor, but probably half the price of every other Carbon Fibre helmet on the market.

The HQ-1 makes the Arai Condor feel old and clunky, with a narrow vision aperture in both directions and a fairly dodgy visor swap process that feels a little violent to me, and stopping some people (F5Dave) from swapping their visors altogether!

If you have an oval head with a long sagittal section and flat-ish parietal sections then this is the helmet for you. If you suffer from neck, trapezius or upper thoracic spinal pain then a lighter helmet can only be good.

I've always perceived HJC to be cheap and nasty. Nice to be proven wrong. Now lets hope I don't do something stupid and need to replace it. This helmet should outlive me, if Carbon Fibre really is as indestructible as they say.

[F5 Dave]

Yes its true, I've only swapped my Arai Quantum visor from clear to black once in its life. :mellow:

Even then I got a mate to do it & it is scary, looks like it will scratch the paint.

But the Arai is only a dry weather helmet, the HJC is my touring & night time helmet. I have another HJC for racing. Visor swap once the knack is gotten is a breeze.

[TonyB]

As mentioned above, the antifog properties of my HJC are freakishly good.
In the past I've used a fog city- this HJC is miles better.
I've used some expensive Japanese stuff that you squirt on- this HJC is miles better.
I've used a thin smear of dishwashing liquid- this HJC is miles better.

After putting it off for ages I finally decided to risk cleaning the inside of the visor. I read the instructions- funilly enough it made no mention of how to clean the visor, so I went with warm soapy water, convinced that the magical anti-fog would be washed off. After it was washed I dipped my finger in the hot water and put it against the outside of the visor- fog all around my finger. So I tried the inside- zero fog. Holy crap it still works!

Anyone know how it works?

Oh, and the visor just pops off- you push where it says push and the sucker just pops off.

[Street Gerbil]

Just wanted to add that the bowling bag supplied with HQ1 is friggin brilliant too.

[James Deuce]

Yeah, isn't it? The lining is nice and soft and the vinyl base with the ventilation holes is a brilliant idea.

[Hitcher]

Mrs H and I are after a couple of those bags so we can take helmets, etc with us to Australia...

[James Deuce]

Fly do a really nice fleece lined helmet bag too.

[bistard]

I agree Jim,the HJC helmets have come along way in the last couple of years & I have been useing Arai for years,will probably look at HJC next time as well

[Deviant Esq]

Thanks for the writeup Jim, much useful information provided. :niceone: