HJC IS-16 helmet, what do you think? VS ICON Alliance

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thecca

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Hi guys, I am currently intensively shopping for a new helmet. I was looking to buy the ICON Alliance Rubatone helmet, but I found a similar helmet with more features for the same price : the HJC IS-16 helmet. It comes with an integrated sun lens and the helmet is 15$ less expensive.

What do you think between thoses 2? Is anyone using the IS-16 right now?


Thanks

ICON Alliance
ICON_alliance_helmet_solid_black_rubatone_1000.jpg


HJC IS-16
HJC_IS-16_Solid_Helmet_Matte_Black_zoom.jpg
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I can tell you right now that the Icon moves alot of air so it will be on the louder side. I have the Airframe in matte black. There is also a problem with the finish and I'm not sure if HJC is this way or not but if the finish comes off at all Icon will not warrenty the finish on the helmet. I didn't do anything for the finish to start coming off but I do have alittle peeling on the chinguard. Me being the neat freak I am with my gear this absolutley bothered me so now I am looking at new lids when I get back into the states.
 
I have never been impressed by ICON helmets. They look cheap & flashy, and are packed with gimmicks but you don't get a lot of build quality from what I have seen. I've heard they're very loud, very heavy and extremely large for that bobblehead look.

HJC is ok but it wouldn't be my first pick. My experience with HJC is that they pack in very quickly. I've owned one HJC which I promptly sold and my girlfriend is on her 2nd which the most recent has already packed in almost a size larger in about a year.

Just my experiences, FWIW.

My suggestion is to take a look at Scorpion if you're browsing in that low-price segment. I'm currently using an EXO-400 and am nothing but impressed. Even comparing it to my previous helmet which was much more expensive (Arai Vector), it stands up well.

Their customer service is fantastic as well. Recently had dealings with them regarding a visor I purchased and they went above and beyond.
 
do you wear glasses ?
do you live in a hot climate ?
If you do, chose a model that you can flip up the chin piece.
With those you can put the helmet on without taking off your glasses, and on a warm day, you can ride with more confort with the wind on most of your face in safe areas.
I have one now that has a tinted visor inside that can be adjusted with a button on the top of the helmet - very nice.
 
I've had the Icon Airframe...same as the rubatone but with the extra scoop in the middle....it lasted 4 rides if that.....uncomfortable (padding a bit rough), and just did not fit right....quality...so...so.
Fitted like the Shoei X-11 which I had and did not feel right.

I have a IS-16 that I carry as a spare, mostly because of the inner sheild (for day to night riding) and the chatterbox set-up.....I've worn it a bunch of times, but not any real long rides.....pretty comfy, quality better than the Icon, good lid for the price....and pretty light.

My daily lid is a Arai Corsair, soo I don't complain about noise... and the HJC is almost as light.
 
Thanks for thoses answers guys!

I don't wear glasses and I don't want a hybrid helmet. I'll take a look at scorpion.

I am willing to pay 200$, that's the middle range for a street helmet.
 
I have no experience with Icon helmets, but I bought HJC helmets for my kids (son 12, daughter 10). My daughter needed the youth L/XL (CL-Y) and didn't fit in the adult XS, but my son wears the M in the HJC CL-16. My wife and I both have Shoei RF-1100's, so that's my basis of comparison. I'm in an XXL and she is a M. The youth is only DOT, but the CL-16 is also SNELL 2010.

The CL-16 has all the features on paper you'd look for as compared to the RF-1100, but at a 1/4 to 1/3 the price. Of course, there's a lot of fit/finish differences, but at around $100 ($130-$145 MSRP), the HJC is sweet. It has a good quick release visor, fully removable liner (but not the chin strap covers, as far as I know), weak to moderate ventilation, and comes with a clear pinlock and insert (great value). Of course, it doesn't come with a chin curtain, but I bought one and it fit and matched fine. I had to replace one of the quick release shield plates because it wouldn't lock open when the shield was off. It was a fairly cheap and very easy swap. I bought my son the gold mirrored shield for it and it looks good. He has the yellow Hellion pattern.
mc3.jpg
The shield detentes are not great, but work for the price. The Cl-16 doesn't have the internal sunshade, but web bike world usually gives them bad marks for added weight and if you ride in the rain, the rain gets in and drips down the sun shield on the inside of the helmet.

I'd look up any helmets you are considering on webBikeWorld and check their review. I'm a huge fan of the Shoei RF-1100, but it's about 1.5 to 2x your price range, and most helmets will give the same protection, it's just comfort and price at this point. The new Bell line has gotten great reviews. That might be another manufacturer to check out.

Give us a review and some pics of whatever you end up buying!
 
joeblowe said:
Question:
What kind of tank cover ? Where did u get it ?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I assume you are talking about my tank cover (carbon fiber look). I wish i could answer that, but it ws on the bike when i bought it last October. I purchased the bike from a dealership, and they didn't know either. If you find out, let me know. I may take it off this winter to check out the tank. I think i have to remove the tank to get it off.

I do like it, for the most part, but I worry about dirt getting under it and scratching. I also find it gets twisted and in odd positiins at times.

So much for a helmet thread... Sorry for the hijack. I thought about putting this in a PM, but others have asked about the tank cover, and I still cant answer it properly.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
 
I'll take a look at thoses helmet also!


I found the Scorpion EXO-500 (that is similar to exo-1100 but less expensive. It has integrated sun lens and is under 199$ retail price.

What do you think?

84329exo500spec_00000039846.jpg
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I went to the store yesterday and I decided to go with SCORPION helmets... Since they have great reviews on the internet and tons of features for the price.


Store didn't had exo-500 so I had to order them from SportBikeTrackGear.com. I will keep up with you guys about the helmet itself and probably write a review about it.

It's always difficult to find a good helmet, since there is thousands of different models...
 
thecca said:
I went to the store yesterday and I decided to go with SCORPION helmets... Since they have great reviews on the internet and tons of features for the price.


Store didn't had exo-500 so I had to order them from SportBikeTrackGear.com. I will keep up with you guys about the helmet itself and probably write a review about it.

It's always difficult to find a good helmet, since there is thousands of different models...
Click to expand...

Scorpion helmets have always offered a good product for the money IMHO. I've only used the EXO-700, but the EXO-500 looks like it's a nice helmet. Looking forward to your review.
 
Glad to hear you got a Scorpion and am also looking forward to the review.


Just a heads up:
ICON helmets are produced by iCON and constructed by HJC. No, you won't find that written anywhere on the iCON helmets. Common practice these days with many manufacturers.

I'm 12,000km into my rubatone airframe and it is not adding upto the sum of its parts.
LIKES: airflow, shape, price, easy/simple shield adjustment, easy topvent function
DISLIKE: top seal on the screen sticks and leaks like a siv, noisy as hell above 160km/h, rear topvents don't have a closing function, padding is very thin in some places, noisy underneath rear of ears, non-fog visor lives upto its claim and instead becomes a full blur visor when damp :wtf:, release mechanism is a cuticle ripper:tdown: bobble-head shell.

Will make a great 2nd helmet
 
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heres the problem w HJC, last week and my 50 dollar tinted sheild flew off in traffic. I turned around only to see it crushed by a suv. epic fail. when I got to work I looked @ the sheild mounts and they were both open. I called HJC, they were rude and told me to contact who I bought it from. so I called motorcyclegear.com and they said that there had been a problem w the mounts and that they were on a natl backorder from HJC. they sent me two new mounts 3 weeks later, and Im s.o.l. on my hjc shield. they just lost a customer.
 
i have a scorpion 700 and an icon airframe, the 700 is nice but the airframe is a step above i belive. lighter, looks better, less turbulant at speed.
 
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