Having recently bought an HJC RPHA71 helmet from SportBikeShop, the inevitable review email arrived, but I got stuck on the first question – How many stars out of five do I give the RPHA71?
Five stars would suggest the HJC RPHA71 is perfect in every way while giving it four stars suggests I’m less than delighted. There are a couple of minor niggles, but they are not problems or issues. There is only one thing for it. Never mind star ratings; here is the review.
Why Change?
The life of a helmet is a much-debated topic. Some say seven years from the date of manufacture is the figure to work with. I’ve no idea how they got to this figure or the science – if any – behind it. Others maintain that if your helmet is in good condition and has not been dropped, there is no need to change it.
I prefer a mixture of science, paranoia and emotion.
Emotionally, considering the amount of use I subject a helmet to – I ride all year round and cover a stupid number of miles – three years feels like reasonable wear and tear on a helmet that is there to protect what few brain cells I have left in a functional state.
The science side of the argument assumes that the helmet hasn’t been dropped, damaged or suffered any other type of abuse. If it does, then there is the option to send the helmet to the Helmet Inspection Company, or if your paranoia is anything like mine, I would actively consider replacing it.
Why the HJC RPHA71
I have had a Bell-shaped head for years, but when Bell consolidated the number of shell sizes, the size with the correct fit was more padding than helmet, and I looked like Marvin the Martian from the Walt Disney cartoons.
That moved me on to a Neotec2, and when that turned out to be two years old when I bought it, I went to the Schuberth C4 and have been very happy for the past three years.
So why not the Schuberth C5? It appears that in updating the helmet, Schuberth has changed the internal shape or the materials, and the comfort I found in the C4 has gone.
As the fit has to be the first and over-riding consideration when buying a helmet, and the HJC RPHA71 was the most comfortable helmet, with the correct amount of grip in the crown of my head and the right amount of padding in the cheeks.
The gap around my oversized, Dumboesque ears is most welcome, especially as I wear glasses. Both the straight arm and curve behind my ear glasses are comfortable when wearing the helmet, and the glasses sit and stay in the correct position when riding.
The second factor for me is the ambient noise level at motorway speeds. Some helmets are quieter than others; occasionally, there is that odd mix where the bike, screen and helmet don’t work together. I have this issue with my LS2 Explorer, a great helmet on the Ducati that is loud on the Tracer 9GT.
Both bikes have the same MRA Screen, but the combination of MRA and LS2 on the Yamaha is loud and yet as quiet as a mouse on the Ducati. Strange.
Regardless, if you spend all day listening to wind roar, not only does it knacker your hearing, but it adds to the fatigue on longer rides. My ears are grateful I picked the HJC RPHA71, as it is very quiet on both the Ducati and the Tracer 9GT. I’ve also read several more scientific tests that rate the HJC RPHA71 among the quietest helmets available.
And then there is the long list of personal preferences. I prefer the Double D-Ring over the ratchet type, although this isn’t a deal breaker, unlike the sun visor, which is. Composite fibre construction is an absolute over polycarbonate, and the ability to fit a Sena intercom is my final “must-have”.
Price
It is always a factor when buying a new helmet. We all have a budget, and I’ve had it argued that an ECE 22.06 that costs £50 offers the same level of protection as a £600 helmet. After all, they passed the same safety tests. And yes, there is a £50 ECE 22.06 helmet – the MT Stinger 2
I can’t get my head around that claim. Even if the cost of manufacturing was the same, the quality of the materials, the research, design and development that goes into a premium helmet all have a cost. Given the choice, I know where I’d put my head during an unscheduled dismount.
So, more than cost, the HJC RPHA71 was a value-for-money conversation with my bank balance. When I was deciding, the Shoei GT Air 3 was £200 more expensive. AGV K6S was a possible contender, but Sena makes the AGV ARK comms systems, but it is the older generation without Mesh. Arai are great helmets but more expensive, and the sun visor isn’t something Arai allow on their helmets.
Perhaps it is sufficient to say that I spent hours in SportsBikeShop and online researching my choices, which focused me on the HJC RPHA71 as the best of everything I wanted.
On The Road
Similar to road testing a motorcycle, testing a helmet requires that you cover a significant number of miles and in a mixture of conditions. Once around the block isn’t going to give you enough information.
As I write this, my HJC RPHA71 mileage has just passed 514 miles. It has been a mixture of fast A roads on a run to Oliver’s Café at Scarborough. A few days with my head on a swivel, filtering in city traffic, a couple of night rides and an extended motorway ride – “at pace”.
In terms of weather, only snow and torrential rain is missing.
At 1,867 grams, according to my kitchen scales, which includes the (Sena) HJC 50B intercom I’ve fitted, the weight of the HJC RPHA71 is unnoticeable when riding. Shoulder checks are unincumbered by the viewport, and overall, the helmet brings a comfortable, secure, and protected feeling to the ride.
Pushing past the neck roll on the RPHA71 takes a little effort. This will ease off slightly as it breaks in, but once on, it is a comfortable fit around my jawline and helps keep noise and drafts out.
The lining has a secure grip around the crown of my head, and my ears are unencumbered by the (Sena) HJC 50B speakers or the removable pads that fill the speaker recesses if you’re not using an intercom.
Visor
HJC has included a 120 Pinlock™ with the RPHA71, and someone in the design studio has done an excellent job.
With most Pinlocks, I’ve found that I can keep the visor curved, locate the Pinlock on the mounting pegs and then push the Pinlock flat against the visor. This has given a tight enough fit to stop misting, but the fit on the RPHA71 is much tighter.
To get the Pinlock to locate correctly, I needed to straighten the visor significantly, and when I released it with the Pinlock located, the air escaping as the seal was formed was audible.
Riding on cold mornings, sealed up like Nanook of the North and cooking slightly as I wander about dressed for the 3°C morning chill and then pushing a motorcycle out of the garage, the visor has never steamed up, unlike my glasses. But after a few seconds on the bike, with the visor up, my glasses clear.
If the RPHA71 has a weak spot, it is the visor. The visor gets the job done in every way, but even with the Pin Lock fitted, it feels flimsy. The ratchet is strong enough to hold the visor open when riding at speed – behind a screen – but the positions chosen are a little odd.
I only use wide open, closed and the final locked position, as the other positions place the bottom of the visor in my eye line. It isn’t a problem; perhaps one of the other positions works well for other riders, just not me.
The closed but not locked position gets the most use. This allows enough air in to keep my glasses clear while keeping the rain out. It also allows me to open the visor fully with a quick flick of my thumb, and as someone who seems to need my visor fully open to filter – don’t ask me why; I just do – it isn’t a distraction when approaching a line of traffic.
When the visor is in the locked position, there is a noticeable reduction in road noise and inside the HJC RPHA71 becomes my own personal sanctuary. A warm, quiet and comfortable place where I’m protected from the elements.
When the time comes to allow the outside world into my sanctuary, opening the visor from its locked position requires a very firm flick of my left thumb. A couple of times, mainly in the rain, I’ve missed it the first time and had to focus on getting the job done.
Typically, during the second attempt, I’ve also wanted to do something else, like downshift, and everything gets a little hurried for a few moments. Thankfully, no dramas have ensued. I need to remember to allow a few extra seconds.
The drop-down sun visor would also benefit from being a few shades darker. It works, but when I can ride on an autumn day with a bright but obscured sky and the sun visor down, I wonder how effective it will be in summer.
Bottom Line
The flimsy feeling of the visor and overly secure locked position are minor annoyances for what is otherwise an excellent helmet.
The HJC RPHA71 is quiet and comfortable, and with the (Sena) HJC 50B intercom fitted, longer journeys with internet radio for company are a pleasure.
If only I hadn’t spotted that the price had dropped another £40 after I bought mine. Oh well, I remain impressed and happy with my purchase. It’s time to put some more miles in. It’s all in the name of research, obviously. And then there is the (Sena) HJC 50B to review, so I’d best find someone to talk to over the mesh.
