Any serious adventure bike rider is aware of the word ‘impact’, and knows it by heart. And protection from impacts is what Bell MX-9 is advertised to do better than most. ‘M-I-P-S’ stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System.
Designed for the truly adventurous, this helmet is needed to ride in places where the faint-of-heart dare not venture. This is reflected by the top-down design of contours superseding a ‘map’ by Roland Sands. It is supposed to be an indication of the fact that you can really put this helmet on and ride anywhere. The DOT and ECE rating should ensure that. Check price here.
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What Would You Love?
This monster has a distinct ‘Halo Masterchief’ look to it. If the aggravating looks aren’t enough to get your adrenaline pumping, consider checking out the features instead. The MIPS system is something that saves your brain from injury. There are slip panels between the impact layers and the inner comfort zone which are supposed to save your squishy organ from any kind of rotational injury.
The Top Features to Look Out For
Safety is one thing. It is what these lids are made for. But it’s the features that make these helmets stand out from the competition. So let’s see what this helmet can throw at us.
Shell
The shape of this helmet goes back to the roots and has slapped on additional input from Roland Sands Design. The shell is made of lightweight polycarbonate, as is the industry standard for premium helmets these days.
Its shape is oval, and the company provides three sizes to cover most consumers. This might be a bit concerning for ones with an intermediate oval fix. While not as customizable as the Arai XD-4, an XL size should keep the average adventurer satisfied as far as the fitting is concerned.
Weighing in at a mere 1500 grams the MX-9 should be able to go easy on your neck and shoulders. The aerodynamic design, which is becoming a characteristic in dual sports helmets, prevents any kind of drag or a stressed neck at high speeds on a high-powered bike.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Visors
The MX-9 has a huge visor to give you a very wide field of view. But that’s not the end of it. The face-shield comes in two varieties, clear and dark-smoked with an advanced NutraFog II™ technology. This prevents any fog build up even in cold weather. It is also equipped with anti-scratch technology with UV protection. This basically saves you from buying a Pinlock afterwards. That’s okay, because a Pinlock will not fit the visor anyway.
If you need to put on a dirt goggle for any reason, the visor is big enough to just flip back, slip the goggle on and flip it back down. As simple as that.
The peak is fixed, but it can be removed, or it is better to have it removed while travelling at high speeds. It gives the MX-9 a whole different look, akin to those worn by fighter pilots. Top Gun, anyone?
Ventilation
A large mouth vent at the front takes care of the primary inlet for the airflow. Additionally, there are two separate vents at the top and jaw vents doing a nice job of flowing a considerable amount of air through the EPS and inner air channels. A lever assists in the opening and closing of the mouth vent, should the weather get too cold for comfort, but the chimney vents remain open. So be prepared for a little leakage on the inside through the chimney vents when you are breezing through some torrential rains.
A total of four passive vents at the back, out of which two are situated near the top and the other two on the lower end on each side, should utilise the low pressure at the back of the helmet to suck out that sweaty, stale air from the helmet.
This is a part of their trademarked Velocity Flow Ventilation™ system designed to aid you in manual temperature control.
Padding and Lining
Softness is the first feeling that you get when you put on this helmet, indicating a great quality liner and cheek pads. These can wick up moisture just fine and are washable as a standard feature.
However, there is no special attachment, speaker pocket, or a way to fix a communications unit like Bluetooth headset or an earplug system without a Velcro or a Clamp-On. This might put off some people from buying it.
The comfort liner is built in a way that maximises exposure to the air channels on the inner lining of the helmet for an uninterrupted air flow.
The cheek pads as well as the comfort liner are washable, which should take care of any sweat or bacteria build up.
Customer Reviews
The helmet fairs quite respectably in customer reviews who are not quite picky about attachments for electronics and other such additions. Their decisions are based mostly on the MIPS system on the already rugged MX9 base, not on any supplementary features.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Bottom Line
Barring a few nit picks like fixed peak/always-open chimney vents, this helmet does what it is supposed to do, and that is to protect your thinking organ. The MX-9 MIPS RSD is a fully functional helmet with a unique RSD graphic. It’s one of the limited ones, so grab one while you can!