Browse wBW ad-free: bercome a member for just $10/year!

MAX Motorcycle Helmets

MAX Motorcycle Helmets

wBW Visitor “D.R.” writes about a MAX motorcycle helmet:  “I saw one email you posted on your site about the MAX brand helmets. Ironically, this is the only place on the web that I could find any type of serious review of the helmet and trust me, I search long and hard to find reviews.  Well, here then is the second review of this helmet should you choose to place it on your site.

I purchased a MAX helmet online a few months ago for under $100 with shipping.  I have to admit it was a darn good price for a modular helmet that has a really nice look to it.  The helmet arrived within a few days and I was anxious to try it out.  The quality was what I would consider to be average for a helmet in this price range.

It is rather noisy, but you can’t expect perfection for $100.  The helmet overall seems of fair quality and the chinbar locks firmly in place when closed.  The single hand chinbar release is a little cumbersome but I was able to reach satisfactory operating efficiency with it over the course of a day or two.  The lining itself is cool and comfortable with removable cheek pads.

The ventilation is good, though a large portion of the ventilation is due to the general construction rather than the vents themselves, which adds to the noise level of the helmet.  The helmet slid over my head easily even with the chinbar down, and the fit was good around the crown of my head.

The major disappointment I experienced with this helmet was that the chinbar pressed firmly against my chin when it was locked down.

MAX HF-108 Flip-up Helmet

This became rather uncomfortable after a 30 minute commute to work.  Seems that this issue plagues the lower end modular helmets and MAX is no exception.  So, here’s a decent helmet for under $100 if your chin doesn’t stick too far out!

Unfortunately this helmet didn’t work out for me and left me asking, “Why can’t these guys just add another inch to the chinbar depth?”

Thanks for sending your comments, D.R.  We have experienced the same short front-to-back dimensions on several other flip-up or “modular” motorcycle helmets.

You’re right — if many of them had just an inch more room, they would fit many more riders.  There are two flip-up helmets that we think have a bit more front-to-back room in them than others, the HJC Sy-Max (See the wBW review) and the Zeus 508 (See the Zeus 508 Owner’s Reports page or the wBW Zeus 508 helmet review).

Here’s a note from wBW Visitor “S.B.” on the MAX HF-108 Flip-up helmet:  “I recently purchased a flip up motorcycle helmet off Ebay that is not on your list. It’s model MAX-608, manufactured by Wenzhou Hengfeng Motorcycle Accessory Co., Ltd. (Note: This is the MAX Helmet website), Shanghai, China.

I purchased it from The Attic Ltd.  It is also sold in the U.K. with ‘Raven’ graphics.  The helmet fit is ok, the front bar touches my chin when it’s down.  I can’t put it on with the flip down.  The finish is excellent, the field of vision is good.

The chin strap is extra long, but doesn’t have a speed clip.  The lining, except for the cheap pieces, is not removable.  The helmet comes in many colors, and is DOT FMVSS 218. No tinted visors available yet.  The Attic said tinted visors weren’t available, but I made contact with the company about tinted visors.  They have 3 different tinting styles available. Light tint, dark tint, and ‘rainbow’ tint (not sure if this may be mirror or iridium).”

Other WebBikeWorld Motorcycle Helmet Visors Posts