Nexx XR1R Review

The new Nexx XR1R is definitely different, with a unique shape, very light weight and outstanding outward vision through the large eye port.

The internal shape is also adjustable by using the included pads, which allow a semi-custom fit for different head shapes!

Nexx has quickly built a reputation for building unique motorcycle helmets with an emphasis on design, construction and style. This was demonstrated in our recent reviews of the Nexx X30 “Maxi-Jet” and the Nexx X60 “Jet” styled helmets.

The Nexx XR1R is the company’s first full-face helmet, and although they could have taken the easy way out by cribbing an existing design, Nexx has instead delivered a helmet that has both an unique style and some very interesting features.

These include ultra-light weight, excellent ventilation, probably the best field of view out the eye port of any motorcycle helmet we’ve reviewed.

Also, a unique padding system that allows owners to customize the internal shape.

Nexx beta-tested the XR1R with track day riders to get feedback and advice, and it shows.

The XR1R eliminates some of the usual parts and complexity found on most helmets, which helped to reduce the weight, but after wearing the helmet for several weeks we think the tradeoff is well worth it. So let’s take a closer look…

The Nexx XR1R is available in a colorful array of solid colors and the palette very much suits the design and style of this helmet.

The “Amarelo Sol” (“Yellow Del Sol” in North America) and the “Verde Lime” (“Green Lime”, unfortunately not available in North America) are shown in these photos, and the XR1R is available in several other vibrant colors, along with a few shades of gray.

The finish on both of the helmets shown here is outstanding, with perfectly applied paint and a polished finish. There’s not a speck of dust, orange peel or anything else showing on the surface of either helmet except deliciously saturated color.

I’m particularly fond of the Verde Lime, which is different and also very visible. The Yellow Del Sol and the available “Electric Orange” are other good choices that can help make their owner more visible in traffic.

When I first handled the XR1R, I was a little taken aback by its simplicity, but it didn’t take long to understand the design concept.

Sometimes simpler is better — especially if it enhances performance.

The moving parts on the XR1R seem very basic, functional and straightforward. But everything works just as it should and it all fits together perfectly.

The liner also has been installed without fault and the gaskets and even the padding inside the chin bar all fit together with no problems.

I’ll be getting into the details of the unique liner, the vents and the huge eye port in the following sections.

But overall, I can say that the XR1R is different enough in its approach to these features that I wasn’t sure how it would all work until the first time I rode with the helmet, which convinced me that the XR1R is more than the sum of its parts.

Score: I’ll give the Nexx XR1R an “Outstanding” rating for overall quality, paint, graphics and and overall fit and finish — and to Nexx for its unique take on helmet design. See the ratings descriptions in the summary table at the end of this page.

LThe XR1R has an internal shape that feels similar to the Shoei RF-1100 we reviewed recently.

Some helmets have a very obvious internal shape, but the XR1R could probably be called neutral, with a very slight narrow top and sides but which should fit the vast majority of head shapes.

The exciting news is that the shape is adjustable by the owner. Nexx includes an “Ergo Padding System” with each helmet.

The package includes 5 shaped foam padding sections that can be used to custom-tailor the internal fit of the helmet by placing the pads on the EPS helmet shell under the liner.

Here’s a photo of the Ergo Padding System kit:

The dark charcoal-colored pads are 2 mm thick and the lighter gray pads are 4 mm thick.

The oval-shaped pad can be fitted to the top of the helmet, while the rectangular pads can be fitted to the sides of the helmet and the pads shown in the top of the photo can be placed in the rear.

Although the “out of the box” shape in the size large fits me without adjustment, we experimented with the pads on the XL yellow helmet, which has a larger shell size.

We found that it’s best to try the pads first before removing the protective paper on the back that covers the sticky tape on the back.

It’s surprising at how much of a difference just 2 mm can make; the internal shape of the helmet can be adjusted and we also combined the two thicknesses to make an even more dramatic difference.

I’m not sure why Nexx didn’t start with a more rounded internal shape, then the pads could perhaps be used to bring the fit to a narrower shape on either side, but there may be a reason.

The system works well and it makes you wonder why other helmet manufacturers haven’t tried something like this before.

Although the cheek pads and liner are removable, as far as I can tell, Nexx does not offer optional cheek pad thicknesses for the XR1R.

The liner has another little trick: each ear pocket is covered with a separate piece of padded liner, which helps reduce noise while it covers the depth of the pocket itself.

The folding ear pocket covers are held with hook-and-loop and can be easily removed to install speakers, if desired. So this is another nice touch that seems like common sense but unfortunately isn’t common practice with other helmets!

One minor drawback is that when the folding ear pocket covers installed (as they are from the factory), the sides of the helmet feel flat, which means a tight fit to work my wire-framed eyeglasses inside the size large.

Otherwise, the liner is comfortable, although I do think it’s slightly on the thin side in the size large, which admittedly is about 1/2 size too small for me, according to the Nexx size charts.

The XR1R is available in two shell sizes. The smaller shell size covers XS, S, M and L and the larger shell covers the XL, XXL and XXXL sizes.

The size XL yellow helmet, which uses the larger shell size, does feel bigger and slightly heavier but the tradeoff is that it has lots of extra room inside, especially behind the chin bar.

Nexx says the size L fits a 59-60 cm head, and we agree. The XL is listed as fitting a 61-62 cm head; agreed there also, so the Nexx sizing for the XR1R apparently is right on the mark.

My head is about 60.5, but I find the size large to be more comfortable with a closer fit, although there’s only just enough room in back of the chin bar for my chin.

For more information on choosing and fitting a motorcycle helmet, please see the wBWMotorcycle Helmet FAQ page, which also includes a discussion on head shapes.

Score: I’ll give the Nexx XR1R an “Outstanding” rating for fit exactly to size, the adjustability factor and ear pocket covers and for the liner comfort.

This provides an above-average amount of ventilation, boosted by the air that flows in through the narrow boomerang-shaped black plastic covered vents on either side of the chin bar.

These direct the air through holes in the chin bar to mesh-covered vents on either side of the rider’s face.

The helmet has a small chin curtain which blocks some of the air that would naturally flow up from under the helmet. This improves the air flow through the chin vent and the side vents.

The size large is at the top of the size range for the smaller helmet shell, so the chin bar is close to my mouth, and at slower speeds there isn’t quite enough air flow, so it can start to get stuffy.

But this changes once the bike starts to move.

The top vents match the boomerang shape, with the black plastic acting as a scoop to direct air through a hole at the bottom of the “V”. Each vent has a simple three-position lever that can be snapped to one side to allow the air to flow through.

The top vents aren’t quite as effective as the chin vent system, probably because the full-coverage liner blocks some of the air from directly flowing on to the rider’s head. But the XR1R still flows a slightly above average amount of air with reasonable noise levels.

The chin vent is a good standard design and the top vents are basic and simple to save weight, but they work.

The rear exhaust vents on top and bottom are permanently open, which is fine with me and the system seems to do a good job at keeping the air moving inside the helmet.

Score: The XR1R gets an “Excellent” rating from me for better than average ventilation with a simple and easy-to-operate venting system.

The most noticeable feature of the face shield on the XR1R is the attachment system on the side, which looks very basic.

A simple plastic framework holds the Lexan face shield in place and the Lexan has four detent holes machined into the sides that hold the shield open.

Three aluminum screws are used to fasten it together, so this is not a quick-release system, but the tradeoff again is a reduction in complexity and weight. Since I don’t change face shields very often, it’s not really an issue for me.

We measured the Lexan shield at exactly 2 mm thick. It has a black lifting tab at the left-hand side, which also acts as a face shield lock.

When the shield is closed, a firm press on the tab snaps it into a receiver on the eye port, effectively “locking” the face shield in place to prevent it from lifting at high speeds.

The face shield has a small amount of flex when it’s lifted or lowered, which possibly could have been avoided if the lifting tab were located in the center.

There’s enough friction — at least so far, when the helmet is new — to hold the face shield slightly open for defogging.

But the chin vent system does such a good job at flowing air on to the back of the face shield that this problem is mostly eliminated once the bike is in motion.

However, the face shield does tend towards fogging at slower speeds, but it’s uncoated, so it should be a good candidate for some of the owner-applied anti-fog coatings we’ve reviewed.

XR1R Eye Port and Visibility

The eye port on the XR1R is huge, with about the best outward visibility of any full-face helmet we’ve reviewed. Both sides of the helmet and the top part of the eye port are out of my line of sight when I’m wearing the helmet.

The bottom lip of the eye port is just inside my vision, but it’s low enough to allow me to see the top half of the Marlin thermometer (review) attached to the GT1000’s handlebar, without moving my head.

The very wide side-to-side peripheral vision is a real safety factor and, I think, makes a big difference when riding.

In fact, the outward vision is so good and the face shield is so wide/tall that it became necessary to add a strip of dark film across the top, as described in our article on making an “El Cheapo” sun shade.

A lot of light comes into the XR1R when riding in the daytime with the sun overhead!

I must note, however, that the excellent visibility is most apparent when I’m wearing the size large, which is the largest head size used in the smaller shell size.

The size XL helmet uses the larger shell size, which diminishes the outward vision slightly for me because it then becomes the smallest head size for the larger shell. But the outward vision is still better than average in  this case.

If three shell sizes had been used across the size range, the effect probably would be the same across all internal sizes.

But manufacturing and homologating that many shell sizes for a small company like Nexx probably would be cost-prohibitive, so it’s understandable.

Score: I’ll give the XR1R a “Very Good” rating for the face shield, clarity and operation and an “Outstanding” for outward visibility and the shield lock.

Here’s more good news: the size large XR1R is one of the lightest helmets we’ve ever reviewed, out of 128 helmets as of this date.

In fact, it’s the lightest neutral shaped helmet by far at only 1382 grams (3 lbs., 3/4 oz). Only theAkuma Phantom MFR (review), made completely from carbon fiber, is lighter — and that by only 15 grams, which is a measly 0.52 oz.

[UPDATE:  You want light?  Check out the new Nexx XR1R Carbon we reviewed! It’s 1219 grams in size large!]

So the basic design of the fitments and reduction in weight with the “Tri-Composite” shell really do work and it’s quite a revelation to wear a helmet this light, especially after wearing other helmets — mostly flip-ups — at the portly end of the scale.

The larger shell size for the XL does add some weight, and the yellow XL helmet weighs in at a still-respectable 1588 grams (3 lbs., 8.0 oz.).

Just for comparison, the heaviest full-face helmet we’ve reviewed so far is the Scorpion EXO-1000 (review) (size XL), at 1821 grams, or 4 lbs. 0-1/4 oz.

That’s about exactly 1 lb. heavier than the XR1R — a huge difference when it comes to motorcycle helmets.

With just 1382 grams on my head, the XR1R feels like it’s almost not there.

The helmet has good aerodynamics but I do notice just a touch of push when my head turns from side to side at speed, probably due to the somewhat angular shape of the helmet.

For more information on helmet weights and a chart comparing all of the helmet weights of every helmet we’ve reviewed, see the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Weights page.

Score: The XR1R gets an “Outstanding” rating for very low weight and good balance.

The top vents are quieter than you might expect and overall noise levels are about average in the XR1R, especially considering the amount of air the helmet flows, which is better than average.

Often a simple top vent “scoop” system can create a whistling noise or wind rushing noise, but the system on the XR1R somehow just doesn’t seem as loud as it should be.

The only real source of noise is at the lower rear portion of the helmet, but this is only an issue when I’m wearing certain types of jackets with higher or taller collar.

The noise is gone when wearing the size XL or jackets with short collar.

Note that our helmet evaluations are a combined effort of several riders over time on different types of motorcycles with and without windscreens.

Evaluators wear correctly fitted, high quality ear plugs (even when evaluating motorcycle intercom systems).

Always protect your hearing when riding a motorcycle. See the wBW Earplug Reviews for more information on choosing and wearing earplugs.

Note also that perceived noise levels will vary, depending on the individual.

Noise can be caused by many factors, including helmet fit, the type of motorcycle and windscreen, wind speed and direction and even the rider’s clothing.

For more information on helmet noise, visit the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Noise page.

Score: The XR1R gets a a “Very Good” rating for noise control.

Miscellaneous

The chin strap on the XR1R is longer than average; as a result, the D-ring buckle is offset slightly more than normal when the strap is tight. There’s a snap to hold the extra (long) piece of strap in place.

The padded “ears” of the chin strap are very generous and well-padded, with a small square of hook-and-loop to hold them together, forming a single section of padding between the chin strap and my neck — a nice feature.

The XR1R meets ECE and DOT helmet safety standards. Nexx USA also has a relatively liberal exchange and return policy.

Conclusion

The Nexx XR1R is different and it’s rather refreshing to go “back to basics” and discover that less can be more and more (e.g., the Scorpion EXO-1000) isn’t always better.

The XR1R is very light weight, has excellent ventilation, outstanding outward visibility and the unique semi-custom owner fit system, along with the ear pocket noise reducers.

And don’t forget the comfy chin strap.

That’s a lot of positives, although they do come at a price — the XR1R isn’t inexpensive, but light weight in a motorcycle helmet usually does come at a premium, and it doesn’t get much lighter than this.

From “M.M.” (December 2013): “I purchased a XL neon orange Nexx XR1R in the spring of 2012 through Revzilla. I’ve owned a red Bell helmet (1979), silver 1980 Shoei with the 3 slits and a smooth front, and a black 1994 Shoei RF-200. My bikes are a 1980 Yamaha SR 500, 1973 Rickman Montessa and my current 1993 CBR 900 RR. The Nexx is the first high quality helmet I’ve purchased.

My first comment is this is a race helmet that can be used on the street.  It was developed with help from track day riders and racers and Nexx sponsors racers. The downside for me is it’s a cold helmet when temps get below 45 degrees. I live in Central Oregon and try and ride whenever there is not snow on the ground. I’ve been in temps as low as 11 degrees and as high as 104.

The helmet does not have closing vents so I end up putting black electrical tape over them when it gets too cold. When it’s hot the helmet is awesome. I consider the black Shoei to be a hot helmet due to small vents and the dark color even though there is much more airflow under the larger helmet opening. Too bad the vents don’t close as racers have cold races in the spring and fall too.

Tightness of fit: this is a tight helmet, a race feature. After months of ownership there is still no way to wear a silk liner during cold weather. I’ve developed a technique to throw the helmet on now so I look like I know what I’m doing but crimony! The helmet still tends to fold my ears over and loosen long ear plugs. My glasses are very difficult to get on and I may bend the ear pieces straight to help. My head did quit throbbing though so it has loosened a smidge, hopefully this will continue.

Tightness of shield: the shield was spec’d to be tight, another race feature. Takes enough of a push on the street that the helmet moves. It would be nice to have a crack-one-side feature like the RF had to lessen fogging without freezing yer face. It has not loosened up.

Clunky shield changing mechanism: the parts to change a shield are not any better than my 1994 RF-200. You’d think 18 years later they could have come up with a better idea.

Slippery knob on shield: the knob to move the faceshield (left of center) is slippery with all my gloves. I’m thinking of filing a notch in it. It is quite a large chunk of plastic and should have enough material.

Locking faceshield: another race feature. I originally didn’t like it but now appreciate having a shield that locks like the old 1980 Shoei. My commute is 67 miles each way with a 2,000 foot elevation change. Make me feel a bit safer as I’ve seen lots of shield come off while working corners at Portland International Raceway and the same thing can happen on the street in a crash.

I’ve had 7 crashes of my own, 2 on the track and 5 on the street. It’s really scary watching the pavement slide by 3 inches from your face.

Noise: it’s not as quiet as I expected given the extensive sealing around the head opening and faceshield. On my old RF-200 I could hold a flat palm under my chin and make the roar go away. It does not work with this helmet and I’ve not found a way to stop the noise. The rough shield mechanism may be part of it, the RF had a smooth cover.

I am thinking of experimenting with a neoprene neck seal taped to the helmet, this would help with the warmth in winter too. It has a whistle at certain angles of attack, I’ve learned to cock my head to the side until the angle changes.

Chin strap: it’s too long. I was originally going to cut off the loosener tab but have learned to live with it. The padded ears make it harder to don the helmet but are very comfortable.

Weight: just plain awesome. Much more comfortable and easier on the neck. Large faceport: also awesome. I found the reason I had occasional lane changing problems with the RF, the opening was too small and I missed seeing traffic. This is such an important safety feature that there ought to be some sort of minimum standard the manufactures agree too.

Would I buy a XR1R again? Depends on what else is out there when I’m in the market. Neon orange is my favorite color but hard to find without graphics. The issues above would have to be addressed but I’ve also learned to live with them. I see they are coming out with a XR2R so maybe they’ve already taken care of it.”

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From “T.” (November 2012): “I’m on my second XR1R helmet and there has been some updates in the latest models. They are available in 3 shell sizes, just like the Carbon, and there is a new visor changing/locking system, called “Fast-Shot”, which lets me change the visor in 5 seconds.

A great thing about this system is that it is compatible with the older helmets. Too bad it isn’t compatible with the older visors. Anyway, Nexx is offering the Fast-Shot kit for free when buying a new visor. Can it get better than that?! Yes it can!

It looks like the chin vent is very fragile, I already broke two (my fault), so Nexx is offering replacements of the chin vent for free in USA. These news seem too good to be true, and they are. As far as I can tell, the new visor locking system is not reliable and tight as the older one, so there is more noise inside the helmet.

Weight seems to be slightly less than 1400 grams.”

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From “S.T.” (November 2012): “Purchased an XR1R late last year. PROs: Light weight and good vision CONs: Needs more work on craftsmanship for this price.

(It has a) foggy face-shield (and the) face-shield lock (little black tap with screw, lower left) cracked easily. The Velcro strap is too long, I cut it off. The black plastic vents (are) not smooth. I put hot glue on them and smooth them out.

Finally, I ordered a new face shield with the new design (face shot) but it would not close all the way down. I will go back to an Icon Helmet, I got 7 years out of it.”

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From “B.D.” (April 2012):  “Having now used the helmet nearly every day for almost exactly one year, I thought I’d offer my opinions.

Complaints: Since day one, the black plastic pieces on the top and rear didn’t quite sit flush. Nothing a little super glue can’t solve, but for the price, I would have hoped for more attention to detail.

The black grill things also aren’t exactly perfect, and the fiber mat can be seen through the chin vent opening, where it wasn’t properly trimmed after being resign impregnated.

The vinyl sheaths around the chin straps have shredded. Both tabs used for keeping the strap centered on the chin pad have pulled free. They lasted maybe six months. A little more care is needed to make sure everything sits properly under my chin, but it’s not a show stopper, and if I ever get motivated I’ll come up with a fix. For the price, this disappointed me a little. The actual straps are still in excellent shape That said, everything else has held up great.

The visor is still in great shape, though it did get a minor scratch when my friends were helping me move and placed it visor down on the floor (ARGGG!!!). Plexus pretty well remedied this problem. The visor still shuts with a positive click and will keep even the craziest rain out. I rode through a tropical storm or two and seal around the visor held up to the task.

The visor will remain in the location placed at all but ticket speeds. When new, I could approach triple digits and the visor would stay up, but now it will slam shut, which I see as more of a feature than a bug. I live about a mile from the Atlantic Ocean, and the visor has stood up to everything from storm debris to sand blasting.

The shell’s finish is still in great shape barring a few nicks from concrete bugs. From a few feet away, it looks brand new, and let me say again, this thing has seen all sorts of wear and weather, from tropical storms (hurricane near miss), to hail storms. I got the white one, and it cleans up easy with a little Plexus, even when blackened with bug particulate.

The white has a little pearl in the paint which is hard to see without close inspection, and it stands out quite well at night. All of the vents still stay put, even though the chin vent doesn’t feel like it would stay closed. I still find the lid very comfortable, and have taken some substantial trips with it.

My biggest complaint would probably be wind noise as far as comfort (remedied by ear plugs of course). I did have to tweak the fit with the supplied spacers, but I imagine everyone would. The viewable area is a life saver.

I’ve caught a couple of Prii (Prius plural) trying to side-swipe me in my peripheral. I’ll probably try another brand next time around, but I wouldn’t be opposed to getting another XR1R. Attached is a picture. It’s a bit dirty.”

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From “S.” (March 2012): “I just got a plain matte “black moon” helmet and it looks like they changed the visor look a little. It also looks like they’ve added all the liners of the newer Carbon helmet. So pretty much it is like the carbon without the carbon shell 😉

If you look at the top middle it is no longer straight and is cut off I think it adds some style to it but it is probably not for that much weight saving 😉 I just wanted to let you know that. Continue the good work mate!.

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From “S.D.” (March 2012):  “I own a few different helmets, a Shoei RF-1100 (review), an Arai RX-Q (review) and a Nexx XR1R.

While I think the Arai has a better build quality inside than either the Nexx or the Shoei, it was also a $600 helmet (UK Flag Version) vs. $400-ish Nexx. Some differences are to be expected.

I was definitely able to get a good fit by adding and subtracting internal components. I took advantage of some of the foam pads that came with the helmet, but also ordered a thinner head liner and thicker cheap pads through Nexx. They were extremely helpful and shipping was fast.

It has definitely become my go to “every day” helmet. It is quieter in the upright riding position than the RF-1100, the massive eye port even larger than the Shoei or the Arai, and the light weight is phenomenal. I am really surprised to hear the reviewer from Rome had some issues with the face shield while cracked. I ride with mine cracked somewhat open all the time, with the exception of extreme cold and heavy rain. I just prefer it that way.

Even on extended highway trips, I have never experienced any shaking, shimmying or distortion from the visor. I daresay it is more ridged / less flexible than the SAI visor on my RX-Q.

A think Nexx did a nice job on these helmets, delivering a great value for the money. In the $300-$500 helmet range, I think the Nexx XR1R is a solid contender.”

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From “F” (July 2011): “Hello from Rome, Italy! I bought this helmet a month ago to replace my old Nolan N104. I’d never heard of Nexx before, the XR1R was offered to me by my local dealer as a third option between a Nolan X-lite 601 and an AGV K4.

Aafter checking on the net, where I found your review (thank you!). I’m pretty satisfied with the purchase, the helmet was priced at 175 Euros (around 245 USD) and it seems well made and solid indeed.

The only part I’ve found really not up to the rest is the face shield: I never bothered to measure the thickness of my previous helmets’ shields so reading it was 2 mm thick on the XR1R didn’t really meant much to me. I commute daily about 60 km (40 mi.), rain or shine, all year, and I’m used to ride with the shield slightly open, if it’s not too cold. With this helmet you simply cannot do it.

I ride a 250cc scooter, so I’m not really going that fast, but the face shield is so flimsy it starts to shake annoyingly already at a speed of 70 km/h (45 mph) or so. It’s a real shame, I checked with the dealer, but there is no alternative to that face shield.

I’ve also tried to find a DIY solution to improve the shield’s stability, but the only option I came up with is inserting a cork spacer under it before shutting it down. It works, but on a 250 bucks helmet it decidedly a poor solution.

As much as I like the helmet in itself this problem would have made me probably turn to the AGV K4, if only I’d been aware of it. If you confirm my impression you could point it out by publishing this message along with your most helpful review.”

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From “A.A.” (12/10):  “I ordered a Nexx XR1R and could tell on unboxing that the product was of high quality. The engineering and styling is excellent.

Unfortunately, I had a problem with fit. My head size is right on the cusp of the size interval designations, and I initially ordered an XL, thinking the custom cheek pads might snug it up if it was a bit loose. It looked huge on me (and I’m a big dude, at 6’3″, 250#). The helmet slid around when I shook my head, compressed easily from the top, and the breath guard hung over my mouth and chin instead of nose.

After confirming the L was a smaller shell size, I exchanged it… only to find that the L was substantially smaller, and although I could squeeze it on, it was too tight to be wearable. I don’t mind a snug fit; my old Shoei X-11 size L is snug (even with thinner ‘XL’ pads).

It was clear to me that there is some gap between the L and XL size ranges in the XR1R, owing largely to the shell size difference, and my fit is somewhere in that gap. A real disappointment, as I recognize the other characteristics that make this a very nice helmet, and great value at its price. Moving on to find something else… regrettably, it’s likely to be something more common.”

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From “D” (4/10):  “I wear glasses and love my Nolan N102 flip-up (review), but it is a tad on the heavy side compared to the full face helmets (3 lbs. 14 oz. using my handy AWS hand held digital scale).

My Nolan is an XL, but that size was too small with the full face helmets. So, I went with a XXL with the Nexx XR1R.

I weighed it right out of the box and in the showroom. It came in at exactly 3 lbs. 7 oz. Surprising to me because I weighed an HJC Carbon XL with the same scale in the same showroom within minutes and the Carbon came in at the exact same weight (the Nexx is Carbon, Kevlar, and fiberglass).

Shaving 7 ounces of weight was nice when compared to my Nolan. Noticeable walking around the showroom (and, later riding on the bike). Although, I must say, the Nolan will always be in my stable because the weight distribution is so good and because the convenience of the flip up can’t be beat.

When turning my head the Nexx feels noticeably lighter, the quality of the construction is impeccable, and the noise level superior (nicer, thicker cushioning around the cheeks and ears) and incredible venting.

I bought the helmet on the spot and rode 30 miles back home with it. My glasses are somewhat of a trick to get around my ears which is a function of two things: (1) my glasses have curved ear stems which must be wiggled over my ears. Solution, my next glasses will have straight stems. (2) the cushioning is plush, which makes it more difficult to wiggle the glasses in. However, the cushioning helps reduce the noise, so I wouldn’t change that. Better to spring for new glasses (time for a new prescription anyway).

Last, the venting is superb. I never, NEVER lock by shield down because I like the air. However, the Nexx has such incredible venting, I locked it down and enjoyed it greatly. No fogging which usually occurs on my glasses. Not a bit. So, I must say, I love my Nolan, but Oh You Nexx!  I will keep both at hand for my riding. The Nolan for short jaunts, the Nexx for long ones.

BTW, I want to commend you guys for your work. I have learned to read and rely on your reviews and comments because they are thorough, no nonsense, and not commercial (i.e., you’re not trying to sell me something 24/7-so refreshing in this world). I really like the fact that you always tell us when something is a company blurb and not your own. Good, common sense, communicating, something that so many of us have forgotten how to do.”

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From “R” (4/10):  “I LOVE THIS HELMET!!!!  It took me 9 years to find a replacement for my Arai, who also discontinued my model, the Quantum 2. I have tried every helmet on the market and NOTHING could compare to my Arai until now.

The NEXX XR1R is light, comfortable and my gosh the visibility is like I’m wearing an open-face. The USA rep, Nerijus Puida, was awesome to work with as well. I’m sure Arai, Shoei and HJC are worried about this brand, if not, they will be.”

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From “O” (11/09):  “I’d like to say I’ve found my next helmet, but I’ll have to find it for a great deal less than $419. I don’t think I can convince myself it’s twice as good as a Scorpion EXO-700. That yellow is a real good match for my bike, though. And you make it sound better than my Shoei X-11.”

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From “A.R.” (11/09):  “Would rain and cold air be able to work its into the helmet thru the always open exhaust vents?  I live in the pacific Northwest with a lot of rain and cool days. I appreciate your feedback.”

Editor’s Reply:  I don’t think it would more than any other helmet; there are many helmets with non-closing front and rear vents, and the presence of a vent doesn’t necessarily mean it will be watertight.

No helmets I know of are completely watertight, and most are not even close to being watertight, due to all the openings for vents, exhausts, face shield, etc. But I think the Nexx exhaust vents are probably better than most in this regard, because they are hidden under the black covers seen in the photos in our review.