The X-1003 platform from X-Lite has proven to be a robust one and has gained quite some popularity. Italian craftsmanship at its best, the helmet definitely looks sporty with elegant design cues flowing smoothly from front to back.
X-Lite is constantly upgrading its line of helmets, which means that the X–100 series got lucky enough to get those upgrades. These upgrades include a chin guard air intake, N-Com readiness and a Microlock2 strap closure.
What Would You Love?
The X 1003 is preconfigured for the N-Com system that can be bought separately. It has been tested with chin guard in the up as well as down position, which has qualified it for the DOT certification. Coming from the premium category, the locking system uses alloy components instead of plastic ones as found in the cheaper end helmets.
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Top Features to Look Out For
Here are all the things that you would love about it.
Shell
The shape of helmet is intermediate oval that will fit a lot of people in the market.
X-Lite moved away from polycarbonate shells and instead adopted the composite material manufacturing process, in which they use carbon fiber, Kevlar and resins in the appropriate proportions to get you that solid construction and robustness.
This new manufacturing process has resulted in a shell which has excellent finishing touches nicer when compared with other helmets in the sub-premium to premium category.
The helmet is closer to 4 pounds in weight for the standard size which might get uncomfortable for anything other than short rides.
Visors
The face shield of this helmet has a nice seal. A little gripe over here is the absence of a spring-loaded mechanism to keep it place. However, it does have a locking mechanism which prevents the air from opening the face shield at high speed. But it does not have that snap-fit lock at the chin guard to create a positive impact.
You can remove the face shield with the press release button system, which is found to be easier by some people to operate even while wearing gloves.
X-Lite has provided a drop-down sun visor with this helmet as is standard for any flip up helmet; very simple to operate with the lever situated at the top left behind the visor attachment. There is virtually no need for the smoke shield when you have this sun visor on, with its scratch and fog resistant treatment doing most of the heavy lifting for you.
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.
Ventilation
No matter what PinLock does to its lenses to keep them from fogging up, people are always going to innovate and find new solutions to keep it from an eventual monopoly. X-Lite has induced an extra anti-fogging measure by way of Touring Ventilation System that blows incoming air on the inside of the face shield to shove off the moisture faster than it can build up again.
But that doesn’t mean you don’t get to have a Pinlock, no. X-Lite has made sure that the helmet is ready for accepting a PinLock lens and kept most of us happy about it.
A tri vent system on top that has a single central vent, followed by additional vents right behind it (which can be toggled on and off) create a tremendous amount of direct airflow on your scalp. This airflow is then vented through the passive rear exhaust through immensely deep EPS channels, which can be seen once you remove the comfort liner.
This is in addition to the already large chin vents, so you are going to feel that air circulating and creating a bit of noise. You can wear earplugs to drown that out, but this is the compromise that happens when you are trying to increase ventilation.
The vent toggles are very handy which keep the vents sealed in rainy or otherwise moist weather that you’d normally avoid.
Padding and Lining
The lid is fitted with Coolmax interior which is anti microbial, wicks up sweat readily and keeps the skin cool and comfortable with micro suede. Cheek pads have been made out of singular block cut-outs for optimum comfort.
A soft material on the comfort liners keeps the ‘helmet-plopping’ experience as pleasant as is physically possible. The comfort liner is attached strategically to minimize pressure points.
The neck roll is attached prior to the cheek pads by way of a zipper as opposed to an inverse rivet snap-lock and comes off with a bit of tinkering. The cheek pads can be popped off from a snap fit system and are not as tight as those found in the full face helmets. This is good news, because you can pop the chin guard on or off without much friction on the jawline.
Customer Reviews
Customers buying this helmet faced trivial issues with fitting, a tight chin strap and air noise at high speed. But there were no serious issues that deterred anyone away from their decision to go forward and bite the bullet.
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
It is not a Schuberth, so expecting it to be as silent as one is going to result in failure.
It is a great flip face helmet that is up there with the premium ones with a plethora of features at your disposal. Ready for N-Com as well as PinLock and crash tested rigorously, this is something you can plop on your melon and go for a quick romp on your nearest tarmac.