Viper RS-V121 Bluetooth Helmet Review: The Viper RS-V121 Bluetooth helmet was an interesting buy for me. My first flip-up helmet, my first Bluetooth helmet and my first helmet bought specifically with commuting in mind. Viper are a pretty new brand on the market which specialise in Bluetooth helmets and judging on the impression it has given me I am quite impressed.
Safety:
When buying a helmet which is produced from a company that is not well known I do some research before just to make sure the helmet won’t fall to pieces when I accidentally nudge it with my foot. So far I have never been let down and in fact one brand (KBC) has made me a life-long supporter.
The RSV121 has a 4* SHARP rating (the UK’s new advanced helmet rating system), this is frankly incredible for a flip-up helmet and to put that into comparison both Shoei and Shark flip-up’s which will set you back around £400 only scored 3*. Fortunately I have not had the first hand experience of crash testing this one but I am pretty confident that it should hold up. One more point is that the helmet is ACU Gold approved which means that you can also use it on track while talking to your buddies who are sat in IKEA’s kitchen department because they spent their money on a wedding.
Design:
The helmet looks quite classy. It won’t attract massive amounts of attention like my other helmet (see top right of the banner) but nevertheless people will take interest when they see the blue flashing light on the side. I got mine in Silver as it matches my Winter gear better and the all black wouldn’t be as visible when I am riding at night – which is everyday in Winter. The Silver is nice as it shows the helmets lines well. The other colours available are Gloss Black, Matt Black and White.
Some of the nice touches to the design are of course the internal visor which makes you look like Maverick out of Top Gun. Always a plus with the laides. Yet another plus point with the RS V121’s internal visor system is that it covers your eyes completely, I found similar models obtrusive as the internal visor only covered a portion of my eyes. The Bluetooth button unit is also impressive with its blue flashing LED to scare off those rowdy drivers (it’s not that effective). The base of the helmet also looks top quality as it is made from leather and suede.
Wind:
Wind is a large factor when choosing a helmet and as I use mine to “vlog” this becomes more of a concern. Comparing it to my KBC full face helmet the wind noise is quite high, this may be because the helmet is a flip-up and other flip-up helmets may be the same. The wind noise is not unbearable and you soon get used to it. What may be more of a concern is that this wind noise is accompanied with wind chill. The helmet is quite cold when travelling at speeds of more than 50MPH. This of course would be great in Summer and is not terrible in Winter – just a little colder than I’m used to.
Comfort:
The helmet is quite comfy to say that you have two speakers shoved alongside your ears. The padding is thick and feels good and it fits well, if you get the right size of course. The weight of the helmet is a little under 1900g, which is heavy, but it seems to do a good job of spreading this weight as fatigue levels are not any greater than any other helmet.
Features:
The Bluetooth is by far the most prominent feature on the helmet and will be the feature which makes or breaks the deal for most riders. I’ve never ridden with a Bluetooth unit inside the helmet before and I rarely listen to music while I am on the bike but the Bluetooth is so easy to use it could change me. The installation is easy once you figure out the amazingly complex drawings in the instruction manual. Pairing it with my phone took a minute and like a normal headset the device connects instantly once paired.
The twin speaker system is good quality but does get a little hard to hear if you are travelling at speeds of over 50MPH. To my surprise and somewhat confusion there is no visible microphone. The mic is somewhere inside the helmet so that you are able to still call with the helmet flipped up. From what I’ve been told the quality is decent as well and people have no trouble hearing me. The unit is very easy to use with gloves on and has one large button which controls the volume, call answer/disconnect, on/off and pairing functions.
The internal visor is also a life saver (sometimes literally). I’ve never had the chance of using a helmet with an internal visor in before but always loved the idea, and what an idea it is! There are times in the morning when the sun is out (yes, I know in England you wouldn’t believe it) and I simply cannot see the road when I pull up to a junction, this is where the lifesaver function comes into play. The visor also looks great and I found that even in fairly low light looking out of the visor has no effect on vision yet people cannot see through from the outside.
The flip-up feature is also convenient and saves the annoyance of taking all of your gear off to walk into a petrol station. The flip-up is also great as it gives you the freedom of vision to be able to unlock the bike easily without getting your head soaking wet. The strap is also a very easy to use buckle which is yet another great feature if you are wearing gloves.
Overall:
Overall the helmet is great value for money (£150 = $250) for the everyday rider or the business rider who likes to keep in touch. I use this helmet primarily for commuting as I have other helmets for when I just want a blast around or a show boating cruise. This is a serious helmet with great features which makes motorcycle commuting that bit easier. If you are looking to do a long tour with groups of people, or looking for an all-round helmet on a budget then this is truly great. If your type of riding is more based on Summer Sunday mornings blasting around back roads or cruising down town you would be better off opting for another helmet. Unless of course you love the idea of being in touch with the rest of your life? Kind of defeats the object of motorcycling though eh?
Summary
Good:
- Comfortable
- Good safety rating
- Flip-up
- Internal Visor
- Bluetooth
- Buckle fastener
Bad:
- No fancy paint scheme’s
- A little windy
Hi,
Great to read your summary – and agree with every word you say, as I’ve just doen 10,000 miles with mine. But do you have any idea as to how to actually remove the visor? I can find no help via google, nor in trying myself, as the side panels on the helmet are permanently fixed by 2 metal tags on each side: so I’m stumped!
Glad you liked the review but unfortunately i also have no idea how to get the visor off. It worried me that if the visor got scratched or chipped then i wouldn’t be able to replace it but as of yet i have not found any information relating to it.
Sorry i couldn’t be of more help but if i find a solution (may go down to the dealer and ask) then i’ll post it up here.
glad u have been please with the helmet. have read that some find the padding poor? plan on buying one of these within the next few days as was un decided until i read ur review. cheers lee
The padding is not the best but it is not the worst by far either. It was a little uncomfortable at first but after about 30 minutes of use it is fine now, just the wearing in process though. One point about the padding though is that it is all one peice and is very thick, this doesn’t allow as good customisation as my other helmets but the padding seems to mold quite easily.
great stuff !!! please write more interesting tales
thanks for the detailed article yippee