ICON Helmets in Chiang Mai

[nikster]

I am eying an Icon Airmada helmet - $180 in the USA, should fit my long oval head, and it's white and doesn't have 50 logos on it. So, perfect.

Except I did not see it in Chiang Mai and I'd like to try on for sizing.

Has anyone seen Icon Helmets anywhere in CM?

Helmets are pretty difficult for me - I have a long oval head and most helmets sold here are round. I've tried Arai (no way for all Asian models), Shoei, Shark, Schuberth - they're all round. I have a whole collection of ill-fitting helmets already, not looking to add to that.

My ancient and now falling-apart SparX fits reasonably well. LS2 fit me but it's a total POS (anyone want to buy a LS2?). Bell RS-1 should in theory fit me but haven't seen in Chiang Mai either and I don't like any of their designs. And Arai Signet-Q fits me - it's Arai's long oval model but not sold in Asia, I have one coming from the USA next month.

Anyway the Airmada is a long oval shape according to ICON so it should fit me perfectly.

Liking this one:

This design, while interesting, is a bit busy for me

 

[Lightemup]

Dont think there is a dealer for Icon in CNX. Maybe BKK.

Although mine is not an Airmada helmet, they do look very similar.
I ordered my Icon Airframe from Revzilla.

My opinion, some Icon gear looks totally badass, but lacks quality control and will fail.
I have Icon helmet, jacket and pants and they will never get any of my money again.

Revzilla posted my review of the helmet yesterday.

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/icon-airframe-ghost-carbon-helmet
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Great hot weather helmet, bad wet weather helmet June 18, 2014
Customer avatar Lightemup2005
From Chiang Mai, Thailand Rider Type:Road Warrior Age:35-44 Gender:male

I have had this helmet for a couple of months now, my other helmet is an Arai TourX3.
I love the style, airflow and low weight. This is what made me buy the helmet in the first place.
I live in a hot/wet climate so venting is paramount. (Thailand)
In 35c+ degree hot/wet climate any helmet will be hot to wear and you will sweat in it, so good airflow goes a long way to help with comfort on long rides. I cut my hair really short and can feel the airflow from the top vents on to of my head. Nice.
However there is no such thing as a free lunch.
With good airflow comes noise and it is a noisy helmet, but earplugs can fix that.
Field of vision is comparable to my Arai helmet.
The yellow faceshield is good for cloudy days and only just acceptable at night time. However on sunny days, it sucks. You need to wear sunglasses or get a tinted faceshield. Wearing sunglasses underneath this helmet is tricky because it is such a tight fit and for me leads to pain around the temples/ears.
I ordered a gold tinted shield for those sunny days which is really nice. But as I ride at night almost everyday, I tend to use the yellow the most.
Now to the really bad part of this helmet:
My experience with riding in the rain (It's rainy season here in Thailand now and it rains pretty much several times everyday) is that the rubber seal that connects with the inside of the faceshield on the upper part lets in water. So when it starts to rain lines of water will run down on the left half of the inside of the faceshield only the left half.
This leads to distorted / blurry field of vision and fogging of the inside of the "Fog-Free" faceshield. On a multi day ride last week it got so bad I tried to tape shut the gap between the helmet and the faceshield. This however came off when I hit the cloud line in the mountains and visibility came down to 25 meters and I needed to crack the shield for better vision. So in the end I had to ride with an open shield and rain down into my face. At that time, I was wishing I had brought my Arai helmet instead.
So my "Yes" recommendation above has some caveats to it.
Rides: 2014 Ducati Hypermotard
Yes, I recommend this product.

 

[nikster]

^ Hm the rain thing isn't exactly great - that's uncool. Thanks for letting me know, and for posting the review. It is a little bit surprising - maybe it's a QA issue? Because Icon is based in Portland, OR, and that is a place that is known for lots and lots and lots of rain. Still disappointing on a $500 helmet!

The quest continues

Actually I'm a little bit glad other people also buy helmets that turn out to be not so great 555. I have a whole range of those. I have two Arai helmets made in Asia that are both round. Pressure point causes headaches. 3 SparX - these are good but quality is pretty bad, liners falling apart and such - I think the company's going out of business.

Well I do have an Arai coming so that should be good.

 

[johngooding]

Does, POS mean Pretty Outstanding Sample? May work better for you than the common meaning when you are trying to sell the helmet.

 

[nikster]

Yes it's a shitty POS helmet. I hate it and it has ruined my life.

And it can be yours for only 3,500! That's less than half off the new price, and it's only been worn three times. It's basically new.