Motorcyclist Magazine: Bell Star "4 Stars"

A Star is re-born

The legendary Bell Star, the world’s first full-faced helmet, is back, though so changed that Evel Knievel- who credited the original with saving his life during his infamous rag-doll episode at Caesars Palace in 1968 – wouldn’t recognize it. The new design was born from a custom racing helmet developed for four-time world champion Eddie Lawson, and the result is impressive: 3.4 pounds, massive ventilation, 75 custom parts.

Bell invited the media to its Santa Cruz, California, headquarters to explore the Star’s birthplace and meet the team behind the project. It’s taken three years to bring the new Star to market and an impressive battery of tests, including wind- and water-tunnel sessions, thermal scans and state-of-the-art impact analysis that included the use of cadavers. Yikes! The complex shield system alone, with its three toggle-actuated modes (locked, friction and cracked), took over a year to refine.

Being a helmet snob I was, of course, impressed with the Star’s light weight and engineering pedigree. But we all know a helmet can have every bell and whistle imaginable yet still not work on a bike. My first test ride came in the snaky Santa Cruz Mountains, where a nasty-cold day simplified vent testing. Bell utilized its profound bicycle helmet know-how, along with cues from its excellent Moto-8 motocross lid, to perfect the design. No doubt you get amazing airflow form the breezy network of conduits, and what I liked best about Star’s Velocity Flow Ventilation system is how precise and adjustable it is. Nice, big switches, no fumbling.

On the road, the Star feels light and comfortable, especially if you’ve chosen the correct-sized cheek pads. Note almost all the journalists fitted wore a size down from their regular helmet size. It isn’t the quietest helmet, partly because the little chin-tonneau thingy fell off every time I touched it even- after the engineers clipped it in.

The Star’s shield mechanism is also slick, although not as easy to get the hang of. At first, the tiny lever that locks the shield into “closed” or “crack” mode is difficult to locate with thick riding gloves. But happily, it will unlock itself under the pressure of a panicky yank, and I’m told with no damage- a good thing since I’m still yanking several rides later. Shield friction and range is very nice, and man, what an easy removal system! Just pull the tiny levers on each side and the visor drops like a rose petal. (Just don’t pull one while you’re riding like I did.) Overall, the Star’s complex systems took some getting used to, but are very cool and useful. I do worry about the durability of so many complex internal gizmos, however, even though I witness a barrage of longevity tests. The chin vent alone has 10 moving parts!

The Star is Snell-approved, and when asked about the choice of certification, Bell VP Thom Parks expressed a wait-and-see approach, implying future research will make the best choice of standards clear. It’s also logical that the company, in playing this helmet against the high-end brands like Arai and Shoei, prefers a like benchmark.

Bell is certainly making a showy reappearance on the streetbike scene. Racer Aaron Gobert recently signed to ride in a Star, and this spring you can too- though you’ll have to pay for it. Plain colors costs $525 and the love/hate graphics run all the way to $600 for the ghetto Viper (shown). Soon, former AMA 250cc GP champ and custom-bike coolster Roland Sands will add some trick graphic options. Sizes run from XS to XXL and include cheek-pad options.

Verdict: **** (four out of five stars)
The coolness factor will ring your Bell, though so many small parts make us nervous.

-Jamie Elvidge

Helmet Harbor gives Star a '10'

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FULL DISCLOSURE: Helmet Harbor sells our helmets. They inherently have some self-interest in giving the Bell Star a good review. That said, they sell lots of helmets from more than 30 different manufacturers. They would do okay with or without Bell, but the fact they chose to add the Star to their selection shows that they see the value in it. And, as is evident in Todd's review, no punches are pulled--he calls it like he sees it. And a fair shake is all we ask.

American Rider Magazine: New Star

This article reprinted verbatim with permission from the June 2008 issue of American Rider.

New Star
Bell Star Helmet

“This is your father’s Star.” If this statement by Bell Helmets spokesperson doesn’t make much sense it’s probably because you’re under the age of 50. In 1966 Bell introduced the first full-coverage helmet to the riding masses, the Bell Star. Resembling Bender’s head on Futurama, this model topped a line of helmets that was to dominate the marketplace.

Despite initial success built on that seminal model, the passing years saw the Bell name settle to the bottom of the heap in the street market. The reasons for this are manifold, but it suffices to say that Bell’s street helmets became fodder for a growing number of imitators, and young new riders were left clueless as to what Bell meant to their riding fathers.

Is the new Bell Star any good? In a word, definitely. The shell is manufactured using an intricate layering of Kevlar, carbon fiber, and fiberglass composites that Bell calls Tri-Matrix. This results in a strong, lightweight helmet rivaling the best out there. These are all good things, but merely comparable to the competition. Where this new helmet excels, in my opinion, is with its venting and stability.

“They’re too hot” is an oft-quoted excuse for not wearing a full-faced helmet, and it’s hard to argue with. The reason, though, is not the full-faced design, but rather inadequate venting. Frankly, the vent setup on many helmets flat-out doesn’t work. You can fiddle all day with their switches, slides and levers, but all you're doing is working up even more sweat.

Bell’s answer to this problem is a combination of 10 front vents and six exhaust vents. Each of the front vents is adjustable and can be set to full, partial, or no air flow. I’ve ridden more than 2,000 miles with this helmet on four different motorcycles, with four different windscreen heights. The ventilation was excellent in all cases. At the same time, it worked differently in each case because the windscreen height determines air-flow characteristics. This differentiation required adjusting the vent accordingly. Interestingly, there were instances where closing a couple vents actually increased overall ventilation.

Helmet stability is an area that many Harley riders don’t consider until they experience buffeting that the wind can cause. Stability- the lack of buffeting- is one of the Star’s strong points. My head remained rock steady in all but one situation when I was riding behind a full-size (as in, looking through it) windscreen. The airflow behind these large shields is a mess, with high-and low-pressure areas, vortices, and general air mayhem. Aerodynamic devices suck as the Star are not happy in these conditions. Aside from this one scenario, even at high speeds, my vision was clear. This doesn’t happen accidentally. The Star was extensively tested in wind and water tunnels, and on the track at very high speeds.

Slick aerodynamics do come with a bit of a quirk, however. I found that if I turned my head out of the air stream to glance over my shoulder, the helmet wanted to make a quick, rather than smooth, transition to the new position. This results from the shape being optimized for frontal air flow. Once I got used to this “air snatch” it wasn’t an issue.

Overall I was quite satisfied with the performance of the Star’s 3Mode Shield. An easily reached titanium lever on the left side locks the face shield down, opens it ¼-inch, or provides for micro adjustments. The shield will stay where you put it along its operation arc. The only issue I had with this was a shield vibration when it was slightly open while riding with a very low shield. Of particular note, face-shield removal and replacement is, hands down, the easiest and quickest I’ve ever experienced. Fog free is a given with face shields in this category of helmets, and the Star met the standard.

The Bell Star’s quality touches are abundant with its plush, washable lining, titanium and stainless bits and pieces, aggressive aero shape, and large, well-thought-out carrying bag. There are 11 different color combinations available ranging in price from $524.99 to $599.99.
-Reg Kittrelle