I’m a frugal guy; if it’s not a good deal, I’ll pass. I ride a KLR650 as it’s popular and cheap to operate. I’d love a brand new Africa Twin but will wait until I can find one second-hand. But when it comes to helmets, I’m torn.
I do enjoy budget prices, but safety is very important to me. I’ve had a few minor mishaps over the years and they gave me a sense of gratitude for safe gear.
But when Canada Moto Guide asked me if I was interested in gear testing this year, I jumped at the opportunity to try a new helmet, and ended up going with a budget-friendly model for this time around.
For 2017, I’m testing the CKX Quest RSV, from Kimpex. CKX, (Kimpex’s house brand) is well-known in the snowmobile industry for helmets and other apparel, but it also has a motorcycle line. The Quest is the CKX’s adventure riding helmet and the RSV presumably stands for Retractable Sun Visor, as the helmet features a drop down tinted lens.
Straight out of the box, the helmet comes fitted with a removable helmet beak, a clear shield and retractable sun visor.
The spec sheet puts the helmet at 1720 ± 50 g. This is in the lighter range of DOT full face helmets; composite shells do get lighter but will also lighten your wallet!
Adventure styled helmets typically are loaded with vents to maximize air flow to keep the rider cool; the Quest is sold as both a winter and summer helmet, with few vents as a result. The shell remains the same for both models, but a breath guard and double layer lens is included in the winter model. This shared shell felt warm even in spring riding. It might prove to be a warm lid during slow manoeuvres in the heat of August.
Fitment notes:
I measured my head per the manufacturer’s guide, and went with a large helmet. The first time putting the helmet on it felt very tight, especially the cheeks. So I wore the helmet around the house—it was February after all. After a few hours, it started to feel much more comfortable. Easter weekend saw the first full day’s riding. The helmet felt great, didn’t catch in the wind, felt light and saw minimal fogging despite the 7C temperatures.
Here’s my initial impression Pro and Con list, after that first ride.
Pros
- Great visor, no distortion, good field of view,
- Built-in drop down shade, good for early and late evening riding,
- Peak doesn’t catch wind,
- Visor detents are stiff, keeping the shield at the desired opening,
- Quick ratchet type strap, same snug fit every time,
- Budget friendly (189.99 at Kimpex.com SKU:504441)
- Comes with peak removal hardware, useful for long distance pavement travels
- Feels light and compact.
Cons
- CKX made this shell for both summer and winter use. Initial spring riding shows it’s quite warm; it might be too hot for midsummer trail riding. We’ll see as the summer progresses.
- Vents have a metal mesh in them, some were a little loose right out of the box, but up to now they are not rattling.
-
GALLERY
Check out all the pics that go with this story!
Giving the CKX Quest RSV an early season workout. Charles found it a bit warm in spring riding.
Charles found some of the mesh grilles loose in the vents, but nothing has started rattling around yet.
Great review charlie