Just Blip It!
Race Dog
Anybody have one of these helmets? Looks like a great helmet with a few rave reviews on the net! I ordered one from the UK for R1488.60 including postage!
Here is one of the reviews:
Spada send through their dual sport Sting helmet offering which comes in at a seriously range-bustingly reasonable price, as Dan is our resident adventure sport rider we slapped it on his bonce and made him write up his experience with this versatile lid.
Initial Thoughts
Thats right its time, time for me to admit that deep down, I, am an adventure motorcyclist. I enjoy camping, making small fires for cooking, Riding a motorcycle way way way over its weight limit and then packing it (s-Nap) I spent 4 months solid watching and re-watching The Long Way Round eagerly planning my own amazing trip and today marks the starting point, kind of, I'm reviewing my first Dual Sport Lid. As a part of the 'Bumper Bonus Review Bundle' Spada have bestowed upon us. I have been gifted their new Sting Helmet to review.
Construction
To go along with my new and improved all Spada Waterproof attire I was given a rather large box, having opened it our editor, Leigh realized he had given me the wrong one and quickly swapped with another speaking the words 'I think this will be right up your alley' which after opening and keeping in the girly excitement inside I found a very large helmet bag within it contained from the looks a helmet with some interesting angles and points which I quickly realized what it was and let out a little *squeee* of excitement, it was the Spada Sting. Brand new and looking rather dashing in Black my immediate thoughts ran along the lines of; 'Yes I am Master Chief' (please excuse Dan's penchant for getting geeky - ed) and 'that Vent at the front. Yes I am Darth Vader'
Nerd crushingly obscure references aside, this helmet looks the business. I have been a fan of Dual Sport Lids in the past (not based from Long Way Round Arai's at all) but never actually owned one, alas no more. First time putting it on I realized this thing was big and Airy, which obviously is a good thing for being out and about on the roads on a hot summers day or sweating it out on that little dusty trail in Southern Mongolia, airflow on the move with this lid was going to be massive. Spada had even supplied it with the XXL Cheek pads and liner incase my head was bigger then its new found XL status, securely fitting and realizing that the fastening was actually my old favorite a ratchet strap (not a Double D Ring as per Spada Spec) I made sure I was going to be ok and it was time to get off and get this puppy tested.
On my first day with the sting I was astounded in several various manners first being the airflow, I was right. on the move with the trusty Varadero zooming along plenty of air was getting blown up and around the helmet but not so much that you would think to yourself your missing a chin curtain or similar. Second being the external airflow, zooming along at engine breaking speeds or 70mph (on the Varadero) I was a little concerned about rumors of Dual Sport Lids on the open road, being that other makes have some minor issues when you make a shoulder check at speed then either cant turn your head back again or do manage it and the Peak flips your head about. I can quite confidently say this didnt happen with me. I even managed to get a test in on a friends Fazer 600 and up at motorway speeds and beyond there were no head flipping or buffeting issues with the Sting.
Thirdly the comfort, I expected something like a Dual Sport lid to be uncomfortable or heavy in unnecessary places but I can happily say this wasnt the case and even with the wind the helmet is incredibly light (bizarrely at 1650g @XL size) and unobtrusive. Finally and fortherly the view, having set the peak as far up?!? as it could be I had the helmet on and was riding home one evening and when I looked up and realized I wasnt seeing the top of my visor it just kept going and going like the panoramic glass roofs on some cars, I was surprised further at the view looking down at my clocks I thought because of the big chin I would have to tilt and angle like there was no tomorrow but again not the case, Spada have definitely impressed with this Lid
Several days had passed and I continued to play with the Peak, fully down I could see the tip of the peak and I was happy with that and decided with the Sun finally showing all be it for a short time It was time to purchase an tinted visor to combat the sun and make the Sting that bit more Master Chief-y. After discovering that not only was a Gold Visor Illegal on the UK roads, Spada dont sell a Gold Visor... but I could however get a nice dark tint delivered and immediately set about making the Stealth Sting.
As per my previous writings I've never had a Dual Sport Lid before but thankfully the Visor/Peak removal system is easy as can be, 2 Screws hold the visor in place and a third up top holds/adjusts the Peak, having removed them all the Lid has a rather funky design to it maybe a two helmets in 1 kind of look. Getting the Visor off though was a different matter. I had hoped this would be quick and easy but the Visor is held onto 2 plates (which attach to the helmet) by two tiny little plastic rings. These two rings were the most fiddly little 'ping and its gone' things I have ever messed with, after finding the one that shot off the Visor came off easy and was quickly replaced with the tint. Getting the visor to stay on was now an easy process as the rings just clipped back into place easy as. Assembly time later and the finished product was even more appealing then prior.
Fully Blackened the Sting is a thing of beauty all Angular and purposeful the gloss black of the Thermo plastic Shell really makes this helmet pop. Additionally and being that it is a Dual Sport you can go for the option of no Visor and add in some Goggles for offroading mud goodness, oddly enough I dont own a pair of goggles so this process escaped me but judging from how the helmet flows goggles would be put on this helmet and stay there thanks to it's angular aesthetic.
Spada's official breakdown of the Sting lists;
* Thermo plastic moulded construction
* EC2205 approved
* Double D ring fastening (its not! really its not)
* Multiple venting
* Multi positional visor
* Removable cheek pads & centre pads
* Removable adjustable peak
Here is one of the reviews:
Spada send through their dual sport Sting helmet offering which comes in at a seriously range-bustingly reasonable price, as Dan is our resident adventure sport rider we slapped it on his bonce and made him write up his experience with this versatile lid.
Initial Thoughts
Thats right its time, time for me to admit that deep down, I, am an adventure motorcyclist. I enjoy camping, making small fires for cooking, Riding a motorcycle way way way over its weight limit and then packing it (s-Nap) I spent 4 months solid watching and re-watching The Long Way Round eagerly planning my own amazing trip and today marks the starting point, kind of, I'm reviewing my first Dual Sport Lid. As a part of the 'Bumper Bonus Review Bundle' Spada have bestowed upon us. I have been gifted their new Sting Helmet to review.
Construction
To go along with my new and improved all Spada Waterproof attire I was given a rather large box, having opened it our editor, Leigh realized he had given me the wrong one and quickly swapped with another speaking the words 'I think this will be right up your alley' which after opening and keeping in the girly excitement inside I found a very large helmet bag within it contained from the looks a helmet with some interesting angles and points which I quickly realized what it was and let out a little *squeee* of excitement, it was the Spada Sting. Brand new and looking rather dashing in Black my immediate thoughts ran along the lines of; 'Yes I am Master Chief' (please excuse Dan's penchant for getting geeky - ed) and 'that Vent at the front. Yes I am Darth Vader'
Nerd crushingly obscure references aside, this helmet looks the business. I have been a fan of Dual Sport Lids in the past (not based from Long Way Round Arai's at all) but never actually owned one, alas no more. First time putting it on I realized this thing was big and Airy, which obviously is a good thing for being out and about on the roads on a hot summers day or sweating it out on that little dusty trail in Southern Mongolia, airflow on the move with this lid was going to be massive. Spada had even supplied it with the XXL Cheek pads and liner incase my head was bigger then its new found XL status, securely fitting and realizing that the fastening was actually my old favorite a ratchet strap (not a Double D Ring as per Spada Spec) I made sure I was going to be ok and it was time to get off and get this puppy tested.
On my first day with the sting I was astounded in several various manners first being the airflow, I was right. on the move with the trusty Varadero zooming along plenty of air was getting blown up and around the helmet but not so much that you would think to yourself your missing a chin curtain or similar. Second being the external airflow, zooming along at engine breaking speeds or 70mph (on the Varadero) I was a little concerned about rumors of Dual Sport Lids on the open road, being that other makes have some minor issues when you make a shoulder check at speed then either cant turn your head back again or do manage it and the Peak flips your head about. I can quite confidently say this didnt happen with me. I even managed to get a test in on a friends Fazer 600 and up at motorway speeds and beyond there were no head flipping or buffeting issues with the Sting.
Thirdly the comfort, I expected something like a Dual Sport lid to be uncomfortable or heavy in unnecessary places but I can happily say this wasnt the case and even with the wind the helmet is incredibly light (bizarrely at 1650g @XL size) and unobtrusive. Finally and fortherly the view, having set the peak as far up?!? as it could be I had the helmet on and was riding home one evening and when I looked up and realized I wasnt seeing the top of my visor it just kept going and going like the panoramic glass roofs on some cars, I was surprised further at the view looking down at my clocks I thought because of the big chin I would have to tilt and angle like there was no tomorrow but again not the case, Spada have definitely impressed with this Lid
Several days had passed and I continued to play with the Peak, fully down I could see the tip of the peak and I was happy with that and decided with the Sun finally showing all be it for a short time It was time to purchase an tinted visor to combat the sun and make the Sting that bit more Master Chief-y. After discovering that not only was a Gold Visor Illegal on the UK roads, Spada dont sell a Gold Visor... but I could however get a nice dark tint delivered and immediately set about making the Stealth Sting.
As per my previous writings I've never had a Dual Sport Lid before but thankfully the Visor/Peak removal system is easy as can be, 2 Screws hold the visor in place and a third up top holds/adjusts the Peak, having removed them all the Lid has a rather funky design to it maybe a two helmets in 1 kind of look. Getting the Visor off though was a different matter. I had hoped this would be quick and easy but the Visor is held onto 2 plates (which attach to the helmet) by two tiny little plastic rings. These two rings were the most fiddly little 'ping and its gone' things I have ever messed with, after finding the one that shot off the Visor came off easy and was quickly replaced with the tint. Getting the visor to stay on was now an easy process as the rings just clipped back into place easy as. Assembly time later and the finished product was even more appealing then prior.
Fully Blackened the Sting is a thing of beauty all Angular and purposeful the gloss black of the Thermo plastic Shell really makes this helmet pop. Additionally and being that it is a Dual Sport you can go for the option of no Visor and add in some Goggles for offroading mud goodness, oddly enough I dont own a pair of goggles so this process escaped me but judging from how the helmet flows goggles would be put on this helmet and stay there thanks to it's angular aesthetic.
Spada's official breakdown of the Sting lists;
* Thermo plastic moulded construction
* EC2205 approved
* Double D ring fastening (its not! really its not)
* Multiple venting
* Multi positional visor
* Removable cheek pads & centre pads
* Removable adjustable peak
