HJC RPHA 10 Ben Spies Replica Helmet-my review

For me Ben Spies riding style is fun to watch, the way he hang off the bike, the 'elbowz' approach - the guy himself looks cool on and off the bike. That is the reason why i opted to buy his replica helmet recently, the HJC RPHA-10...another reason is most of my friend choose Rossi helmet  that may led to confusion during bikers meeting..haha..

Prior to buying this helmet, i bought my other half a HJC CS R1 as part of good husband's strategy..i will do review of that one later :)  

First impression..

This helmet is amazingly lightweight! it weighs 1200gm and if i'm not mistaken it is the lightest  in the market. Holding this HJC next to my trusted OGK FF5 makes huge different. It is well-styled -designed by Aldo Drudi, who designed Mr. Rossi's helmet and the word 'Drudi Performance' at each side of the helmet add more exclusive look. The helmet comes with dark visor, anti-fog insert, helmet bag and owners manual. 

Riding impression..

The helmet fits my head perfectly. It gives wide peripheral vision which i rate at par with my old OGK FF5. The lightness of the helmet is very noticeable when riding as it gives less stress to your neck. The visor has an easy-to-use release mechanism which is quite similar to Shoei helmet although changing from  pre-fitted clear visor to a dark one requires a fair amount of push to release the lock. The visor itself is designed to (catch) lock it in the down position which i found quite awkward to use with gloves on at first.  

 Ventilation is superb, as i can almost feel the air circulated on top my head and the wind noise is acceptable. 

What’s not so hot... 

The finish is quite poor. I seriously think this helmet need another layer (or three) of clear lacquer to keep the graphic intact because i already found a few stone-chip on it after a ride to Cameron Highlands.

To sum it up...

Beside poor finish, i have no complaint against this helmet. If you are looking for a good quality helmet at a good price, this is the one for you. The lightness, build quality and added value of Ben Spies 'coolness' is a major selling point for HJC that wins my heart.  At  a fair price of RM1200, most of my biker friend rate this helmet higher than Shoei X-12 (priced RM2000 plus) and to me that sum it up.. :) 

Ben Spies wannabe in action :)