I was looking for a retro style full face helmet to compliment my Shoei JO open face. I always wear earplugs but on my quicker bike find 60+mph rather noisy but bearable for short durations. I’ve always liked the look of the Bell Bullet but modern Bells don’t suit me, they pinch my forehead and I get an instant headache unlike my Bell of the late 70s. I was impressed with a friends ByCity [never hear of them] Roadster Carbon and thought I’d check it out. Ultimately I went with the white as the colouring matches better and I prefer the safety of white lids over black/dark.
This helmet fits snugly but can be worn for hours without discomfort though it does leave an impression on my forehead when removed. The image online is incorrect as the mk2 no longer features the chrome banding, it’s now brown faux leather which I think seals better one the top of the visor. Speaking of which, it’s rather excellent. Crystal clear and so easy to open /close. Some have commented that one hand operation is tricky. Not say I, just ouch up with left thumb centre bottom and both magnets give way with ease. This is far better than all the over engineered solutions from the major brands imo. Closing is by pushing down from centre top edge which usually results in both magnets engaging together or if not just a gentle tap on the one that didn’t. Strong friction holds anywhere you like. Full open is whistles a lot but open up an inch or so for a nice cool blast of air when required.
As for noise, again with plugs is way quieter than the Shoei as expected, in fact I hear mostly the blast coming off my leather jacket, no whistles from the helmet at all, good job. Not silent but legal + speeds not troublesome at all.
This helmet suits my needs, no more high impact bugs in my face but it’s not perfect and some design changes would improve it further. The strap is pretty lame. It’s too narrow a where it’s attached to the faux suede flap it twists easily so that the flaps on both side are no longer under the strap but sticking out and you need a mirror to sort it. An easy fix for ByCity would be to stitch the flap in a different location. Same goes for the double D rings. The stitching is in the wrong place so 5hat the D rings easily rotate which is frustrating; I’ll probably mod these myself. Other than that there is really nothing to harp about and at this price I’m more than satisfied.
Thanks to Stefan for the excellent service and time afforded to me on my visit; it’s nice to have a non-sports bike centric outfitters locally. Cheers
L / White
