“Updated” doesn’t always mean “Upgraded”

In my long career as a motorcycle journalist, I must have written 200 product reviews, from the Daily Herald newspaper in Chicago, to Speed TV, and other large national and small print publications.  Everything from jackets, pants, undergarments, rainwear, heated clothing, gadgets and accessories, tires, helmets, communication electronics, etc.  Many times, the manufacturer would contact me to see if I’d be interested in reviewing one of their products, and other times, I requested an item I saw at a trade show, or in a dealership. 90% of the time I was pleased with the item, and wanted to pass along my observations to my readers who grew to trust my opinions. But when writing for print media, where space is always limited, I never wrote about the items I did not like, because I didn’t want to waste precious space telling folks what not to buy, only the good stuff.

However, space constraints don’t exist on the web. So here goes . . .

Way back in 2012 I got a helmet from HJC, one of the largest helmet manufacturers in the world, out of South Korea. They sell a full line of helmets for street, off-road, etc, for cruiser riders, sport bikers and racers, in every price range from budget helmets to those race replica helmets costing as much as a luxury car payment.

I chose their IS-33 model. It was a three-quarter, open face helmet with a flip down shield, and a second flip down jet-fighter sunshade. It had excellent features- good cutout ear pockets for communication devices, good airflow through the helmet, a plush comfortable inner liner, and it quickly became my go-to summer lid. It was also very reasonably priced at $139. And it compared nicely with others of my helmets that cost a lot more.

The HJC IS-33 helmet I loved so much. Photo by ChapMoto.

Every couple of years they updated that model and added a new feature, improved the features they already had, and I upgraded with each new iteration.

Two seasons ago, I went above and beyond the call of duty as a journalist, and actually crash tested the one I had, when I was tossed off my Ninja with an unintended high side get-off.Broke 10 ribs, and needed some plates, pins and screws to fix my ankle. While it had been a rather slow speed event, I still hit the side of my head on the pavement.

Despite what you may hear from my wife, I did NOT scramble my brains.

So it was time to get a new brain bucket, but I was told that they were changing and updating that model again, so I waited to get the new and improved one until last month. I must tell you, that I WAS NEVER SO DISAPPOINTED WITH ANY NEW PRODUCT I’VE EVER REVIEWED. Especially one that I’ve had 3 different versions of!

The new and “improved” HJC i31 Tevis.

The new version is called the i31 Tevis. I’ve always had a solid color helmet rather than one with wildly colored graphics, but this time I decided to go with some colors which match those of my newly repainted Triumph America. I loved the way it looked, but the trouble began with the first time I put it on. Or more accurately, the first time I attempted to put it on.

The strap that holds the D-rings on the left side of the helmet, is VERY short. So short that it is almost hidden and cramped behind the thick cheek pad. It must have taken me five minutes to try to fit the strap between the cheek pad, still have enough space to feed the strap through the two D-rings, then loop it back through to secure the helmet. Then it was another struggle to snap the excess strap to keep it from flapping in the wind.

Removing the helmet was just as difficult. Unfortunately, it didn’t get any easier with practice, and no amount of swearing made it any better. I grumbled to myself, “Didn’t anybody in their engineering department ever try to actually put one on themselves?” All it needed was another half inch or so of strap to rectify the problem. How many pennies did that save? In my opinion, putting a helmet on and taking it off is a rather significant attribute of a motorcycle helmet. This feature alone will be a daily reminder of a bad purchase decision.

Helmet with my comms installed. “Updated” doesn’t always mean “Upgraded”.

My previous model had excellent air flow through the top of the helmet to let in fresh air up front and vent it out the back, via a two position switch, and either with the face shield in the open or shut position. Even on very warm days, you could feel the air flow over the top of your head. Not so with the new model, whose vent option is fully open or fully closed. The new helmet’s face shield operation was not nearly as smooth and sure when opening and closing it at the various detente positions. The new new shield, however, is PinLock ready to install a fog free insert, for an additional $50.

As for the operation of the jet-fighter sun shield, it too was not an improvement. The old helmet had a slide button on top of the helmet which had several positions, and a simple spring loaded button that would immediately retract it with one push. This new model now has a slide lever on the lower left side of the helmet to operate it for lowering and raising, and that operation was not very smooth either.

Helmet front and back, showing the venting setup I find awkward.

Unfortunately, in our current bottom line world, “new and improved” sometimes means poorer quality and higher priced. This i31 Tevis model sells for $180.  My advice on this particular HJC helmet is to take a hard pass. It’s new, but it is not improved.

What are your thoughts on the HJC i31? Have you experienced similar issues with it or other similar models? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

*Top feature photo- HJC i31 Tevis helmet in matte black. Photo by Xtreme Helmets.