Bought a BV2S helmet today

[jlemieu1]

I have a Mod II. My only grip is the elasto straps become undone. I'm going to make longer ones.
I had a drafty problem too that I figured out. The bottom skirt is held in place with magnets and I needed to make sure they meet the ones in the helmet.

 

[Daranello]

Once you get a BV2S, you'll never go back.....try it and you'll love it....

trully I lock the sheild close and she NEVER fogs and warm as hell.....

on ths warm spring days I take the mouth peice out

 

[Phazernut]

I have a Mod III. My only grip is the elasto straps become undone. I'm going to make longer ones.
I had a drafty problem too that I figured out. The bottom skirt is held in place with magnets and I needed to make sure they meet the ones in the helmet.

Mine did the same thing. Got some thread and sewed the elastic together. Problem solved. Also used superglue to attach the rubber hoses to the mask.

 

[jlemieu1]

I have a Mod II. My only grip is the elasto straps become undone. I'm going to make longer ones.
I had a drafty problem too that I figured out. The bottom skirt is held in place with magnets and I needed to make sure they meet the ones in the helmet.

Mine did the same thing. Got some thread and sewed the elastic together. Problem solved. Also used superglue to attach the rubber hoses to the mask.

Thanks for the tips, Phazernut.

 

[kinger]

I got a chance to wear this helmet right a 0 degree night last night. Its fricken WARM, seriously I ws hot in this helmet. That is nice.

The large is a little bit small for my noggin with the bacalava on, I may try riding without one and see how that works.

Great helmet!

 

[vogelm1]

Just rec'd my BV2S today; bought new off ebay (looks like a GREAT helmet) but took a chance not being able to try it on. Seems to fit just a bit on the loose side even with a balaclava. It's an XL. My XL HJC fits perfect, so got the same in the BV2S thinking that would work. I do know my kid's Large HJC is uncomfortably snug on me - second-guessing myself that a Large BV2S (if they ran a bit big) might be 'just right'. Thoughts? I can't slide it forward off my head with the chin strap fastened or anything like that, but there is a little side-to-side slop. My gut says it's going to work OK, just wanted some more opinions. I seem to be "in between" on sizes with everything - clothes, shoes, etc. Maybe that's just the way I'm built.

Also, the absorbent pads are just supposed to lay in the breath mask, correct? Not held by sticky pads or anything?

Thanks for the help/advice!!

 

[KevinS]

I have a Mod III. My only grip is the elasto straps become undone. I'm going to make longer ones.
I had a drafty problem too that I figured out. The bottom skirt is held in place with magnets and I needed to make sure they meet the ones in the helmet.

Mine did the same thing. Got some thread and sewed the elastic together. Problem solved. Also used superglue to attach the rubber hoses to the mask.

I found some rings that fit inside the hoses on the inside of the masks. Prevents the hoses from pulling out.

 

[Yellowknife]

Some of you guys are priceless your comments. I get a kick out of it.

I did a review on this helmet back in 2004 - I've since logged over 30,000 km's with it (19,000 Miles).... hope you like it, its long lol

My beloved Modular of 3 seasons old was STOLEN from my house by some jerk who rents a room downstairs. He should have been wearing the helmet when I had his head put through the wall.

In other news...

I was forced to purchase a new helmet and I opted for the $600 (Canadian) BVS.

Testing was as follows:

Day 1 - Air Temperature of -37 Degrees Celcius:

I read the book that came with my helmet. I wore a full face beleclava that went over my nose. BAD IDEA. On my modular I could do this and get a good seal, on the BVS I couldn't. The air leaked between the beleclava and my skin. So I tightened the mask real hard on my face to FORCE it to seal. It sealed against my beleclava alright, but then the two diaphrams near the nose of the mask folded inward and opened releasing air into my helmet and fogging my visor instantly. I rode 100 km's at -37 completely fogged up. It was hell.

This BVS visor isn't like a modular visor at all. It is so thick that a simple wipe with a cloth won't clear up any frost. It retains the cold much more than the thin visor on a modular helmet.


Day 2 - Air Temperature of -41 Degrees Celcius:

God was testing me, the helmet and my patience in these temperatures. On this day I used the BVS beleclava that routes under your chin. BAD IDEA. At warm temperatures this beleclava is fine so most of you will love it, but at -41, my chin was freezing! The moisture/water that collected in the bottom of the jaw piece was SO COLD that my chin was at risk of frostbite. I had to remove the helmet and put a warmer beleclava on.

Note: While having the helmet off to change beleclava's I swear the helmet shrunk from the cold, it was damn hard to force it back onto my head. At this point I was fogged up, and rode 200 km's without seeing anything all day, again, hell was freezing over and I was in it.


Day 3 - Air Temperature of -43 Degrees Celcius:

Why isn't it warming up...man I was sure putting this helmet to the test. So I couldn't ride without a beleclava that at least went over my chin, if not a full face one. It was clear if I wore a full face beleclava that the mask wouldn't seal unless it was super tight, and even then the diaphrams would open SO...lets the mods begin.

I removed ALL 3 diaphrams from the helmet's mask. Both of them at the nose, and the one in the front for your breath's exhaust.

Let's take a moment to understand that the helmet's mask is supposed to draw air from inside your helmet, which you breathe into your body, then exhale that air outside of the helmet.

There are no vents that allow cold air into the helmet thus making the helmet super warm - Yet they want you to draw cold air from the outside of the helmet inside it to replace the air in the helmet that you are breathing into your body through the two nose diaphrams on the mask? I don't like the idea.

I want the air in my helmet to stay warm, I don't want cold air creeping in to replace the air I am taking from inside the helmet to breathe. So, I sealed both holes in the mask near the nose with duct tape. The exhaust hole was now my intake and exhaust for air.

Selecting a beleclava to make this work was key....and if you want a beleclava that you can breathe through without air being forced up your face and outside of the mask, you need a 100% Nylon beleclava.

Spandex, Polyester, Cotton; they are all bad, any percentage of them in your beleclava will force air around the contours of the beleclava instead of through it, which causes air leaks into your helmet and INSTANT fogging.

With the BVS, ANY air leak from your mask, even a small one spells disaster. The colder it is outside, the worse it is. This helmet will fog instantly and easily if you have a leak. It takes a lot less to fog a BVS compared to a modular.

So I'm wearing a 100% Nylon beleclava, and because I have the two holes in the mask near the nose sealed with duct tape, I can mash that mask against my face as tight as I want to make a seal without worry of any diaphrams folding and releasing air.

Since this I have rode over 900 km's FOG FREE. The day after doing these mods, I read in a snowmobile magazine that they too duct taped their masks to get them to work. Great timing. lol

Even with this set-up, you have to be extra careful that you are sealing the mask all the way around your face. It is very easy to miss a spot and leak air, then you're screwed. I don't have an electric shield, and at $600 for this helmet I think you shouldn't need one.

This helmet as a whole seals air out very well. It is by far the warmest helmet I've ever worn, which also makes it more suseptable to fogging.

The vision of this helmet is unreal. I felt like I was in a helicopter's drivers seat when I first started riding with it. The vision is far better than a modular.

The light on the back is a joke, the switch for it blows.

The heated visor is a waste of money to me, but Couchboy has one and it does work in case you don't seal that mask quite right.

The flashlight for the side is funny, and expensive, and also not for me at the price it goes for.

The visor quality is unreal, durable, and of excellence. The rubber sealing around the visor is good...but I've seen it come unglued, nothing some crazy glue won't fix.

Does this helmet seal 100% of the air out of it? NO. Mine doesn't anyway. At certain angles depending on which direction the wind is coming from, I get a breeze on the inside of the helmet that usualy hits my left eye.

Is the inside of the mask (my mouth/chin) cold from not having that big diaphram in place? NO. Even at -43! My biggest suggestion to all of you with the BVS is GET RID OF THAT DIAPHRAM. The one with 3 holes in it or whatever is a joke, just take it out.

If you get stuck or need to walk around, open that visor. Any amount of body heat coming from your face will fog that visor real fast. If you are normally someone who throws a lot of body heat, this helmet isn't for you, otherwise you'll need to make some adjustments to it and the way you ride, one of which includes trimming the rubber 'wiper like' seal at the top of the visor. Getting rid of that seal will allow heat to travel upwards and out the helmet much better than with it in place. Starting your ride with your visor open can help until you cool down and can seal it.

If you have glasses, the most effective way to achieve a fog free ride is to get your glasses and helmet on and seal that visor all inside the house - and DON'T OPEN IT once you get outside.

Talking to someone is nicer with the BVS, at least your voice is travelling forward instead of out the sides of the helmet like the modular.

The modulars are famous for freezing up at the air vents....well so is the BVS. The difference is, you can clear it up much easier and quicker with the BVS. At -30 or colder, frost buildup will block the air well before ice ever will.

Giving the front of the helmet a tap will let a lot of frost fall out, but removing the front guard is the best way to do it. Just be careful...I don't trust all that plastic, and you need nails on your fingers to get that front plate off easily. Wipe the ice/frost away and you are set to go.

Here's a tip to prevent screwing up the rubber sealing around the visor. When closing the visor, do it by pressing the helmet down on the top of the visor. Don't grab the tabs and try and push down - you can bend the visor and if you get the visor half in/half out of the seal you can bend the rubber and deform it, making it difficult to seal properly again.

You can use the tabs to open the visor, doing it with both hands is the best way so you are not bending the visor by using one hand. Just some pickey stuff that's all.

The worst thing about this helmet is the strap. WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP. The strap on the left side of the helmet is so short, and so far inside the helmet it makes putting it on and buckling it a major pain in the #*$&@. What the hell was the designer thinking! Let's see some length on that strap so you can easily access it, get the helmet on and off, and buckle it.

BTW - I prefer the single button buckle on the modular compared to this two button buckle on the BVS.

When closing the mask on the front, you have to make sure both those hooks that latch the mask to the helmet click, mine has trouble sometimes, even when ensuring there is no pressure on the mask from my face preventing the hooks from grabbing into the helmet.

The sun shield is cool. What are all the different colors for? I have no clue... if someone can chime in on that and let us know - that'd be great!

When tightening the mask to your face you have to hold the mask with one hand at the nose and tighten the dial with the other. And blow some big breaths into that thing to ensure you don't have any leaks. Usually you will feel the whisp of an air leak right at your eye's or forehead if their is one.

Pay attention to the adjustments on that mask. There are 4 adjustments on the mask alone. All I can say is put it on and off and on again, 100 times over, play with it and get it adjusted to it fits to YOUR face correctly. It isn't snap and go like the modular, there's a lot to this BVS mask and you have to be aware of the adjustments.

So what do I think of this helmet?

1. Not worth the money, way too expensive.

2. There sure is a lot to learn about it before it will work properly, unless you are riding in warm temps, this helmet takes a lot of getting used to and is a hassle to use.

3. I had to modify a $600 helmet to get it to work properly. BRP should offer the mask without any holes at the nose so those who just want to inhale/exhale through the front vent can do so. And folks - that's the way to go. Try it, you won't be disappointed. Use duct tape, give it a shot. Make sure the tape seals. I guarantee you love it. If not, take the tape off and put it back the way it was. I actually sealed mine beyond duct tape now with silicone.

Anyone out there with a tight budget thinking of getting the BVS. Don't bother, it isn't worth it. My modular may have had other quirks like getting ice out of the breathing holes and having a tight jaw, but that thing NEVER fogged - and that's the biggest plus to any helmet, WE NEED TO SEE! And minimal effort to acheive a clear visor is preferred.

Even now with everything I've done to it, if I'm not super careful about sealing that mask over my face/beleclava, I'll fog. I never had to piss around with anything on my modular, it always worked for me worry free....you definitely gotta worry about this helmet.

Now those of you riding in near freezing temps won't ever need to worry about the problems I've had. But if you modify it the way I have, you'll have the best chance of a fog free ride at ANY temperature.

One thing about the modular I liked was the neck protection with the addition of the material to the face mask. You need to wear your own neck protection seperate from this BVS, as it doesn't offer much. Again I'm talking colder temps. The velcro/spandex material under the chin is good though, combined with a neck warmer or some neck protection then you are laughing.

While powder riding, the BVS rocks...no snow ingestion like the modular.

Did you ever emagine a helmet so complicated? I could write a manual on this thing thicker than the one for the sleds.

I was waiting to display pics but my POS camera isn't working so I'll add some later if I can borrow one.

Hope you like my review...feel free to add tips and tricks or make fun of me for spending $600.
-----------------------------------------------

So I wrote that back at the end of 2004, I guess my review style hasn't changed much and I can't believe i've had the helmet that long. I've cracked the removable plastic guard on the mouth piece from getting ice out of it, but i've never actually replaced any part of the helmet yet, but I could use a new visor, mine is scratched to hell.

And I take back the comment about the rear light - it is useful, but the switch for it is useless.

Cheers,
YK

 

[kinger]

That is a great review. I too hate the stap, why so short?!?! I to also hate the light switch i often see my light on when I open up the case of the helmet and have no idea how long it was on for. I now leave it facing me when I walk by in the garage to see if the light mysteriously turned on.

I was riding in a blizzard and when I opened the lens to talk with my buddies and figure out where we were at (near zero visability) the snow that got on the inside of my lens froze instantly on the inside. I was still able to see but coming from a $80 helmet from Ebay with a electric shield that never fogged I haven't had to try and squint through my lens for 4 years and I had to then. Otherwise it works great and the rear LED light was very helpful in the blizaard when my riding partners all used that to see me since the sled was full of snow.

It also takes some to get it on and adjusted each time, not like a modular that is so much easier.

Overall its a very nice helmet but requires some tinkering everyonce in awhile. I wouldn't spend over $300 for it. An ebay helmet with a electric shield will yield the same fog free performance, but the visbability of the BV2S is OUTSTANDING and i love the sunglasses built into it.

1-10 I give it a 8.5

 

[Vandelay Industries]

I just got mine a week ago.
Last night I took it out of the case and same problem, light was on. Is this a common problem. Also my strap is too short.
Still, I think I will like this helmet a lot.

 

[vogelm1]

Just rec'd my BV2S today; bought new off ebay (looks like a GREAT helmet) but took a chance not being able to try it on. Seems to fit just a bit on the loose side even with a balaclava. It's an XL. My XL HJC fits perfect, so got the same in the BV2S thinking that would work. I do know my kid's Large HJC is uncomfortably snug on me - second-guessing myself that a Large BV2S (if they ran a bit big) might be 'just right'. Thoughts? I can't slide it forward off my head with the chin strap fastened or anything like that, but there is a little side-to-side slop. My gut says it's going to work OK, just wanted some more opinions. I seem to be "in between" on sizes with everything - clothes, shoes, etc. Maybe that's just the way I'm built.

Also, the absorbent pads are just supposed to lay in the breath mask, correct? Not held by sticky pads or anything?

Thanks for the help/advice!!

Thanks for the thorough reviews guys...any thoughts regarding my questions above?

 

[Yellowknife]

you shouldn't be able to slide the helmet around once your head is in it with the facemask off. if it is not snug/comfortable, then it is too loose.

As for those pads, they just sit in there.

 

[greenmntpass]

This is my second season with mine and love it. I originally had the mask with the old baffles, and had to keep cracked because my glasses would fog. The upgrade mask with new baffles is $45.00 and works great. The trick I found is I don't wear any head gear, just a good turtle neck and a light neck warmer. This way there is no interference with the breathing mask and my glasses just sit on top of the nose piece. No cold air getting in, no fogged glasses, just toasty warm. For riding 28 years with glasses this is the first helmut that actually works for me, and I've been through a few. Mine was a demo helmut I found on ebay for 280.00 in awesome shape.

 

[DaveRX1]

I had one and sold it....the ONLY thing I didn't like is the dripping down the front of my jacket and the freakin sponge things! I hated changing those things out.

The helmet was aweomse....super quiet and airtight which made it extremely warm.

Use "mini" panty sheilds, they dont get soggy and they will last for days, and best of all your wife probably has a box full in the bathroom.

 

[david galloway]

i had a condinsation problem in the mouth piece so i punched a small hole at the lowest point with a gasket hole punch kit and problem solved.