New 509 delta R3 helmet

[Delphi]

509 did get back to me today. They called me personally and apologized for the delay more than once. I want to give credit for the sincerity of the call. Honestly I think this helmet will be a pleasure to own once the "updates" are installed. I have incorporated my own versions of 509's updates and I have no complaints about this helmet now. Next year's buyers of this helmet should be well satisfied. Bummer for us that bought a first year product, but I guess it happens sometimes. The updates are rolling out slowly but 509 wants to get it right.

Are you speaking with John? I have not heard back from them. My shield is falling now. I often switch between lens and goggles. So wear and tear seems to be my issue. And cold air through the moithpiece.

 

[Zoggan]

Yes, John is who called me. Their ticket system is giving them issues and it's been a real challenge for John. As you can see it took a while for him to get back to me. My son also has an R3 and John called him last week and has things rolling.

Ok, as far as your issues, THE NUMBER ONE fix for me was to add a larger chin curtain that doesn't allow air through it. I rigged one up that extends back from the chin bar and just touches the collar on my jacket. This completely transformed the helmet form very drafty (cold on -5 days) to warm and comfortable. I also closed up the front vents by installing foam backer rod cut in half into the slots at the top of the chin bar. (this was the first thing I did thinking it was the main reason for the draft). These can be removed if the helmet gets too warm. I also used the foam backer rods to close off the rear vents from inside of the helmet (the helmet gets downright toasty if you do this!) You can install and remove those too if you wish.

One of the problems with the face shield is the defective cords provided (the center pins crack and the silver metallic part falls of leaving only the white plastic portion of the pin. Also, make sure the silver metallic portion doesn't stay stuck into the face shield connector). Get a new cord and toss the one from 509. Another problem and this is a bigger problem, is the improper manufacturing of the wire connections on the face shield itself. The fine wires that attach to the silver conductive material on the shield are breaking because they aren't protected properly. A few rides opening and closing the shield will rub these wires to the point of breaking them off. I used clear silicone to protect the wires at the two points where they connect to the shield and the one point where they go into the jack. I glued mine down right away when new and I haven't had any issues. Lastly, because of the orientation of the jack on the face shield which is pointing straight down, the cord pulls out as you're riding. 509 provided a stick on cord clip in the box. Use this stick on clip to hold the cord up and remove the tension on the jack so it doesn't pull out. I did this and it has been working fine.

509 is providing fixes for these things that will be provided to us, the R3 testers and will get them to us as they are tested and manufactured (not soon enough for me but oh well) If you follow what I outlined above I think your opinion of this helmet will change for the better.

 

[wot-75]

Midwest 509 rep here...

If you have contacted 509 you are in their ticket system and they are sending out replacement upgraded parts as they come in.
They are shipping these parts in the order that customers have contacted 509 regarding the issue(s).
The 3 items that 509 has developed to correct issues are:
-Foam Plug Kits for the chin bar vents + a new Arctic Gaiter (not available until the Spring unfortunately)
-Newly designed power cords which will be more durable (won't break at the port), pliable in the cold, and stay plugged in! (make sure you use the included adhesive wire tab that mount to the side of the helmet!!)
-Newly designed shields that re-route the heating element wiring so it doesn't rub on the gasket during open/close, thicker wire gauge so more energy (heat) can be passed through the elements, and designed so there are no exposed wiring anywhere.

These parts are arriving in waves as the factory as they are being produced. Chinese New year has caused a delay in the shields however some people have already received theirs (those who contacted 509 the soonest) however more are in the air and should arrive soon... and then there will be a couple weeks delay.

Please be patient.. you will get the updated parts just as soon as they have them and able to ship to you.

As Zoggan mentioned above, once these issues are addressed this will really be a great full face heated-shield helmet and one that you can feel confident wearing in any conditions.

Next year's Delta R3 2.0 will have all of these fixes applied out of the box to include the Arctic neck gaiter I mentioned so don't be afraid to recommend next year's version to friends and family... the new colors are sick! (images of next year's products are embargo'd until March 1 otherwise I'd show you).

509 feels terrible about these issues that some of you have had... there have also been about the same number of people who have contacted 509 saying they love the helmet... I know that doesn't make you feel any better but just wanted to put out there that not everyone has had issues with the helmet and for many people it wasn't a dud product.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble.

-James

 

[Delphi]

I was actually going to make a rubber mold for the outside mouth breathers.. but im hoping im on the list of the fixes from 509.

Great to see a company standing behind its product.

Initially i had an issue with my fidlock appearing to be loose. But i found it was the jacket i was using. It had straps on the top which could snag the fidlock strap and unbuckle the helmet. I fixed the jacket.

My heated shield has worked but it slides now and changing the plastic pieces when i swap to goggles has caused them to warp. Which dosnt make it a tight fit.

Otherwise. Im happy with the helmet when it becomes mod 2.0.

Also on another note.. i did not have any sort of adhesive tab for the heated shield wire in my box. Bought brand new from 509 dealer.

 

[Zoggan]

I was actually going to make a rubber mold for the outside mouth breathers.. but im hoping im on the list of the fixes from 509.

Great to see a company standing behind its product.

Initially i had an issue with my fidlock appearing to be loose. But i found it was the jacket i was using. It had straps on the top which could snag the fidlock strap and unbuckle the helmet. I fixed the jacket.

My heated shield has worked but it slides now and changing the plastic pieces when i swap to goggles has caused them to warp. Which dosnt make it a tight fit.

Otherwise. Im happy with the helmet when it becomes mod 2.0.

Also on another note.. i did not have any sort of adhesive tab for the heated shield wire in my box. Bought brand new from 509 dealer.

I get what you mean now by "falling" I thought that was a typo for "failing". I never use googles so I haven't put the covers on? Are they warping because you're pulling on the bolted on side pieces and they bend when removing the covers? Are the covers too tight when installed?

The adhesive pieces should be in the bag that contained all of the electrical parts to wire the shield.

 

[Delphi]

I get what you mean now by "falling" I thought that was a typo for "failing". I never use googles so I haven't put the covers on? Are they warping because you're pulling on the bolted on side pieces and they bend when removing the covers? Are the covers too tight when installed?

The adhesive pieces should be in the bag that contained all of the electrical parts to wire the shield.

Yes those pieces are having a hard time to being pulled in and out around the button. So when i put them down they sorta stick out at the tip like mutton chops. I will try to snap some pics. It also affects the shield being in the full close position. I have to press down hard and it can ride up a bit.

As for the falling. It slides down from the fully up position about .5 inch. If you have it up while riding and hit ruts it can bounce a bit.

I have not found the adhesive tab. But it would help! I checked my bag with the wires. I just had wires. I made my own SAE plug for the wire to run it in acc port.

 

[Zoggan]

Yes those pieces are having a hard time to being pulled in and out around the button. So when i put them down they sorta stick out at the tip like mutton chops. I will try to snap some pics. It also affects the shield being in the full close position. I have to press down hard and it can ride up a bit.

As for the falling. It slides down from the fully up position about .5 inch. If you have it up while riding and hit ruts it can bounce a bit.

I have not found the adhesive tab. But it would help! I checked my bag with the wires. I just had wires. I made my own SAE plug for the wire to run it in acc port.

Not sure why you wouldn't have the clips here's a pic. I also put a small zip tie on the cord to keep it from sliding through the clip. There's nothing special about these clips. Most auto parts stores should have them.

 

[rebmo]

My son and I had Delta R3 1.0 helmets last year. We both had RCA cable issues on our first ride. We added the clip to the helmet and that helped. We were riding in a huge snowstorm in the UP and my shield fogged up even though my LED was lit. I played with it many times and made it back with the visor cracked open. My son's worked OK but he also had to be very careful with the cable. It was below zero and tough on the equipment.

Our next trip to the UP last year my helmet completely failed on our first short run. My son's worked OK. I took mine inside and found that the wire connected to the shield rivet was cleanly cut right at the rivet. I cut some circles out of aluminum foil and stacked them, and duct taped them over the rivet/wire end and the shield worked OK for the next few days in single digit to teens. My son's helmet had cable issues and the shields were way dark. We both actually still loved the helmets, fit, looks, breath box, etc, but had these problems.

I contacted 509 early this fall, and they took 100% care of us with helmet replacements. The new helmets have 2.0 shields which have a more robust wiring protection. The shields are now amber and will help when going from sunny into the woods. You can flip the switch, but I think the amber drop down lens should be much better. The vents are now all adjustable and the breath box has been modded. My 1.0 helmet was yellow and was supposed to be "lime green". The yellow really didn't look right so I got a new helmet. Talk to John at 509, they will take care of you. They now have addressed all the issues and have retrofits which solve the issues. I'm looking forward to using the Delta R3 2.0 this season. Very comfortable helmets IMO.

 

[Peter F.]

I am bumping this. I bought a Delta R3 last year and the shield #hit the bed on the 1st day. I wasn't super happy with the helmet. Lots of wind coming up thru the chin, broken shield, etc. I emailed 509 back in January 2018, got the auto response and never heard back. I suffered thru (1st world problems, I know) the heated shield issue up until last weekend. It hit -14 in the am and my shield iced over within 5 mns... I called 509 and had a great call. The CSR said their ticket system failed last year and they lost a a bunch of tickets (mine was included in that batch). Granted, I should have followup but just didn't want to deal with it. Anyway - they are sending a new shield, cord, chin skirt and vent plugs. Anyway - props to 509 for standing behind the products..

 

[Viper_Dave]

I apologize for not updating the result of my 509 experience. Walked in to the Milwaukee Snow Show, went straight to the 509 booth. Set my helmet on the table and the first person to walk up asked if I needed an update kit. Answered that I would like one. Pulled my helmet apart, installed a new shield, chin curtain and vent plugs. Handed me my old parts, some new GoPro mounts, and thanked me for allowing them to fix my helmet. It now works as advertised. In fact, after using an open face for 20 yrs., it might be a little TOO warm LOL. To the 509 group, thank you! I'm now a satisfied customer!

 

[hognit09]

I just bought one at the Milwaukee show and as much as I like the helmet there are things I don't like. For one the drop down sun shade is useless cause all it does is fog up, and there is air that comes up chin area still. sometimes there is no air and other times there is, and I have had others look at how I have every positioned and its the same every time.Also who in the hell puts a female end on the end of helmet cord when all sled side kits are female, had to but a rca male to male adapter to remedy this. On the good side I never had a heated shield before but it works really good, I can actually feel some heat on my face from it

 

[Mooseman]

I got one too for XMas. Same issues as @hognit09 . I made my own male-male adapter for the end of the cord. I ripped off the chin curtain as it just got hard in the cold. Found the breath deflector unnecessary since the electric shield works great and it just accumulated frozen condensed breath and moisture. Plus, the deflector would get undone whenever I would grab the helmet by the chin guard and was a PITA to clip back in properly. Also have the issue with the sunvisor fogging up but what can be done for that? There is a film that can be applied called WeePro but you'd have to buy two kits since it fogs up on both sides and not sure it wouldn't affect visibility.

Compared to my old Zox modular helmet, the weight is about the same. I do miss the modular part though but I do like this helmet and its working heated shield, which never worked well on the Zox.

 

[fxnytrortxkid]

Midwest 509 rep here...

If you have contacted 509 you are in their ticket system and they are sending out replacement upgraded parts as they come in.
They are shipping these parts in the order that customers have contacted 509 regarding the issue(s).
The 3 items that 509 has developed to correct issues are:
-Foam Plug Kits for the chin bar vents + a new Arctic Gaiter (not available until the Spring unfortunately)
-Newly designed power cords which will be more durable (won't break at the port), pliable in the cold, and stay plugged in! (make sure you use the included adhesive wire tab that mount to the side of the helmet!!)
-Newly designed shields that re-route the heating element wiring so it doesn't rub on the gasket during open/close, thicker wire gauge so more energy (heat) can be passed through the elements, and designed so there are no exposed wiring anywhere.

These parts are arriving in waves as the factory as they are being produced. Chinese New year has caused a delay in the shields however some people have already received theirs (those who contacted 509 the soonest) however more are in the air and should arrive soon... and then there will be a couple weeks delay.

Please be patient.. you will get the updated parts just as soon as they have them and able to ship to you.

As Zoggan mentioned above, once these issues are addressed this will really be a great full face heated-shield helmet and one that you can feel confident wearing in any conditions.

Next year's Delta R3 2.0 will have all of these fixes applied out of the box to include the Arctic neck gaiter I mentioned so don't be afraid to recommend next year's version to friends and family... the new colors are sick! (images of next year's products are embargo'd until March 1 otherwise I'd show you).

509 feels terrible about these issues that some of you have had... there have also been about the same number of people who have contacted 509 saying they love the helmet... I know that doesn't make you feel any better but just wanted to put out there that not everyone has had issues with the helmet and for many people it wasn't a dud product.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble.

-James

Is there any plan for them to make these any bigger? A 3 or 4 x by chance? The x is close and wearing a baclava would make it touch to snug imo. Guess I’m just to big of a Neanderthal.

 

[Mooseman]

I have a 2X and it fits well. I tried my old Zox 2X and it was tighter than I remembered.

So the final word after using it the whole season, I like it! After I contacted them to send me a male-male adapter (the one I made broke), I was able to use it on my RS Venture GT that had the female RCA built-in the handlebar.

The sun visor I was able to use after a bit of finagling. When I would flip it down and it would fog (or was already fogged), I'd crack the shield open a bit to clear it, then close it, crack it again, close it. Usually after the third time the temperature inside the helmet stabilized and the visor would stay clear. I wish it was smoke rather than yellow as riding towards the setting sun was still too bright.

Coldest I rode with it was -20c and it was plenty warm with just a thick fleece bottom/thin top type balaclava. However, I have a very high windshield. YMMV.

 

[rbell14]

Wow, I looked at R3 and R4 509 helmets yesterday and was impressed. After reading this thread I'm scared.

Are the issues all fixed for this year??? Maybe WOT 75 can update us on 2019 model