There’s one piece of riding
gear I never ride without, a helmet. People tend to be very opinionated on this
subject. As for myself, I wear a helmet every time I ride. All it takes is one
good bump to throw you off your quad and your life could change forever. That
being said, it was time for me to get a new helmet. My current helmet is a few
years old and has seen better days. It also does not a removable liner making
for a pretty diner liner.
Helmets have a wide range
prices. You can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $600 for helmet. How does
one know what to buy with that with that kind of price range? We decided to
pick a helmet right in the middle of this price range with an MSRP of $299.99.
There was one helmet in particular that caught our attention, it was the
AXO Chute Helmet. All things considered it was the looks of this
helmet that caught our attention. The
Chute Helmet comes in ten great color combinations. This makes
finding a color you like an easy task even for the most discerning rider. We
chose the
electro green/black
color combo for our test unit.
Now that we picked out a helmet, it was time to look at the features. After all, when you’re paying this
amount of money you want to know what you are getting for you hard earned
money. One thing’s for sure, you want a helmet that doesn’t weigh a lot.
Riding an ATV or dirt bike takes a lot of energy in and of itself, the last thing
you need is helmet that is wearing you out due to its weight. The
AXO Chute Helmet weighs in at a respectable 3.2lbs and constructed of
fiberglass. The Polystyrene liner is pressure molded and tested to ensure it
fits and stays in secure within the helmet. This quality build construction is
for the helmet to be both DOT Approved and Snell 2005 certified.
The features don’t end there.
The
Chute Helmet comes with removable and washable liner and cheek pads.
Quite honestly this is my favorite feature of the whole helmet. A washable
liners means the helmet can be cleaned of sweat and dirt after each ride. This
is my first helmet with such a feature and I will never own one without it
again.
Additional features that make this helmet a
great value:
Machined Aluminum and PU
molded visor washers and bolts
3 piece molded intake vent
attached to the front of the helmet
Molded debris deflector nose
guard is removable
Molded intake scoops on the
cheeks and exhaust vents on the crown of the helmet
Clear coated graphics
Multi layer base coat color
Stainless steel D ring chin
strap system
Unique materials and
construction ensure lower interior noise
I was excited to get my new helmet because quite honestly
who doesn’t like getting new equipment? When the helmet arrived I was sad to
find out the helmet sizing is way off. I ordered my normal size and was shocked
to find out it didn’t even come close to fitting. This happened even after I
measured my head per the instructions located on A week later I had another
helmet on my doorstep that was one size larger and fit. Take note of this, if
you decide to buy this helmet order accordingly.
Inside the box was another surprise, a second visor. This
means if you drop your helmet on the visor or have a mishap, there’s a spare to
keep you going. The most I ever got extra with a helmet was some spare visor
screws. So a whole visor was an unexpected yet nice touch. The helmet also came
with a draw string helmet for transport when not in use.
Helmets are a little tough to write reviews on. Ultimately
people want to know how well they protect your head in the event of a crash.
Lucky for us we were fortunate enough to not incur a crash involving our head
while wearing this helmet. We’ll have to take their word on the Snell and DOT
ratings. We can say after getting the right size helmet, it was comfortable fit.
The padding has held up well and does not show any signs of wear. But again
the best part of this helmet is the removable liner. After three months of use
this feature has allowed us to keep this helmet from getting a bit raunchy! In
my book that means a lot!
There were a few differences that became evident when
comparing this helmet to my previous helmet. First was cost, my previous helmet
had cost half as much as the Chute Helmet. But honestly, what is the
difference if you spend another $150 when purchasing a $7000+ machine?We
all have no problem spending $100’s if not $1000’s of dollars on aftermarket
parts, so why cheap out on you helmet that protects you.
Conclusion
Overall, theAXO Chute Helmethas held up well and met our expectations. We look
forward to using this helmet for a good long while. It’s comfortable, functional
and affordable. Not to mention it protects the head on top of our shoulders. If
you are in the market for a new helmet, we suggest you give the AXO Chute Helmet line a look, after all we did give it our “Tortured”
stamp of approval.
Pros:
Snell 2005 and DOT Approved
Removable liner and ear pads
Extra visor
Comfortable fit (when you have the right size)
Cons:
Price may be viewed as expensive to some
Runs small, need to purchase a size larger than normal
Visor seems a little flimsy
The chute is currently available in sizes XS - XXLRG.
Suggested Retail. $ 299.99
Contact Information:
For more info visit
www.axo.com or call AXO at 1-877-AXO-RACE
E-Mail:
info@axo.us
AXO America
26465 Summit Circle
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
