Manufacturing Country: USA
Helmet Model Name: Outlaw Bandit
Helmet Model Number: 282
Helmet Type: Full Face
Available Colors: Gloss Black, Matte Black, Silver, White
Available Option: Light Smoke, Dark Smoke, Iridium and Amber Visor
Standard Features: Clear shield, Chin air-ram duct, two sizes of cheek pads.
Approvals: Snell and DOT (ECE also available)
Available Sizes: XS, S, M, L XL, XXL
MSRP: $449
Ever since I first watched TopGear, I've always wanted The Stig's helmet (both black Stig and White Stig, they use(d) the Diamondback version) and I always thought Simpson only made helmets for car racing, but I was wrong...
Out of all the helmets I've owned over the years, this has to be the most comfortable, non-fogging, quiet helmet I've ever worn. Shoei, Arai, Bell, HJV, Suomy, Nolan... All crap now as far as I'm concerned.
This Simpson Helmets is so advanced, it's simplistic. There is one moving part, the visor (unless you count the chin strap), and even that isn't easily movable because once it's down with a loud CLICK, the locking tab on the left holds it in place. Seems a bit odd and even I thought to myself, "Crap, what happens when I need to crack it up a bit to get the fog out?" Well, there's no need because it either won't fog on you or any fogging dissipates instantly with any little breeze that gets sucked in with the air rams in the chin of the helmet. And that's it. That's all there is to this helmet.
There are no vents with little slide up/down open/close flaps in the forehead, none in the rear and none in the chin. Just 3 always open vents on each side of the chin that they call air ram ducts. Behind the ducts inside the shell is a wire mesh screen and behind that screen is the inner lining of the helmet and for the first time that I can remember in 17 years of riding with a full face helmet, I can breath freely through my nose or mouth without worrying about controlling my breath, blowing down toward my chin or having to slightly crack the visor open for venting.
I live in Washington State and ride year round through rain, snow, sun, hail, fog, you name it, I think we have Simpson Helmets here. I was concerned with the always open vents when it came to rain but after riding over an hour in a rain storm recently, it was bone dry inside.
Just about every helmet I have ever worn I've experienced buffeting and lifting at highway speeds, with the Outlaw, I've had none. 20mph, 80 mph, it's rock steady. The only thing that hits it is the occasional cross breeze that would nail any helmet. According to Simpson, this is because of the "aerodynamic counter measures" I don't know what that it is, but I assume it's those 3, wind tunnel tested forehead bumps, maybe it's the shape of the chin and recessed visor, all I know is that it seems to work, whatever it is. I can also freely turn my head at highway speeds and not have my head nailed or jerked around.
The visor, although apparently smaller than most full face helmets and uniquely shaped provides me with what I feel is better visibility than any other full face helmet I've worn. Around the visor opening in the shell, there is a rubber gasket that seals it tight when closed. This was a concern for me when I first looked at the helmet because the visor is not flush with the shell like most full facers and I thought that once the shell was drenched with rain, it would trickle down inside the helmet and across the inside of the visor but the gasket does its job flawlessly.
It's big. It looks bigger than most full face helmets and I'm pretty sure it is. The cranium cradle (from the base of the visor up) is much larger and has quite a bit of padding, so much that you have to push down on the top or pull down from the bottom when donning the helmet to get your skull seated all the way inside. The opening (where you stick your head in) is also much larger because the chin portion sticks out further than most other full facers which makes it very easy to get on and off without the risk of removing your ear lobes.
This helmet is comfortable, so comfortable I almost don't want to take it off. I suppose that's how The Stig can walk around London all day long with his helmet on. It's also extremely quiet. I can hardly hear the wind or road noise but car horns blast right through.
The chin strap sits further back toward my neck than any other helmet I've had with took a bit of getting used to but it's your typical double-d ring strap. My only complaint is that it has a pad on the strap side (that you feed into the d-rings) that is only fixed to the upper portion of the strip closest to the helmet. Once you secure the strap, you have 4 inches of pad that either made it's way between your jaw and the strap or is sticking down along your neck, requiring some finger forcing to get it where it belongs. I little elastic loop to feed the strap through on this pad would have done it a lot of justice.
The cheek pads are removable with no snaps or removing straps, just held in place with velcro against the liner and it came with two sizes of pads, 40mm and 35mm. That's the part that confused me, it's a USA made helmet and they size their pads in metric... Oh well, metric is better anyway so maybe Simpson is just progressive like that or they use the same pads in all of their helmets sold worldwide. I have a fairly small head for my body size and the 40mm pads fit perfect, the 35mm pad left too much wiggle room but for big jawed guys, I'm sure they would fit fine. It was nice to be able to pick though and not have to buy a different size if I needed them as an accessory.
I ordered my helmet online from "Tiger" Tom Pistone (retired NASCAR Grand National driver) and it arrived in a velvet lined, Simpson logoed helmet bag with handles and a shoulder strap and an autographed race card from "Tiger" Tom and nice letter from Tom and his daughter Chrissy. I expected to unzip the bag and see the helmet sitting right there and was a little shocked to see that it was inside the draw string bag I've received every other helmet in, that was an added bonus. I never use those stupid drawstring bags but just the fact that I get a lined, zippered bag AND that made me feel all warm and fuzzy. The zippered bag is very nice, has a few extra pockets on the outside, has air vents and plenty of room for additional visors and can even hold the Outlaw and a half-shell open face helmet together.
The climate doesn't get as hot here in Washington as it does in other parts of the country/world and the limited air vents may not be good that hot weather or in stop-and-go traffic in the middle of summer, I just don't know yet but will find out on a cross country ride soon and as summer approaches.
This helmet is unique and I haven't seen anyone else in my area that has one, which is always an added bonus for me because I don't want to be just like everyone else with their x-elevens or RF-1000s. Most other riders just kind of stare at it. Maybe because they can't figure out if it's a motocross, drag helmet or motorcycle helmet, or maybe it's because my dark smoke visor is locked in place and it looks like I'm about to eat their young.
The helmet is Snell 2005 and DOT approved and there is an ECE version of it as well.
I've pretty much detailed the pros and my love above but a summary of the cons:
- Chin strap pad is a bit flaky
- Ram-air vents may not be ideal in hot climate
- Locking visor takes some getting used to if you do want to open it.
But, the single biggest con this helmet has is the availability locally. No motorcycle/gear dealer in my area (200 mile radius) carried the Simpson lineup. I had to guess on the size using their online sizing chart compared to the Shoei sizing chart measurements and hope for the best. It was spot on but a big concern when I ordered. One bike dealer did offer to order it for me and if it fit wrong, Simpson agreed to a free exchange for the right size but the dealer wanted to pack in too much overhead for the "special order" process that I decided to just take my chances.
I'm not sure why dealers do not carry the Simpson line, it's a Made in USA product and in my opinion, a far superior product to its foreign and domestic competitors in the same price range. 90% of the dealers I talked to had never even heard of Simpson... Another drawback, there is no list of local dealers on their website either. Simpson could use a little more marketing in the motorcycle arena but maybe they are just happy with their cash cow in the 4 wheeled racing industry.
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