Tried and Tested: HJC IS-17

Words: Aatish Mishra

Who doesn’t love a good lid? I’ve been using the HJC IS-17 for the last three months, for everything from daily commutes to quick dashes to the hills and long rides, and find it to be an ideal helmet for the sort of usage I have. First off, let’s talk about safety, which is the raison d’etre of any helmet. The IS-17 meets or exceeds ECE R 22.05 standards, and if the Sharp ratings are anything to go by, it gets five stars. So yes, it offers your noggin’ some solid protection in case of a crash. But I like to spend my time trying not to crash, so I also want a helmet that is functional and comfortable. And the HJC scores rather well on that front as well. Firstly, it gets an internally integrated sun-visor, that is easy to deploy and withdraw even when on the go.

You can slide it forward with a knob on the top of the helmet, and gets withdrawn at the push of a button. It makes the helmet so much more versatile, as it can be used in the day and night without constantly switching out visors. Then there’s the ventilation. It gets an inlet vent at the chin and a single inlet vent the top, with exhaust vents at the back. I find the helmet to be rather well ventilated, and never found it getting muggy and sticky inside. It gets a breath deflector, but I did find that the visor fogs up occasionally. It has a polycarbonate shell, and so isn’t the lightest helmet around at 1500g. But once on the move, it doesn’t matter. It has a slippery shape and slips through the air without trouble, keeping wind noise in check as well. My only grouse? It doesn’t come with a D-ring, which means you cannot use it for racing or at trackdays, that mandate helmets with D-rings. So what you get for the sticker price of Rs 15,000 is a helmet that is ideal for street use, providing a good blend of versatility and comfort without compromising safety. You can buy it online at www.performanceracing.in.