Burn Out Italy BurnOutItaly's Blog about Motorcycle helmets, riding gear, motorcycle accessories and parts
The Roof Boxer V8 helmet was probably designed with motorcycle riders in mind, but it proved to be a great snowmobile helmet, as well
The Roof Boxer V8 helmet is designer Claude Morin’s answer to the question of what head protection gear to wear for just about any power-sport.
Thanks to my friends at BurnOutItaly, I’ve had the opportunity to test the Roof Boxer V8 in all kinds of conditions and for all kinds of power-sports applications.
The helmet’s versatility starts with its multimodal design that allows it to work effectively as an open face as well as full-face helmet—even in motion. Unlike most modular helmets that only allow the chin bar to be raised to a position directly overhead, which makes them an air dam that would cause a lot of buffeting, the Roof Boxer chin bar swings completely around behind the helmet shell. This feature minimizes the chin bar catching the wind, preventing severe buffeting.
All-day comfort makes the Roof Boxer V8 an exceptional choice for motorcycle use; the striking appearance of the Orange Graphic livery starts conversations just about wherever you stop.
Whether used in open face or full-face mode, the Boxer V8 is very stable in use on snow or pavement. The helmet features a single button release buckle on the nylon retention strap system. The fit chosen using the sizing instructions on the website was perfect and once strapped on, the helmet is snug, comfortable and allows very minimal shifting from wind.
There is a small weight bias to the rear of the helmet with the chin bar fully rotated back for open-face mode, but in full-face mode the weight distribution is neutral. Despite the slight weight bias in open-face mode, there was no adverse effect on comfort while riding for several hours in open-face mode.
The standard visor is a curved polycarbonate item with a very light smoke tint that has a scratch-resistant and anti-fog coating. The anti-fog coating was effective even for snowmobile use at temperatures in the 20° to 30° F range. If any fogging started to form, opening the two closable vents on the chin bar helped to stop it. There are also non-closable vents on the chin bar and a closable vent on the crown of the helmet.
The chin bar locks down in the full-face mode position using two tabs that lock onto metal pins on each side of the helmet. Unlocking, opening and closing and locking the chin bar requires both hands, but once the chin bar is locked in position, it is secure with no slack or motion present in the secured chin bar.
The Roof Boxer V8 weighs in at 1,650g (3.63 lb.), which is very comparable to other modular helmets. It is approved at ECE 2205 J for open face use and ECE 2205 P for full-face use.
For more information on the helmet model featured in this review, see: http://www.burnoutitaly.com/helmets/modular-helmets/roof-boxer-v8-graphic-helmet and for more Roof helmets, go to: http://www.burnoutitaly.com/roof-helmets
Review by Gary Ilminen; Images by Jacci Shauger, Dean Massoglia and Gary Ilminen
