Reader Review: Givi X.01 Tourer Helmet | Reader review

Name: Graham Mudd From: Bedfordshire Riding for: 17 years

Price paid for it: RRP £180 bought on sale on ebay three weeks ago for £140 + £18 for the pinlock insert.

What type of riding do you do:  I ride year round in all weathers on my trusty Versys. Commuting around the country to jobs, touring, days on the back roads, group rides and also a spot of green laning or a track day when I can – I enjoy the full spectrum of riding!

Why did you buy it? The Givi X01 is a “dual sport” helmet. A full face item like most with the addition of a motocross style peak. Simply put it is a brilliant bit of kit at a surprisingly low price. Being Givi too I had confidence it was well made. I bought it as I wanted an adventure style helmet but couldn’t afford the Arai or Shoei options and the Spada Sting was frankly awful.

Tell us about it: The visor comes fitted for pinlock, which I’ve bought and so far has been completely fog free, is scratch resistant and gives a good, clear panoramic view. As a plus the visor doesn’t leak in heavy rain. There is also a drop down internal sun visor activated by a well positioned lever on the left side of the helmet, though I’ve found the peak will deal with all but the brightest conditions. The X01 is also a modular helmet, which is a double edged sword. You can remove the chin bar to convert the full face to an open face (and remove the peak), however this makes the helmet a bit noisy and lets in a draught across your mouth through the join in the chin bar. The process is simple and takes seconds, unlike the process to remove the visor which needs a special tool. But these points do not detract from the fact that this helmet is incredibly comfortable, plushly padded and I love the micrometric buckle – similar to roller blades, just push in to fasten  and lift/pull to unfasten. Well modelled and stylish, plus comes ready to fit a range of bluetooth headsets. I’d say it is the equal of the Arai dual sport helmet, but £150 cheaper!

Give us three good points: Price, visor/sun visor, comfort

And three bad ones: Noisy, draughty, need a tool to remove the visor

More info: www.exelitesafety.com/recreational.html

[button link=”http://www.morebikes.co.uk/submit-kit-review/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Send us YOUR kit review[/button]