Akuma Phantom 2 carbon fiber helmet ?

[Acpantera]

Has anyone bought one or even put their hands on one? It looks like a winner according to the webbikeworld review. But before I pull the trigger, it would be nice to hear a review from another naked bike rider. If no one has touched the Phantom, has anyone dealt with any Akuma products at all ???

[Acpantera]

Never mind , Just got it today. It's a medium and I put in on the scale....3.04lbs. It's soooo nice !

[Airman]

Never mind , Just got it today. It's a medium and I put in on the scale....3.04lbs. It's soooo nice !

After I read your question I went and watched the Webbikeworld video of the Phantom II and have decided to buy one myself. One question I have though, I have a size large Arai Quantum F, it looked like I would wear a Medium by the Akuma size chart. Did you find the helmet to run large compared to your previous lid ? And.... it looks like some online dealers are selling it without the photochromic shield. Did yours, and who did you buy it from?

[Acpantera]

My shoei is a large, it fit great when new but after a season it seemed loose and after 3 seasons it is real loose. So I followed the Akuma sizing chart on their web site...ended up getting a medium and it fits REAL snug with no wobble when I shake my head. It's too crappy out to ride but I'm hoping the helmet breaks in quickly come spring. tightest helmet I ever bought but I prolly have been buy'n them too loose/big to begin with. And yes it does have the photo shield. It's a very nice helmet for sure.

[Mollygrubber]

Have you ridden into a dark tunnel from bright sunlight yet?

That's the reason my glasses AREN'T transitions...

If it was a faster change, I'd be there. 30 - 40 seconds is too long for me.

I'm curious how you make out with that.

Peter

ps. nice helmet otherwise! sorry for the downer!

[Acpantera]

No I haven't worn it yet, but I have worn a dark shield a lot and when I come to a dark tunnel I just open the shield and ride on, or as in most cases I found that most tunnels are well lighted and the shield will most likely stay closed, so I don't believe this will be an issue at all.

[Airman]

My shoei is a large, it fit great when new but after a season it seemed loose and after 3 seasons it is real loose. So I followed the Akuma sizing chart on their web site...ended up getting a medium and it fits REAL snug with no wobble when I shake my head. It's too crappy out to ride but I'm hoping the helmet breaks in quickly come spring. tightest helmet I ever bought but I prolly have been buy'n them too loose/big to begin with. And yes it does have the photo shield. It's a very nice helmet for sure.

I am a little concerned with the size. At work we work with carbon fiber things a bit, so I talked with the bike owners there. We are not sure the carbon fiber will loosen any, although it could be the liner that opens up. My Arai Quanttum F is 6 years old and really never changed much. The Arai shell will flex some when you pull it on as well. Can you change the liner or the cheek pads in the Akuma ? Another issue with the size; I wear a thin balaclava in the winter, and sometimes I pull up the hood of my Frogg Togg rain jacket. I think a REAL snug lid might not work for me.

As far as that photo shield. I think it will be great for direct sunlight, but I intend to buy the clear shield as well. It's overcast where I live all winter and I ride at night a lot, Unless it really changes to clear at night I will probably use the clear shield a lot. I was planning to get one of those helmets with the internal dark shield, but ahhh, this is a pretty neat looking helmet.

[Acpantera]

Hey Airman, I think that you are dead on about the foam wearing in verses the shell. The pads are removable, but as far as sizing with optional pads ? That one I don't know. You could call Akuma, they seemed very helpful over the phone. I have seen on another forum that one guy shaved down the cheek pads to better fit his chubby face. As for the shield, I don't think a clear shield will be needed. If it did't say "transitions" on the side, you would think it was a clear shield when indoors/no sun.

[Airman]

Hey Airman, I think that you are dead on about the foam wearing in verses the shell. The pads are removable, but as far as sizing with optional pads ? That one I don't know. You could call Akuma, they seemed very helpful over the phone. I have seen on another forum that one guy shaved down the cheek pads to better fit his chubby face. As for the shield, I don't think a clear shield will be needed. If it did't say "transitions" on the side, you would think it was a clear shield when indoors/no sun.

Acpantera,
I ordered the Phantom 2 from Revzilla last night. The clear shield is out of stock, but after I reflected on the situation for a bit I realized this: Because of Revzilla's rewards program I got a $20 house credit when I bought the helmet. I thought I would have to pay $7.95 shipping on that $21.25 shield. But... since they have free shipping on $40 orders I can buy 2 shields for $42.50 and pay $22 with free shipping, or..... buy a clear shield, ($21.25) + a smoke shield, ($35) and pay $37.25 with free shipping for both. I'm beginning to think I like the place. As well, if I ordered the wrong size they'll exchange it once, (they pay for shipping) free.

My reason for wanting the clear shield is that the Transition shield costs $98 to replace and the clear is $21.25. I ride to work pretty much all winter, and truth be known, the sun doesn't shine much in Washington in the winter. It's alway dark when I get off so I figured all told it's better to let the cheap shield take the rock strikes and the like from commuting and save the Photochromatic shield for trips. I probably don't need the smoke colored shield, that was just a though.

[Acpantera]

Funny thing, I wanted the transitions FOR commuting to/fro work. Dark when I go @3am and bright coming home @ 1pm, changing the shield twice a day was a PITA. Enjoy the new lid.

[Airman]

Funny thing, I wanted the transitions FOR commuting to/fro work. Dark when I go @3am and bright coming home @ 1pm, changing the shield twice a day was a PITA. Enjoy the new lid.

Funny update here. I sent an email to Revzilla about the clear shield and they sent me a nice note telling me that they were really sorry but the clear shield was not available, in fact the only shield for the helmet was the Photochromic one.

Now yesterday I received another email telling me that the clear shield was now in stock. Think I'll order a couple and see what happens.

[Airman]

Funny thing, I wanted the transitions FOR commuting to/fro work. Dark when I go @3am and bright coming home @ 1pm, changing the shield twice a day was a PITA. Enjoy the new lid.

The clear shield is not available. They only sell the smoke, chameleon, and that photochromic shields. Too bad.

[Mollygrubber]

The clear shield is not available. They only sell the smoke, chameleon, and that photochromic shields. Too bad.

Anybody else think that's ridiculous? How you NOT sell a clear shield? In my neck of the woods ("neck of the nape..." Fletch - I love that movie), you would have to park your bike at sunset because none of their shields would be legal to ride with after dark.

Well, I guess you could put your shield up, but you get my drift...

Peter

[Airman]

The clear shield is not available. They only sell the smoke, chameleon, and that photochromic shields. Too bad.

Anybody else think that's ridiculous? How you NOT sell a clear shield? In my neck of the woods ("neck of the nape..." Fletch - I love that movie), you would have to park your bike at sunset because none of their shields would be legal to ride with after dark.

Well, I guess you could put your shield up, but you get my drift...

Peter

I think the way they get by that no tinted shield law is with the photochromic shield that's stock on the helmet. It will be clear after dark. But, I agree with you, it's stupid not to offer the clear shield. The photochromic shields are $85-102. A clear one would run $22. A less painful loss if you damaged it. There is no apparent tint when I ride at night. The LEO would not know it was a color changing shield.

[Acpantera]

Ok, I got about 500 miles on the Akuma so far and I must say that I am very pleased with it. At first it fit very tight and I was very concerned that it wouldn't be comfortable, but it is breaking in well and I couldn't be happier. The visor is the best thing since sliced bread. Because of the unbelievable low weight I find that I am less fatigued, It's like wearing a baseball cap, turning your head and looking up and down are like not having anything on your head at all. Noise is not all that bad, no more noise than my shoei or hjc. I like it a lot and consider it a real deal @400 bucks.

[Airman]

I had delayed reviewing the Phantom II because I had some trpuble with the original helmet.

Because of some reviews I read on the small sizing, I went a size up to the XL. That was a mistake. The helmets are actually sized pretty much true to size. I also had air leaks and water leaks around the visor. I sent the helmet back to Akuma, and they determined there was nothing wrong with the visor, (maybe an adjustment plate problem) but since I had also commented on the fit, they replaced the helmet. Akuma and Revzilla, the dealer certainly treated me right. They both also responded quickly to emails and phone calls.

Now a little review. The SOLFX visor works very well. It turns very dark in sunlight and removes the need to carry sunglasses. It's quite clear at night. The chin bar vents move a lot of air through the front of the helmet, keeping fogging down as long as you're moving. The visor is easy to remove and has solid, (almost stiff) detents. As I mentioed before, there's no clear visor available, and even though Akuma tells me there will be clear visors at some point, they don't have anyone but me calling them to buy one.

Proper sizing removed my noise complaint. With earplugs it's now quieter than my Arai Quantum F. Wind drag on this helmet is nil even when you turn your head. What you will notice is that turning your head to look over your shoulder is now easier. No contact with the jacket. I think this is the due to the cut of the shell. You then have a little more neck to protect from the wind, but it seems a good trade off to me.I have read others complaining about the padding in the liner. I don't see that, it feels good to me and seems to have room for speakers if you need to install such.

I think this is a very well priced helmet. To buy a quality CF helmet with the chromatic visor is a good deal at $400. And better yet, the distributor and dealer will back the product.