RaWarrior
Well-Known Member
I just got this lid from NewEnough(now MotorcycleGear) on closeout, since apparently Icon discontinued it for 2011. Original retail was $390(Icon's top shelf helmet), on closeout for $290, plus a $90 rebate voucher, plus $10 if you write a review. So the "final" price is $200 including all possible rebates.
They still have all sizes in both colors in stock (gloss black and green matte(rubatone), except for black XL. They're listed as taking 3-5 days to ship, for me, I ordered it Sunday night, and it actually shipped on Thursday, so right in line with what they said. Since they're in the Middle of Nowhere, Texas, it takes a full week via UPS to get to NY, so it took essentially two full weeks to get it to me.
Anyway, on with the review
Graphics: Awesome. The "Warthog" graphics are intricately detailed, the photos really don't reveal the level of detail that's there. There's "soot" around the "exhaust ports", small bits of screen over them, arrows like on a jet intake on the vents, there's dirt and scratches on the gun barrels, ect. The more you look the more there is, so it's some quality art and really nice finish. The orange of the flames is a day-glo flourescent...it really stands out, so good for visibility. Overall, this gets a 10/10 for quality here
Visor/Visibility: Excellent/Good
The visor is Icon's standard "Proshield", which is identical to the "regular" shield, except it has a small hole above the thumb lever to open it, that slips over a metal pin that protrudes from the eyeport gasket to "lock" the shield down. The visor works off the IMO excellent Icon design, with a single lever to lock-unlock the sideplates. I can remove and install the shield in under 30 seconds without tools. Just open it all the way, slip a lever forward, and the shield comes off. To put it back on, just line up two tabs, rock the visor until you feel the taps "drop it", then push the lever back to lock it. It comes in a standard clear, but smoked, iridium reflective, and "gogo" graduated(think blue bar at the top of a windshield) shields are available
Visibility is actually a bit worse than my SSR. Comparing the two lids side by side, it's noticeable that the eyeport of the Domain2 isn't quite as tall, and doesn't stretch "back" quite as far. I noticed while wearing the D2, the very edges of my peripheral vision were cut off a bit. Not a big deal, but the SSR was the cheapest, and the D2 the most expensive, so it's a bit odd the bargain model has better visibility. It's still pretty good and I've worn ones with much worse visibility, but after being used to the SSR is does cut in a bit.
Fit: Good
Here's where things get a bit touchy. I wore a L in the SSR, figured since I was staying with the same brand, I'd get the same size again, and I did. Unfortunately, the sizing isn't terribly consistent. The SSR was a bit tight when I first got it, but like anything else it "broke in" after a few days and then fit great. The D2 was uncomfortably tight at first, specifically in the cheekpads...the actual head shape and crown liner was fine. I removed the cheekpads and set a dictionary on them overnight, which squished them back considerably and the fit it a lot better now. Snug, but not uncomfortable. I'm sure they'll get a bit better as things go on.
However, the issue for me is that glasses don't work well with this helmet. At all. They fit fine inside my SSR, but I couldn't even get them in the D2, and if I shoved and finagled enough, they'd slip back but be totally sideways, or jammed into my nose, or at some odd angle. The overall design of the helmet is just different enough so that the bars of my glasses fall right on the edge at the top of the cheekpads....so the bars get wedged upward into the small gap between the cheek and crown liners, making the lenses fit all wacky. The SSR's cheekpads are slightly lower, leaving a bigger gap that the glasses fit perfectly into. I've ordered optional thinner pads for this one, but may have to cut the very top point of the pads off to make the fit glasses-friendly. With my contacts in, the fit is overall pretty comfortable. For me the cheekpads are still a bit snug but when the 5mm thinner ones come that should solve that issue. Otherwise it stays in place well and doesn't ride up at speed.
Ventilation: Fair
Like the SSR before it, this has so-called "supervents" that are supposed to act like ram-air ducts to "force" cool air into the helmet and out the back. Except the D2's vents are bigger, taller, and wider, and also have bigger exhaust ports. There's also two rotating valves on the chin bar, a shield anti-fog vent, two "ram air" valves on top, and one slider for the center. You'd think this would be a total breeze bucket, but not really. The two rotating vents have the biggest effect, you can actually feel air waft in through there. The visor vent doesn't seem to do much. The top vents help waft some hot air out, but never so much you actually "feel a breeze". I don't find it any better or worse than my SSR in that department, which I guess is OK since I never found my SSR to get uncomfortably hot.
Noise level: fair
My quest for the quiet motorcycle helmet will have to go on, though I doubt I'll ever get one with the Vmax's flyscreen directing 100% of the air straight at the helmet's visor. Compared to the SSR(which was a cacophany of low frequency "booming", loud wind rushing noise, as well as high pitched whistling), this is a bit better. No whistling or booming, but still a lot of wind rushing noise. Snug fitting earbuds cut this considerably. There is a removable chin curtain, however I found this had virtually zero effect on perceived noise. It cuts the turbulence around your chin/mouth area, so for cold weather it will be a plus, but it's essentially worthless on noise levels.
Overall quality: Good
I only have two quibbles about this lid. First, the snaps that hold the liner in place are kind of chintzy. They appear identical to the ones on the SSR, but these don't seem to hold nearly as tenaciously, and don't line up quite as well. Getting the rear snaps on the cheekpads to "snap" is kind of a hassle. Second, the sliders for the visor and top center vents feel kind of chintzy. Not like I'm afraid they'll fall off, but the two twister and two lever vents feel "solid", which makes those seem all the worse. The crown liner doesn't seem to fit perfectly inside the liner either, which is something that will probably "break in" with more time on my head.
If I didn't wear glasses, this would be a solid 8/10 lid. The annoying fit that doesn't allow glasses knocks another point off. Hopefully the thinner pads will remedy that, but if not, I'll just cut the "points" of the cheekpads off and re-stitch them. MotorcycleGear promptly sent me the $90 rebate voucher code, as well as another one for $10 for writing a review of it...so $100 store credit back. That's been used to order the thinner pads, and an iridium visor for it.
UPDATE: After getting the thinner cheekpads, the fit is much better, however my glasses still didn't fit inside. I ended up just heating up a small drillbit with a torch, and poking a couple holes on the "points" of the cheekpads, then using some tiny zipties to squish the padding back where the bars of the glasses would go. Now my glasses slip right in, it's comfortable to wear. After doing a before-and-after with the SSR and then this one, the D2 is noticeably lighter and noticeably quieter. There's also less "push" on the helmet at speed i.e it's more aerodynamic. I also got the iridium silver visor, which is the perfect tint. Dark enough to cut glare and improve contrast like a good pair of sunglasses, but not so dark that it's a problem at night.
They still have all sizes in both colors in stock (gloss black and green matte(rubatone), except for black XL. They're listed as taking 3-5 days to ship, for me, I ordered it Sunday night, and it actually shipped on Thursday, so right in line with what they said. Since they're in the Middle of Nowhere, Texas, it takes a full week via UPS to get to NY, so it took essentially two full weeks to get it to me.
Anyway, on with the review
Graphics: Awesome. The "Warthog" graphics are intricately detailed, the photos really don't reveal the level of detail that's there. There's "soot" around the "exhaust ports", small bits of screen over them, arrows like on a jet intake on the vents, there's dirt and scratches on the gun barrels, ect. The more you look the more there is, so it's some quality art and really nice finish. The orange of the flames is a day-glo flourescent...it really stands out, so good for visibility. Overall, this gets a 10/10 for quality here
Visor/Visibility: Excellent/Good
The visor is Icon's standard "Proshield", which is identical to the "regular" shield, except it has a small hole above the thumb lever to open it, that slips over a metal pin that protrudes from the eyeport gasket to "lock" the shield down. The visor works off the IMO excellent Icon design, with a single lever to lock-unlock the sideplates. I can remove and install the shield in under 30 seconds without tools. Just open it all the way, slip a lever forward, and the shield comes off. To put it back on, just line up two tabs, rock the visor until you feel the taps "drop it", then push the lever back to lock it. It comes in a standard clear, but smoked, iridium reflective, and "gogo" graduated(think blue bar at the top of a windshield) shields are available
Visibility is actually a bit worse than my SSR. Comparing the two lids side by side, it's noticeable that the eyeport of the Domain2 isn't quite as tall, and doesn't stretch "back" quite as far. I noticed while wearing the D2, the very edges of my peripheral vision were cut off a bit. Not a big deal, but the SSR was the cheapest, and the D2 the most expensive, so it's a bit odd the bargain model has better visibility. It's still pretty good and I've worn ones with much worse visibility, but after being used to the SSR is does cut in a bit.
Fit: Good
Here's where things get a bit touchy. I wore a L in the SSR, figured since I was staying with the same brand, I'd get the same size again, and I did. Unfortunately, the sizing isn't terribly consistent. The SSR was a bit tight when I first got it, but like anything else it "broke in" after a few days and then fit great. The D2 was uncomfortably tight at first, specifically in the cheekpads...the actual head shape and crown liner was fine. I removed the cheekpads and set a dictionary on them overnight, which squished them back considerably and the fit it a lot better now. Snug, but not uncomfortable. I'm sure they'll get a bit better as things go on.
However, the issue for me is that glasses don't work well with this helmet. At all. They fit fine inside my SSR, but I couldn't even get them in the D2, and if I shoved and finagled enough, they'd slip back but be totally sideways, or jammed into my nose, or at some odd angle. The overall design of the helmet is just different enough so that the bars of my glasses fall right on the edge at the top of the cheekpads....so the bars get wedged upward into the small gap between the cheek and crown liners, making the lenses fit all wacky. The SSR's cheekpads are slightly lower, leaving a bigger gap that the glasses fit perfectly into. I've ordered optional thinner pads for this one, but may have to cut the very top point of the pads off to make the fit glasses-friendly. With my contacts in, the fit is overall pretty comfortable. For me the cheekpads are still a bit snug but when the 5mm thinner ones come that should solve that issue. Otherwise it stays in place well and doesn't ride up at speed.
Ventilation: Fair
Like the SSR before it, this has so-called "supervents" that are supposed to act like ram-air ducts to "force" cool air into the helmet and out the back. Except the D2's vents are bigger, taller, and wider, and also have bigger exhaust ports. There's also two rotating valves on the chin bar, a shield anti-fog vent, two "ram air" valves on top, and one slider for the center. You'd think this would be a total breeze bucket, but not really. The two rotating vents have the biggest effect, you can actually feel air waft in through there. The visor vent doesn't seem to do much. The top vents help waft some hot air out, but never so much you actually "feel a breeze". I don't find it any better or worse than my SSR in that department, which I guess is OK since I never found my SSR to get uncomfortably hot.
Noise level: fair
My quest for the quiet motorcycle helmet will have to go on, though I doubt I'll ever get one with the Vmax's flyscreen directing 100% of the air straight at the helmet's visor. Compared to the SSR(which was a cacophany of low frequency "booming", loud wind rushing noise, as well as high pitched whistling), this is a bit better. No whistling or booming, but still a lot of wind rushing noise. Snug fitting earbuds cut this considerably. There is a removable chin curtain, however I found this had virtually zero effect on perceived noise. It cuts the turbulence around your chin/mouth area, so for cold weather it will be a plus, but it's essentially worthless on noise levels.
Overall quality: Good
I only have two quibbles about this lid. First, the snaps that hold the liner in place are kind of chintzy. They appear identical to the ones on the SSR, but these don't seem to hold nearly as tenaciously, and don't line up quite as well. Getting the rear snaps on the cheekpads to "snap" is kind of a hassle. Second, the sliders for the visor and top center vents feel kind of chintzy. Not like I'm afraid they'll fall off, but the two twister and two lever vents feel "solid", which makes those seem all the worse. The crown liner doesn't seem to fit perfectly inside the liner either, which is something that will probably "break in" with more time on my head.
If I didn't wear glasses, this would be a solid 8/10 lid. The annoying fit that doesn't allow glasses knocks another point off. Hopefully the thinner pads will remedy that, but if not, I'll just cut the "points" of the cheekpads off and re-stitch them. MotorcycleGear promptly sent me the $90 rebate voucher code, as well as another one for $10 for writing a review of it...so $100 store credit back. That's been used to order the thinner pads, and an iridium visor for it.
UPDATE: After getting the thinner cheekpads, the fit is much better, however my glasses still didn't fit inside. I ended up just heating up a small drillbit with a torch, and poking a couple holes on the "points" of the cheekpads, then using some tiny zipties to squish the padding back where the bars of the glasses would go. Now my glasses slip right in, it's comfortable to wear. After doing a before-and-after with the SSR and then this one, the D2 is noticeably lighter and noticeably quieter. There's also less "push" on the helmet at speed i.e it's more aerodynamic. I also got the iridium silver visor, which is the perfect tint. Dark enough to cut glare and improve contrast like a good pair of sunglasses, but not so dark that it's a problem at night.
Last edited:
