LS2 Helmets OF569 Solid Open Face Helmet (Wineberry, Small)

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Price: $99.95    

Product Feature

• Shell: HPTT Composite
• Visor: Scratch Resistant, Optically Correct
• Ventilation: Adjustable Flow through
• Sun visor: Built-in, Button Release
• Retention System: Quick release

Product Description

LS2 OF569 Wineberry Open Face Helmet

The LS2 OF569 open face motorcycle helmet is one of the most popular in our line up. When its hot outside, its awesome to be able to lift the shield and get some air when youre stopped at a light or filling the tank. The face shield is optically correct and flips up and out of the way when needed, and uses our Radial Tool-less Quick Release for easy replacement. The peripheral vision is exceptional and allows you to see the world without the typical obstruction of other helmets. The OF569 includes LS2s Full Eclipse Drop Down Sun Shield that engages and retracts at the touch of a button. The strap system is what really sets this apart from other open face motorcycle helmets. In addition to the regular chinstrap with quick release, there are two additional straps that secure at the back of the helmet to cradle your head and help prevent roll-off in the event of an impact. The plush comfort liner is fully removable and washable, and its treated to resist bacteria and odor. DOT/ECE approved. Covered by a 5-year limited warranty against defects in material and workmanship.

LS2 Helmets OF569 Solid Open Face Helmet (Wineberry, Small) Review

The LS2 OF569 SCAPE Solid Open Face Helmet is an OUTSTANDING helmet for $120. If I didn't buy it myself, I would assume this helmet costs $250 - $350. I almost passed it up because I've had bad luck with a few helmets under $150 that were shoddy in quality. Now I'm really glad I took the chance on this. For the price--heck, possibly even for twice the price--you can't beat its great design and features.

OPEN FACE AND FULL FACE -- TWO IN ONE!
I've always worn full face helmets and I certainly believe a chin is worth protecting, but I've long been wanting to try a 3/4 open face helmet because it's very unpleasant commuting to work on my bike during our long, brutally hot Georgia summers. After suffering the heat and sweat for many years, I started looking at 3/4 open face designs (basically a full face helmet minus the chin bar). I tried a few on, but I'm so used to full face helmets that I was reluctant to make the switch.

Naturally, I was intrigued when I saw this model--the LS2 OF569 SCAPE--which has a removable chin bar! (Not to be confused with the regular LS2 OF569, which doesn't have the chinbar option. They have the same model number because they are otherwise identical, but only the model with "SCAPE" at the end is convertible to accept the chin bar.) After thinking about it for a few weeks and trying in vain to find reviews of this model, I decided to take the plunge and try it out for $119 on Amazon.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The helmet shipped fast and free from the seller LeatherUp. It was extremely well packaged in a shipping box securely sealed with LS2-logo-branded packing tape. Inside the shipping box was the regular retail box. Inside the retail box, was the helmet, wrapped in a nice fabric storage bag. Inside the storage bag, the helmet was also wrapped in a thin layer of padded wrap. Under the padded wrap, the helmet had static-cling marketing stickers to protect the visor and sun shield from scratches. I don't usually review the packaging, but this is the most carefully packaged item I've ever received in all my years on Amazon. Clearly, despite the low price, LS2 isn't cutting corners on ensuring the item reaches the consumer in pristine condition. That speaks well of their company, as well as of the seller LeatherUp.

GENERAL FIT AND FINISH
The general fit and finish will compare well with any other sub-$250 helmet and a few above that price point. The matte black and glossy finishes both look great (I've seen both firsthand, after ordering the helmet in two different sizes and finishes--see "Sizing" below). The shape of the helmet is very appealing. It's constructed of polymer, not fiberglass, but feels acceptably stiff and certainly as solid as other helmets of this construction. The internal padding is well executed, with soft sweat-wicking fabric and ample cutouts to encourage good airflow. The lining can also be removed for washing. The chin straps feel very secure and connect to the helmet with multiple anchor points to hold it very securely on your head and discourage roll.

The chin strap secures with a ratchet-style clip instead of the usual D buckle. This is popular in Europe and now I see why. It is MUCH quicker and easier to operate, even with GLOVED hands, and releasing the strap is a ONE-HANDED operation! Simply tug the pull tab on the back of the clip and it releases the strap. Thoughtfully, there is also a strip of soft, neoprene-like padding that secures in place with velcro between your chin and the strap. The strap seems very robust. I have no qualms trusting it to keep my lid on in a crash. And the enhanced convenience is so noticeable that I'll never go back to a D buckle strap again!

FACE SHIELD / FLIP-DOWN SUN VISOR
The face shield is clear and distortion free. It is also reassuringly stiff to prevent it from vibrating and to make it easy to raise and lower. It's noticeably better than some shields I've had on helmets in this price range. Besides the fully lowered position, it has three other detent positions (not the usual five on other helmets I've owned): (1) about a third of the way up, (2) about two-thirds of the way up, and (3) fully raised. In the fully raised position, the shield is still angled downward slightly, and thankfully, it doesn't seem to catch wind or pull back on the helmet as you ride. At each detent position, it locks solidly into place. There's no chance even heavy gusts of wind will raise or lower it unintentionally. When fully lowered, the face shield also extends noticeably lower (by an inch or so) than the shields I've seen on other 3/4 open face helmets.

The flip-down sun visor is also terrific. I've seen this feature on other helmets but I've never owned one myself. This one is operated by an appreciably large, easy-to-access lever on the left cheek bar. Press the lever with your thumb and it deploys. Press lightly on the button next to the lever and the (spring-loaded) visor promptly snaps back up into the helmet with an audible "thwop." The lever feels robust and responsive, but the visor obviously lacks the smoother, "dampened" retraction that I've observed on some much more expensive helmets. That said, it doesn't snap back into the helmet nearly as violently as I've seen on cheaper helmets either. I suspect it will operate fine for many years of service.

REMOVABLE CHIN BAR
Here's the feature that really sold me on this helmet and, more generally, on trying out a 3/4 open face helmet at all: the removable chin bar. The chin bar snaps securely into the cheek bars with a healthy "click" on each side. To remove it, you depress a small lever above the cheek pad while pulling outwardly on the chin bar, then repeat the same operation on the opposite side. It takes about 2 seconds to remove it and 4 seconds to re-install (re-installation is slower because it takes more care to line up the attachment tabs with the receivers and slightly more effort to snap it into place.) In short, it is VERY quick and easy to transform this helmet from a full face to a 3/4 open face style. And the chin bar is fairly small so it stows easily in the small travel bag on the tail of my bike. When snapped into place, the chin bar feels substantial, not flimsy. There's no doubt it would give some good protection for your chin in an accident, though it's impossible to say whether it would be as robust as a permanent, integrated chin bar on a true full face helmet. Aesthetically, it certainly looks the part and few people would guess you're wearing a "convertible" helmet. I think it's a very smart, very functional design.

SIZING
My head measured out at 58.4 cm, which put me right between the Medium (57-58 cm) and Large (59-60 cm) sizes according to the recommendations on LS2's website. So, I opted for the medium first. When I first donned the helmet, my first thought was that it's tight but bearable. After wearing it for 15 minutes, I decided it was very snug, but not painfully tight (except for some squishing of my ears, as I expected). After wearing it for 30 minutes, I decided it was too tight. If I didn't wear glasses, it might have been okay, but I was getting hot spots around my temples and the tips of my ears, so I decided to order a large to see the difference. When the large came, I could immediately tell it was a better fit... snug but much more comfortable around my glasses. So, my advice is to get the size recommended by LS2, and if you happen to fall between sizes as I did, then get the larger of the two sizes ESPECIALLY if you wear glasses.

WEIGHT
One of the most noticeable benefits of this helmet is that it is LIGHT! Seriously, I don't have a scale, but this HAS to be under 3 lbs., whereas my full face helmets have usually been closer to 3.5 lbs. Obviously, the removal of the chin bar accounts for some of that, but even with the chin bar in place, this helmet runs lighter than the full-face Fulmer and ICON helmets I've owned. I like that, and suspect it will translate into less neck and shoulder fatigue on long rides.

PERFORMANCE
Besides the removable chin bar, what drew me to this particular helmet is the face shield. If you look carefully at pictures of the OF569, you can see that the face shield extends lower than is typical on competing models like those from HJC, Bell, etc. As I hoped, this translates into excellent wind deflection at highway speeds. When the face shield is fully lowered, it deflects wind as well as any full face helmet I've owned! Seriously, I get very little wind funneling up under the shield... it's on par with wearing any full face helmet that is not equipped with a chin curtain. I'm very pleased because I have sensitive eyes and I'm certain I would've regretted buying this helmet if the lowest shield setting still allowed air to blast up into my eyes as I've been told many other full face helmets will do.

At speeds under 33 mph, raising the face shield makes for a pleasant and cool "open air" experience. Above that speed, however, even raising the shield to the first detent position (1/3 raised) will allow fairly significant air flow to blast up into your eyes. So, on the highway, I'll be riding with the face shield fully lowered. With the chin bar gone, however, it's astonishing how much more visibility I have. For instance, I can glance down to see my trip computer or gas gauge WITHOUT having to tilt my head to see past a chinbar.

Peripheral vision is also outstanding (with or without the chin bar). I can see about an inch further back than the frames of the glasses I wear! In fact, I really have to strain my eyes to the left or right before I can see the cheek bars in my peripheral vision. Very nice!

One last note with regard to the face shield: I was pleasantly surprised that, when the shield is fully lowered, there is not only no "parachute" effect but NO LIFTING FORCE WHATSOEVER on the front of the helmet. It cuts the wind as well as any full face helmet I've worn and simply stays put. That's partly because the face shield extends down about an inch lower than other models I compared it with. Even more surprising to me is that when I raise my chin and tilt my head pretty far back at 60 mph, the wind STILL DOESN'T CATCH ON THE FACE SHIELD! That's really a surprise to me. It must have something to do with the way the shield is sculpted. In any case, I really appreciate it. One of my greatest concerns about an open face helmet is that it might catch enough wind under the shield to lift and put strain on my neck during extended rides. I needn't have worried. It's a non-issue with this helmet.

The flip-down sun visor is pretty neat. I never carry sunglasses so I'm used to squinting through glare. But having the flip-down visor built into the helmet is quite convenient and functional--and very easy to deploy while riding. The one shortcoming I noted here is that when riding in sunny conditions, if BOTH the main face shield AND the flip-down sun visor are lowered, it creates an optical reflection effect of six or eight small points of light. I've seen this happen with cameras when a UV filter is installed. The sun is shining through the face shield, onto the sun visor, then some of the light is reflecting back onto the inside of the face shield and back into your eyes. It's a little annoying, but relatively easy to ignore. The problem goes away if you retract either the face shield or the sun visor; however, at highway speeds, it isn't practical to ride with just the sun visor deployed because, with the face shield lifted, there is quite a lot of wind rushing into your eyes. In the shade or evening, the reflection problem disappears entirely.

NOISE
This isn't a quiet helmet, but it isn't the loudest helmet either. It is quieter than my $99 Fulmer full face helmet, and roughly comparable to (perhaps slightly louder than) my $169 ICON full face helmet. There is a lot of wind noise, but the noise never rises above moderately loud. Of course, that's how it performs on my Suzuki Boulevard C50 with no windshield. The aerodynamics of your bike may differ, so take this part of the review with a grain of salt since there are a lot of variables than can affect noise. Interestingly though, I found the tone of the wind noise to be slightly higher (increasing its perceived volume) when the chinbar is in place. Either way, you might want earplugs for a calmer, quieter riding experience. However, this helmet is quiet enough that, when you dismount after a 30-minute ride, your ears will only ring lightly for 20 minutes or so--not for hours--and the sound level is certainly bearable if you ride without ear plugs.

TEMPERATURE/COMFORT
With the chinbar in place, the helmet fits and feels almost exactly like any other full face helmets I've tried. The chinbar has adjustable vents, but it also introduces the familiar drawbacks of full face helmets: Since there is a bar right in front of your mouth, you feel your own breath, the face shield is more likely to fog, and the internal temperature of the helmet runs a little hotter. As soon as you remove the chin bar on this helmet, it is REMARKABLY cooler. I'm already completely convinced of the benefits of a 3/4 open face helmet for hot weather commuting. Without a chinbar, the helmet feels 10 degrees cooler because the air flow is better and you don't feel your own breath bouncing back at you. And, as I said above, visibility feels gloriously unimpeded as well.

DISLIKES
There's very little to complain about with this helmet, even if it had been priced $50 higher. At $119, it feels ridiculous to fault it. But for the sake of a detailed review, here are my few nitpicks: (1) The sun visor and face shield, when deployed together in sunny conditions, create annoying optical reflections as discussed above. (2) The chin bar, when attached, increases the tone and perceived volume of the wind noise, as well as the heat of course. (3) The brow vents could have been a little more aggressively shaped to scoop and force more air into the top of the helmet to help cool your scalp even more. That's all I can think of. In so many other ways, this helmet seems very thoughtfully designed.

THE VERDICT
I really like this helmet and I have a new appreciation for LS2. This helmet is a terrific value for the money and very functional. Basically, you get a well made, versatile, "two in one" helmet with outstanding peripheral vision and the superb convenience of a ratchet-style chin strap and flip-down sun visor. If you're accustomed to full face helmets, but you've always wanted to try a 3/4 helmet or think you might want to wear one for only part of the year, this is a great choice. If it turns out 3/4 isn't for you, just snap in the chin bar and you're right back in familiar territory with (essentially) a full face helmet again. Or, even if you like the 3/4 open face feel, you'll still have the chinbar for the cooler seasons, when you may prefer the extra warmth.

Very highly recommended!

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