Suomy Extreme Review

Suomy helmets have been gracing the heads of some of the top racers in the world for quite some time now so it is no surprise that they are a fan favorite. The fact that they happen to be one of the wildest and most visually appealing helmets can't hurt either.

Suomy Graphics
Suomy has to have one of the largest collections of extreme motorcycle helmet paint schemes of any supplier out there. I will grant you that to those who prefer monochrome helmets or those whose tastes run to the milder side, then the Suomy helmets are probably not for you. If your tastes run a little bit on the wild side, or in some cases ALL the way to the wild side then Suomy helmets could be a perfect fit for you. Suomy tries to accomodate everyone so if you run a bit on the mild side then stick to the base Spec-1R helmet and if you like to run wild then the Spec-1R Extreme is your helmet. The Suomy Extreme is offered in 10 very unique designs that range all the way from wild to absolutely off the hook.

I don't know how the retailers can keep these designs in stock and maybe they don't but consider that the basic Spec-1R line has 16 different designs and the Extreme adds another 10 graphic combinations as well. This makes 26 different versions of the same helmets and that doesn't even include having to keep the different sizes in stock. You might be better off online, that way you can find the exact graphic combination you are after.

Suomy Helmet Weight

Suomy claims that the Extreme is the "lightest weight helmet that is race approved available on the market today....." coming in at 1250 grams. I would expect that this must be for their smallest size because my XL version weighed in at 1575 grams. In spite of this it is safe to say that the Suomy Extreme is one of the lightest weight full-face XL sized helmets taht I have had the chance to give an evaluation on. A light weight helmet can make a significant difference in the comfort level on a long ride.

Sizes

Suomy has stepped up with three different shell sizes in order to be able to accomodate just about any head. They offer the Suomy helmets in a size range from XS to XXXL (including XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL). The use of three different shell sizes allows a much better fit for the various head diameters and is an expensive manufacturing decision on Suomy's part, but one I think they must have felt was important.

I have an egg shaped head and a Shoei X-11 fits my head just about perfectly. The Suomy Extreme felt very similar to that helmet but was a little bit wider in the middle top area. I was able to massage it slightly so that it felt quite comfortable on my head.

Suomy Venting
The venting system on the Suomy helmets were pretty standard compared to many other setups that I have seen. The chin vent is nothing more than a flip lever that has two positions, open and close and seemed to work just fine.

The vent is what I call a diverter in that it diverts a small portion of the incoming air down the back of the chin bar and then through a number of vertical bars that lead down to the bottom of the riders chin. The upper part of the air flow heads through two holes and onto the riders face right around the mouth area.

I am not a fan of the top vent design as it does not close and it uses one of those cheap looking appliques that look as though you could pry it off with your finger. The channels vent the cooling air out the rear and their is no way to close these vents either. A small exhaust is located on each side of the helmet, below and behind the rider's ear, to release air from the lower portions of the helmet.

A single air scoop sits on the very top of the helmet, with a lever that either opens or closes the vent hole. Snap the lever to one side or the other and the vent is open; snap it to the middle and the vent is closed. This clear scoop assembly also seems like it will be a prime victim for failure if the helmet is dropped accidentally.

Suomy Visor

The clear visor on our test helmet has a nice finish to it and upon visual inspection appears to be a very niche quality piece that visually "looks" better than some of the other visors we've seen. The Suomy visor includes a neat little snap under the release so that you will not risk a visor coming up at speed.

Another feature that I liked is that you don't have the "clicks" when raising the visor as it uses friction to hold the visor in place when you lift it. Some prefer the locking click style but I prefer the friction setup and it works fine as long as the friction mechanism is adjusted correctly.
Suomy Liner

Suomy helmets use an Alacantra liner in the Extreme which is a chamois like material that feels very soft and supple against your skin. It isn't as nice as the Shark RSR that we tested but it is a nice liner and you should be happy with that.

Suomy helmets come with a variety of cheek pads that allow you to custom fit the helmet to your head. Whatever pads it does not come with can be ordered to allow you a truly custom fit.

Conclusion
The Suomy Spec-1R Extreme's graphics and paint set the standard for a wild and exotic looking helmet and I don't think anyone would argue that point. The quality of the helmet, like all Suomy helmets I have experienced, is fantastic and can hang with just about anything. The only complaint I have on the helmet is that the helmet noise is slightly higher than other helmets I wear regularly and this is likely attributed to the very light weight design.

If you are looking to add a new helmet to your collection then I would recommend you give the Suomy helmets a good look. They provide outstanding comfort and unmatched graphic appeal that will definitely set you apart from your peers at bike night.