HJC FS-15 Carbon Helmet Review

The news that the venerable and extremely popular HJC AC line of helmets was being replaced has been around for a while so it's not much of  a surprise to anyone.  One of our favorite styles of helmets are the all carbon series that many of the manufacturers have been pumping out lately and this is our first chance to get our hands on the replacement for the HJC AC-12 Carbon.....meet the HJC FS-15 Carbon helmet.

The AC-12 Carbon, which we reviewed a few months ago has been officially replaced with the FS-15 Carbon helmet.   Carbon helmets aren't for everyone but they are definitely one of our favorites....I'm a sucker for that sinister looking carbon weave look.  I don't see too terribly many of them around as most riders it seems prefer something a bit more garish and decorative.  I subscribe to the K.I.S.S. principle for most everything I do though.

If you are expecting something totally different from an AC-12 then you are going to be disappointed as the FS-15 Carbon is simply an updated and more refined version of the AC-12 Carbon.   It's probably safe to say that HJC is oneo f the largest producers of carbon fiber motorcycle helmets in the world so you know they've probably figured this stuff out pretty well by now.  Our initial impressions of our HJC FS-15 carbon helmet was great, the quality and construction appears to be visually flawless and that usually means the rest of the helmet does not disappoint either.  Let's find out.

Paint, Graphics and Overall Quality

As we said earlier, the visual appearance of the FS-15 Carbon is virtually flawless.  It's sleek, shiny and the carbon fiber construction showed absolutely no imperfections to our naked eye.   Paint is not an issue but the clearcoat was thick, glossy and showed no imperfections to our visual inspection.

I am probably a bit superficial but I dig helmets that LOOK good first.  Don't get me wrong, a helmet is all business and you want quality when you need it, but let's not kid ourselves.....a sexy helmet that works is sexier than an ugly helmet that works.  The FS-15 Carbon is sexy....period.

Further inspection shows that the vents, interior and visor all fit snugly and work perfectly and we couldn't find anything that didn't look like it was meant to be that way.  Good looks check....how about safety standards?  Check.  The FS-15 Carbon meets DOT safety standards and it carries the Snell certification as well which is an impressive one-two punch.

So far....so good.  The FS-15 Carbon appears to be a stellar example of HJC quality at an affordable price.

Helmet Fit and Comfort and Internal Shape

Helmet fit is always tough to review as fit is so personal to most people but if you've been riding motorcycles very long and have worn a variety of helmets you get to understand the terminology and realize that you will adapt to almost anything as long as the fit isn't unreasonable.

In our opinion the FS-15 Carbon in our opinion provided a comfortable fit that we would describe to the neutral, meaning it is designed to fit a wide variety of heads.  If you have an abnormal shaped head then you probably know it as you probably have a difficult time finding helmets that are comfortable for you.

Liner and Material Comfort

As can be expected from the way the review started, the liner and cheek pads are very comfortable and quite supportive around the face.  The padding is a bit on the stiff side, which might be a function of simply being a brand new helmet, but it was still quite comfortable.

The helmet does provide a snug fit and applies a slight pressure to the cheeks when worn but that is exactly what you want, a helmet that fits snugly with not too much pressure is far better than a helmet that is too loose and will come off in the event of an accident.

HJC calls the liner material "SilverCool" which I have no idea why they chose this but it feels like fleece and was very, very comfortable.  I was able to wear the helmet for several hours with no pressure points and no discomfort of any kind.  I like it....HJC FS-15 Carbon is still doing well.

The liner is removable and HJC claims it to be a "moisture-wicking and odor-free interior with advanced silver anti-bacterial fabric".

One thing worth nothing, especially if you are blessed with Dumbo ears like myself, the ear pockets on the FS-15 Carbon are slightly larger than most helmets and they are fully padded as well.  I often find most helmets tight around my ears and I was ecstatic to find the extra room in the FS-15 Carbon.

Venting and Air Flow

If you've read many of my reviews you know that air flow and venting are important to me.  I live in Georgia and I typically prefer a large volume of air flowing across my head and through the helmet.  The FS-15 Carbon does not appear to offer anything unique as far as venting but it is nonetheless a proven design that works well.

The top vent, chin vent and rear exhaust assemblies are constructed from some sort of rubberized material that is finished in matte black.   Like everything else on the helmet they fit perfectly and look great against carbon fiber weave.  Very sinister and complimentary to the overall look of the helmet.

The top vent is a simple tab that you push towards the rear to open and to the front to close.  It was easy to find and operate even with a gloved hand.   The foam liner has large channels molded into it which allows the air from the vent to pass into the top of the helmet.  Even though the air has to flow through some material to enter the helmet, it does appear to work nicely.   It's fairly cold this time of year in Georgia so I couldn't test it under extreme conditions but we would expect it to work well.

The chin vent is just as simple as the top.  It snaps down to open and up to close the vent.   A portion of the air from the front chin vent is directed through the chin bar onto the face but the majority of it is vented up to the back of the visor to keep it fog free.

I would definitely say that the vents function quite positively and feel firm when operated.  This is important as many lower quality helmets end up breaking the vents after a small bit of useage.  We don't foresee that happening with the FS-15 Carbon.  We should also mentino that the helmet also has always-open, screen-covered vents on either side of the chin bar and always-open exhaust vents in the rear.

Visor System

The FS-15 Carbon uses HJC's proprietary RapidFire visor removal system.  It isn't the simplest design we've seen but it works well and once you get used to it then it is a piece of cake to operate.  Lift the visor all the way up until the two arrows line up; push the trigger and the thing pops right off.  If you can't do that then you sure as heck don't belong on a motorcycle in the first place.

The clarity of the visor is very good and the range of visibility to the peripheral offered no issues.  The visor shuts positively and seals perfectly against the eye port.  Another nice touch is that it offers the standard HJC locking system....push in the rocker switch and the visor will lock shut for when you are approaching supersonic speeds.

HJC claims a 95% protection rating from UV rays and claims their visor to be coated with an anti-scratch and anti-fog coating.    We couldn't measure this or see it but the visor remained clear during our testing so we would tend to think they are being straight.

Noise Levels

Noise is sooooo subjective of a rating that I sometimes hesitate to even include it, so bear in mind that these are MY impressions of the noise levels of the helmet and your mileage may vary.

I expected the lightweight carbon construction to be a bit on the loud side with the HJC FS-15 Carbon helmet.  I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised to find that the HJC FS-15 Carbon helmet is pretty quiet and I was more than satisfied with the noise level that the FS-15 provided.

Just remember that your opinion of the noise level could be quite different and in fact a number of conditions can affect helmet noise including helmet fit, your motorcycle, weather conditions, even what you are wearing for a jacket.

All that said, I don't think anyone would classify this helmet as a loud helmet.

Conclusion

If you've read this far, then you know that I like this helmet.  It impressed me in almost every way and combines great looks, quality construction, HJC engineering all wrapped up in a lightweight and comfortable package that is DOT and SNELL certified.

The nice part of the mix that I didn't get to yet is the price.  MSRP is 449.99 in the U.S.A. which is already a great deal for a carbon helmet built this well but you can find deals even lower than that if you know where to look.

If the Carbon FS-15 isn't your thing then bear in mind that the FS-15 series of helmets also come in non-carbon versions and offer some fantastic deals with a basic solid color FS-15 coming in at an MSRP of $219.99 while the graphic and metallic versions range $224.99 to $269.99 at the time of this writing.

HJC FS Helmets on Ebay

HJC FS Helmets on Amazon