KBC Stealth Helmet Review

The VR series of motorcycle helmets made by KBC was somewhat of a turning point for this relatively new company. The VR series, starting with the revolutionary VR-1 set the standard for helmets that offer many of the features found in more expensive helmets, but at an affordable price. Not only would I consider it affordable, but it's actually very inexpensive when compared to helmets with similar features.

What made the VR-1 series so revolutionary at the time was that it was a full featured helmet that included a lightweight design, cool graphics, quality construction, but with a low price tag. From a safety standpoint this helmet has it all, being fully DOT certified as well as Euro ECE 22.05, BS 6658 Type A ACU and met Snell 2000 standards as well. It was almost too good to be true that a Snell approved helmet could be purchased for such a low price, which in this case was below $200. The VR-1 is comfortable, lightweight and could easily compete against helmets that cost much more.

Looking at the KBC VR-3, the latest in the VR series, when compared to other helmets in the same price bracket the VR-3 comes out near the top of a group of similar helmets made by more well known manufacturers. It's a stylish helmet that looks much like what the more established manufacturers like Bell and Shoei are making, but at an incredible price.

The KBC VR-3 is proof positive that you don't need to spend a small fortune to get a good quality helmet. Overall it's a great helmet, but not nearly as revolutionary as the VR-1 was when it was first introduced. At the time that the VR-1 was entered the market, it really was one of just a handful of helmets on the market that could offer so much for so little. Today however, more and more manufacturers have followed their lead and produced helmets that offer exceptional value. This puts the VR-3 in a tight race with many of the well known brands, which means that in order to compete against the big guys, KBC has to build a great helmet, or be destined to fail.

KBC VR-3 Helmet Review: Weight

Compared with other full featured helmets, the VR-3 is pretty standard in the weight department. A size XL VR-3 helmet weighs in at just 3 pounds and 10 ounces, or 1653 grams. Compared to the Shoei X-Eleven at 1635 grams and the Arai Profile at 1658 grams, the VR-3 ranks well.

As you may have experienced before, some helmets have that top heavy feeling, but not the VR-3. Weight seems to be distributed well and even when you turn your head quickly to check your blind spot, or to avoid an obstacle, the VR-3's weight is evenly distributed.

The good news is that it's light, but the bad news is that some of this weight reduction was achieved by removing some vents. In general though, this helmet is light enough; not the lightest, but balanced well enough all the way around so the weight isn't as much of an issue.

KBC Stealth Helmet Review: Shape

The KBC Stealth VR-3 is generally quite round when compared to other helmets. For those that have a hard time finding the perfect fit for a round head, this might be the helmet for you. A size XL KBC VR-3 almost seems to be one size smaller than comparable helmets, so you will need to keep this in mind. For whatever reason this seems to be a trend in motorcycle helmets lately; Making the helmet slightly smaller, forcing the buyer to go up one size to find the perfect fit. It's not a big deal as long as you find one that fits, just keep in mind that you may need to try on two sizes before finding the right fit. If you end up finding that you're right in between two sizes, it might be wise to buy the larger one to avoid having to deal with the feeling that the helmet is too tight. This could certainly get annoying and uncomfortable, especially during a long ride.

KBC Stealth Helmet Review: Visor

Using a fairly standard visor removal system that most helmets seem to be using today, it's not quite as easy as some of the competitors, but not exactly hard to deal figure out either. Compared to a similar helmet by another manufacturer, for example the Bell Apex, it is slightly more difficult to remove the visor.

To remove the visor, slide the visor into the top position and pull the small lever downward that releases a retaining clamp that is connecting a small plastic button on the visor. Some VR-3's can be a bit more difficult if the parts don't quite fit perfectly together, but in general it's not a huge issue since it's likely fairly rare that you will be removing the visor fully.

One strange little flaw of the helmet design is that they have placed a raised KBC logo on the front of the helmet, above the visor. When the visor is slid to the open position, there's very little clearance between the helmet and the added logo. Unfortunately the lip on the visor that seals it, catches as the visor is raised and also causes the visor to not close fully as well. It's not a big issue either, since pushing on the visor to seal it completely fixes the problem, but it's something to be aware of.

KBC Stealth Helmet Review: Noise

Compared to many comparable helmets on the market today, the KBC Stealth VR-3 is fairly quiet. With the unique seal on the visor, it seems to do an adequate job at keeping the wind out and also at keeping the noise to a minimum. According to KBC's own advertising, their unique visor design was added to minimize noise from wind, rain and other road noises. If you're riding a bike with a short windscreen, you may notice a little noise, depending on how the air flows off the windscreen onto the helmet, but on many bikes, this won't be an issue.

Noise level might vary for you, depending on what you wear under your helmet. If you wear a properly fitted helmet over a liner and include a pair of quality earplugs, your noise level will vary.

KBC Stealth Helmet Review: Airflow and Venting

If we had any criticism at all with the KBC VR-3, it would be with the air vent system. The helmet comes with a small top vent and also a small chin vent. Air is vented through a screen mesh and up through an opening at the front of the helmet, near the breath guard and then the air flows toward the rear of the visor.

Unfortunately though, the air vent opening for this dual system is small and very little air seem to come into the chin vent, making it almost unnoticeable. As for directing air onto the riders face, there's no channels in the chin bar area that would allow this and the on/off switch for the vent only moves about 5mm from side to side. This simply is not enough of an opening to make a difference or provide enough airflow.

Depending on the shape of your head, the short chin area could be an issue for you and may not allow enough room for the nose to the clear the breath guard. For many, this lack of airflow could become a problem and the inside of the helmet may become sweaty and damp.

There is a top vent that includes a sliding switch which is easy to open, even with gloves on. The vent openings at the top are small as well which certainly doesn't help with the overall ventilation. The air that does manage to make it into the helmet is pointed at the head of the rider, through a vent located in the top of the liner.

The KBC Stealth VR-3 comes with a wind lock built-in right under the chin which is meant to prevent air from entering under the chin and flowing onto the rider's face. This is very effective stopping the wind noise, it prevents proper airflow. Like most other helmets, the top vent also provides some exhaust, but it's hard to say whether this actually adds any value.

In terms of overall ventilation it would seem that the ventilation in the chin area would be considered poor, while the top venting is fairly decent.

KBC Stealth Helmet Review: Style, Quality & Miscellaneous

The graphics and design of the KBC VR-3 is very attractive, but upon closer examination there appears to be a few small bumps in the paint. Most likely this was from poor cleaning prior to painting and it could be something that has been corrected on other helmets. For such a great helmet overall, it is too bad that KBC didn't manage to provide a flawless paint job, since this is what everyone notices right away.

The helmet itself is made of tri-composite aramid fibers as well as impact resistant epoxy resins and uses the most up-to-date bag molded construction. This helmet uses a D-ring attachment with a separate button that secures the chin strap and in terms of liner quality, it's very similar to the KBC VR-1.

Overall the KBC Stealth is a great helmet that offers so much, for a relatively low price. The venting is somewhat disappointing and something that each user will have to decide based on their own preferences. It simply needs one small change; Adding more depth to the chin area and this would be a near perfect helmet.  In the bang for the buck department, it's a winner.