There are a ton of retro motorcycle helmets out there these days, but my favorite by far is the Bell Bullitt.
Bell has really made the most of the Bullitt, offering it in a wide number of colorways and graphics packages. Some of these are also retro-inspired like the one with red and blue stripes you see here, but many have decidedly more modern looks added to the retro design.
Make no mistake though, this helmet is a modern helmet, offering the best materials and features you’ll find at this price point.
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The Bell Bullitt Is the Best Retro-Style Helmet Out There
I’ve been riding motorcycles for well over a decade. During that time, I’ve reviewed dozens of bikes, and countless helmets, jackets, pants, boots, gloves, and more.
Of all of the motorcycle helmets I’ve worn, the Bell Bullitt stands out. It is an absolutely fantastic helmet that is built with care and offers great protection to the rider who wears it.
It helps that it looks wonderful, too. I highly recommend it often, and now I want to touch on why.
Top Quality Modern Materials
The Bullitt’s merits start with its materials. The helmet features a composite fiberglass shell. This shell is offered in three sizes across the sizing range to keep the bobblehead look to a minimum and it’s smooth and round, which looks good and should help your head glance off anything should you go down.
From there, Bell builds in a multi-layer EPS liner to further protect your head. Inside that EPS liner is a brown (see the image below) comfort liner made of perforated micro-suede interior fabric and leather. This interior is removable and washable.
The chin strap of the helmet is padded, the cheek pads and ear pads are designed to accommodate speakers from a Bluetooth comm system, and there are five metal mesh intake vents at the front of the helmet and a rear exhaust vent to keep your head cool while you ride.
Overall, these are the makings of a great helmet, but it’s the way it’s all put together that really makes the difference.
High Levels of Comfort and Superior Fitment
I’ve already listed the attributes of this helmet, but now I want to discuss how those attributes come together to make a seriously comfortable helmet. Bell has built a near masterpiece in my eyes.
The perforations in the linter are properly positioned to work with the helmet’s built-in vents to keep your head comfortable while you ride. The chin strap is padded and moves to the appropriate place when buckled up with the double D ring.
Bell sells the Bullitt with a flat face shield but you can get a bubble shield for this helmet if you’d like. I highly recommend the bubble shield. I think it looks better and offers a more airy feeling to the helmet. That said, the standard face shield is just fine, and the magnefusion shield closure system works flawlessly, meaning you don’t have to fuss with typical snaps that are always either too loose or too tight.
The real magic is the way this helmet fits. It has a round oval head shape to it. I am typically an intermediate oval, but I found this helmet to fit snugly and lack any pressure points. The three shell sizes, help keep the overall size of the helmet down too, and it will weigh in at about three and a quarter pounds.
Excellent Performance on the Road
In terms of what you get on the road, you’ll find the Bell Bullitt to be comfortable and fairly quiet. The vents are always open, so they do allow some noise and the bottom of the helmet, though it does offer good protection, doesn’t do as well as some of the higher priced helmets do at blocking wind noise, but overall, it’s great.
When it rains you get a bit of moisture from the vents, but I found that these vents being open actually help keep fogging to a minimum. This can’t be said for some of the other helmets I’ve tested with similar features.
Plenty of Colorways and Designs
In terms of colorways and designs, Bell has a plethora of options from solid white or black to various designs of stripes and other retro designs. There are too many to list, and Bell likes to change things up from year to year, so you’ll likely find some unique options too.
Also, I have to mention that Bell teams up with helmade, a custom helmet company, and through them, you can get even more colors and designs, though it’s considerably more expensive should you choose to go that route rather than buy one of these off the shelf or online at Revzilla or Amazon.
(If you do, buy online, please do so via the links in this post. I earn a commission and it helps keep this site up and running.)
Bell Bullitt Conclusions and Final Thoughts
The Bell Bullitt is one of the best helmets out there for the price in my opinion. When you look at the other retro full-face helmet options available, it quickly springs to the top.
Sure, Biltwell’s Gringo S will give you a similar look, but it’s nowhere near as comfortable or well-ventilated. Even AGV’s X3000 isn’t nearly as good. It offers a similar price point and style, but the Bell Bullit offers a better overall experience and higher levels of comfort.
With all this in mind, if you’re in the market for a truly superb retro-style full-face helmet, check out the Bell Bullitt via the links below. (Note, if you purchase from the links below I’ll earn a commission and you’ll help keep this site around.
Check it out at Amazon
Check it out at Revzilla
Check it out at Cycle Gear
Check it out at J&P Cycle
The Bell Bullitt Carbon – Another Option to Consider
If you’re looking for something that is even better than the standard Bell Bullitt, consider checking out the Bell Bullitt Carbon.
This helmet offers what the Bell Bullitt offers, but with the added bonus of a carbon fiber shell. That carbon fiber shell makes the helmet about half of a pound lighter, which can really make a difference on longer rides.
I will say it’s more expensive (carbon fiber isn’t cheap), and with the standard Bullitt already being on the upper end of the field in terms of pricing, the carbon version can put a noticeable dent in your bank account.
Still, it’s a helmet that will do an even better job of protecting you, and it should be one of the last helmets you’ll ever have to buy should you not need it in an accident. If the price doesn’t worry you too much, this is the helmet I would buy. Hands down.
Check it out at Amazon
Check it out at Revzilla
