Turns out there was a drought on but, as the launch of next year’s Bell range approached, a Moto-9 MIPS appeared on my desk.
Bell has gone all out with the graphics on its 2020 line-up but, beyond the new paint, nothing has changed in the Moto-9. Nothing wrong with that, it’s a good lid, but Bell Helmets global brand director Leo Battersby was in Australia for the launch and hinted that new tech was in the pipeline…
My previous Bell Moto-9 didn’t have MIPS and, although it’s not something I ever want to test out, it’s nice to have. If you’re not up-to-date with this innovation, MIPS is a safety feature designed to reduce rotational forces on your brain. It is a slip plane between the padding and the EPS liner of the helmet so if you hit the deck the helmet does a few centimetres of rotation without yanking your head sideways. Like I said, it’s not something I’m planning to test but you never know…
The Bell Moto-9 MIPS has creature comforts that make it an easy helmet to live with. The padding is super thick and very comfortable from the first wear.
The comfort lining is easy to remove and reinstall after washing thanks to the magnets while the chinstrap also uses a magnet to secure the loose end, it’s bloody brilliant!
My one hang-up with the Moto-9 is the peak, which doesn’t have a centre mounting point, only two side ones, and has a habit of dropping if you don’t crank the side mounts tight. If you’re riding with a bloke like Braico, this can leave you wide open to a barrage of goon jokes.
I had my last Moto-9 for probably a bit too long because I didn’t want to change. It was always the helmet I reached for and I think this new one will be the same. Stay tuned… Olly Malone
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