HJC V10 £299.99 ‘Cool looks for a sensible price’
Tested by Ben Clarke for six months
The HJC V10 joined the firm’s range in 2023 as a retro-infused street helmet that would look at home on a naked muscle bike or a retro scrambler. It’s lightweight (1422g on my scales in Large with the Pinlock fitted) and has a low profile, but still meets the latest ECE 22.06 safety testing regulations.
I’ve been wearing the V10 through winter/ early spring so I’ve had the chin curtain fitted for warmth, but it does make putting the helmet on and taking it off a bit of a squeeze. Once you’ve got it on, the helmet is very comfortable (on my head at least) and feels very lightweight and easy to wear for long journeys.
I’m impressed by how quiet the V10 is, even riding a naked bike at motorway speed, the wind noise is minimal and I was expecting more due to the constantly open outer chin vent ports. I rode with the chin vents closed for a short trip in very cold conditions and the visor steamed up within five minutes – even with the Pinlock fitted – so I wouldn’t reach for it if the temperature is low enough to warrant closed vents. Even with all the vents open on warmer days, the airflow through the helmet isn’t all that impressive.
The visor catch is easy to operate in thick gloves as is the chin vent slide (which is located on the inside of the chin bar). The brow vents are slightly trickier to open and close on the move, but still possible.
The paint finish is excellent – there’s a rich, deep, metallic sheen on the paintjob in this Grape MC21 version – and all the fasteners and vent switches feel substantial and sturdy while wind noise is much less intrusive than I expected for the helmet style.
The visor is changed using old-fashionedlooking screws but they have a captive handle that flips out so you don’t have to reach for a screwdriver or 2p piece. The quality isn’t quite as good as the Shoei Ex-Zero I used previously, but the Shoei is an ECE 22.05 model and cost £100 more so I think the HJC are bang on the money here… quite literally!
Quality Value hjchelmets.eu