Of all the retro style helmets we have here at Ghostbikes.com the Bell Bullitt has to be my favourite. Usually the rat bikes, older street fighters and cafe racers have a look that go hand-in-hand with open face helmets and sporty full face helmets can sometime throw the look off a little bit. That is if image is really that important to you- but lets face it, to most of us it is. Our rides are our pride and joy so we want to at least want to somewhat look the part while riding them, right? If I had such a bike- something with a bit of a vintage vibe, I’d still want my full face protection as there’s very, very few open face helmets that I would even consider putting on.
And then there’s the Bell Bullitt, a classic looking helmet that checks all the boxes. Looks great in it’s own right, would look great with a more classic or styled bike and you get that solid chin bar for extra protection. I’ve noticed a few people walking out of the shop with this helmet recently- even though they may not have intended on getting this helmet to begin with. But then they saw it, tried it and had to have it. And I really can’t blame them.
It’s a modern take on a vintage style, the Bell Bullitt is actually inspired by the first of the full face motorcycle helmets ever made by Bell back in 1968- the Bell Star. With the protective technology of the present day inside it and all of the old school charm on the outside, the Bell Bullitt is an amazing lid. You can see where all the vintage charm comes from pretty clearly from the outside. The shape of the shell, the big open aperture at the front, the over all simplicity to its design. So allow me to tell you about the bits that aren’t as obvious.
It has a composite shell, sturdy and tough just in case you do happen to hit your head. The liner inside is made from a multi density EPS that works as a buffer for your head in event of an impact, slowing your head down inside the helmet to reduce potential brain trauma. The interior is removable and washable as well as antibacterial with a genuine leather trim- adding that extra bit of luxury and class to the feel and image of the helmet as well as it’s function.
To keep your head cool, the helmet features some low profile ventilation in the form of four small mesh intakes on the forehead and one thin one on the chin bar. By adding the vents that way the helmet was able to keep its low profile and retro look instead of there being sliding bits of plastic like on most modern full face helmets.
The visor is removable, if you prefer the helmet without it and it features a nifty little leather tab on the left side that you can pull to lift the visor. To keep the visor down, that same tab has a small magnefusion magnet in it that sticks to the chin bar to keep the visor secure while riding with the visor closed. If you fancy a different visor for your Bell Bullitt, Ghostbikes.com also sell them seperately. You can get a Bell Bullitt Visor for £55.99 and they come in both flat and bubble shapes.
The Bell Bullitt also comes in lots of different graphics, not just black. Some of them also have additional little features and even different shell composites.
The “standard” Bell Bullitt sells at £369.99 and comes in Gloss Black, Blue, Matt Black and White
The Bell Bullitt SE Independent sells at £399.99.
The Bell Bullitt Carbon Matte sells at £449.99
The Bell Bullitt Carbon RSD sells at £449.99.
The Bell Bullitt Stripes Pearl White sells at £339.99.
The Bell Bullitt Carbon Spitfire sells at £499.99
The Bell Bullitt Triple Threat sells at £369.99.
The Bell Bullitt SE sells at £349.99.
The Bell Bullitt Retro sells at £339.99.
For what it is, the Bell Bullitt is a fantastic, stylish helmet. Its essentially the equivalent of a designer helmet except it doesn’t just look the part, it also plays the part- it just now plays it to a more modern and strict standard of safety. So you can look awesome and have peace of mind that your head is in good hands. The price tag may seem quite high but for a helmet of this quality and knowing that it was made by Bell- it’s all worth it.
Thanks for reading everybody! Until next time!
-MattW at Ghostbikes.com
