Merlin Helmets

This merlin helmet is the second one I've bought from sbs, nice helmet for the money,there's a little bit of wind noise but wearing ear plugs cured the wind noise,would definitely buy a merlin helmet again.

Firstly, the build quality (in general) is pretty good, the materials used in construction feel good, look good and hopefully work well. This is my first fibreglass helmet, and I'm not sure what I expected other than it being lighter, but I didn't notice much difference (previous helmet was a caberg x trace).

Visor offers great field of view, and the included pinlock fits perfectly. The acutation on the visor however is a bit soft/ loose; the notches between fully open or fully closed feel loose and a wiggle of the head causes the visor to drop. Not a huge problem as I'm personally always fully open or closed. Vents are fine, I imagine they work (or don't) as well as others.

The two big problems I noticed on this helmet were the sun visor and the chin strap. The sun visor uses a small lever action by the bottom of the helmet. I've seen someone complain that it rubs the jacket and drops the sun visor, however for me, the sun visor randomly drops with only the slightest of head movement. It honestly was almost the entire reason for me to return it as I thought this must be a fault, but others online also mentioned it. I've since 3D printed a small plastic ridge that helps keep it closed and provides a little resistance when I want to lower the sun visor; I hope this is something Merlin addresses with future versions of this helmet. The second issue is the chin strap; I'm used to a double-D loop, but usually the snap is on the same side as where the strap begins, letting the webbing sit flush (kinda), however here it is on the double-D loop side, leaving a big-ol' dangly loop hanging down. I have no idea if this was just a poor afterthought or if there is some safety justification to it, but it's a bit odd and will take a moment to get used to.

So yea... I'm 80% happy with it, hence the rating. If it was a £150-200 helmet I don't think I would be as bothered, but as this is almost pushing £300... I am a little bit disappointed in some of the design choices.

If Batman and Darth Vader had a baby and that baby grew up to be a motorcycle helmet, it would be the Merlin Blackbird in Matt Black. I slipped this beauty on and instantly felt 37% more mysterious and 82% more aerodynamic. My reflection now refuses to make eye contact with me.
Pros:
Matte black finish so stealthy, birds fly into me thinking I m a shadow.
Fit so snug it feels like a gentle head hug from a very serious ninja.
Ventilation that whispers, I got you, bro, every time I hit a red light in summer.
Cons:
People keep asking if I m about to rob a bank or save the world. It s exhausting.
My dog no longer recognizes me and barks every time I walk in wearing it.
I now narrate my life in a gravelly voice and refer to my commute as the mission.
Final Verdict: 10/10 would recommend unless you re trying to keep a low profile. This helmet doesn t just protect your head; it elevates your entire existence into a brooding, two-wheeled legend. Just don t be surprised if your bike starts calling you Master.

I bought this helmet as it was 'low profile'.
I've never had any Merlin products before.
I must say it's first class quality.
The graphics look superb & are high gloss. The helmet itself is very light & the interior has a quality feel to it.
The first trip turned into a 12 hour ride & the helmet was as comfortable as when I first put it on.
It comes with a peak, so don't buy one separately like I did ??

This helmet is very comfortable. Judging by the tight squeeze getting it on, I thought it would be to small, but it wasn't.
I haven't experienced any buffeting and wind noise is low. I always wear ear plugs so this helps.
The lining is easily removed and replaced, easiest of any helmet I've owned.
Dropped one star on the rating because the slider for the integrated sun visor occasionally caught on the jacket collar and either raised or lowered the sun visor. If this was a stiffer mechanism it wouldn't happen.
But overall, very pleased.
I've given 4 star

A very nice looking retro crash helmet, sportsbike shop was the best price I could find it,I got abit of wind noise but wearing ear plugs cured that.