wBW Reviews Home  |  Owner Comments (Below)

Shoei helmets were once available in a bright orange color.  I believe it was called "Safety Orange".  No one bought them, so that color was discontinued.

Too bad...

Think about it -- a motorcycle rider's helmet is normally the highest point on the bike, and one of the most visible. 

I never thought much about that bright orange color until one day when I was sitting at a stop light on my bike and another rider came whizzing by on the crossroad on a black motorcycle with jeans and a black leather jacket. 

He was wearing one of the Shoei orange helmets, and he stuck out like a sore thumb.  Which is precisely the point of that color.

I'm always trying to learn more and find lessons in my mistakes, and that lesson stuck with me forever.  A brightly colored helmet can make a huge difference in visibility for the motorcyclist.

But what happens at night?  Human perception of color becomes severely limited, and one of the only solutions is a highly reflective surface.  The Halo reflective helmet band was designed for exactly that purpose.  It's the "Safety Orange" of the night.

I'm often on the local Interstate at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. in my car (don't ask me why).  I often come across a motorcycle, and even though most motorcyclists foolishly choose style over safety, the thin 3M Scotchlite trim strips that are now on just about every item of motorcycle clothing really stand out, even in the bright headlights of rush hour traffic (yep, it starts earlier than that around here).

So a wide Scotchlite band around the helmet makes sense.  It puts a big swath of reflective material right up there where everyone can see it. 

You might be able to do the same with reflective stickers, but they're semi-permanent and don't always mesh with the helmet's paint scheme.  The Halo reflective band installs without adhesives and it's easily removable.

The Halo band is made from a 40 mm wide (1-5/8") strip of neoprene, just like the stuff that wetsuits are made from.  The outer surface is coated with 3M Scotchlite reflective material, which is excellent stuff and well known in the world of motorcycling. 

The Halo band is gently stretched to fit around the base of the helmet.  It takes a bit of fussing to get it lined up perfectly with the lower edge of the helmet, but the combination of the stretchy material and the friction of the neoprene keeps it on the helmet through just about anything.  It's much easier to remove than it is to install -- it simply pops right off.

The only problem is that it may cover up some lower vents, like on the Scorpion EX-700 shown above.  But since most motorcycle helmet vents, especially the exhaust vents, are basically useless, this isn't a functional problem, although some may object for stylistic reasons.

As you can see from the animated photo at the top of this page, the Halo helmet band lights up like the Fourth of July when blasted with light.  It's an inexpensive way to stay safe.

Owner Comments

From "G.J.C.":  "I ride a little bike with underpowered electronics (Genuine Stella scooter).  I've been using the Helmet Halo for a few months and have had two different motorists tell me at a stoplights that that little band really made me stand out."

From "A.M.":  "I ride a sportbike & wear a Shoei RF-800 and tried the Halo reflective helmet band.  The problem I had with it was at above 70 mph the wind would take it off the helmet and it would be flapping around my neck.  I threw it away.  If you ride a sportbike above 70 I wouldn't recommend this product at all."

From "N.W.":  "I read with interest your recent reviews of the Halo helmet band and the EDZ neck warmer.  I have been using the Halo for a while now, and thought the review was dead on, as most of them are."