Bell Moto 10 Spherical issues

6/3/2022 8:36am Edited Date/Time 6/12/2022 8:30am
Has anyone ever had the (4) small yellow rubber bands inside the helmet that hold the small inner shell to the big shell ever break? All of mine broke at once and I am trying to work it out with Bell but the conversations so far have not been good.

Ridden with it a few times, NEVER crashed or dropped, 9.5 out of 10 for the outer shell condition, a few small pips and pecks from roost. The helmet has lived in the bag when not in use, $850 helmet is now considered "unusable" by Bell after looking at photos and no physical inspection.

Here is there response to me after I submitted the pics.

Bell- Thank you for your email. We regret to inform you that the Spherical technology in the helmet is not replaceable. If this foam piece came out, the whole helmet would have to be replaced. I wish I had better news for you. This warranty does not cover products damaged or rendered defective due to accident, misuse, abuse, modification, improper repair, water damage, heat damage, neglect, improper handling or storage, or failure to follow instructions for use. We can offer a 20% off discount code to purchase a new helmet. You will have to call 800-456-2355 to place an order over the phone. If you would like to proceed, please give us a call and reference crash replacement. Thanks!

Me- I am a 53 yr old Vet and I can assure you due to my riding or handling this helmet in any way caused this. This helmet lived in the red bag and padded Bell bag when not in use, I never crashed with it, dropped it, or anything like this. The shell is near perfect and I feel that this is going to be a huge missed opportunity to make this right for something I did not do.
This is the most expensive helmet I have ever purchased for myself and I was happy to spend the money on what seemed to be the best helmet technology available. I should mention that I bought my daughter the 1st Bell that came out that was $1000 at the dealer, one of 600 Moto 10 flex limited edition..and so far so good with that but it is really hard to swallow an $875 helmet that is now unusable due to any sort of crash or damage. To the end user, this is almost surreal...the helmet is unusable and not fixable due to nothing crash related.

The clause states "damaged or rendered defective due to accident, misuse, abuse, modification, improper repair, water damage, heat damage, neglect, improper handling or storage, or failure to follow instructions for use."

No one inspected this helmet to see what the cause of the rubber bands breaking and it was ruled my fault and not a warranty item? You saw pics and that's it? So there is zero chance that for some reason the rubber bands on mine were faulty?

I can assure you that although I can't explain how it happened, I can't for the life of me understand how (4) rubber bands that were once installed by humans on an assembly bench can't simply redo the rubber bands. All four of them have a small hole that wraps around a stem and the other side is glued into a small strain relief. I will pay for this service from Bell.

I have been in this industry since 1993 and have never in my life seen a situation handled like this over a safety item or any item at all.

I really feel like I am getting the short end of the stick here and I just can't believe that you can dismiss this as my problem.

Bell- We understand your frustration and we can look further into this for you. Did the foam come out of the helmet once you put it on? How did you discover the foam came off the shell?

Me- As I had stated in a previous email, I noticed the foam was sloppy once I removed the liner to wash it. As you know the liner takes up some small gaps inside the helmet and it has a "snug" feeling to it, the cheek pads take up space as well and I believe this is why I really did not notice it when I had it on.

I placed the helmet in the normal position upside down to remove the liner and pads so I could wash them. I removed the cheek pads and the liner, the inner hard foam piece was jostling around and not snug anymore after I removed the liner and pads.

That is when I reached inside of the helmet and put my hand on it to see if this was part of the technology for impact resistance or there was a deeper issue. I just gently rocked the foam front to back and side to side and realized that it was not connected to anything.

I flipped the helmet to the upright position as if I were to put it on and could tell the foam was super loose, I could hear it as I shook the helmet. So I put the helmet back down and simply grabbed the foam by the middle area and it lifted right out with zero resistance.

I realize that a warranty is a contract between the end user and the manufacturer and you had provided a list of non-applicable issues that would not be covered under warranty. I am asking if you could please provide me with a list of items that would disclose what is covered under warranty.

I would have loved to be able to tell a story about a huge crash and that the Bell helmet saved my life or prevented a serious injury, and although the helmet is ruined, it did its job. But I guess that it is not the story that is meant to share and for reasons I guess I will never understand, the best helmet that money could buy has been rendered unusable not due to a crash, but as far as I can tell, due to nothing.

Maybe I should be thankful I didn't have a serious crash with it after all.

I await their response.

Sorry for the rant-

7
|
Moto520
Posts
3375
Joined
2/4/2013
Location
Schaumburg, IL US
6/3/2022 1:25pm
No issues with mine other than it taking awhile to break in and fit well.
1
sandhills
Posts
316
Joined
5/4/2021
Location
Scotts Valley, CA US
6/4/2022 7:57am
Can we see the pics? Tell Bell you're gonna show us if they don't replace it.
FGR01
Posts
5091
Joined
10/1/2006
Location
AZ US
Fantasy
1334th
6/4/2022 10:03am
Pretty shitty for something that is so high-end/expensive to be so easily rendered useless by something as simple as some rubber bands failing and then being unrepairable. Sounds like a stupid design.
4

The Shop

6/5/2022 11:43am
The Dealer gave me a new one right off the shelf after he saw the helmet and said he would get the Bell Rep to cover it bc they have never seen anything like this before.

So the dealer really fixed this, not Bell, glad I have a replacement, but not happy with Bell, probably going to go in a different direction..the new Alpine Star M10 looks food as does the 6D's.

We will see-







2
FGR01
Posts
5091
Joined
10/1/2006
Location
AZ US
Fantasy
1334th
6/5/2022 1:55pm
Was at a local race one day and a kid that was with us had the Alpinestar. Sun was very low and direct in the eyes on a few spots on the track. Alpinestar visor was not adjustable and was useless for blocking the sun. He was not impressed about that.
2
6/5/2022 4:44pm
FGR01 wrote:
Was at a local race one day and a kid that was with us had the Alpinestar. Sun was very low and direct in the eyes...
Was at a local race one day and a kid that was with us had the Alpinestar. Sun was very low and direct in the eyes on a few spots on the track. Alpinestar visor was not adjustable and was useless for blocking the sun. He was not impressed about that.
Thats a very good point, I will check that out..I never adjust mine and keep it as far "up" and away from the front of the helmet as I can.
FGR01
Posts
5091
Joined
10/1/2006
Location
AZ US
Fantasy
1334th
6/5/2022 6:42pm
FGR01 wrote:
Was at a local race one day and a kid that was with us had the Alpinestar. Sun was very low and direct in the eyes...
Was at a local race one day and a kid that was with us had the Alpinestar. Sun was very low and direct in the eyes on a few spots on the track. Alpinestar visor was not adjustable and was useless for blocking the sun. He was not impressed about that.
Thats a very good point, I will check that out..I never adjust mine and keep it as far "up" and away from the front of the...
Thats a very good point, I will check that out..I never adjust mine and keep it as far "up" and away from the front of the helmet as I can.
In that case, it should not be an issue for you. It's essentially locked in a very high position.
6/5/2022 9:53pm
Can tape an extender on in extreme cases of late day races. I thought of that afterwards haha
2
cwel11
Posts
1584
Joined
12/4/2019
Location
Orangeville, PA US
6/6/2022 4:45pm
We have two moto 10s. While we don’t have the same issue as OP I cannot stand that every time I pick up the helmet the nose/roost guard falls out. Both mine and my sons same thing. I got so pissed last race I threw it in the weeds. I’ve resorted to superglue on his to try keeping it locked in. Biggest gripe is the weight. 6D atr2 is noticeably lighter and seems to have a better build quality. Will probably purchase 6D again for next helmets. Just kinda disappointed with the 10
1
6/7/2022 8:51am
cwel11 wrote:
We have two moto 10s. While we don’t have the same issue as OP I cannot stand that every time I pick up the helmet the...
We have two moto 10s. While we don’t have the same issue as OP I cannot stand that every time I pick up the helmet the nose/roost guard falls out. Both mine and my sons same thing. I got so pissed last race I threw it in the weeds. I’ve resorted to superglue on his to try keeping it locked in. Biggest gripe is the weight. 6D atr2 is noticeably lighter and seems to have a better build quality. Will probably purchase 6D again for next helmets. Just kinda disappointed with the 10
Oh that happens to mine as well, I went with the AlpineStars M10, we will see how it goes-
1
bvm111
Posts
9287
Joined
7/1/2008
Location
Las Vegas, NV US
6/7/2022 9:43am Edited Date/Time 6/7/2022 9:49am
I would be very frustrated with this customer service... in fact I would put this out in Moto as it gets way more traffic than in Tech.

I had one of the first Shoei EVOs when they came out and also had an issue with the liner that provides the rotational protection that I also found when I removed the padding to wash. One call to Shoei customer service and I followed their instruction. I shipped the helmet to Shoei in California (I had to pay for the initial shipping) for initial inspection, they shipped me a refurbished helmet in the mean time (I did have to place a deposit on my CC for the loaner) once inspected the decision was made to send the helmet to the Factory in Japan for inspection by the factory technicians, the factory decided to immediately replace my helmet at no cost... this all took place in one week from the time the helmet was received in California!

This isnt a sway to buy Shoei but the customer service i felt was outstanding and shows how it should be done... I was considering a bell but i will stick with Shoei!
2
Motobeau179
Posts
99
Joined
4/16/2018
Location
Fernandina Beach, FL US
6/9/2022 7:08pm
I guess every experience is different. I went to pull the liner out of mine after maybe 2 rides and the tab broke (not the liner male insert but the female piece on the helmet). I called Bell and I had a new helmet in a week. Crazy they wouldn’t replace yours, much more of a real problem.
2
Motofinne
Posts
10670
Joined
1/4/2014
Location
FI
6/10/2022 6:02am
Offered you 20% offGrinning Knowing the margins that Bell would have on that helmet, it would be like Elon Musk giving a random guy 1000 dollars.

Glad the dealer did the right thing for you.
Tracktor
Posts
2344
Joined
8/17/2006
Location
The RTF/Amboy, WA US
6/10/2022 10:45am
Kinda glad we decided to switch to Fly after reading this. Light & fit very well with great protection. This is a terrible look for Bell especially on their flagship model. if nothing else they should want that helmet back ASAP for research purpose just in case there is a serious issue that needs to be addresses..........
1
cwel11
Posts
1584
Joined
12/4/2019
Location
Orangeville, PA US
6/12/2022 4:31am
cwel11 wrote:
We have two moto 10s. While we don’t have the same issue as OP I cannot stand that every time I pick up the helmet the...
We have two moto 10s. While we don’t have the same issue as OP I cannot stand that every time I pick up the helmet the nose/roost guard falls out. Both mine and my sons same thing. I got so pissed last race I threw it in the weeds. I’ve resorted to superglue on his to try keeping it locked in. Biggest gripe is the weight. 6D atr2 is noticeably lighter and seems to have a better build quality. Will probably purchase 6D again for next helmets. Just kinda disappointed with the 10
Oh that happens to mine as well, I went with the AlpineStars M10, we will see how it goes-
Went with the Astar as well. Really light but did notice their helmet sizing feels a bit looser than others. Might size down for a snugger fit. Nice helmets though for sure👍🏻
1
6/12/2022 8:30am
So I rode yesterday with the Astars SM10, felt great, and light for sure, pretty much 3lbs and you can feel that. Super happy with it.
ps- removed the liner, washed it, super easy to get the pads in and out etc.
1

Post a reply to: Bell Moto 10 Spherical issues

The Latest