The past few months have had me out exploring actual, honest to goodness single track trails. This is a transition from paved and dirt road exploring of which the Suzuki V-Strom excels. An old Suzuki DR 350 dual sport is my new tool for back country motorcycle adventures.
The high-viz yellow color of the Fly Racing Trekker dual sport helmet really stands out.
Dual sport riding requires different gear than paved and dirt roads. The main difference is that riding trails requires a good amount of physical activity. This exertion requires airflow to keep the rider’s body from overheating. Heavy breathing quickly fogs up helmet screens, too. So my search for quality and affordable dual sport riding gear began. After a bit of poking around, the Fly Racing Trekker dual sport helmet was the first piece of my off-road kit that was purchased.
The first thing that caught my attention about the Fly Racing Trekker helmet is the option to use the face shield or a pair goggles. When in place, the face shield makes paved travel easy without having to fuss with goggles. It is nice to have the option of swapping to goggles. The opening seems to be sufficient enough for goggles, but I haven’t yet tried to use them. The shield does a good job when moving. It has a holding point about half-way open and then it drops all the way to the closed position. During cool-weather rides where temps are near or at freezing, this doesn’t allow sufficient air flow to keep the shield and my glasses from fogging up. I modified the shield to stay slightly open to allow air in without having it rush up to make my eyes water. It required drilling a small hole in the shield. This modification doesn’t allow as tight of a seal when closed.
Available colors include black, matte black, silver, white and high-viz yellow. The high-viz yellow color screams “Start Seeing Motorcyclists.” High-viz really stands out against the backdrop of the back country woods or among the cagers in traffic. This is important to me while riding during hunting season in the woods or year round in traffic where it is open season on motorcyclists.
The fit of the helmet is actually quite nice. I have worn it all day on several occasions now without a single hot-spot caused from fitment issues. The Fly Trekker honestly feels like a much more expensive helmet. I tried on the much more expensive dual sport helmets from Shoei and Arai and couldn’t justify the $400 or more to purchase them. In hind sight, that was a very good decision. My local dealership explained that the added cost was because of better materials that created a more comfortable helmet. The Fly Trekker is a very comfortable helmet for a fraction of the cost.
Overall Quality – A
Ample venting of the Fly Racing Trekker DS helmet.
The Fly Trekker is a high quality helmet at a discount price. It allows good visibility for the rider, is fairly quiet and is both DOT and ECE approved for protection. The paint finish is high quality with few imperfections (it’s a dirt/adventure helmet so it is bound to be scratched before too long anyways). The angular face shield is easy to see out of with minimal distortion. The distortion is so minor that it is not an issue for me, personally. The wide shield opening allows excellent side to side visibility. Air flows through the shield decent enough for mild to warm temperatures. I wish the shield could be cracked open for cool and damp winter riding conditions found here in the Pacific Northwest.
Take note that there are reports of the face opening being too small for some goggles. This is something to check if it is a priority for you.
Comfort – A
As mentioned above, The Fly Trekker is a very comfortable helmet. I have worn it on several all-day rides without any pressure hotspots. In fact, I would put it up against my much more expensive Italian-made street helmet for comfort. The fact that it is a full coverage helmet means that I have to take off my glasses to put on or take off the helmet. This is a minor convenience issue that would occurs with any full coverage, non-modular helmet.
Comfort is slightly affected with speeds above 75 mph. At higher speeds there is a hint of lift from the dual-sport style visor. This only occurs on my dirt bike, which has me reaching deep into the carburetor to sustain 75 mph. The helmet is good for maxed out speeds on my Suzuki V-Strom with a windshield.
A minor modification using a drill allowed the shield to stay slightly open. In stock form, it goes from half open to closed.
Bang for Your Buck – A+
This is the first perfect score that I have ever given on a product review. The Fly Trekker dual-sport helmet has a suggested retail price of $140. It can be found in dealerships and online for as little as $125. It would be hard to find a helmet that performed as well for twice that amount. This is the best value dual sport motorcycle helmet on the market.
I purchased this helmet and am pleased that it will be my go-to dual sport helmet for several years.
Great review! I will take it into account. I just bought yesterday the Scorpion Exo 900, High Viz. I´ll see how it goes, even though I previously had the same model but in black (this one was kind of noisy, visor down, but the new one seems not to be giving that problem). : )
hi there pal! im looking after this helmet because here in Venezuela i cant find helmets that have this kind of value for the money, is it a cheap chinese one or is it a 400$ shoei/arai, so, i was wondering which size did you get in the trekker, and what is the measurement of your head, so i can have a reference. thanks!
I wear a 7 1/2″ to 7 3/4″ hat and purchased the large Fly Trekker helmet. It is a large-fitting helmet. Meaning that it is a bit loose on my big fat head.
Hi Sean. Thanks for this review. I have looked at dual sport helmets and have not made a commitment to any of them. And, the high cost of the Shoei and Arai makes one hesitate. I’ll have to take a serious look at one of these helmets. As for size–every head is shaped differently. HJC says I should be wearing a medium on my head with a 7 1/8 hat size. But in reality, an XL fits me perfectly and snugly. I always recommend try one on before you buy.
Brent
Yes, I also recommend trying a helmet on. The difference in helmet shape makes fitment on our varying-shaped heads a major concern for comfort. The Fly Trekker is an incredible price if you want a plain-jane dual-sport helmet. Higher-end helmets such as Arai or Shoei are in another league altogether. Their price reflects this difference. I definitely prefer my Nolan helmet while riding the on the street. The Trekker is my go-to dirt road and trail choice. I’m not concerned about the branches and such scuffing it up.
I’m glad that you found the review, Brent. Perhaps we’ll have another opportunity to meet again and perhaps go explore.
-Sean