Fresh out of the Box: First Impressions of the Voss 989 Moto-V Motorcycle Helmet

I’ve been toying around with the idea of picking up a backup for my HJC F70, but small brands such as Voss and Ruroc weren’t on my radar. Since I couldn’t walk into a store and get a feel for them, I never thought I’d take a gamble and order one. This all changed when my friend Goofy Bastard handed me his new Voss 989 Moto-V Helmet and told me to check it out.

Fit and Finish

Regarding helmets, I think it is safe to say I’m a bit bland. I don’t like loud colors or designs that leap off the helmet. For me, I love a nice sold color shell. If I’m feeling particularly spacy – maybe some low-key muted graphics. For my style, there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to the Voss 989 Moto-V.

After some searching, I settled on a Black-on-Black option which puts Black Accents (primarily venting and controls) on a Matte Black Shell. One of the nice features of Voss Helmets is that it offers a variety of visor options. I selected Chrome (Mirror) which I think looks great on the all-back helmet.

Safety Features

One of the excellent safety features of the Voss 989 Moto V also doubles as a convenience feature. This helmet utilizes a quick connect buckle system instead of the typical double d-rind design. While there is debate over it being a safer alternative to the tried and true “old school” system, there is no debate in my mind about how nice it is to be able to buckle a helmet with gloved hands.

The Voss 989 Moto-V carries both DOT and ECE Safety Rating.

Voss 989 Moto-V Pros

The most notable aspect of my new helmet is how light it feels compared to my tried and true HJC F70. Riding down the road, this helmet actually feels like it provides a greater range of motion and easier movement in the wind.

Another key feature of this helmet is a drop-down internal sun visor. Sliding a lever along the jaw line drops down a visor inside the helmet to reduce glare on sunny days – eliminating the need for sunglasses.

Voss 989 Moto-V Cons

My biggest gripe with this helmet is that it is loud. Even while wearing earplugs, I find the Voss 989 to be noisy. I think that the reason for this has a lot to do with the venting system. When certain combinations of vents are open, the wind noise can induce a headache. I don’t think I could wear this helmet without hearing protection.

Less of an issue, but still annoying, is the visor tab for opening and closing. It is located in the visor’s center, making operation difficult if you mount a camera to your helmet. I would probably find this feature less annoying if I wasn’t already used to ambidextrous tabs on my HJC.

Conclusion

I purchased my Voss 989 Moto-V Helmet during a Labor Day Sale. I got the helmet, spare visor, and pin lock insert for less than $250.00. Even though this helmet comes with a few annoyances, the price combined with the pros makes this an impressive helmet.

Comprehensive Review of the Voss 989 Moto-V Helmet

Since this post was written, I have spent six months wearing the Voss 989 Moto-V as my primary helmet (as well as using it as my Motovlogging Helmet). If you are interested in more than my first impressions, please check out my Comprehensive Review of the Voss 989 Moto-V Motorcycle Helmet.