Rollmops
Registered user
I just replaced my faithful but ageing and pretty banged up C3 pro(C3pro) with a spanking new BMW System 7 Carbon helmet(BMW).
I was due for a change and since I just got a 2018 Rallye with TFT and experienced some issues with my bluetooth helmet I figured it might help to keep my ecosystem consistent...
TLDR; As of today (early February) It didn't solve all my bluetooth issues... but that's not the point of this thread, which is to provide an account of my experience with the helmet and comm system, compared to what the new setup replaced.
Look and feel
Build quality is awesome, and I like the design of the BMW helmet, which complements the color(s) of my bike, with grey and subtle dashes of lupin blue reminiscent of the frame and front fender. Other than that, the helmet being new, it feels a bit tighter, but my old C3pro always uncomfortably pushed a bit against my forehead, which the BMW does not. After a daylong ride, I feel like the BMW helmet is more comfy, and that's even before it's been fully broken in so, pretty happy there. Also, the strap is better placed and sized, the massive one on the C3pro was a bit uncomfortable on my throat.
Fit and finish
The new BMW helmet feels noticeably lighter than the C3pro, the hinge mechanism feels way more satisfying and clicks closed more smoothly whereas my C3pro was a bit finnicky to close, and sometimes needed both hands to operate. The BMW is not legally cleared to be used when opened up unless you completely remove the chin bar, but let's face it(pun intended) I have bought a modular helmet to be able to open/close it even while riding, and will sometimes use it opened at slow speed when it's not too cold. In that regard, the chin bar doesn't pivot as high as the C3pro, resulting in the winter chin cushion (removable part that goes under your chin to insulate you in cold weather) obscuring a bit of your top peripheral field of view. Not a big deal but noticeable. Could be annoying for bikes with less upright riding position as GS's.
Visor / Pinlock / Sunvisor
Speaking of field of view, it seems a little bigger than in the C3, I really like the big clear visor and massive pinlock that spans almost the entirety of the regular visor real estate(with no distortion). I rode a couple times around 0°C and I noticed a little bit of fog on the edges of the pinlock, Nothing major but still worth mentionning(like is the small red pinlock logo that sits on the bottom right of your FOV, and looks like a smeared bloody bug). The same was happening on my C3pro(fogging), and since the pinlock was smaller it was worst overall, but that was on a pretty old pinlock. I have not yet tried to remove the visor to clean it, but I'm not sure it will be as easy as it was on the C3, where it was a (toolless) breeze. The sunvisor on the BMW is brilliant, and riding with it down while chin part is up is very effective, you don't get a lot of turbulence in your eyes (which is normal as the helmet is designed to be used in jet mode with the chin protection part and visor removed entirely). In that mode, the chin protection bit acts a little like a sun peak on an adventure helmet(Probably not a feature originally devised by BMW engineers). On both helmets the sun visor will fog almost instantly if you use it with the lid/screen closed.
Venting & Insulation
I think both helmets work pretty good in that regard. The mouth vent on the BMW doesn't seem to be very effective, if at all, and the top vent operation with gloves is not intuitive. I feel it's difficult to know when you successfully slided the plastic bit down, might be because it's so effortless while new, and doesn't click in place. In any case the ventilation on the top of my head seems adequate. Both helmets are competent in keeping my noggin' warm and cozy. I think the BMW lining works a bit better in cold weather, but might just be because it's brand new. I didn't had the chance to experiment the BMW on a warm day so cannot compare, but that's the draw to a modular helmet, you can open it, and I suspect both would feel pretty similar that way.
Comm System & Sound
Controls on the BMW are nigh impossible to operate with gloves. They are awkwardly placed and there is no groove to speak of to help you find the buttons with your gloved fingertips. The C3pro was not perfect in that regard but it's apparent that more thought was put to it, and after some time I was able to operate the unit pretty deftly with my gloves. Less an issue now that everything can be operated from the bike itself(except powering on the headset, which I do before putting my gloves on). The boom mic on the BMW is WAY less obnoxious than the C3pro tentacled atrocity, and you can place it in a way that doesn't interfere with the lid latches as much(or at all, for that matter). I would still have preferred a fixed mic like in the C4 but it's still a step up from the C3pro that was always in the way and that could not be removed even if you wanted to. Sound quality is OK but noticeably worse than on the C3, the sound is a bit tinny and clips(not sure how to describe how sound is garbled when volume overpowers the amp... cut off? In french we speak of "saturation") at high volumes. The headset unfortunately doesn't modulate the level of the sound according to the speed or ambiant noise like it does on the C3pro, major plus for Schuberth there. The absolute max volume is lower on the BMW, and the general sound insulation being a bit worse, higher than 100 Km/h it's harder to enjoy music or podcast. Phone calls sound quality are not the best either (but I seldom use phone calls at those speeds anyways). All in all, serviceable, but I think the Cardo unit and loudspeakers in the C3pro were doing a better job overall. BMW comm system battery, on the other hand, seems to last a bit more, but I was fairly happy with the C3pro battery life to begin with (I like to be able to spend a full day averaging 8hrs riding time with music on all the time, which both can easily achieve when properly charged).
Conclusion
I'm globally pretty happy with the new unit, but it's not a C3pro killer. Improvements here, downgrades there, in short, not a zero compromise switch, but I feel this is more a testament to the awesome quality of the "old" C3pro than a diss on the "new" BMW helmet.
Bluetooth issues notwhistanding, I think I would have sticked with Schuberth and picked a C4 or even an E1 to replace my old helmet. That said, not sure the C4 would have fared better since it's not an evolution of the C3 but a complete redesign...
I was due for a change and since I just got a 2018 Rallye with TFT and experienced some issues with my bluetooth helmet I figured it might help to keep my ecosystem consistent...
TLDR; As of today (early February) It didn't solve all my bluetooth issues... but that's not the point of this thread, which is to provide an account of my experience with the helmet and comm system, compared to what the new setup replaced.
Look and feel
Build quality is awesome, and I like the design of the BMW helmet, which complements the color(s) of my bike, with grey and subtle dashes of lupin blue reminiscent of the frame and front fender. Other than that, the helmet being new, it feels a bit tighter, but my old C3pro always uncomfortably pushed a bit against my forehead, which the BMW does not. After a daylong ride, I feel like the BMW helmet is more comfy, and that's even before it's been fully broken in so, pretty happy there. Also, the strap is better placed and sized, the massive one on the C3pro was a bit uncomfortable on my throat.
Fit and finish
The new BMW helmet feels noticeably lighter than the C3pro, the hinge mechanism feels way more satisfying and clicks closed more smoothly whereas my C3pro was a bit finnicky to close, and sometimes needed both hands to operate. The BMW is not legally cleared to be used when opened up unless you completely remove the chin bar, but let's face it(pun intended) I have bought a modular helmet to be able to open/close it even while riding, and will sometimes use it opened at slow speed when it's not too cold. In that regard, the chin bar doesn't pivot as high as the C3pro, resulting in the winter chin cushion (removable part that goes under your chin to insulate you in cold weather) obscuring a bit of your top peripheral field of view. Not a big deal but noticeable. Could be annoying for bikes with less upright riding position as GS's.
Visor / Pinlock / Sunvisor
Speaking of field of view, it seems a little bigger than in the C3, I really like the big clear visor and massive pinlock that spans almost the entirety of the regular visor real estate(with no distortion). I rode a couple times around 0°C and I noticed a little bit of fog on the edges of the pinlock, Nothing major but still worth mentionning(like is the small red pinlock logo that sits on the bottom right of your FOV, and looks like a smeared bloody bug). The same was happening on my C3pro(fogging), and since the pinlock was smaller it was worst overall, but that was on a pretty old pinlock. I have not yet tried to remove the visor to clean it, but I'm not sure it will be as easy as it was on the C3, where it was a (toolless) breeze. The sunvisor on the BMW is brilliant, and riding with it down while chin part is up is very effective, you don't get a lot of turbulence in your eyes (which is normal as the helmet is designed to be used in jet mode with the chin protection part and visor removed entirely). In that mode, the chin protection bit acts a little like a sun peak on an adventure helmet(Probably not a feature originally devised by BMW engineers). On both helmets the sun visor will fog almost instantly if you use it with the lid/screen closed.
Venting & Insulation
I think both helmets work pretty good in that regard. The mouth vent on the BMW doesn't seem to be very effective, if at all, and the top vent operation with gloves is not intuitive. I feel it's difficult to know when you successfully slided the plastic bit down, might be because it's so effortless while new, and doesn't click in place. In any case the ventilation on the top of my head seems adequate. Both helmets are competent in keeping my noggin' warm and cozy. I think the BMW lining works a bit better in cold weather, but might just be because it's brand new. I didn't had the chance to experiment the BMW on a warm day so cannot compare, but that's the draw to a modular helmet, you can open it, and I suspect both would feel pretty similar that way.
Comm System & Sound
Controls on the BMW are nigh impossible to operate with gloves. They are awkwardly placed and there is no groove to speak of to help you find the buttons with your gloved fingertips. The C3pro was not perfect in that regard but it's apparent that more thought was put to it, and after some time I was able to operate the unit pretty deftly with my gloves. Less an issue now that everything can be operated from the bike itself(except powering on the headset, which I do before putting my gloves on). The boom mic on the BMW is WAY less obnoxious than the C3pro tentacled atrocity, and you can place it in a way that doesn't interfere with the lid latches as much(or at all, for that matter). I would still have preferred a fixed mic like in the C4 but it's still a step up from the C3pro that was always in the way and that could not be removed even if you wanted to. Sound quality is OK but noticeably worse than on the C3, the sound is a bit tinny and clips(not sure how to describe how sound is garbled when volume overpowers the amp... cut off? In french we speak of "saturation") at high volumes. The headset unfortunately doesn't modulate the level of the sound according to the speed or ambiant noise like it does on the C3pro, major plus for Schuberth there. The absolute max volume is lower on the BMW, and the general sound insulation being a bit worse, higher than 100 Km/h it's harder to enjoy music or podcast. Phone calls sound quality are not the best either (but I seldom use phone calls at those speeds anyways). All in all, serviceable, but I think the Cardo unit and loudspeakers in the C3pro were doing a better job overall. BMW comm system battery, on the other hand, seems to last a bit more, but I was fairly happy with the C3pro battery life to begin with (I like to be able to spend a full day averaging 8hrs riding time with music on all the time, which both can easily achieve when properly charged).
Conclusion
I'm globally pretty happy with the new unit, but it's not a C3pro killer. Improvements here, downgrades there, in short, not a zero compromise switch, but I feel this is more a testament to the awesome quality of the "old" C3pro than a diss on the "new" BMW helmet.
Bluetooth issues notwhistanding, I think I would have sticked with Schuberth and picked a C4 or even an E1 to replace my old helmet. That said, not sure the C4 would have fared better since it's not an evolution of the C3 but a complete redesign...
