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Superior air flow for greater comfort.
The tester was Toshinobu Taketazu, a captain from RIDERS CLUB magazine. The test drive was done via both highway riding and riding over winding roads in the suburbs of the Kanto area. The flow of air which you can feel at the moment of starting out, and the lack of resistance in the high speed range, are clear to the degree that anyone can perceive them, and Taketazu tells of his impression of the FF-5: You can even feel the difference riding through town. |
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From the moment you start running, you can feel the outstanding aerodynamics of the FF-5. Your head is light.
I was given an early opportunity to test the FF-5, and, riding the latest Yamaha YZF-R1, I immediately headed out for a test drive on the highway and some winding roads. When I emerged from the boring urban area and rode up the highway ramp, the FF-5 quickly began to show me signs of its excellent potential.
On the freeway, where you must run continuously at high speed, it truly is a battle with the wind. To avoid the wind most efficiently, it is best for the rider to adopt a strong forward-leaning posture, and hide behind the cowling, but although this is okay as a momentary action -- on the straightaways of a circuit, for example -- a rider will not constantly lay down on the motorcycle behind the cowling when riding on the freeway.
If a relaxed riding posture is adopted, your head will stick out from the cowling, even with a full cowling motorcycle. Almost all riders feel that the resistance which seems to press on your head from the front side at that time is an unavoidable fact of life, but when you try wearing the FF-5, you can understand how much your head has previously been affected by air resistance.
The difference is particularly great when you face to the side -- to change lanes, for instance. Even in situations where, normally, it seems that your head will be pushed to the side by the wind pressure, the wind resistance is almost unchanged from the front side. With this lack of resistance -- an amazing sensation you feel with the FF-5 -- it really seems as though your head is slicing through the layer of air. Of course, this shows the value of development with wind tunnel experiments.
The FF-5 also has excellent ventilation effects. The air intakes at the forehead have fairly large openings, and you can clearly feel the air introduced there passing through the part at the crown of the head. Enough air passes through that it actually becomes too cold if the vents are left open when it’s cold. The air blocked up inside the helmet is discharged by negative pressure from the air ducts at the back of the head, so the inside is comfortable.
 What I found surprising is that you can feel the ventilation effects not just at high speed, but even while riding through town. The interior material covers down to the cheeks, fits well, and employs COOLMAX mesh material, so it absorbs sweat and does not stick. I'm sure I'll be comfortable even when riding in the summer.
What I didn’t expect was that the advantages of aerodynamics, which are the biggest selling point of the FF-5, are evident not only on freeways and circuit straightaways, but also on winding courses and during cornering on a circuit. If you think about it, your head is exposed during cornering. If you fix your eye-line on the exit of the corner, your head makes an angle in the lateral direction relative to the forward direction. Wake Stabilizer of the FF-5 exhibits its effect at this time. Even at a speed where air flows with a good feeling, you can still enjoy the benefits. Your body is always moving, while you fix your eyes on the end of the corner, and the next corner. For instantaneous body movements like these, your head moves first, with no resistance. It’s that kind of sensation.
Previously, I haven’t been that aware of things like the aerodynamic characteristics of helmets. However, when I tried wearing the FF-5, I could really feel how its aerodynamics affect comfort and prevention of fatigue. A truly amazing helmet has appeared on the scene. |
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