Hedon Heroine Racer Helmet Review
The Hedon Heroine Racer is available in five sizes and various color schemes, ECE or DOT approved.
Monti Smith
Like many riders, I started my motorcycling career with cheap, flimsy old helmets as they were all I could afford after buying my first bike. I had my uncle’s old “Hustler 2000,” that he used riding dirt bikes in the ’70s. It had a plastic shell, hard-as-hell EPS liner, and cheap, corroded brown comfort foam that would flake off more and more with every use. Then I moved up to an old stunt driver’s Simpson with a visor I couldn’t see through. Long story short—it took me a very long time to upgrade to a decent lid and when I finally did, it looked way worse than any of the rad old flimsy helmets I wore before. It was a trade-off and the smart move was obviously to choose the newer, uglier helmet, but I would still find myself reaching for my trusty, risky, old, stylish lids. The Heroine Racer helmet from Hedon elevates the style that I loved so much in my vintage helmets, but in a modern, comfortable shell that meets current DOT or ECE safety standards.
Hedon Heroine Racer Details
Hand-sewn and hand-painted, the Hedon Heroine Racer is pure luxury on your melon.
Monti Smith
Tipping the scales at just over 3 pounds, the Heroine Racer weighs a little less than my Arai Defiant-X and Shoei RF-1200, the two other helmets currently in my weekly rotation. When compared to these functionally, I have to admit that it doesn’t have the full range of features that these more technical helmets do. The Racer has very minimal venting through the three always-open brass points in front, it doesn’t lend itself to the installation of a Bluetooth comm system, and it’s a little bit louder than the other two due to the wide chin opening, but I knew all of those things going in and still choose it over the Shoei and Arai on occasion because simply… It looks so much better.
The model tested is the Heroine Racer Signature Black. Like a fashion brand, Hedon has some designs that are released seasonally and some, like this, that are staples of the collection available year-round. The brass hardware is a great contrast to the smooth gloss black finish of the helmet, and I easily installed a tinted lens to complete the whole blacked-out look—I never like people being able to see my eyes while I ride for some reason. The visor doesn’t ratchet like Shoeis and Arais, but there is a spring function to hold it open when it’s up at its widest point. The antifog Pinlock on the visor is held on with adhesive around the edges, so if you do plan on riding with the visor up, this is likely to come off, like it did while I was riding. Seeing as I no longer have the antifog layer, a barely open ratchet point to help with fogging and ventilation would be a very nice functional addition to the Heroine.
The Heroine Racer with its visor locked in the up position.
Monti Smith
The interior of the helmet is made of Merlin antibacterial fabric and natural calf leather, making for a combination that is incredibly comfortable but will also fight the stink that’s bound to occur after months or years of wear. Unfortunately, however, the liner is not removable, so you’ll have to rely on in-helmet cleaning products once it has soaked up a bit of sweat, and seeing how limited venting is, there is bound to be some sweat in the summer months.
Fit is true to size and, by my judgment, somewhere between a long and intermediate oval shape. I typically wear a large and the large here fits me perfectly. The liner seals off nicely around my ears without putting pressure on them, and the helmet stays put while riding with hard wind conditions. The shape of the helmet didn’t cause any noticeable buffeting and cuts through the wind with ease.
Is The Hedon Heroine Worth Its $900 Price Tag?
At $900, the Hedon Heroine is one of the most expensive helmets I own, but it absolutely reeks of luxury in a way like no other helmet I’ve tested. It’s comfortable, it’s classy, and the attention to detail on the hand-sewn liner and hand-painted shell is unparalleled. If you’re looking for pure function, there are helmets out there that work better, but nothing I have tested does the job while looking this good.
