This High-Tech Motorcycle Helmet Is Like An Apple Vision Pro For Your Bike
There are plenty of accessories you can add to your motorcycle helmet to enhance it. Bluetooth helmet headsets for music and simple communication systems are among the most common upgrades, with less-common add-ons including things like smartphone-connected lights, or even high-mount third brake lights for the back of your helmet. And, of course, you can always use some double-sided tape or a proper mount to get a video camera attached to your helmet. When it comes to tech inside the helmet, though, there’s not much out there yet. At least until now.
Shoei is broadly considered one of the top motorcycle helmet manufacturers with lots of great designs and high safety standards. Recently, they’ve teamed up with a French company called EyeLights to add a bit of tech to the inside of your helmet. The tech is a new Head-Up Display (HUD) that displays riding stats directly on the back of the helmet’s inner visor.
Unlike systems such as Apple Vision Pro, the EyeLights system doesn’t take over your complete field of view. Instead, the bare minimum of information you need during your next ride, like speed, navigation, and incoming calls, is displayed in the upper right-hand corner of your field of view.
How much does it cost?
Looking to shell out your hard-earned cash as soon as possible for this cutting-edge technology? Unfortunately, there’s nowhere you can line up to buy this new helmet just yet. Shoei doesn’t list pricing for the GT-Air 3 Smart in the United States. As with most cool motorcycle-related tech, it seems like the rest of the world is getting this system first. It’s hard to say whether the United States will get it at all. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use costs from abroad to help you fantasize about having one here.
According to EyeLights, the new GT-Air 3 Smart helmet will cost €1,199 in Europe, which (at the time of writing) converts to about $1,391. That’s a significant jump over the helmet it’s based on, the GT-Air 3, which starts at $779.99 for basic, solid-color options. Shoei currently makes several full-face helmets for road riding. In the middle of their lineup is a helmet, the GT-Air 3 offers decent features and a focus on street riding and touring.
Unlike some of the track-focused, top-of-the-line helmets in Shoei’s arsenal, the GT-Air 3 has a two-visor system, making it ideal for a HUD. The first, the outer visor, is used to protect you from wind, errant bugs, and whatever other objects you come across on the road. The second visor is a drop-down sun shield designed to diffuse a bit of sunlight. That’s where the HUD information from the EyeLight system appears to be displayed.
More than just the HUD
According to EyeLights, the GT-Air 3 Smart helmet will come with more than the HUD. It will also include in-helmet audio, a microphone for phone calls, an intercom for group-ride communication, and a battery that will last for up to 10 hours. Although it’s nearly double the price of the standard GT-Air 3 helmet, you’re getting quite a bit of equipment with the Smart model (even the most basic comms/Bluetooth headsets are about $100). Available in five sizes and in five different colors, most riders should be able to find a version of the GT-Air 3 Smart that fits their style. The standard helmet is available with considerably more color choices, though, including a number of appealing graphic designs.
Understandably, if you’re in the market for a helmet now and you don’t want to wait for the GT-Air 3 Smart to make it stateside, or if you don’t like the idea of modern motorcycle tech inside your helmet at all, there are other options. Mounting your smartphone to your handlebars is also an option, especially for riders who don’t have smartphone connectivity on older bikes. Systems like Ram Mount and Quad Lock offer secure mounting of your smartphone that may be appealing to some riders.
