OK, so I've ridden around 120 miles or so with this helmet. All I can say is Damn! in a frustrated/good/bad kinda way. Why you ask? Lets see...
Looks - OK, this is subjective, but I like the way it looks. The paint it shiny, all the vents fit well, fit and finish is good.
Vents - Seem to work pretty well. Better than my HJC CL-15. They're easy enough to open and close, thought the front one is a little hard. It's been a little cooler here this week, and I can feel the air across the top of my head.
Shield - This is a bit of a wash. The down side is that it's hard to remove. I haven't done it yet, but there's a video on-line showing how to do it. The retention mechanism isn't intuitive. But, it is clear with no distortion. The detents are in different locations than I'm used to - the last detent on the HJC leaves maybe 1/4 to 1/8 opening along the bottom of the shield which helps with ventilation. On the Vemar, the last detent is around an inch or so. Fortunately the venting works well, so closing it all the way isn't an issue. Also, the detents are very stiff, a firm push is needed to move the shield. I thought this might be a down side till I remembered the times when the shield on my HJC was shut by a blast of wind from a passing vehicle. That's not likely to happen on the Vemar. Also from what I've read. the shield seals well against the helmet and doesn't allow water to get inside. A definite plus over my HJC.
Visor - my favorite part of this helmet. I've heard other complain about the flip-down sun visors having too big a cutout for the nose and letting in an annoying amount of light. Or that they're just not dark enough. The Vemar has neither of these issues. The visor isn't quite as dark as my sunglasses, but it's till plenty dark enough for my afternoon ride into the sun. It's far enough away from the face, they only the smallest notch is cut for the nose. It comes down almost completely covering the viewing area so that there's just a thin line between the bottom of it for light to get through. Better than some sunglasses I've worn.
Noise - I wear foam ear plugs, so I can't really say for sure. I know that having the shield all the way down helps, though, so I guess with the vents and shield design, it's quieter for me.
Fit - Here's the frustrating part. Webbike said the helmet had more of a round shape than many helmets. It does make it easier to get on and off and makes wearing glasses with it easier. But in my case, it also seems to make the helmet a bit uncomfortable. Start with putting the helmet on: it slides on easily. Clip the strap - it's a ratchet clip, not a double D ring - and the helmet feels OK. That is till I look out and see that the bottom edge of the viewport is too high for me. Pull down to center it, and the strap is just starting to hit my throat. Not uncomfortably - it's well padded - but noticeable. This also makes the back of the helmet feel like it's a little higher that my HJC. Thinking about this a little, I can imagine that if I was riding a sport bike and leaning over further with my head up more, it's fit just about right with no binding anywhere. Not saying they designed it for sportbikes, just my take on it. Another issue with fit - with the viewport where I want it, the upper front of the helmet is pressing on my forehead. Not uncomfortably at first, but it gets a bit wearing by the time I get to work. With the rounded shape, the only other pressure points are along the bottom jawline. Again, not uncomfortable, but not something I want to do an all day ride with.
So that's it. After 120+ miles, the helmet just isn't going to work for me, and I'm disappointed. I love all the features, but I don't want to wear it on a regular basis. I would recommend this helmet for anyone to try and if it fits you, then it's a great helmet especially for the price. But, the shape just doesn't work for me. YMMV.
