OGK Helmet Review
OGK helmet.. You what?.. many of them say. Yes, OGK has already gained riders trust and recognition. What I mean here is a full face race-ready quality, not just a casual three quarters. The FF-5V has been approved by SNELL, DOT, ADR, MFJ (Motorcycle federation of Japan, race standard) and FIM which means it can be used in competition racing. Read more on the motorcycle safety standards here. There is no doubt that OGK helmet, being half the price of what other brands charge for such quality, provide excellent protection. These safety standards are enforced by the respective governments to protect motorcycle riders whether it is a cheap or an expensive helmet.
Construction
Advanced Composite Technology, A.C.T, is the technology employed to develop lightest yet highest strength inner shell by utilizing hyper glass fibre and organic fibres in order to pass most strict safety standard of SNELL M2010.
Ok, but it cannot be just safety that drives people to buy one of them. What about the comfort?
OGK helmet air flow and aerodynamics
I bet these helmets provide superior air flow to other more expensive brands. The flow is through wide horizontal chin bar and the two top smaller vents which is nicely pulled out at the back. The system is designed in the way that the stale air inside the helmet is absorbed into the outside. From the chin bar the filtered air flows on to the rider's face with some being directed on to the back of the visor. The top vents open and close independently. Each vent has a small push lever in back of the opening that allows them to be closed, open half-way and fully open. The dual rear exhaust vents also operate independently with three positions (closed, half and full).
It seems that OGK has spent lots of hours designing the aerodynamics especially at the back of the helmet to provide less turbulence. They have patented the New Wake Stabilizer as a result of research and development efforts. This was apparently driven by some professors from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Tokyo University and Nihon University. No wonder they have succeeded.
In addition, all of this comes with relatively low noise levels as for a race helmet. For me this feature doesn’t matter and to me all helmets are noisy. The solution is to always wear earplugs.
Liner
The internal fabric is made of Coolmax and it feels similar to other well established brands like Arai. This is to allow quick evaporation of sweat and brings cool, comfortable use. The padding under the chin strap uses the same material as the rest, which makes it feel very comfortable.
OGK helmet fit
OGK helmet FF4 fits generally size smaller than Arai or Shoei but they are very easy to custom fit as the pads are all removable and available in many different sizes. It is worth noting that there was a shape change from round on FF-3 to oval on FF-4 and then back to round in the FF-5 version. Some of you were happy and some were not, so what can you do. Read more on how to properly check the fit.
The internal shape and fit were designed for a world-wide riders and the new FF-5 is currently available in sizes ranging from XS to XXL. The helmet’s shell comes in three sizes: small shell (XS, S, M), medium shell (L) large shell (XL and XXL).
Face Shield
The FF-5's face shield provides excellent top-to-bottom visibility. The peripheral field of vision is good too providing no problem with over-the-shoulder head checks in traffic.
The face shield opens and closes smoothly with a quality feel. The only small issue I can see is that it hasn’t got an option for a small opening for demisting. This may be because it is such well-ventilated helmet.
The face shield removal mechanism is extremely easy. You do it by lifting the face shield all the way up, pressing the small button in the centre of the side of the face shield and lifting the face shield. The system is definitely much simpler than on other brands.
Pinlock visor sheet included
This is installed over the SAF-P visor to minimize the visor misting in the rain condition and in winter season. It works by equalizing the temperature differences between inside the helmet and outside atmosphere.
OGK helmet weight
OGK has focused on reducing helmet weight while meeting all applicable safety standards for racing. The size XL weighs at 1614 grams (3 lbs., 8-7/8 oz.), which compares favourably with some of the well-recognized brands.
The FF-5 in size XL is even lighter than the old OGK FF-3 in size large at 1623 grams. This is due to the carbon fibre, Kevlar and fiberglass composite shell used on the FF-5.
Between the relatively light weight and the excellent aerodynamics, the FF-5 feels very comfortable when riding and when turning the head side-to-side, where little or no turbulence or buffeting is noticed. The weight is well balanced and the helmet does not feel heavy.
Conclusion
The only thing to consider on these is the version. It is overall excellent helmet. The FF-4 is for oval shape heads and the FF-5 is round OGK helmet. This helmet ticks all the boxes: safety, fit, comfort, air flow, weight, visibility and outstanding finish. The venting system is exceptional with the noise level being relatively low as for a racing helmet.
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