For those of us who live in warmer climates, it might be hard to understand the importance of high-quality cold-weather gear. However, for those who live in places like Winnipeg, Canada, where FXR Racing is headquartered, it's a necessity. FXR Racing knows a thing or two about making gear that can withstand the coldest temperatures. This review will cover several FXR products, including the Helium Carbon helmet, Pilot MX goggles, and CX Jacket, to help you decide if they are the right choice for your snowmobiling adventures.
FXR Helium Carbon Helmet
The FXR Helium Carbon helmet has been a favorite among testers for its incredibly light weight and comfortable fit. The Helium carries a DOT rating in Canada and the US. As it ships to you, the Helium is closer to 2.3 pounds, which is one of the lightest helmets we have ever tested. Our XXL Helium Carbon tester fit incredibly well the very first time we slid it on. The view out of the goggle port is wide, with minimal intrusion from the chin guard and visor. The visor is fairly long, but is very easily adjustable.
The matte-finish hand-laid carbon shell is a thing of beauty, and FXR did well with the matte black details that keep the overall focus on the carbon weave. The Helium Carbon helmet tipped our scales at a measly 2.6 lbs with Bluetooth coms installed - a full pound lighter than the other unnamed high-end helmet we benchmarked it against.
Multiple small features make this helmet a standout, including glove-friendly visor screws, removable vent plugs and covers for cold-weather use, and titanium D-rings. The attachment mechanism for the padding is easy to use, and the helmet is fairly easy to clean as well. Another bonus is that FXR also sells replacement padding, visors, screws, mouth pieces, and vent covers for their lids, making long-term ownership of this fairly substantially-priced helmet more enticing. Two colorways are available: Black (shown) and Hi-Vis/Charcoal. Multiple cheek pad sizes are available for a perfect fit.
We put FXR’s gear to the test during expeditions to Glamis Dunes, the Mojave Desert, King of the Hammers, 10,000 feet climbs in Colorado, and more. We installed a prototype Rugged Radios Bluetooth helmet connect kit and have been enjoying riding with this helmet across multiple recreational vehicles, including time spent on a mountain bike.
Read also: Features of Youth Modular Snowmobile Helmets
FXR Pilot MX Goggles
KLIM Snowmobile Goggles | Product Comparison
FXR’s Pilot MX goggles is one of the best-fitting goggles we have ever had the pleasure of wearing. Available in seven colorways, this outrigger-style goggle has some unique features that make them so desirable. FXR’s Pilot features a fat 50mm strap with copious amounts of silicone grippy graphics, which means that even with the goggles worn fairly loosely, it stayed securely stuck to the helmet shell during our testing.
Pilot MX goggles ship with two lenses, one tinted and one clear. The nose guard is removable, and the attachment mechanism is strong. FXR’s triple-layer foam is comfortable and doesn’t chafe your cheeks. They resist fog well even when working up a sweat in cold weather, which is a great plus. They also filter out light sand and dust fairly well, although they are not a dedicated desert-style goggle.
This is a fantastic set of goggles, and as is the FXR way, replacement and accessory parts like roll-offs, tear-offs, single and dual pane lenses are available. During our time spent with FXR’s Pilot MX goggles, we had the chance to try out single and dual-pane lenses. The dual-pane lens resists fogging very well, even when working up a sweat hiking off-trail. Changing lenses is also extremely simple due to the pliable nature of the goggle frame, which we appreciate greatly. The goggle’s foam provides a great seal against your face, but also wicks sweat well.
FXR CX Jacket
Being cold sucks, so having a high-quality jacket is a must for any UTV owner in chillier weather. While sitting behind the wheel, you are rarely doing enough work to reach a sweat, so this CX jacket will treat you to a nice, warm embrace even in sub-freezing temps. It also features FXR’s F.A.S.T. The CX has an adjustable waist windskirt with silicone grippers running the length of it, so it stays put well even when belted in.
Read also: Choosing Snowmobile Helmet Speakers
The way the sleeves on the CX jacket are tailored makes them very comfortable to wear with gloves on, even those with longer cuffs. The outer sleeves on the CX jacket can wrap around a large winter glove with ease, keeping things tight and warm around your wrists. The lycra cuffs with thumb loops are slim, so they slip into tight gloves with ease. FXR’s F.A.S.T. floatation tech is an added benefit if you ride in areas where off-trail hikes near water are frequent, and doesn’t make the jacket overly bulky.
The warm inner fleece lining terminates at the wrists with lycra cuff extensions, complete with thumb loop so absolutely no cold air can get up the sleeve when worn with gloves. Velcro wrist cuffs and zippered mesh vents allow for easy ventilation if things warm up. Inside the left breast is a massive zippered pocket, large enough to hold four cans of soda for trailside recreation breaks. FXR’s CX jacket features YKK-brand zippers, which have a very high quality feel and have proven durable, even in dusty conditions. This jacket is available in 9 colorways, although at the time of writing, not all colors are in stock.
Insulated jackets are worth their weight in gold (seemingly), but this CX jacket stands out above standard snow or cold-weather general use gear for a few reasons.
FXR Fuel Modular Helmet
One result of extreme temperatures is increased likelihood of helmet visor fogging or icing up. This annoying and frustrating condition can quickly obscure your ability to see properly and ride safely. There are several things that will help minimize this issue. One, a properly sized helmet that positions your face where it’s supposed to be inside the visor and in relation to any integrated breath deflectors. Two, an adjustable ventilation system that lets you control airflow around your face to dissipate head heat efficiently. And three is an electric face shield.Last winter, I tested a Fuel Modular Helmet (Style #16410 in black matte) with Electric Shield from FXR. It delivered the goods for me. Besides being a great looking FXR helmet, it was comfortable and secure feeling to wear with eyeglasses. Its visor cracks open easily for extra airflow. Meanwhile, the full front face of the helmet also flips up out of the way for conversation or eating without having to take it off. There’s an integrated, slide down sunshade. Plus, the electrical hook up shows a green operating light so you know the power’s on.
The certified FXR Fuel Modular Snowmobile Helmet comes in a variety of colours and sizes, so check it out along with the entire line up of FXR snow gear.
Read also: Safe Ski Helmets for Children
FXR FX-1 Team Helmet
Since 1994, when I first started riding with prescription goggles, I have a worn motocross-style helmet for all of my snowmobile riding. In most conditions, I absolutely love that setup. There’s less concern about fogging, the helmets are generally lighter and I like the added airflow over my usually hot-running head. But there’ve been days when temperatures dip double-digits below zero and I have questioned my choice in brain buckets. However, there’s not a real practical way to carry a spare full-face helmet with on a trail ride. That made me the perfect customer to try what’s called a “sport crossover” lid, like FXR’s FX-1 Team Helmet. With the face shield out, it acts, feels and looks like a normal MX-style helmet with a slightly bigger than normal face opening. But at any point, I could pull the face shield out of my pack and screw it into place beside the trail. On my head, the thermoplastic-shell helmet felt comfortable and light. The interior material was soft to the touch yet firm against my face and head. Vents are found in the forehead with exhaust in the back, like pretty much every MX helmet. With the breath box in place, though, the helmet didn’t fit my odd-shaped head very well. If I pulled the chin bar down where it should have been, the top of the breath box weighed heavy upon my nose. With the shield in place on an early-season ride, I did experience more fogging than I liked - which is one factor that has kept me away from full-face helmet. Later in the season as I got used to the breath box the problem was mostly alleviated.
Overall Impression
While the Helium Carbon helmet and Pilot MX goggles were both standout performers, our favorite item in this group is hands-down the FXR CX Jacket. The modular helmet includes an electric visor and a tinted visor. When I wear the helmet, I feel comfortable. The quality inner lining is good and holds the helmet firmly in place. I like the helmet strap that attaches and detaches easily. The button to open the helmet is easily accessible and works well, even with a pair of gloves. The helmet is a little harder to close with gloves, but that's not a concern.
During my rides, I tested the helmet under different conditions and temperatures. This means in extreme cold and snow, but also beautiful sunny and much milder conditions. In most situations, the helmet works very well. The visor never gets foggy because of the heated visor. Even if you don't plug in the helmet, the visor doesn't fog up as quickly as other models. The breath deflector helps a lot to reduce fogging in the visor; it folds in on itself when you remove the helmet. Also, when the traps are open, there is good air circulation to keep the head cool. The same goes for the sun visor; it can be used well if you know how to manage the ventilation traps. The helmet is comfortable to wear for several hours. There is a small deflector behind the helmet that I thought was not necessary at first, but it reduced the pressure on the neck when the wind is strong.
It is important to note that this phenomenon does not always occur. I don't know if this is an isolated problem or not. It would be nice if FXR could try to isolate the helmet a little better, especially the closing of the double visor and the opening and closing mechanism of the modular helmet. I would have liked the helmet to be a little more airtight. When the temperature is below -25 degrees, I thought this helmet was cold. This is due to the problem of air and snow entry, particularly when following other snowmobiles. Overall, it is an excellent helmet that I enjoyed trying.
Don’t miss this chance to upgrade your helmet at a great price. Shop trusted FXR styles now and score top performance with serious savings.
tags: #fxr #helmet #snowmobile