6D has made a name for itself as a company that isn’t afraid to innovate, incorporating the latest technology into every aspect of its helmets. The 6D ATR-2 is no exception to this. Don’t let the price dissuade you from checking this one out: the ATR-2 is a high-tech piece of sophisticated equipment designed with one goal in mind: to keep its rider as safe as possible no matter what the road throws at them. If you can swing it, buying the ATR-2 might be the best thing you can do to keep yourself safe.
Ratings
Comfort:
Visibility:
Ventilation:
Quietness:
Specifications
Outer shell material : tri-composite material
Liner : lypropylene (EPP) multi-impact outer liner and a new Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) replaceable inner liner and The Genuine Dri-Lex liner
Weight : 3.26 pounds
Pinlock :
Strap System : Titanium D-rings
Safety Ratings
DOT : Yes
ECE : Yes
SNELL : No
SHARP : Not tested
Shape and materials
The high-tech wizardry starts with the shell. Constructed of a strong, durable tri-composite material, the shell is designed for maximum energy absorption in cases of extreme impact. It has been designed for a snug fit that seems to work with most head shapes. Three different shell sizes let you mix and match between shells, linings and cheek pads for the best fit for your particular head.
In addition, the rear of the shell incorporates a special zone of safety to protect your neck and cervical spine in an accident. While much of helmet technology focuses on forward momentum and impact reduction, the neck often gets whipped around in every direction, which can cause major damage regardless of the forward impact. This Cervical Protection Zone has been constructed to keep your neck safe during trauma, regardless of which direction it comes from.
Other safety features of the shell include a brow rib, which has been included to strengthen the integrity of the shell right above the eyeport, where openings can often lead to shell weakness.
As far as inside the shell, there are not one, but two different liners. The inner liner is an Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) liner that is replaceable, which is then connected to an outer liner by damping towers. The outer liner is Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) and is basically like a helmet within the helmet. Together, these three layers absorb much of the energy that is thrown your way during impact, keeping your head safe and sound inside its protective layers.
Things I liked
Things I don’t like
Overall comfort
The lightweight shell comes in three sizes, and with the ability to swap out cheek pads and liners you can mix and match until you find just the right fit, no matter the size or shape of your head. At under four pounds this helmet is pretty light indeed, helping to reduce overall neck fatigue on those longer rides.
Visibility
Visibility is not an issue with the ATR-2. It’s open-face design keeps your eyes wide and clear, but leaves plenty fo space for whatever goggles you want to bring along. To help keep the sun out of your eyes a removable sun visor is included that goes into and out of place with just a few screws to deal with.
Quietness
If we had one thing to gripe about with the ATR-2 it would be the noise. This is a loud helmet when compared to others. It’s not deafening, by any means, but you can certainly hear the road and the wind when you’re riding.
Ventilation
Ventilation is another strong feature for this helmet. Where other helmets might include a handful of ports and vents scattered throughout, it almost seems like D6 went completely overboard and just stuck ventilation points anywhere they could.
The ATR-2 has no less than 15 ventilation points -- 9 intake ports that work together with 6 exhaust ports. The result is a helmet that is about as well-ventilated as possible, moving air all around to keep you cool and comfortable. The various ports and exhausts are adjustable, so you can mix and match as needed to get just the right level of support and comfort needed depending on conditions and your mood.
Safety
This has already been discussed, but it definitely bears repeating -- a lot of high-tech innovation has gone into the design of this helmet in an effort to keep its wearer as safe as possible. The tough outer shell is the first zone of safety, but the strong outer lining (which is basically just an inner shell) provides another point of impact absorption. Between the outer and inner linings are a series of dampening towers whose sole purpose is to absorb energy from impacts and other possible trauma before it ever even reachers your head.
The brow rib up front helps to keep the front of your head and your eyes safe, and the Cervical Protection Zone in the back protects your neck against backwards and sideways motions.
The result is an incredibly safe helmet. DOT and ECE approved, this helmet has passed and exceeded both the rigorous American and European safety standards. It has not been SHARP tested, however.
Conclusion
All in all, this is a helmet built for the serious, dedicated rider. The technical wizardry behind this helmet belies helps to justify the heftier price tag you’ll find with the ATR-2, but it is definitely worth it.
When we look at everything this helmet has to offer, we give it an average rating of 92.5/100, which works out to 4.625//5 stars.
Where to buy this helmet :