Today we are going to be talking about a successor to a lot of great and successful helmets that we have seen from GMax. It’s a dual-sport helmet, meaning that it is great for both off road and dirt riding as well as road riding. The ventilation and the peak of this helmet are built for off-road riding, while the face shield is movable, making it quick and easy to convert for road riding.
This is an incredibly reasonably priced helmet. Getting the action-packed features of this helmet that make it great for both dirt and road riding makes it really hard for us to find another bucket that offers at least the same quality and quantity of features, at a similar price point. It has the creature comforts of a more expensive or higher caliber helmet at a fraction of the price.
Want to make this model look more like your own style? It comes in five different colors, and you can either get it in the high-vis or graphic version. The level of versatility that you get with this inexpensive and impressive helmet is definitely a nice touch.
Let’s take a dive in and look at what else the GMax GM11 dual sport helmet has to offer.
Ratings
Comfort:
Visibility:
Ventilation:
Quietness:
Specifications
Outer shell material : Lightweight thermo-plastic poly alloy shell
Shell size : XS to 3XL sizes
Liner : Plush removable washable interior
Weight : 3.92 lbs
Pinlock : No
Strap System : Padded D-ring chin strap
Safety Ratings
DOT : Yes
ECE :
SNELL : No
SHARP : Not tested
Shape and materials
How does this helmet fit the rider? Y/ou can expect the GM11 to be well-suited for neutral to slightly round-headed riders. That means that this model was made to fit a lot of riders very comfortably. There is nothing too pronounced about the shape, although we will say that because this bucket is intended for more round head shapes, this particular model isn’t going to be the best choice for oval or long oval heads.
The outer shell of the GM11 is made of polycarbonate. Although this helmet isn’t going to be nearly as light as a carbon fiber equivalent, you are going to save yourself a few hundred dollars by having a helmet that is made out of a slightly heavier and less-expensive material.
Visibility
The GM11 has a polycarbonate shield with that recognizable dual-sport shape to it. One aspect of this part of the design that we really like is that when the shield is in the up position, it fully clears your field of view. You don’t have any lower part of the shield hanging in front of your eyes and blocking or splitting your vision. The gasket around the face of the helmet makes the shield sit and lock tightly in the down position.
Things I liked
Things I don’t like
Overall comfort
What about the guts of the GM11? The interior liner of this helmet is made of Coolmax. This is something that we usually see on higher-tier, higher price point helmets from GMax, which it appears is now a standard on some of its more affordable helmets as well. The liner is fully removable and washable so that you can keep the interior fresh and clean, especially after aggressive off road riding when you’ve been kicking up dust. It has a double D-ring padded chin strap which is comfortable and easy to adjust.
You do have cutouts in so that you can add communicators or a Bluetooth headset fairly easily into the side padding of the GM11. The comfort liner is well-ventilated with vents along the main channels so that you can get plenty of cool air under the liner, and directly over your head.
When you remove the interior comfort liner you can see that there are a lot of vent holes throughout the inside of the helmet. It is pretty evident that ventilation and keeping the rider cool were some of GMax’s top priorities with the GM11. This is also excellent for wicking sweat off of your face and head and letting it evaporate or escape from your helmet.
Quietness
The one downside that we see with an inexpensive helmet that have great ventilation is that they tend to be noisy. That is especially the case when you are looking at dual sport and off road helmet.
So does the GM11 follow that trend? Yes, but the noise isn’t as bad as you might think. It is loud, but with the comfort liner, ample padding, and a great gasket that helps the shield fit tightly to the face, these do work together to considerably cut down on the noise.
Ventilation
One of the biggest benefits of this helmet that you can see right off the bat is the ventilation. Whether you are looking at this model in person or through your browser online, you can see that there are several ventilation points on this model. You have your traditional chin vent as well as two chimneys above the forehead, just beneath the visor. Worried about opening and closing the chimney vents on this helmet? Don’t be. GMax made sure that the chimneys are easy to close, with or without gloves.
They also have a top intake where the peak connects, which will create a nice flow of air through the front of the helmet and across the top of your head. This is going to be ideal for keeping your head cool for aggressive dirt or road riding. This is also easy to adjust with or without gloves.
You have two Venturis on the back of the helmet as well, which are going to function as exhaust vents to funnel hot air out of the inside of your helmet while pulling the cool air through the front vents of the helmet. You also have some passive vents on the back of the neck which give you full air circulation from the chin vents to the lower part of the back of your neck. If you tend to get hot and sweaty while riding, GMax designed this helmet to keep you as cool as possible while you are riding, with superb ventilation and breathability over just about every square inch of this helmet.
Safety
In terms of safety, this is DOT rated but not ECE or Sharp. GMax has a solid reputation for safety with their helmets, and this model has a heavy polycarbonate shell which is built for tough riding and protecting your head from rough impacts and accidents.
Conclusion
All in all, this is an excellent entry-level, dual-sport helmet. With a fit that works for a wide variety of head shapes, great ventilation, and maximum comfort out of the Coolmax and the interior liner, this helmet is packed with great features, and all at a very modest price point. If you are on a set budget and still looking for a breathable, comfortable helmet that is great for the street and offroad, we would recommend taking some time to check this one out. Sure, you could find a lighter helmet in a carbon fiber shell, but keep in mind that you are going to end up paying for it.
One of the only shortcomings with this helmet is that you are going to have a hard time fitting goggles under the shield mechanism. You don’t really have a lot of clearance to have goggles beneath the shield, so if you are planning on wearing goggles, make sure that they have a low profile and don’t sit far off of your face.
Other than that, the GM11 Adventure checks a lot of boxes covers a lot of bases, and even surpasses expectations in terms of what a dual-sport helmet should be around the $100 price point.
Where to buy this helmet :