Blam!
DAMMIT! This is not ‘sposed to be a crash test dummy!
Well – it’s a bit late… you see my contact lens came adrift and I tried to catch it which resulted in a massive topple over on a nasty little off-camber.
Blam! The sound that the almost new Caberg helmet made as it made contact with a rather nasty rock on the pass.
Ok let’s do a quick health inspection… Neck OK, Legs OK, movement, all good… No Stars! That’s actually quite impressive considering the force of the shot as this lid made contact.
A silly crash. A topple over that literally smashed the riders head into a rock. This could have gone very south and is a perfect example of why it makes sense to invest in a decent crash helmet…
This helmet made its way to our office as we were leaving for the KTM Adventure Rally. “Test it” said the importers and our clever rider (or is that crasher) took that quite literally.
If you read the Adventure Rally feature, you’ll see that it involved two days of riding – the first on easy scenic routes and the next in slightly more tricky terrain – so to say that we put this helmet through its paces is possibly an understatement.
The fit and finish is excellent as you’d expect from any product coming out of the Caberg stable. It is critical to ensure that you buy a helmet that is the correct size for your pip – not too tight or you’ll end up being uncomfortable – and definitely not too loose because – well if your head rattles around inside that’s – just not good!
The next trick is to make sure that you fasten your helmet correctly. Every time you ride.
This one comes with double D Rings which is the global race standard.
Now let’s look at all the features on the Tanami Scram:
- The helmet arrives with a pinlock that you mount inside the visor to prevent it from steaming up.
We were super grateful for that, the chilly mornings are conducive to bad viz – and it kept everything clear.
- The visor is wide and clear, offering good peripheral vision. It works on a 4 position gear rather than a slider, so you can adjust it to exactly where you need it and it stays put while you ride. This is seriously cool when it’s hot coz you can just crack it open slightly and it allows air in. They tell us that the visor is scratch resistant.
- The Drop Down Sun Visor is always a nice touch and it slides up and down easily via a big switch on the left side of the visor.
- Hydration Ready: Theres a groove moulded inside the chin guard to accept a hydration tube. Cool!
- Venting: No complaints even though we did not read the manual. It got really hot on some of the passes, but as long as you are moving, the helmet is not uncomfortably warm at all. Thanks to nerve damage in his fingers our rider seldom removes his helmet during rides, so even walking the passes to take pics was not a chore. You can open and close the top exhaust vent via a little switch mechanism just behind the peak. We only realised after the weekend that the exhaust vent covers that direct the airflow are magnetic and are removable to allow extra airflow. During the tumble it seems that the mouthpiece cover came adrift so that was sorted but it’s quite amazing the difference that removing the exhaust vent covers makes. Although the helmet is damaged, we took them off and rode a bike at home to get a feel for the system – far more airflow. So for winter riding when it’s chilly, leave the covers in place. Summertime take them off and stash them in your pocket. It’s a cool design (Get it?)
- The Peak: Is easily removable – the latest helmet screws on each side have a little hinged grab point making things quick and easy. The top of the peak is held in place with a further two. It’s a 2 minute operation to take it all apart.
- Stability and noise: On the Adventure Rally there was no real opportunity to get the latest 1390 up to high speeds. We probably saw a maximum of 160KPH on the whole journey and we have no complaints. No big wind noise and no discomfort or vibration.
- Safety: In addition to meeting or exceeding all the modern safety standards, The Caberg Tanami has an ace up its sleeve in the form of the SOS Medical ID. Activated with any smart phone (And it’s Simple), you upload your medical info to the helmet. In the event that it’s needed, a medic or first responder can retrieve all of your info simply by “Scanning the transponder with his or her own smartphone. Seriously cool stuff! And yes – it all works perfectly.
Conclusions:
Solid. We like it. We have to It saved our ass!
The Caberg Tanami Scram has quality feel and fit and that’s seriously important.
It’s aerodynamic, versatile, well vented and – whatever they have protecting you from impact works perfectly.
Sadly, we proved that. But we are very glad that the Caberg lot did such a good job on this one.
Even though this specific helmet is basically brand new, it will be retired.
Helmets are designed with components that break down in order to absorb impact.
It might be fine but then again – it might not be.
We won’t be taking a chance.
