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System 5 Helmet

Not in the US but...

BMW helmets do not have the DOT certification. I believe it is a question of lawsuits ect. They are homologated according to the ISO standards (which are more stringent) In Canada this standard is now accepted and we have the BMW helmets. You can buy a little sticker (I know it is not legal) on ebay with the DOT symbol for travel in the US. Since the helmet is of superior quality I see this transgression as minor. Try moto international in Montreal or any of the Canadian BMW dealers.

I bought mine last summer (on sale) for 480 C$. Quite a deal. It is a very good helmet comparable to the C2 but roomier around the ears.

Good luck

Cheers

Denis R1200RT
 
BMW helmets do not have the DOT certification. I believe it is a question of lawsuits ect. They are homologated according to the ISO standards (which are more stringent) In Canada this standard is now accepted and we have the BMW helmets. You can buy a little sticker (I know it is not legal) on ebay with the DOT symbol for travel in the US. Since the helmet is of superior quality I see this transgression as minor. Try moto international in Montreal or any of the Canadian BMW dealers.

I bought mine last summer (on sale) for 480 C$. Quite a deal. It is a very good helmet comparable to the C2 but roomier around the ears.

Good luck

Cheers

Denis R1200RT

Canadian (or any outside-of-USA) BMW dealers are not allowed by BMW corp policy to retail/ ship System helmets directly to US addresses. In theory out-of-US BMW dealers are also not allowed to retail System helmets over-the-counter to US citizens.

So, as a US citizen, you can
1) have a Canadian (or any outside-USA) friend buy the System helmet from an outside-US BMW dealer and mail/ ship it to you as personal mail;
2) have a Canadian friend accompany you to a Canadian dealer, buy it for you over-the-counter;
3) go to a CND BMW dealer, and do a good impersonation of "Canadian"--eh?

Some Euro BMW dealers are known to pay little attention to the corp BMW restrictions on over-the-counter sales to US citizens. Others are known--from time to time, depending on who's on the sales counter that day--to 'knowingly' sell System helmets to US citizens; or to circumvent the restriction by selling over-the-counter on a local currency/ cash basis only, no US travelers' checks & no US credit cards.
 
Hey I was just trying to help

I was just trying to help. I think that the system 5 is the best helmet I ever bought. Safety wise and comfort wise. I did not w=mean to touch a nerve here.

cheers

denis R1200Rt:hug
 
I was just trying to help. I think that the system 5 is the best helmet I ever bought. Safety wise and comfort wise. I did not w=mean to touch a nerve here.

cheers

denis R1200Rt:hug

Denis,
No nerve touched or felt. It's a good helmet, just difficult for USA folks to access.

Court
 
Just ordered mine from Designerhelmets.com in the UK. I have worn a Schuberth for several years now and it needs replacing. The seals are deteriorating and the UV film on the inside of the visor is starting to flake off.

I did some research into the FMVSS-218 vs. the ECE-22.05 certifications. I am satisfied that the helmet is very safe and quality made. It is after all built by Schuberth for BMW.

It was interesting to find out that ECE-22.05 is backwards compatible with DOT, but, not all DOT helmets would be vice-versa.
 
Just ordered mine from Designerhelmets.com in the UK. I have worn a Schuberth for several years now and it needs replacing. The seals are deteriorating and the UV film on the inside of the visor is starting to flake off.

I did some research into the FMVSS-218 vs. the ECE-22.05 certifications. I am satisfied that the helmet is very safe and quality made. It is after all built by Schuberth for BMW.

It was interesting to find out that ECE-22.05 is backwards compatible with DOT, but, not all DOT helmets would be vice-versa.

It's great you found a UK supplier, who is apparently able to bypass BMW corp policy against retailing System helmets to US addresses (assuming you asked that it be shipped to the US). Let us know how the delivery experience to US works from Designerhelmets.

There's never been a question about System helmet safety or quality. Many US riders use them, regardless of BMW retail/ delivery policy to the US market.
 
I'm going to Paris again in April. If I just bought one and carried it back through the checks at CDG and Newark would anyone stop me? Could I just declare it on the form?

Thanks
 
Just ordered mine from Designerhelmets.com in the UK. I have worn a Schuberth for several years now and it needs replacing. The seals are deteriorating and the UV film on the inside of the visor is starting to flake off.

I did some research into the FMVSS-218 vs. the ECE-22.05 certifications. I am satisfied that the helmet is very safe and quality made. It is after all built by Schuberth for BMW.

It was interesting to find out that ECE-22.05 is backwards compatible with DOT, but, not all DOT helmets would be vice-versa.

Any thoughts on the BMW vs. Schuberth? Advantages, disadvantages, cost, etc?
 
I'm going to Paris again in April. If I just bought one and carried it back through the checks at CDG and Newark would anyone stop me? Could I just declare it on the form?

Thanks

Assuming that a Paris BMW dealer will sell you one--likely, but may depend on which salesman and how knowledgeable of the corp policy--then, you can return with it as either checked or carry-on luggage, passing security checks at CDG and EWR without hassle.

You could declare it on inbound US Customs 'purchase' form, OR, if you are otherwise presenting yourself as returning from an overseas bike trip, you could claim (if Customs even asks) that the helmet was already part of your gear, hence it wouldn't need to be declared & counted as part of new overseas purchases.

Depending on how amenable/ knowledgeable the Paris BMW dealer is, and how much time/ fortitude you have to deal with another bureaucracy, you might even be able to get a French VAT refund on the VAT portion of the purchase price. That requires some additional paperwork documentation by selling dealer, and--I think--it requires visiting a special VAT refund desk at CDG before flight departure:
http://www.douane.gouv.fr/page.asp?id=110
 
With regards to purchase in Europe or UK. I purchased a System 5 for a friend from the UK BMW dealership while on a layover @ LHR last spring Hauled it back to USA in my carryon bag - no problemo. They did not ask about it at customs. My friend loves it.

I am told that there is a difference in the strap between the European and UK model.

Personally I plan to bring back a Schuberth next trip as it has the tinted visor that the BMW helmet lacked. IIRC it is cheaper also.

God luck - i bet you will enjoy the lid. Am told that it is very quiet while riding.
 
Court ...

Comment on dit "Helmet?"

"Un helmet s'il vous plait."
"Merci"

Think they'd suspect?

Thanks
 
un helmet svp????

OK,

That might work, but you will get a better response if you say:

Puis-je acheter un casque syteme cinq s'il vous plait?

Pouey_je achetay un kask system synch sil_vou_play? (OK my phonetic spelling is not perfect but it should work...)

Besides why do you guys want to buy them in France and England when the Euro is so strong versus ordering one from Canadian BMW dealers? cheaper and easier delivery.

my 2cents

Denis
 
I agree about the tinted visor

With regards to purchase in Europe or UK. I purchased a System 5 for a friend from the UK BMW dealership while on a layover @ LHR last spring Hauled it back to USA in my carryon bag - no problemo. They did not ask about it at customs. My friend loves it.

I am told that there is a difference in the strap between the European and UK model.

Personally I plan to bring back a Schuberth next trip as it has the tinted visor that the BMW helmet lacked. IIRC it is cheaper also.

God luck - i bet you will enjoy the lid. Am told that it is very quiet while riding.

I owned both the C2 and a system V. I prefer the roomier fit of the system V. Does not picnh the cheeks as much and provides a lot more room around the ears. However I miss the tinted internal visor.
 
Besides why do you guys want to buy them in France and England when the Euro is so strong versus ordering one from Canadian BMW dealers? cheaper and easier delivery.

my 2cents

Denis

Because the Canadian dealers are under a strict embargo order not to sell to Americans, and won't do it.
 
OK,

That might work, but you will get a better response if you say:

Puis-je acheter un casque syteme cinq s'il vous plait?

Pouey_je achetay un kask system synch sil_vou_play? (OK my phonetic spelling is not perfect but it should work...)

Denis

PJK,
Denis's French is correct (and phonetic spelling ok).
But if you are actually trying to 'negotiate' a sale at a Paris BMW dealer, that level of French will not convince any salesperson you are French (not American).
I suspect most Paris BMW sales staff understand/ speak English better than that level of French. If so, you may as well use American English.

If the issue becomes: "will you sell this System 5 to me as an American [since that's what I am, obviously]" and the BMW dealer refuses/ is reluctant because you are American, you could try offering to pay directly in cash Euros (not US credit card or Traveler's checks). A cash sale leaves no paperwork trail that might come back to haunt the dealer. Then, the dealer has to balance the value of the sale vs. very unlikely consequences of "disobeying the BMW policy."

Let's be clear: there is a BMW corp policy/ embargo against selling System helmets to US citizens. The policy was first imposed in ~ 1998, with intro of the System 4. The BMW Legal Dept imposed this policy on BMW Motorrad & all retail dealers worldwide, because of the Legal Dept's assessment of possible legal risks by (us) litiguous Americans.

However, that policy is not necessarily well-known/ re-enforced at BMW retail sales level, and even when known, is often ignored. It all depends on local country & dealer circumstances at the specific time you are attempting the purchase. Many US citizens--including me--have bought System helmets overseas without hassle or with minimal hassle. I have even had a BMW employee-salesperson at a major BMW-company owned dealership in Germany offer to sell me a BMW Carbon helmet if I payed in cash (ATM across the street) so there was no paper trail.

It's all fairly stupid....just realize, you takes your chances in trying to buy :dunno

Also--don't forget, the System 5 is a good helmet, but it ain't necessarily worth a lot of extra effort to obtain just because it's "forbidden." Most important is that a helmet fits you. Beyond that, many helmets are of "equal" quality & more easily obtained (for Americans) than the System helmet, including Schubert, Arai, Shoei, jadda jadda.

Good luck!
 
I very much liked my System IV until I took it off one day and dropped it. I might have tried getting parts for it but the small plastic piece that held the visor in one of the four open positions had just broken.

I usually spend one afternoon walking up the Champs Elysee to the Arch and the BMW (and Ducati) dealer is just past it on the Avenue des Grandes Armees. I stopped in last year just to see what they looked like and might do it again. I'd like to get something just as a souvenir of Paris.

I'd never pass for a local; broken French, big camera, messenger bag, beret. But what a beautiful city. 7th trip!

Bon chance.
 
If you are really hard bent about it

Hey if any of you guys is really hard bent about buying the system V helmet and do not want to take a trip to Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver where no one is going to question wether you are from Ontario or Oregon (hint...) then you may PM me and I can arrange something if you wish. I do not work for any BMW dealers or anywhere related to the motorcycle business, nor do I want to make any money whatsoever helping out a fellow BMW rider.

I agree wholeheartedly with the previous posts. One should buy a helmet with the best fit in mind and not the fact that it is forbidden...

One observation. I owned a Concept and loved it. The fit was perfect for me, the inner tinted visor was a blessing to me since I wear glasses. My only complaint was that the outer visor would not stay cracked open when riding above 50 mph. That made the helmet hot to wear in the dead of summer. I crashed my 1200GS off-road and the helmet did a wonderful job. I had to replace it and decided to get the C2.

Same size but the helmet never felt quite right and developed pressure points. This got to be very annoying on 500 miles + days. Last fall my local dealer held an end of season clearance sale and I bought the system V for 50% off. I could not pass it up. Same tight fit as a typical Schubberth but roomier around the ears and a lot more comfortable to wear. On the minus side it does not have an internal sun visor.

I found that the prices are better on this side of the pound. (still serious money!) I intend to visit my dealership over the weekend and will post the current prices for system V helmets.

Amuses-toi bien a Paris. Profites du vin et des fromages fins.:dance

Cheers

Denis R1200RT
 
System 5/6

I had a friend pick up a System 5 for me in Amsterdam a couple of years ago--no muss, no fuss. The System 6 with drop down sun visor has been announced, but not sure when it will be available. I've been wearing BMW helmets since the System II and the sizing has been very consistent.

Steve Reynen
 
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