Airoh Trr Trials Helmet

Airoh “Trr” Trials Helmet Review

The Airoh Trr is a super-lightweight Trials helmet.

But don’t let the word “Trials” put you off.

This is a nice choice for off-road, slow-speed plinking, plunking and adventuring, especially in hot weather.

The ultra-light shell feels incredibly sturdy, especially surprising for an open-face helmet type.

It’s very stiff, with almost zero flex at the sides.

The light weight and nearly flow-through ventilation of the Airoh Trr makes it feel more like you’re wearing a baseball cap than a motorcycle helmet.

Could this be the Next Big Thing in motorcycle helmets?

While perhaps not the best-known or the largest motorcycle helmet manufacturer, Airoh makes some very unique and cool-looking helmets, no doubt about that.

And since one of the webBikeWorld specialties since the very beginning is to bring our readers information on unique and “under the radar” motorcycle products, an Airoh helmet review is right on the mark.

Although Airoh makes full-face helmets — including Andrea Dovizioso’s Airoh GP500 (available as a replica for the rest of us mortals) — the company also specializes in off-road helmets.

These include the fantastic Airoh Aviator (review), reviewed on webBikeWorld last year. That helmet is worn by motocross Superstar Tony Cairoli.

Besides the Airoh Trr, we’re fortunate to also have the new Airoh Terminator off-road helmet, which is based on the top-of-the-line Airoh Aviator but with a few of the high-tech features removed for a more user-friendly price.

The Terminator review will be coming next.

The Airoh Trr Trials helmet is worn by several men and women in World Trials, like 2010 Junior World Champion and 2011 European Champion Jack Challoner. Here’s a YouTube video of Jack in the Nike tunnel — try that on your R 1200 GS!

With the enormous popularity of adventure-touring, enduro and motocross helmets are all the rage. But a Trials-type helmet may also be something to consider.

It eliminates the somewhat goofy “beak” of the classic motocross helmet chin bar; it weighs less; and it provides ultimate visibility…yet it still looks the part.

Trials helmets haven’t been all that popular with anyone other than Trials riders, but my prediction is that will soon change.

The old, rounded spelunking style is out and the Airoh Trr brings a different and angular modern look that is quite appealing.

It’s also really, really light. At 1025 grams for this size XL, the Trr is the second lightest motorcycle helmet of any type ever reviewed on webBikeWorld (the lightest was the size L Davida Classic Jet (review)).

Once a helmet gets down to around 1 kg, it virtually disappears on your head, feeling more like a baseball cap than a motorcycle helmet.

Also, visibility is unlimited; an absolute must for Trials competition, but always important, on the road or trail and especially during low-speed play-biking in the woods.

The Airoh Trr: Paint, Graphics and Overall Quality

The Trr comes in plain white or black or in the “Dapper” graphics shown here. This is the high-visibility yellow version and there’s also a red or white background color with the same graphic pattern.

It’s a bit difficult to compare an open-face helmet of this type with the full-face helmets that form the bulk of the webBikeWorld reviews, because several of the full-face features just aren’t found on the minimalistic design of the open-face type.

For example, there aren’t any moving parts on the Trr, so there’s not as much to evaluate (or to go wrong).

But the overall paint and graphics on this Trr are outstanding; very nicely done with everything looking fit and trim and the parts all perfectly aligned.

There are a few subtle features, like the silver and gray metallic paint stripes that you probably can’t see in our photos and the little embossed rubber Airoh logo located on each side of the helmet.

The only feature I could do without is the large “Airoh” letters across the back of the helmet. Airoh is apparently fond of this type of branding and it appears also on the Terminator. I think the colored oval-shaped Airoh logos are enough, thank you.

The liner of the Trr is also nicely made and feels comfortable, although the weight reduction had to come from somewhere and, in typical Airoh fashion, the padding is a bit thin.

But the helmet shell — as light as it is — feels as solid as a rock. It’s as high-tech as it gets in 2013 — a “multi-axial carbon fiber” and Kevlar composite. Typically, an open-face helmet will have a lot of flex at the sides, but the Trr shell feels strong.

Score: I’ll give the Airoh Trr an “Outstanding” rating for excellent finish and ultra light weight with a solid feel. See the Summary Table at the bottom of the page for a description of our rating system.

This Trr is a size XL, which fits just as expected to the Airoh size chart on the Burn Out Italy website, which shows an XL as fitting a 61 cm head.

It’s interesting to note that the Burn Out Italy lists the single number of 61 cm, not the 61-62 cm shown on the Airoh website that is typical for a size XL motorcycle helmet.

We think the 61 cm recommend size is correct and a slightly larger 62 cm head might have some trouble fitting the size XL Trr, so someone at Burn Out Italy knows their helmets and has worn the Airoh Trr, which is something every retailer should do.

The internal shape of the Trr is fairly “Neutral”, with perhaps just a touch of “Slight Narrow”, but I’ll call it a Neutral. The size XL should fit most head shapes in the 60-61 cm range, although the extreme “Narrow” types may need to drop down a size.

The coverage of this helmet is minimal by design and the shell comes in two sizes to span the head size range.

The sides are low enough to just cover the bottom of my ears, so all of the standard open-face, Jet or retro helmet issues are in play here also. I’ve worn the Trr for some low-speed off-roading and it’s perfectly suited for that; just don’t expect World Superbike-style race protection though.

Don’t forget you’ll need eye protection with the Trr. The large Scott 87 OTG goggles (review), which are designed to fit over eyeglasses, work just fine with the Trr, although it can be a bit difficult to slip a pair of sunglasses or eyeglasses between the liner and the head, due to the angled design of the cheek pads.

More information on helmet fit can be found in the webBikeWorld Motorcycle Helmet FAQ page, along with the chart that lists the helmet weights of webBikeWorld reviewed helmets and also by shape on the webBikeWorld Motorcycle Helmet Shapes page.

Score:  I’ll give the Airoh Trr an “Excellent” rating for shape and comfort with slightly thin padding.

One of the advantages of an open-face helmet is the unlimited visibility it provides. This is as important for low-speed Trials riders as it is for anyone, especially beginners or riders who feel claustrophobic behind a chin bar.

The visibility when wearing the Airoh Trr is unlimited, so no problems there. If I roll my eyes all the way up, I can just see the tip of the peak.

But between the light weight, the shorter Trials shell design and the open face, it feels like my head is bare, more so than any other helmet I’ve ever worn.

The peak on the Trr is not quite as long as the peak on the Airoh Terminator or any of the other motocross helmets we’ve reviewed.

It provides a bit of sun blocking when the light is coming from overhead. It attaches solidly to the helmet shell with clear plastic thumb screws and all of the parts are available separately, as is the liner and optional clear vent covers.

The peak isn’t adjustable, as the top center portion includes a unique vent port to which the peak is attached. I tried loosening the thumb screws but couldn’t get the peak to adjust. It doesn’t need it anyway, so I left well enough alone.

The Trr has a proportional look and nice styling and everything fits together in harmony. I actually think the peak looks more at home on this helmet than it does on the full-face style enduro helmets with face shield, where the peak always looks out of place to me.

Score: The Airoh Trr has unlimited visibility, always a good feature. I’ll give it an “Outstanding” rating overall.

Another “built-in” feature of an open-face helmet is lots of ventilation, whether you need it or not.

The Airoh Trr has all you’ll need in that regard, but while most other open face helmets simply provide a vestigial top vent that usually doesn’t do much, the top vent system on the Trr is a definitive demonstration of Airoh’s Trials experience.

The venting system consists of two very large ports on either side of center, covered in cool (literally and figuratively) grid vent covers. These aren’t just for show; the vents are wide open down into the helmet, and you can see right through.

A smaller central air vent is located at the back of the peak and this clever design captures the air that channels under the peak and accelerates as it squashes into the wedge where the peak meets the helmet shell. This forces air down through the vent and on to the rider’s head.

Two vertical exhaust vents in the rear probably aren’t needed, but they are very nicely integrated into the overall angular shape of the Trr and they provide the negative pressure to pull the air through the helmet.

Finally, a series of large exhaust vents have been placed at the lower edge of the helmet shell in the rear and they also theoretically use the natural negative air pressure back there to pull more air through the helmet.

The result is one of the “coolest” helmets ever, something to consider for adventure-touring and off-road riding in hot weather.

And also especially in the hot southern U.S., desert regions in the west and for others. Just remember that those big vents aren’t going to block the water when it rains!

Once more though, the combination of very light weight, minimal shell design and super ventilation make the Trr feel weightless on the head when riding; quite a unique experience.

Score:  I’ll give the ventilation system of the Airoh Trr an “Outstanding” rating.

Airoh Trr Sound Levels

Yet another criteria that is difficult to compare with a helmet like the Airoh Trr is the sound levels.

It’s naturally going to be louder than a well-padded full-face helmet, but then again, the Trr is designed for relatively low-speed work and not blasting down the autobahn at 150 kph.

I find it quite acceptable for messing about on the trails and for general street riding on the back roads and byways nearby. I haven’t ridden on the Interstate while wearing the Trr so I can’t comment about that.

Note that our helmet evaluations are a combined effort of several riders over time on different types of motorcycles with and without windscreens.

Evaluators wear correctly fitted, high quality ear plugs (even when evaluating motorcycle intercom systems).

Always protect your hearing when riding a motorcycle. See the wBW Earplug Reviews for more information on choosing and wearing earplugs.

Note also that perceived noise levels will vary, depending on the individual.

Noise can be caused by many factors, including helmet fit, the type of motorcycle and windscreen, wind speed and direction and even the rider’s clothing.

For more information on helmet noise, visit the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Noise page.

Score: I’ll give the Airoh Trr a “Neutral” rating for noise control.

About that weight… The Airoh Trr is as light as you’ll probably find on a motorcycle helmet. The size XL shown here weighs a mere 1025 grams (2 lbs., 4-1/8 oz.), which is extremely light.

The carbon fiber and Kevlar composite shell feels strong though and the sides of the Trr are surprisingly stiff, especially for an open-face design, which doesn’t have a chin bar to add structural rigidity.

Note also that all of the helmets reviewed on webBikeWorld have been weighed and the weights are available on the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Weights page, along with a chart that lists the helmets by weight and shape on the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Shapes page.

Score:  I’ll give the Airoh Trr an “Outstanding” rating for its ultra-low weight and good balance.

The ear pockets in the Trr are slightly shallow but comfortable and I think it would be possible to fit speakers, although we didn’t try it.

It might be a bit tricky to fit an intercom to the side of the helmet, although I have seen Trials riders wearing an intercom for demonstrations.

The shell has a couple of metal bolts or studs on the side, which may interfere with the metal helmet mount for an intercom, so I think the intercom module would have to be mounted on the side of the helmet using the double-side tape option.

The chin strap uses a large micro-lock attachment and it includes a large metal D-ring to lock the helmet to the motorcycle.

The padding under the chin strap isn’t quite long enough for me and it could be more thickly padded, so points off for that.

The Trr has two shell sizes that span a head size range from XS to XXL and the helmet meets the ECE safety standard only. The liner, cheek pads and other parts are replaceable.

Conclusion

The Airoh Trr is a good-looking and interesting alternative for off-road riding and adventure-touring in hot weather.

Many webBikeWorld readers from hot climates are always looking for well-ventilated helmets, and the Trr might be a good solution.

Airoh quality seems to have greatly improved since we first reviewed the Airoh TR-1 (review) back in 2007.

The Trr may not have all the moving parts found on a full-face helmet, but it shows the same attention to detail as the pro Airoh Aviator (review) and other modern Airoh helmets.