Not being a modular helmet fan, I was hesitant at first to do a review of the LS2 FF386 helmets, specially since none of the past modular helmets, of ANY brand, seem to fit me properly.

But when Motoworld announced that they had the FF386 in High Visibility Yellow, I had to give it a try. I am a big fan of high visibility helmets. I believe they?re the best thing on the road to get seen, specially at night. I make it a point to always purchase light colored helmets and these were as light as you can get them.

Color:

High Visibility. Enough said. These babies are LOUD! You can be seen a good hundred meters away, even at night. The color works as advertised. Though they do come with a disclaimer about how the color may degrade when constantly exposed to heat/sunlight, I think that?s a small price to pay for the added safety to the rider. Besides you can always exclusively use it at night. Haha.

Shape and fit:

One of the reasons I?ve been partial to LS2 helmets was its shape. I have a big noggin so it?s quite hard for me to get a great fitting helmet. LS2 helmets have been quite easy to fit, save for a few models which I just cannot catch a break on. The LS2 full face helmets have a really comfortable on me and has been my staple helmet for my club?s long rides . The FF386 however was a revelation. As I mentioned before, modular helmets have a tendency to be small, and this model was no exception. I was given the largest size XXL which suprisingly fit quite well, albeit a bit tight on the jaw. A few adjustments to the cheeks and the helmet was a perfect fit. One problem did arise though when I tried to fit in my communication system. The Parrot SK4000 uses thick speakers which produce an awesome sound. But the ear recesses of the LS2 FF386 just could not accommodate the speakers of the Parrot. No fault of the helmet though, this isn?t the first time I?ve had to replace my bluetooth communicator to ordinary hands-free units in a ride.

Visor and Sun Visor:

The visor of the FF386 is crystal clear. No distortions and no difficulty in the mechanism. The first notch is still a bit too open but it?s just really a matter of personal preference. The Sun Visor is great as well. The button for the visor was easy to work and could be engaged/disengaged on the fly. I also like the size of the inner visor. It covers a big part of the riders face, including the cheeks which are usually exposed to the sun under direct sunlight. Another small but significant plus for me.

Ventilation:

Ventilation on the FF386 is great. At medium to high speed the vents work like a charm. On the way up to Mt. Data in the Mountain Province, the weather was cooooooold, not once did the helmet fog up even though I had the visor shut. Another nice feature of this helmet is the collar. The collar on the FF386 does not allow any sort of airflow come in under the chinbar as well as any part of the helmet. This is great because it does keep the noise level down and prevents sudden bursts of wind blowing toward your eyes. Wind noise in modular helmets are unavoidable. The flip up mechanism just gives the wind too many cracks and crevices to sneak into, specially at high speed. Not a big problem below 100kph. Above it, you might want to use ear plugs, which you really should be using in the first place.

Other Items:

The Micrometric retention system is quickly becoming my favorite. These things just work. Easy to adjust, easy to put on, easy to release. They might not be the best for on track use (Double-D?s are still king) but for everyday use, these are tops.

Weight is not an issue. All Modular helmets are a bit on the beefy side and this one is no different. You do get used to it quickly though. I had no problem with the weight of the FF386 on our 12 hour trip up the mountains.

Conclusion:

Modular helmets have come a long way since they were first introduced. The mechanisms have improved making them a lot safer and easier to use. The FF386 is a great modular helmet with tons of features you find in more expensive helmets. The build quality is top notch, the optics are ultra clear and add to that, it comes in High Visibility Yellow and you?ve got yourself a fantastic all around helmet you can use for any occasion.

Technical Specifications

Shell:    Painted HPTT (high pressure thermoplastic technology) resin

Number of shells: 1 shell size

Ventilation system: Front air intakes-rear extractors

Fabrics: Dry comfort with hygienic treatment

Inside padding: Removable and washable

Visor: Clear and anti-scratch polycarbonate 3D shield

Twin visor: Drop down sunglasses

Retention system: Quick release buckle

Shield mecanism: QR2S shield replacement without tools

Certification: ECE 22.05 certification.

Heru Manusia Biasa

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Welcome to the second annual Moto Awards, the online source of recognising great achievements and accolades in motorcycling each and every year before we turn the page into the new year.

Split up into road and dirt categories, MotoOnline.com.au awards the over- and under-achievers in our Moto Awards feature to cap off our Features section in an entertaining year of two-wheel action.

Enjoy!

DIRT AWARDS:

INTERNATIONAL RIDER OF THE YEAR
Ryan Dungey
With the AMA Supercross and Motocross Championships to his credit as a rookie, you simply can?t look past the Rockstar Makita Suzuki young gun. Next year will be more difficult, however the Dunge has what it takes to repeat all over again!

NATIONAL RIDER OF THE YEAR
Jay Marmont
For the second year running, Jay Marmont takes the cake for being the National Rider Of The Year. After clinching a memorable third MX Nationals title in a row, the CDR Rockstar Yamaha rider went on to finish second in Super X as top Aussie.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ryan Dungey
Yep, he?s already won the International Rider Of The Year award, but to cap it off, he was a rookie?

Ryan Dungey won the International Rider Of The Year and Rookie Of The Year awards for 2010.

RACE SERIES OF THE YEAR
Rockstar Energy MX Nationals
This year?s Rockstar Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, had to be one of the best on record. With names such as Marmont, Mackenzie, Ferris, Waters, Simmonds and co. leading the charge, our national series was first class.

MOTORCYCLE OF THE YEAR
2011 KTM 350 SX-F
Yep, once again we?re going to hand the 2010 Motorcycle Of The Year award to a 2011 model in the KTM 350 SX-F. It was launched in June and received rave reviews, as you can see here. It also won the MX1 Motocross World Championship in the hands of Antonio Cairoli. We love it, so go and try it for yourself!

TOP TEAM
JDR Motorex KTM
When it comes to Aussie Motocross and Supercross, the JDR Motorsports operation is the absolute standout on the presentation front. In its first year as KTM?s factory effort, PJ Larsen won the Lites title in the MX Nationals and has provisionally been crowned Super X Lites Champion too. To cap it off, the team?s going global for 2011 with a full-on American outfit as well.

BEST EVENT
Coolum MX Nationals
With the title on the line, the MX Nationals season wrapped up in style with an epic two-day finale. We saw champions crowned across all classes, with a host of mixed formats offering excitement plus to round out the series. Bring on next year!

BIGGEST CRASH
Reed and Stewart clash in Phoenix
It may not have been the biggest crash of the year, however the end result was certainly a huge deal for Aussie fans. Chad Reed and James Stewart came together in the Phoenix main event, the clash forcing Reed out with a broken hand before it was later discovered that Stewart broke the scaphoid bone in his wrist. Stewart?s earlier crash with Kyle Partidge was also a big one, and we can?t forget Ryan Villopoto?s season-ending crash at St. Louis!

The MX Nationals won the Race Series Of The Year.

GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Andrew McFarlane?s death
The news that Andrew McFarlane rocked the world of Motocross after an accident at the Broadford round of the MX Nationals, marking one of the biggest devastations in racing history. A rider admired by all and a family man loved by so many who were close to him, it?s safe to say that Sharky?s memory will forever be strong in Australian and international Motocross racing.

MOST SURPRISING
Reed launches TwoTwo Motorsports
At the start of this year, who would have ever thought that Chad Reed would be launching his own team for 2011? After a nightmare season with Monster Energy Kawasaki, Reed has launched TwoTwo Motorsports for next year aboard Honda machinery. Judging by his Newcastle form, Reed may be a huge surprise come A1!

SPECIAL MENTION!
Josh Hansen
He came, he saw and he conquered. American Josh Hansen was a huge hit in Super X 2010 as he raced to the Open class championship for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki. While he may be controversial at times, Hanny is the real deal when it comes to winning fans with his laid back demeanour.

ROAD AWARDS:

INTERNATIONAL RIDER OF THE YEAR
Jorge Lorenzo
With nine wins in 18 attempts ? missing the podium just twice ? there?s not much you can fault about Jorge Lorenzo?s 2010 MotoGP World Championship season. The Spaniard was simply sensational in overcoming the likes of Rossi and co, eventually winning the championship by a massive 138 points.

NATIONAL RIDER OF THE YEAR
Bryan Staring
After late switch to Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing, the fact that Bryan Staring was able to be competitive from the outset in his return to the ASBK is a testament to his ability. A few months later and he surprised all by claiming the Australian Superbike Championship as the underdog. Next year will see Staring contest the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup with Pedercini Kawasaki in Europe.

Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing's Bryan Staring is the 2010 National Rider Of The Year.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ben Spies
There was once upon a time when Moto2 (formerly 250GP) riders were considered the rising stars primed for MotoGP, however in 2010 it was World Superbike Champion Ben Spies who stood tall above the rest. Spies claimed sixth in the title with a pole and two wins to his credit. His reward? A factory Yamaha seat for 2011.

RACE SERIES OF THE YEAR
Moto2 World Championship
It?s safe to say that the introduction of the Moto2 World Championship offered the most exciting racing of the season with a host of winners able to step up to the plate. Bring on more spec-style racing in the years to come, because Moto2 is as close as it gets!

MOTORCYCLE OF THE YEAR
2010 BMW S 1000 RR
You could have guessed this one, right? BMW?s first foray into superbike production machinery has been massive, winning shootouts and prizes worldwide for its cutting edge technology and whopping horsepower. It raised the benchmark, and now it?s up to every other manufacturer to respond?

TOP TEAM
Fiat Yamaha
The factory Yamaha team takes out the Top Team gong for the second year in a row here at MotoOnline. Despite nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi missing four rounds of the season through injury, the Fiat Yamaha team of he and Lorenzo were simply unstoppable when it came to the overall tally. The team won the riders, teams and manufacturers title for Yamaha in 2010.

BEST EVENT
Magny-Cours WSBK round
This one may be a surprise to most, however since MotoOnline was at the Magny-Cours World Superbike season finale in France, it gets our vote as the best road race of 2010. While the on-track action was entertaining as always, simply being at a European WSBK event shows just how big the sport is on a global scale. If you haven?t done it yet, be sure to get overseas and check one out ASAP!

Moto2 was a great series in 2010, however the loss of Shoya Tomizawa was a huge disappointment for the sport.

BIGGEST CRASH
Misano Moto2 race
Moto2 was a great series this year, however the devastating loss of Japanese rising star Shoya Tomizawa at Misano was certainly a low, low point for the entire sport. The crash that involved Shoya, Scott Redding and Alex de Angelis was hard to watch, and even harder to take when the news of Shoya?s death was announced. He?ll always be remembered as the first ever Moto2 race winner after his incredible feat at Qatar.

GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Rossi?s injury
With the MotoGP World Championship fight between Lorenzo and Rossi about to reach full steam, the Italian?s crunching crash at Mugello during practice was the low point of the season. Not only did fans miss out on an epic title fight, but MotoGP was severely lacking too. Welcome back, Vale!

MOST SURPRISING
MotoGP silly season
Valentino Rossi to Ducati? Casey Stoner to Honda? What a surprise it was to see Valentino Rossi Ducati-bound in 2011, while Aussie Casey Stoner has switched to Honda for the new year. As Lorenzo raced off in the distance to his first premier class crown, all focus was on this year?s silliest season of all.

Rossi and Stoner might be switching brands for 2011, but it'll take a huge effort to stop Yamaha's MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo - our International Rider Of The Year for 2010.

Comment on this story below and have your say today - no membership required! Sign up to the iMoto Community for added functionality.

Beritai.com ? the latest news from the 2012 MotoGP race which we summarized from the site and we present motosports beritai, Alex de Angelis returned menggeber a MotoGP bike for the first time since 2010 in a closed trial in the Circuit Vairano in Vidigulfo, Italy.

But the Republic of San Marino rider is not riding a motorcycle manufacturer Honda Gresini team as he got in the 2008-2009 season, but the motor CRT?s Colin Edwards, Forward Racing Team MotoGP rider.

De Angelis was given the opportunity to try the latest electronic devices for motor-BMW Suter, despite bad weather makes it unable to test with the maximum.

?I am delighted to be given this opportunity, namely to make the motor development of CRT?s Suter and BMW,? said De Angelis. ?Our trial was shortened due to bad weather, but very fun to ride a 1000cc bike.?

?We are working on the development of electronic devices in the motor. Things like this are not met in Moto2. I hope I have given the correct data to the Suter and BMW,? he concluded.

Related Articles:

If you still have a carburetor under the seat and you're left with a dirt bike that won't start, it's known by all how frustrating, exhausting and embarrassing this can get. Also, most of us know how pathetic it looks to push, or even more entertaining; To pull start a dirt bike in an attempt to get it running after you've already put it on the stand, or hooked a strap from the handlebars to the side of the truck so you can deliver a little "better" kick.

So... Based on the aforementioned facts, we decided an article would be beneficial to help those struggling with a motorcycle that won't start at the worst times, or if you've just got a bike that is dead and never wants to start, the tips below should isolate your problem, and likely reveal why the motorcycle you're working on won't fire up and run.

Even a nice ride that occasionally has starting issues can start to seem like a Real POS, but a dirt bike that has starting or staying running issues, usually has an easily correctable condition that's easily diagnosable using basic tools and a systematic approach, so below, we're going to go over the most common reasons why dirt bikes don't start (barring any catastrophic engine damage), and provide tips on what you can do towards getting a motorcycle running.

What Does a Dirt Bike Need to Run?

The first thing to do when diagnosing why a dirt bike won't start, is to ensure the 4 basic necessities listed below are met.
Any dirt bike, whether it be a 2 stroke or 4 stroke,
MUST have these 4 things to run:

1. Air ? This means a Clean Air Filter. A dirty air filter can easily result in a fouled spark plug, and If you haven't seen the air filter in a while, be sure to check out our article detailing: How to Clean and Maintain an Air Filter on a Dirt Bike, but also be sure to review the air tract evaluation tips below as this will help in evaluating the condition of the air filter and intake tract.
2. Fuel ? Presuming there's gas in the tank (you can hear it sloshing, or you might've even looked inside) you need to ensure there's an adequate supply of clean fuel going to the carburetor which there is more below on fuel quality and fuel supply to the engine so that's a good place to start if you're suspecting that the motor's not getting fuel.
3. Compression ? If you've got a dirt bike with little or no compression, you're wasting your time kicking or running the battery down and swapping spark plugs. Little or no compression generally means the top end is either pretty well done, or there's a leak around a sealing surface. If you're interested in learning about a compression test, you should probably take a look at the article elsewhere on Performing a Compression Test for more info on checking the top ends condition.
4. Spark ? This is usually the first thing that everyone suspects when a dirt bike won't start, but this can also be misleading because a plug will frequently fire out of the cylinder, but under the pressure of being in a cylinder, a spark plug will frequently fail to fire and light the mixture. If you have doubts about the spark plug firing, put a new spark plug in the hole and see what happens, then if it still won't start, Check out our other tips on determining why the bike isn't firing.

More Tips on What to Do When a Dirt Bike Won't Start

More About the Air Filter and the Intake Tract

The safest bet for getting the most longevity out of any engine is to keep an eye on the air filter and check out the article on: Keeping your air filter and intake clean as if the motor depends upon it.

The Gas Runs Out of the Hose but The Engine isn't Getting Gas

• First ensure the dirt bike is clean
• Once the motorcycle is clean, and the fuel is turned off, you'll want to carefully remove the fuel sediment bowl that is threaded into the bottom of the carburetor's float bowl to get an idea of the condition of the fuel in the carburetor.
• If the inside of the sediment bowl looks anything but clean, its likely that the carburetor is going to need a full disassembly and cleaning.
• If the sediment bowl looks clean, with the sediment bowl removed, place a folded rag below the carburetor and briefly turn the gas back on but only for a second. At this time fuel should flow from within the carburetor and run out the bottom of the carburetor where the sediment bowl generally resides. If no fuel comes out now, it's likely that the needle and seat in the carburetor are sticking so you'll likely want to take a look deeper with a full disassembly of the carburetor for a full cleaning.

Low Compression?

If you're suspecting low compression, be sure to check out the article on Performing a Compression Test to get an idea of the condition of the top end, at which time, If the top end proves to be in need of service, be sure to grab a factory service manual specific to the bike you're working on, and on the way back together, be sure to stay on top of oil changes and air filter services to prolong the life of the top end.

There is No Spark

Here's the Most Common Reasons a Dirt Bike Loses Spark:

• A Kill Switch on the Blink
  Kill Switches DO go bad. If you're not sure about whether or not the kill switch is causing the dirt bike to not start, by all means unplug it and see if the dirt bike will start. (Note: Some dirt bikes wont start without the handlebar controls plugged in but this gets into a higher level of diagnosis that this article doesn't cover but which can be reached by reviewing a factory service manual specific to the dirt bike you're working on for diagnostic flow charts necessary for properly diagnosing why a dirt bike wont start.
• Worn Through, Chafed & Smashed Wires or Broken Insulation
  The wires that run to the kill switch or other handlebar controls, as well as the wires which run to control units and other electrical components are frequently routed in such a way that they get smashed between the fork leg, or triple clamp, as well being routed in areas susceptible to chafing and on older dirt bike's it's not uncommon to see broken insulation exposing bare wire which could and often does result in a short or open circuit resulting in a dirt bike that suddenly loses spark.
  Just remember; The harsh conditions that dirt bikes are exposed to can cause an open or grounded circuit almost anywhere along a harness that will easily create a no spark condition, so be sure to take a good look around the steering stem, and the area under the fuel tank for smashed or otherwise damaged wires or insulation.
• Poor Electrical Connections
  Poor connections are another one of the common reasons why a dirt bike won't start. One way to check for this is to get a visual of every wire where it connects, or is secured, then ensure with your finger that the connection looks and feels tight by trying to move the connector, or to even be sure that plug style connectors are secure and look undamaged. Occasionally you'll find that wires secured with a nut or screw may have worked themselves loose, the terminal is loose feeling (worn out), or the plastic locks being broken allowing ECU's (Engine Control Units), CDI's (Capacative Discharge Ignitions) and other components, or their connectors to develop a loose connection.

  Additionally, look for electrical terminals which are corroded, stretched out from probing and not making a tight connection to the male counterpart, as well as you'll want to keep an eye out for evidence of a previous repair that wasn't performed properly.

  During diagnosis of the electrical system, just be sure to inspect the entirety of the electrical system before condoning an expensive electrical part as you may be surprised at what poor, or broken electrical connections can cause.