Gear Review: Bell Helmets, IXON & Bull-It Kit

Pommie recently updated his road kit with gear from Cassons. Check out his IXON Vortex 2 jacket, IXON RS Rise Air gloves, Bell Star Flex DLX Lid and Bull-It Tactical Icon II jeans.

It’s been a quite a while since I have changed up my road kit, there is no way I was saying no to Cassons decking me out in some of their best brands! Check out what I thought of the IXON Vortex 2 jacket, IXON RS Rise Air gloves, Bell Star Flex DLX Lid and Bull-It Tactical Icon II jeans.

Pommie has been decked out head to toe in Cassons gear. Check out what he thought of his new road kit…

Bell Race Star Flex DLX Tantrum 2 Helmet
I must say, looks are one of the most important things I consider when getting a new helmet, although it shouldn’t be, it should be safety first then comfort, but luckily for me my new Bell helmet has it all. The Bell Race helmet looks fast while standing still, the carbon-fibre construction is a mixture of a glass and matte finish, with some white painted elements to add some contrast. The Tantrum 2 weighs in at 1.5kg, thats a 10 per cent weight reduction on the previous model.

“I must say, looks are one of the most important things I consider when getting a new helmet, although it shouldn’t be, it should be safety first then comfort, but luckily for me my new Bell helmet has it all.”

I’ve only been using the helmet for about a month, but so far I’ve been more than impressed with the comfort. It does push my cheeks in slightly, but the more I’ve used the helmet it has become less, almost conforming to my shape, which reading the spec sheet, it is supposed to conform to your head shape by 20 per cent.

Check out the 2022 Bell Helmets Australian Catalogue here…

I especially like the vision my new Bell offers, it just makes those lane changes that much safer having better peripheral vision. The visor is excellent and a breeze to swap if you need to. I have the optional transition visor and it’s the best thing ever! It adjusts to light really quick and goes dark enough to eliminate the need to wear sunnies. It’s not cheap at around $200, but worth every cent and also allows for the Pinlock anti fog system.

Bell Star Flex DLX Tantrum 2.

Bell Star Flex DLX Tantrum 2.

I wear glasses and find the helmet comfy when doing so, I know some helmets can be a pain if you have to slide your glasses in, but I don’t have a problem with the Bell. The wind noise is also minimal, but it’s there and you do hear the engine note vividly through the helmet so I wouldn’t say it’s the quietest helmet on the market, having said that, it is by no means loud.

Another great feature are the vents, the buttons to open and close them are just a little bit bigger than on my other helmets, making it just a little bit easier to open them and this is the same for the visor. It’s just those little design elements that make the helmet just that bit easier to live with, like the fact that the buckle is fitted with a strong magnet so the end of the chin flap isn’t flapping in the wind. All in all, so far I’m loving my new lid…

Bell Star Flex DLX Tantrum 2.

Tips the scales at just over 15kg.

You can pick one up through Cassons Dealers for an RRP of $1,229.95.

Bell Star Flex FLX Key Features:

• 10 per cent lighter weight than Race Star
• Panovision Raceview Viewport
• Flex Impact Liner
• 3K Carbon Shell
• Triple-density cheek pads
• Virus Cool Jade Mesh Liner
• Magnefusion cheekpads
• Field tested and developed by working with professional riders on the track
• Optimized aerodynamics using Bell’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel, the Bell Star’s aerodynamics have been fine-tuned with advanced riding simulations
• 6 EPS and 5 shell sizes allows a more proportional fit and improved performance, especially at high speeds
• Speaker pockets
• Meets or exceeds Snell M2015 and DOT certifications

Bull-it 21 Tactical Icon II Straight Jeans
I’m a big fan of wearing jeans, obviously it’s a bit of a compromise on safety when comparing them against leather, but for comfort you can’t beat them. The Bull-it 21 Tactical Icon II Straight Jeans do however come with AA abrasion resistance and CE 1621 Level 2 hip and knee protection as standard. In fact, they come with two sizes of knee protection so you can choose which fits your knees the best and slide them into pockets fitted inside the jeans.

Check out the Cassons Bull-It Jeans Australian catalogue here…

As for waterproofing, well they are not fully waterproof, but they are shower resistant as I can vouch for, but anything over than I light shower you’re going to get wet. The Tactical Icon II Straight Jeans have five pockets for practicality and the side pockets are reasonably deep which is great for holding my phone and wallet. They’re also quite stretchy, which enabled me to pull the legs over the top of my boots, which I prefer to do when riding.

The Bull-it 21 Tactical Icon II Straight Jeans come with AA abrasion resistance and CE 1621 Level 2 hip and knee protection as standard.

After a few months using the Jeans, I’m so far happy with the quality and only time will tell regarding long term durability, but I’ve no reason to doubt they will be long lasting judging by the quality and offering great value for money and Jeff says he has had his for years.

You can pick up a pair through Cassons Dealers for an RRP of $199.95

Bull-it 21 Tactical Icon II Straight Jeans Key Features

• AA rated protection.
• Single layer.
• High performance cut and tear strength, AA abrasion resistance.
• New recovery yarns for stretch retention improves fit and comfort.
• Lower thermal conductivity reduces chances of friction burns.
• CE 1621 Level 2 hip and knee as standard.
• Traditional 5 pocket denim jean design.
• Shower resistant finish.
• Flat Bull-it logo rivets and buttons for the front and YKK Zips.
• Straight cut.
• Light wash rich blue finish with new patch design on synthetic leather.
• Available sizes 30-44 (Short/Reg/Long)

IXON Vortex 2 Leather Jacket
It had been a fair few years since I’d had a new leather jacket, so I was more than pleased to open the box that had been delivered and find this quality bit of kit. The IXON Vortex 2 Leather Jacket not only looks amazing and matches my new Bell helmet perfectly, but you can just feel the quality of the cowhide leather.

Check out the IXON Australian catalogue here…

The jacket comes with CE approved elbow and shoulder protectors, however I was a little disappointed that the back protector is optional, because the jacket does come with a pocket for it. I would class the IXON Vortex 2 as a spring, summer and autumn jacket (Australian conditions), it does have a light liner inside that can be removed, but it’s not waterproof and with the perforated ventilation in the front of the jacket and the arms it would be a bit cold in the winter, depending where you live.

“If you doubt the quality of the IXON jacket, a quick google search will give you peace of mind with hundreds of customer reviews singing the IXON Vortex 2 praises.”

Practicality is pretty good, the Jacket has two zippable pockets on the outside, large enough to fit my wallet and a smartphone and three on the inside of the jacket. The IXON Vortex 2 does weigh a bit when lifting it off the back of my chair, but it’s comfy when wearing it and you get the feeling that it will protect you in the event of an accident, which I hopefully won’t be testing… If you doubt the quality of the IXON jacket, a quick google search will give you peace of mind with hundreds of customer reviews singing the IXON Vortex 2 praises.

You can pick one up from Cassons Dealers for an RRP of $679.95 RRP

IXON RS Rise Air Gloves
I asked for a really comfy pair of gloves and I was not disappointed when I first tried on the IXON RS Rise Air. I ride mainly my Yamaha RD350LC and my KTM Supermoto and I can say these gloves give great feel and control, which is obviously the most important thing when riding a motorcycle.

“I can say these IXON RS Rise Air gloves give great feel and control, which is obviously the most important thing when riding a motorcycle.”

However, if I was doing track days I’d be choosing a longer full leather glove of course, but for road riding in the warmer weather, these IXON RS Rise Air gloves are great. The safety of the gloves included, leather doubled lined palms, with palm sliders and carbon protective shells for the knuckles.

I’ve been loving these new IXON gloves so far, especially the comfort they offer, but like I said they are warm weather gloves and are not waterproof, but for the Aussie summer they are well ventilated and very flexible reducing fatigue on those longer rides.

I’ll update you again after summer, with more info on the long term use of the gear!

That’s all the new gear for Pommie. Check out all the catalogues linked to grab some awesome riding gear!

You can pick up a pair of IXON RS Rise Air gloves through Cassons Dealers for an RRP of $99.95

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