The A/C Helmet Is a Thing and We Want It

Khodrocar - Everyone here has gone riding on a hot summer day. The debate between keeping the visor open to get a breeze at the risk of drying your retinas, or keeping the visor down because you never know when a bee will want to pick a fight is never-ending. Then, while trying to decide what's worst, you look over and see the driver next to you chilling in their cool cabin, safe from the blistering heat. Guys, it has finally happened. We're getting an A/C helmet. Not only is it available for purchase, like, yesterday, but it's not even that expensive!

Our savior is the team at Feher that came up with the ACH-1, a helmet fitted with an integrated A/C unit at the back of the head. It comes with all the trimmings to plug into your motorcycle battery, and uses a technology similar to the one used in Bentleys or Ferraris to cool the seats. Combined with Feher's Tubular Spacer Fabric that distributes the cool air evenly inside the helmet, the system helps you keep cool when the going gets hot.

Unlike a conventional A/C unit that blasts cold air into your face, the ACH-1 cooling unit aims mainly at reducing the interior temperature of your helmet. Of course, the hotter the ambient air, the higher the difference in temperatures. The system can create a difference of up to 15 degrees inside the shell. Once the head is cool, the entire body reaps the benefits and doesn't heat up as much or as fast. Though Feher doesn't recommend you ride with the helmet under the pouring rain, the unit is safe to be used in bad weather.

Now, we've all had experience dragging an A/C unit up the stairs and fighting every step of the way—if those things are heavy, the ACH-1 is bound to feel like you're carrying a ton of brick on your head. According to Feher, however, "the helmet was not an afterthought to the AC functionality." This means the helmet was designed to receive the cooling unit and therefore isn't as heavy as we would imagine. It weighs in at 1,450g (3.2 lb) which is an average weight for a helmet (and lighter than some modular lids). The shell is made from a fiber mat reinforced fiberglass composite (our buddy Kev from Lar) which helps lower the weight.

The ACH-1 is DOT and ECE 22.05 certified and can be bought online via the Feher website. It even comes with its own backpack. Regular pricing is set at $599 but Feher is celebrating the launch of their helmet by kicking $50 off. You can get yours in a variety of finishes (glossy and matte) and purchase different visors as well. It comes standard with a clear, anti-fog and anti-scratch treated visor.