Steve Feher wants to cool motorcyclists' heads, using the same technology he invented to cool drivers' butts. The Feher helmet is the world's first fully integrated air conditioned motorcycle helmet, and it claims to keep your head 10-15 degrees cooler than the outside world.
Cooling the noggin is one of the best ways to refresh yourself on a hot day – and bikers know all too well how hot and sweaty it can get on the road during summer, particularly if you're dressing for the slide more than the ride.
I fondly remember one scorching road trip with an overheating fiancee, during which we had to dunk my spare undies in water and tuck them into the neck of her jacket as she rode to keep her from boiling over. But Steve Feher thinks there's an even better technology out there, and he's started up a helmet company to prove it.
Feher invented the miniature air conditioning units used to cool the seats in Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Lexus and GM cars, and now he's stuck one in the back of a helmet to cool your head.
There are no vents on a Feher lid. Much like car air-con systems, they work better when the outside air is kept out. A small thermoelectric pump at the back of the lid cools and dehumidifies air before pushing it out across the top of your dome. It's designed such that it's not a distracting or forceful feeling – "no ice cream headache," as Feher puts it – rather just a cooler environment for your bonce to be in that helps your whole body feel fresher.
It also helps dry the air inside the helmet, giving a potential de-misting effect that could make this lid useful on cold days as well.
The cooling unit itself is bulky, and makes for a chunky badonkadonk at the back of the helmet – but it's not heavy. Feher is claiming as light as 1450 g (3.2 lbs) for the whole lid. That's as light as my carbon fiber AGV SportModular, which is impressively light itself.
Part of how Feher has kept the lid light is by offloading battery duties to the 12-volt battery on the bike. The helmet comes with a curly cord and wiring harness to plug directly into the bike's battery. It makes sense – the power draw of an A/C system is not insignificant, so the helmet would need a pretty beefy battery to keep it going all day.
Pricing is a pleasant surprise – not as bad as you'd expect at US$549, and it comes in sizes from XS to 2XL. We've got no idea how well it works, but we're interested. As for the "Mr. Cool" sticker on the side of each helmet ... yeah no thanks, we'll leave that stuff for this guy.
Check out a video below.
Source: Feher Helmets
