Simpson Ghost Bandit Review
Simpson has been a part of motorsports since the 60s, and the brand is no stranger to the world of racing. Bill Simpson, founder of the iconic safety brand, was a drag racer himself. Inspired by his own personal injuries, he set out on a lifelong path to create top notch safety equipment for two- and four-wheeled speed enthusiasts. And after many years of providing safety equipment, Simpson has introduced the Ghost Bandit, which is designed exclusively for motorcyclists.
I’ve always envied the cruiser crowd that sported Simpson full face helmets such as the Bandit. The design is quintessentially American: tough, utilitarian and never strays from the styling cues that Simpson established long ago. There is no mistake that this is a Simpson Bandit.
DOT and ECE Certified means that you’ll be able to rock this helmet legally in the US and EU with no legal repercussions. The standard shell is made up of a proprietary composite material and according to our trusty scale, comes in at a low weight of 3 lbs. flat.
The Ghost Bandit helmet fitment is an intermediate ova, which makes up a large portion of the demographic. If you’ve had good luck with helmets of that shape, chances are this will be a good fit. While we can’t speak to individual fitment, as that is a completely subjective thing, we can talk about the padding. First off, the padding is held in with snaps and they certainly do their job well as it takes a bit of effort to pull them out. What you have here is a plush, moisture-wicking, antimicrobial material that doesn’t irritate the skin.
In the cheek pad, Simpson has wisely chosen to have an integrated speaker and boom mic pocket – none of which are manufacturer specific and appear to accept a wide variety of products on the market. The comfort liner is a 3D shape that doesn’t create pressure points; a big plus in my book. Overall, the padding is comfortable and doesn’t cause any skin irritation that lower quality materials might cause.
Other removable internal components include a chin guard, which snaps in and out with ease.
The Simpson Ghost Bandit has an internal sun visor that is controlled by an easy to use slider on your left hand side. This is great for the commuter, someone who might be riding both during the day and at night because it eliminates the need to carry another face shield or suffer with sun glare. The Simpson Ghost Bandit’s internal visor also doesn’t affect the bespectacled riders. Even though my glasses’ frames are a bit on the larger side, the internal sun visor doesn’t hang up or make contact with my glasses in the least bit.
On your left, you’ll have a shield lock, again very easy to operate with a gloved hand and a small indent in the helmet shell to lift the face shield. In the face shield department, I would appreciate a little more feedback when locking it down. A final snap to really know what things are secure but that doesn’t detract from the Ghost Bandit too much.
Noise is relatively low with the Ghost Bandit. Typically, I ride with earplugs but for the sake of reviewing, I got up to pace without my foam friends in the ear. The traditional wind noise is there but nothing that made me immediately regret my decision to forgo ear protection.
This noise reduction may be thanks to the front vent placement, which is off to each side. A styling choice for sure, as it wouldn’t be the iconic Bandit without the flat front but it also seems to have a positive contribution. Up front there are two vents (one to each side) that are adjustable. Unlike a lot of helmets on the market, your adjusters are found on the inside of the shell. In my experience, it was easy to manipulate with gloves hands.
On the top and rear you have some excellent venting as well however – they’re always open. I happened to test the Simpson Ghost Bandit in the early AM all the way through to a high 70s Californian afternoon and at no point did I feel too chilly or too warm.
Double D-ring construction secures the Ghost Bandit on your head. The Simpson Ghost Bandit is available in XS through XXL, and arrives in the following colors: White, Black, Matte Black and Carbon Fiber.
The standard Ghost Bandit has an MSRP of $449.95, and the carbon fiber variant $649.95.
For additional information, visit Simpson Race Products.
