HJC CL-16 Motorcycle Helmet Review

We love the HJC CL-16 motorcycle helmet. It’s one of our picks for the best overall helmets, as you can see on our home page.

It’s got relatively good features, is comfortable, high-quality, and surprisingly will not break your budget. Let’s start off with the most important point…SAFETY.

It’s rated to the highest of safety standards, receiving both DOT and Snell Certification (the 3XL size is not Snell rated, FYI). Therefore, it’s an incredibly safe helmet, which is just about the biggest thing you should be looking at. Not all helmets are created the same, and it’s good to know that when you go into looking for one.

HJC CL-16 motorcycle helmet side view.

>>Click Here to See Pricing, Ratings and Reviews on Amazon.com<<

What you’ll probably notice before anything is the price. It’s a sub-$150 helmet, but you’ll hardly believe it. You can get it on Amazon anywhere from just under $100 to $125, depending on size and color, also depending on when you look (click here to see the latest price). That puts it on the lower end of the price-scale in terms of the helmets we’ve looked at and included in our Complete Comparison Tool.

This unit is fairly light, with a medium coming in at just over 3 pounds 7 ounces. The shell is made out of Advanced Polycarbonate Composite, which allows for slightly less weight, a really nice fit, and general comfort all around. The shape of the helmet is fairly aerodynamic and reduces bumpy turbulence to a fair degree, but it is not what we’d call the quietest helmet.

In terms of ventilation, the liner combined with the “ACS Advanced Channeling Ventilation System” (their fancy way of explaining the imprinted checkerboard pattern on the interior of the helmet) will keep air moving around relatively well. It’s got a top intake and a chin bar intake, the first for flow-through ventilation to pull humidity and heat out of the helmet, the latter (chin) to make sure there’s enough air flowing across the shield interior to stop fogging.

HJC CL-16 motorcycle helmet top view.

>>Click Here to See Pricing, Ratings and Reviews on Amazon.com<<

Speaking of fogging, the visor is Pinlock ready and comes with a clear Pinlock insert. Once you put this in, you’ll be just about totally free of fogging, plus the visor itself is about 95% UV resistant, which is really good to have to be protected from the sun.

Going back to the ventilation a bit, it’s not the best vented helmet, and you may find yourself freezing if you ride in sub-zero temperatures (or use it as a snowmobile helmet) and will likely be pretty hot if you’re riding above 90 degrees. Mind you, it’s hard to be comfortable in anything at these extremes, but just a heads up that others we’ve talked to have noticed that it’s best right in the sort of ‘average’ temperatures.

The lining is pretty good, the cheek pads are easily removable and pretty comfortable, and the EPS liner comes out no problem (it’s made of mesh, has a front vent, and actually clips into the helmet along the front vent part to keep that away from your head). The material will wick moisture away from your skin and hair to help keep you dry and the right temperature.

There are also another set of vents in the side chin bar for exhaust, which lets breath and humidity escape from the inside of the helmet. Overall, a good regulated interior, we are happy with it. It’ll fit a bit snug the first few rides, but then gets quite comfortable.

HJC CL-16 motorcycle helmet back view.

>>Click Here to See Pricing, Ratings and Reviews on Amazon.com<<

Overall, this is an awesome helmet, and is a definite bargain for how little you’ll pay for HJC quality and the fair amount of features (removable, moisture-wicking lining, snaps in proper places away from your actual head, multiple vents and exhausts, Pinlock ready AND Pinlock insert included).

This HJC unit is a full face unit that fits as a neutral or round shape. As mentioned above, you’ve got lots of size options, from XS to XXXL.

Jump back to the home page to learn more if you’re not satisfied with this awesome lid for whatever reason!