P100
PRODUCT REVIEW I
C
alifornia's 6D Helmets has
been in the street helmet
game since 2015 when
the original ATS-1 was released.
Using the same Omni Directional
Suspension (ODS) system the
company pioneered in their
motocross lineup, has proven
so effective in reducing energy
transmitted to the brain during
a crash, the original ATS-1 was
heavy and a little cumbersome,
necessitating the team to go back
to the drawing board for 2019.
Working with fast guys like
MotoAmerica's Kyle Wyman
and AFT's Sammy Halbert to
help develop it, the 6D ATS-1R
is all new. Encased in a
lightweight carbon fiber
shell, the ATS-1R still uses
the ODS system, although
the individual hourglass-
shaped suspension units
called Isolation Dampers
that sit between the two multi-
density EPS liners have been
reduced from 28 in the ATS-1, to
just 10 in the ATS-1R. This allows
the 1R to shear in an impact with
less restriction than before.
In their place, 6D has fitted
the first/high-density EPS liner
(the one closest to the carbon
shell) with lots of ridges called
Damping Towers. These are little
round mesas that help fill a large
portion of the air gap between the
two liners, and have the added
benefit of increasing the damping
properties of the ODS units with a
more progressive impact curve—
more time absorbing the impact
means the less severe the energy
transfer to your brain will be.
This is measured in industry
terms as Time To Peak (TTP)—the
longer the TTP, the better it is for
(Left) On the
track, comfort is
hugely improved
in the new ATS-1R.
(Right) You can
see the reduction
in the ODS units
(yellow). The old
ATS-1 has nearly
three times as
many as the new
ATS-1R.
6D ATS-1R STREET HELMET
