Skully's AR-1 was a $1,500 motorcycle helmet with a heads-up display and rear-view camera that raised about $2.4 million from 1,940 Indiegogo backers starting in 2014. After repeated delays the company shut down in August 2016 and said it would file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, before most backers had received a helmet, leaving them without a helmet or a refund.
This entry is written from the 5 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
The pattern in the sources is regret. Only 4% of owners say they would buy it again, and satisfaction falls from 3.0 to 0.2 out of 10 by the two-year mark.
Most backers were still waiting on a helmet that had been promised years earlier, with delivery dates repeatedly pushed back. When Skully shut down in August 2016 they were told to file bankruptcy claims instead of receiving refunds, with only rival brands offering store credit.
Backers lost their money with neither a helmet nor a refund. Assets were subject to a secured creditor's liens, so backers' bankruptcy claims were uncertain.
It is a real product that works, but its launch reception (85 out of 100 for hype) ran well ahead of how owners feel about it later. Backers lost their money with neither a helmet nor a refund. That gap is what the regret score measures.
Worth it for: Collectors of failed crowdfunding hardware; Riders curious about early HUD helmet concepts. Think twice if: Anyone wanting a working smart helmet; Riders who need parts or support; Buyers of second-hand units.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 3.0 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 1.5 / 10 |
| One month | 0.8 / 10 |
| Six months | 0.5 / 10 |
| One year | 0.3 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 0.2 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Reports Skully's shutdown email, its Chapter 7 filing, that pre-order customers likely won't get refunds for the $1,500 helmet, and Fusar's offer of credit equal to what customers paid.
Details a former employee's lawsuit alleging the founders misused funds, notes $2,446,824 raised on Indiegogo, that Skully can no longer ship units or process refunds, and credits offered by Fusar and Ruroc.
Says 1,940 people backed the campaign (979% of a $250,000 goal), that pre-order customers who hadn't received helmets may not be refunded, and that only 20 to 100 orders were reportedly shipped.
Recounts the $1,500 helmet's record Indiegogo campaign, missed Christmas 2015 delivery, a promised September 2016 date, and that backers are unlikely to get devices or refunds.
An April 2016 four-hour ride found the HUD unobtrusive, the rear camera useful, and the liner and speakers excellent, with some wind noise and a fisheye view that takes getting used to.