AGV Tourmodular motorcycle helmet review
The Tourmodular is AGV’s high-end, composite fibre touring flip-up helmet, made with AGV’s stated aim of producing a touring lid that’s suitable for all day riding and that’ll provide the highest safety levels.
And if you look at the spec of the helmet, it all looks very promising.
Latest ECE 22.06 safety certification, dual homolgated chin bar (meaning you can ride with the chin bar up), integrated bluetooth comms unit (unit extra) and a Pinlock antifog visor are all included.
In fact, there’s an awful lot in the spec sheet that makes you think AGV has really done their homework on the Tourmodular. But does it live up to its promise and is it any good in the real world?
- Touring-orientated modular helmet
- Carbon/aramid/fibreglass shell
- ECE 22.06 certified
- Sun visor
- Pinlock 120 included
- Optically correct main visor
- Integrated Cardo bluetooth (extra £300/350€)
- Micrometric fastener
- Expect to pay around £400-£530 / 450€-610€
Best places to buy an AGV Tourmodular?
Please click below to drop onto the AGV Tourmodular helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Overall/Summary
Owners seem well happy with their Tourmodulars.
They’re pretty expensive helmets of course being AGV’s top of the range touring modular helmet, but for that you get a tri-composite shell with 5 density EPS and AGV’s excellent reputation for producing helmets that protect well.
The visor system seems to be great – with a large visor aperture, optically correct visor with Pinlock 120 included and backed by a drop down sun visor. Ventilation’s good as are comfort levels. And if you’re looking for an integrated bluetooth helmet – or just want to slap your old bluetooth kit into a new helmet – you should be sorted in both cases.
Yes, it’s hard to fault the AGV Tourmodular. It could be lighter perhaps. It could be backed with a slighly longer warranty. It could be cheaper I guess (but then it is AGV’s top of the line modular).
Overall though, if you’re after a high quality touring modular helmet, then the AGV Tourmodular should be well towards the top of your list because it’s a cracking helmet.
Safety
(more about helmet safety)
AGV modulars are usually very good in terms of protection.
The Tourmodular has a composite fibre shell made up of carbon/aramid (Kevlar)/fibreglass backed with a 5 density polystyrene liner. And it has a collarbone-friendly bottom profile, designed to try and stop the bottom of the helmet impacting and breaking your collarbone during an accident.
Which all sounds great – and of course overall AGV has a great reputation for safety.
But if we’re looking for actual test data, all we have to go on in terms of testing data for the Tourmodular is that it’s been ECE 22.06 certified, meaning it’s undergone (and passed) the latest European certification test that ensures all helmets offer a solid, minimum level of protection.
Which is obviously great to see; though we always really like to see a good SHARP test score too as the SHARP test is a thoroughly independent test and allows us to see relative protection levels between helmets.
Unfortunately, the Tourmodular hasn’t been tested by SHARP yet, so all we can really do is look back at how well previous AGV modulars and AGV composite helmets have faired.
In recent years, AGV modulars have all scored 4 stars for safety (out of 5) which is very good going. Their chin bars have also stayed locked and closed in all but one instance – and again that’s a fantastic performance and generally means you can put your faith in the chin guards of AGV modulars.
Take a look at our Best Motorbike Helmet Top 10s to find your next helmet too...
Next, if you look back across all their tested composite fibre helmets (where AGV has called a helmet a composite helmet rather than fibreglass or carbon) then the last four tested helmets scored an average of 4.5/5.
So, it’s probably not unreasonable to assume that the Tourmodular is going to score well for protection if it was to be tested by SHARP today. Maybe a 4 star safety rating with a very secure chin bar wouldn’t be unfair?
That’s all related to whether you actually put that helmet shell to the test by falling off your bike. Thankfully, there’s quite a bit to the Tourmodular that’ll help keep you upright in the first place.
The visor’s got a nice large field of view with good peripheral width and it comes with Pinlock’s 120 Pinlock (their top Pinlock) in the box which will help you keep the visor fog free.
The fastener is a micrometric, which should keep things nice and secure, and AGV has also added an anti roll-off mechanism to keep it firmly in place. Anti roll-off is part of the ECE 22.06 testing and AGV’s obviously felt the need to up their game in this area to ensure the Tourmodular passes the test.
There’s a sun visor too which can be particularly useful if you’re caught out in a lowering sun as many a rider has been dazzled, causing them to crash (including my mate who was in hospital for four months because of it!).
The only safety feature that’s really missing from the Tourmodular is EQRS quick release cheek pads, but other than that, it seems to have most of the safety features you should look for in a modern helmet.
Helmet Noise
(more about helmet noise)
On the whole, modular helmets do tend to be noisier than full face helmets. There’s usually more space inside the helmet because of that chin bar mechanism and that can let air – and noise – inside. And of course there are usually more seams, buttons and latches around which can all catch the wind and generate noise.
On the plus side, AGV are usually pretty good with the aero on their helmets – which reduces the noise from airflow – and there’s a chin curtain down below on the Tourmodular to help reduce wind and noise getting into the helmet from below.
The good news is that owners we came across seem to think their Tourmodulars are pretty quiet helmets.OK, we’re never sure what kind of rider they are, what type of riding they do or motorcycle they ride – so everything’s massively subjective when it comes to helmet noise.
But it seems overall the Tourmodular’s a reasonably quiet helmet – for a modular.
Ventilation
(more about helmet ventilation)
Good ventilation on a touring helmet is crucial. You need to be able to shut off all the wind for the winter then have a bucketload of air blasting through when everything warms up in the summer – especially if you ride behind a large screen.
And reports are that AGV’s done a decent job with the Tourmodular.
In the chin bar, there’re three separate vents – a large central one operated by that central rocker, and a couple of vertical vents both operated by separate small sliders.
It’s a bit of a pain that they’re all individually operated because it’s three times the fiddle when you want to open or close; them which is never a good thing while you’re riding. But they do allow plenty of air getting to the rear of the chin bar and onto the back of the visor.
Up top, it’s slightly better in that there’s a single slider to operate a three-in-one crown vent. That takes air through the helmet shell where there’re 16 internal air channels to take air around your head and through to that single rear exhaust vent.
And according to owners it all works pretty well with one or two saying they can feel the air on their head while riding.
Of course, you’ve always got the option of opening the chin bar fully if you want some serious air getting in – and there’s a cracked open position on the visor if you want a bit of extra air getting into the front while still being protected by the visor and chin bar; that’s always a useful thing to see.
Visor
(more about visors)
The Tourmodular has a double visor system – that’s a main clear visor and drop down sun visor.
The main visor’s the usual antiscratch polycarbonate visor (because it’s made from polycarbonate, it should cut out over 95% of UV rays – like all visors do) but the clear visor on the Tourmodular has been made extra thick. AGV reckons it’s up to 4mm think in some parts which is racing visor territory.
I’m guessing they’ve done that to make sure they pass the new ECE 22.06 test which now fires a 6mm ball bearing at the visor at around 180mph! So maybe we’re going to see more visors get a bit thicker?
A couple of useful links…
– Best Protecting Modular Helmets UK/Eu –
– Sports Touring Motorcycle Helmet Reviews –
There’s a pair of Pinlock pins on there too and the Tourmodular comes with a Pinlock 120 antifog insert in the box. The 120’s Pinlock’s most absorbent insert and should keep your visor fog-free in all but the most demanding conditions.
AGV say they’ve tried to maximise the field of view horizontally and vertically with the Tourmodular (190 degrees horizontal, 85 vertical – the same as AGV’s more sports-focused helmets like the K6S) which is always a good thing and helps improve the riding experience as well as keep you better informed of the hazards around you.
It’s that wide peripheral vision that most Tourmodular owners seem notice with plenty of riders saying it’s particularly excellent.
The main visor has a central locking mechanism on there to keep it locked closed when you need it and to keep it pulled more tightly against the gasket to help avoid water ingress.
To lock it, close the visor and the latch locks in place – first in a ‘cracked open’ or city riding position so it’s locked but some air can still get in.
Press it down further and the visor seals and locks closed. To open, there’s quite a large central unlock button below a central visor tab – so you can press to unlock and open the visor in one movement.
That main visor is also class one optically correct too – so you shouldn’t see any distortion through it. And it’s got a quick change mechanism so you can pull the visor off quickly and without any tools for cleaning or to swap it out for another visor.
And if you do like to swap visors out for a tinted visor, there are both official smoke and iridium visors available from AGV.
Overall, we didn’t find any owners with issues with the visor system – just good words said about clarity and peripheral vision.
I guess one slight downside might be the fact you can’t continue to use the main visor if the chin bar’s raised as you can with some modulars, because that visor pivots backwards together with the chin guard. You can still drop the sun visor down though, which is useful.
Sun Visor
(more about sun visors)
There are no problems reported with the sun visor either.
It’s dropped/raised using a slider on the bottom left edge and as usual it’s antiscratch – though there’s no antifog coating (again, that’s pretty usual sadly).
Word is that it drops down quite low and the action at the slider is nice and positive.
Chin Guard
(more about chin guards)
The chin bar on the Tourmodular is operated by a single lever at the bottom/centre of the bar and the helmet is PJ dual homologated, meaning you can legally ride in your Tourmodular with the chin bar raised.
Riding like that for short distances should be OK – though if you want to ride very far without the chin bar in the way, you’re probably better going for a flip-over modular helmet where the chin bar flips right around to the back of the helmet, like the Shark Evo ES or LS2 Valiant.
Having said that, AGV does reckon they’ve done quite a bit of aero work to make it work with the chin bar raised, and because it’s dual homologated, there is a (metal) lock by the right hand pivot so you can lock it in place to ensure it doesn’t slam shut while you’re riding.
One of the issues with modular helmets is that you’re often not very sure how well protecting a moveable chin bar is.
For the Tourmax, we do know that AGV modulars have scored incredibly well in SHARP tests over the years – with only one chin bar becoming unlocked during impact testing across the last four tested modulars.
By my reckoning that’s one instance in 128 impact tests (using 28 different helmets). So that’s pretty good going to say the least!
It probably helps keep things secure with the Tourmodular that the chin bar opening mechanism is more of a lever than the usual button – needing a good positive pull to unlock the latches.
But overall, we’d expect the chin bar on the Tourmax to do it’s job well, and owners reckon it’s easy to get it unlocked and open.
Comfort and Sizing
(more about comfort and sizing)
AGV Tourmodulars are made in three different shells and fit sizes XS-XXL.
Reports are that sizing is about right and several owners said that it fits securely and comfortably from the get-go so no real breaking in time is usually needed.
The liner’s removable and washable and it uses AGV’s preferred Ritmo and Shalamar fabrics – one fabric that’s smoother for the cheekpads and the other with a slight brushed knap for your head.
The fabrics are moisture wicking (and work well) and there’s a plastic-bottomed neck roll, designed to stop the padding sucking up water when it’s raining.
And we came across lots of owners who said they find the Tourmodular a really comfortable helmet, which is vital to hear especially in a touring helmet where you’re wearing it for hours on end.
Looks & Graphics
At the time of writing, there aren’t too many graphic options available but there are the usual range of plain colours. That’s gloss and matt black, gloss white, matt grey and matt blue.
We’ve put examples of the Balance and Frequency graphics up and down the page. To find any others and to see deals on Tourmodular helmets from our recommended retailers, please click the links below.
Best places to buy an AGV Tourmodular Helmet?
Please click below to drop onto the AGV Tourmodular helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
AGV Tourmodular Video
Here’s a quick 2m look around a matt luna grey Tourmodular.
Other stuff – bluetooth, weight, glasses, aero, build quality & warranty
Integrated Bluetooth Headset
One of the key selling points of many touring helmets these days is that it’s designed to integrate with a bluetooth headset. And with the Tourmodular, that’s the AGV Insyde communicator, a mesh system developed along with Cardo.
AGV advertises it as the first DMC system but I guess that’s probably only because that’s a name Cardo’s given to Mesh (which is actually a bluetooth standard term). The Schuberth C5 has a mesh headset too but that’s based on Senas 50s kit so it’s not called DMC.
Either way, it should be a decent headset and it integrates fully with the Tourmodular with a pull out panel on the left taking the controller unit and a rear panel for the battery.
If you already have a bluetooth kit, the Tourmodular seems pretty good for those too. There’s space for your boom mic and decent size speaker pockets and we heard from owners who managed to fit their Packtalk Bolds without a problem.
Weight
Modular helmets can be a bit weighty, but with its use of advanced composites, I expected the Tourmodular to be pretty lightweight – especially as the Sportmodular weighed around 1.45Kg.
The average weight of the Tourmodular is actually around 1.7Kg (3.8lbs) which is about bang on average for a modular helmet. But given there’s plenty of cheaper plastic modular helmets around that weigh about the same, it’s not that light weight.
Still, it’s light enough that it shouldn’t cause any kind of problem when wearing it.
Glasses
The Tourmodular has been designed to easily accommodate glasses and we heard from just a couple of glasses wearing owners who said it’s spot on for them. So, fingers crossed you won’t have a problem either.
Aero
AGV reckons the Tourmodular has been extensively Aero-tuned. They say that means at 80mph the helmet should be dynamically neutral (no lift or downward pressure) and that they’ve even optimised the shape for when the chin bar’s raised and you’re riding along in open face mode.
Build Quality and Warranty
A few owners said they thought the build quality of their Tourmodulars is excellent. And during our research we found very few issues reported by owners at all. So fingers crossed.
If you do have a manufacturing fault, all AGV helmets have standard two year warranty (though we’d hope for a 5 year warranty for their top of the range helmets).
Best places to buy an AGV Tourmodular?
Please click below to drop onto the AGV Tourmodular helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Crash Helmet Buying Guides & Top 10s
For (hopefully!) other useful information to help you when buying your next helmet, check our various Motorcycle Helmet Buying Guides - or have a look at our Top 10 best helmet lists where we've got the top 10 best rated helmets overall along with Top 10 Best Budget/Top 10 Safest/Top 10 Best Full Face/Top 10 Best Modular/Flip-up/ Top 10 Best Sportsbike/Track helmets.
Good Alternatives to the AGV Tourmodular?
As usual, you might want to check out our Top 10 Best Motorcycle Helmets lists – that includes our Best Modular helmets for this year – or there’s our Safest Modular Helmets page where we identify the UK ECE modulars that have been proven to offer excellent protection.
Other than those, we recommend you check out the Nolan N100-5. That’s a SHARP 4 star rated modular (100% chin bar score) that’s cheaper than the Tourmodular and has bluetooth integration too as well as a sun visor and Pinlock.
Of course, if you’re on a sportier type of bike, you might be interested in AGV’s Sportmodular – SHARP 4 star rated, lighter than the Tourmodular, and again comes with a Pinlock and sun visor.
The Caberg Duke II is a SHARP 5 star safety rated modular that’s lighter than the Tourmodular and it’s substantially cheaper too.
And finally, you might want to consider the Italian Caberg Levo. That comes in composite or carbon shells, has a Pinlock and it’s slightly lighter and cheaper than the Tourmodular.
