Scorpion Exo-520 Air review. A great value full face helmet with a ton of features.

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Scorpion Exo-520 Air motorcycle helmet review.

Scorpion has always done a good line in lower priced helmets that perform. The old Scorpion Exo 510 Air was a great example. Low price, SHARP 4 star safety rated, and owners generally liked it a lot. Except, that is, for how noisy it was. Other than that, it was a cracker and was great value for money.

scorpion exo 520 Air lemans motorcycle helmet front view — Front view of the 520 Air in LeMans graphics.

But all good things must come to an end.

So too with the 510 Air – now replaced by this helmet, the 520 Air. A bit sleeker, a bit more sculpted and, predictably, a bit more money.

Less predictable though is that they’ve accompanied the Scorpion Exo 520 Air with a version called the ‘Smart’. That’s the same helmet but with Scorpion’s own comms unit ready plugged in.

Well actually it’s a Uclear-developed comms unit with a Scorpion logo on it. But the point is it’s ready integrated into the 520 Air and ready to go. Which is handy.

So, if your interest has been piqued by the Scorpion Exo 520 Air helmet, then read on for tons of information about what it offers – and what owners think of theirs – to find out if it’s worth you buying one.

Polycarbonate Full Face Helmet
520 Air Smart = integrated bluetooth
Sun visor
Pinlock visor (Pinlock included)
Airfit pump-up cheek pads
Micrometric fastener (UK)
Glasses grooves
MCN 3/5 star rating
5 year warranty
Expect to pay £160-£200 (Smart Air £275)

Best places to buy an Scorpion Exo 520 Air?

Please click below to visit the Scorpion Exo 520 Air 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).

Scorpion Exo 520 Smart Air Helmet

The 520 Smart Air is the same helmet as the regular 520 Air but with Scorpion’s Exo-Com bluetooth communicator ready-fitted.

Or at leaset the mic, speakers and wiring’s already fitted, though you’ll have to slot in the controller and the battery pack when you receive the helmet. Other than that, it’s ready to go.

Scorpion-Exo-520-Smart-Air-helmet-side-view — Scorpion Exo-520 Smart Air helmet. See the small controller unit bottom right. Apart from the comms already fitted, it’s the same helmet as the 520 Air.

The Exo Com bluetooth unit itself is made by Uclear and has a similar spec to their Motion 4 Lite headset. That’s a bluetooth 5 mesh headset designed to accommodate up to four riders. In the scheme of mesh headsets that’s really not many riders (most mesh headsets have a theoretically unlimited number of connections though most limit it to something like 16).

If you’re only wanting to connect to just a few riders, that should be fine though. It offers around 15 hours battery runtime and 800m range. It’s IPX5 waterproof and should connect to your phone/mp3/GPS etc. So if you’re after an out of the box bluetooth solution, it could well work for you.

For reference, the Smart version of the 520 Air costs about £90 more than the regular version but if you were to buy the Exo Com seperately you’d pay around £170 at the time of writing, so it’s a good deal.

And the few owners that we came across reckoned it was a decent system for their needs with good sound quality, intuitive controls and a pretty good app too.

Alternatively, you might want to check out other integrated bluetooth helmets we’ve looked at or communicator-ready motorbike helmets.

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

Overall, Scorpion helmets have a reasonable reputation for producing some well protecting helmets. And the Exo 520 Air looks like it has the right ingredients too.

scorpion exo 520 Air quatararo replica helmet rear view — Rear view of the Quatararo Replica 520 Air.

It’s made in 3 shell sizes and it’s got a multidensity shock absorbing liner (just like your Arai’s and Shoei’s have).

OK it’s a polycarbonate helmet which basically means it’s got a tough plastic shell. But if you’ve been following our helmet reviews for some time, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not going to look after your skull because several polycarb helmets have scored maximum ratings when tested by SHARP.

In fact, the outgoing Scorpion Exo 510 Air scored 4 stars for safety when SHARP tested it a few years back – that’s just dropping one star.

And the fact that a relatively cheap helmet like the 520 Air is made in 3 shell sizes is good for safety (as well as meaning fitting and looks and weight will be better optimised).

Of course, keeping your helmet safely in place and being able to see out of the visor are pretty important too.

scorpion exo 520 Air Shade helmet side view — Shade graphic Scorpion 520 Air. Note, all helmets supplied with clear visors.

To that end, Scorpion’s fitted the 520 Air with a micrometric fastener (they’re easy and safe) and really gone to town with the visor system too.

Not only do you have a drop down sun visor for when the sun’s dazzling, but the main visor’s optically correct for reduced distortion. That main visor’s Pinlock ready (Pinlock insert is included in the box) plus the sun visor’s coated in an Everclear antifog coating.

That’s great and something that not many helmet makers think to do. Big thumbs up to Scorpion for that.

And finally, Scorpion’s fitted the 520 Air with quick release cheek pads (EQRS) which make removing the cheekpads that bit easier. Hopefully you’ll never need to put them to the test but if you find yourself upside down and confronted by paramedics, it could make the difference between a neck injury or not.

We don’t know exactly how well the Scorpion Exo 520 Air will protect you in an accident yet of course. But it is ECE 22.05 certified and if/when SHARP tests it in on their test rig and publish the results, we’ll let you know on this page.

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

Helmet noise was one of the areas that let down the old 510 Air helmet. So surely Scorpion’s got that nailed and made the 520 Air a nice quiet helmet?

Scorpion-Exo-520-Air-helmet-LeMans-side-view — Another LeMans graphic 520 – this time in black/white.

Short answer seems to be probably not.

OK we came across several owners who reckon it’s fine. But we also came across more owners who say it’s not.

Several reckoned it gets really loud above 50mph – which is fine I guess if you’re a scooter rider or slow commuter. But a few owners said it gets properly loud at dual carriageway speeds and above.

And if you ride fast, we’ve found reports that the helmet can vibrate too. Never really come across reports of a helmet doing that before.

As to why it can be noisy? Some folks seem to think air and noise is somehow getting in on the left hand side around that sun visor slider.

Of course, if you use some decent ear plugs (as is always advised) you’ll probably be OK. But if you’re looking for a quiet helmet and are a high mileage type, it seems like you’d probably be best avoiding the Scorpion Exo 520 Air.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

Scorpion’s made the ventilation on the Exo 520 Air simple and glove-friendly.

scorpion exo 520 Air matt black full face helmet front view — Front view of the matt black 520 Air showing single top air vent slider.

The chin bar vents are operated by a single central glove-friendly slider that opens a pair of vents letting air into the helmet and onto the rear of the visor.

Same up top, with a single large slider that opens a big top vent (actually 4 small vent holes in the shell underneath that large plastic cover). From there, air passes through the helmet and into ventilation channels cut into the helmet liner, then out of that single always-open rear exhaust vent.

And owners seem to think it’s all pretty effective, passing a reasonable amount of air into the helmet as well as venting well onto the back of the visor for anti-fogging.

Visor

(more about visors)

Of course, air alone won’t vent enough to stop the visor fogging up if the conditions are bad. Usefully, Scorpion’s now added a ‘cracked open’ position on the visor to let a bit of air in while you’re riding. That’ll help.

But the 502 Air also comes with a Pinlock antifog insert in the box. Stick that on the rear of the visor and it’ll stop it fogging in all but the most horrid, cold and wet weather.

The visor on the Scorpion 520 Air is about average size, but it is optically clear so you shouldn’t see any distortion when you ride.

A couple of useful links…

– Safest helmets: SHARP 4 & 5 star helmets –
– Great value motorbike helmets –

It also has a visor lock on there so you can ride along knowing it won’t pop open when you turn your head. And whereas some visor locks are properly fiddly to unlock and open, the word is that the 520 Air’s lock is pretty easy to find and unlock with one hand.

scorpion exo 520 Air Fasta motorcycle helmet side view — Fasta graphic Scorpion Exo 520 Air with tinted pink iridium visor (optional).

The visor mechanism on the 520 Air is Scorpion’s Ellip-Tec II system which means the visor pivot should pull the visor back against the seal when it’s closed to keep air and water out.

Does it work? Well, we’ve heard from owners who say it’s great as well as owners who say theirs let water in, so I guess it’s a mixed bag. Probably about average for a helmet at this price point.

It’s worth noting that despite most of the photos on this page showing tinted visors, all 520 Air’s are delivered just with a clear visor (tinted visors are extra).

Sun Visor

(more about sun visors)

There’s a handy drop down sun visor on the 520 Air too. The slider’s fitted just behind the left hand visor pivot which is a reasonably handy place to locate it and means the bottom edge of the helmet’s free to mount a bluetooth controller if you’re looking to add your own.

Scorpion-EXO-T520-Factor-side-view — Sun visor fully lowered on this 520 Factor helmet

The sun visor doesn’t drop down the lowest we’ve seen which might annoy some folks.

But it certainly will keep the worst of the sun out if you get caught out, and it does add an extra layer of UV protection when you’re riding.

Usefully, Scorpion’s coated the sun visor with an antifog coating too which is something not many makers offer.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

Inside the helmet, Scorpion’s added pretty well everything you should look out for in a motorbike helmet.

First up, the basics. It’s a fully removable and washable liner. It’s also moisture-wicking and antibacterial (called their KwikWick II liner – basically, Scorpion likes to name everything!).

They’ve also added EQRS or emergency quick release cheek pads in there, so if you have an accident, the idea is paramedics can pull the red tabs at the bottom of the helmet and slide out the cheekpads without aggravating any injury.

scorpion exo 520 Air matt black motorbike helmet rear view — Rear view of the matt black 520 Air

There’s also glasses grooves inside the helmet, designed to let you slide your glasses in there without them digging into your head. And we heard from a few owners who reckoned the 520 Air’s great for glasses, so it works well.

The liner in the 520 Air and 520 Air Smart are the same, which means there’s speaker pockets inside the standard 520 which should accommodate most speaker systems.

So that’s all good. But the main feature inside the 520 Air is probably the AirFit system. Essentially, it’s a tried and tested system you’ll find inside all Scorpion’s Air helmets where there’s an air bladder located behind both cheekpads.

These bladders can be inflated by pressing a small rubber bulb inside the chin bar that inflates and pushes out the cheekpads to tailor the fitting a little and tighten up the inside of the helmet if you find it a bit loose. There’s also a release valve next to it.

It can be helpful if you’re riding fast or the helmet padding loosens over time, in which case you can pump up the airfit to tighten things up and stop the helmet lifting.

Most Air helmet owners don’t seem to use it very often but a few owners certainly find it useful and like the system.

It’s also widely regarded as a very comfortable helmet, which is key, meaning it’s good for long hours in the saddle so should work whether you’re commuting or touring.

Overall then, Scorpion’s fitted pretty much everything you can find inside a modern helmet into their mid-price 520 Air helmet.

Looks & Graphics

Scorpion usually sells their helmets in a ton of different graphics, and the 520 Air’s no exception.

scorpion exo 520 Air fasta motorbike helmet side view — Another 520 Air in Fasta graphics

If you’re after a graphic version, there’s the Fasta, LeMans, Cover, Shade and Laten designs available. And if you’re a MotoGP fan, Fabio Quateraro’s a Scorpion helmets rider and you can get a Quateraro Replica in the 520 Air.

Strangely, if you’re after a plain helmet, there’s only a matt black helmet available – so no gloss black, no white, no other solid/plain colours, just matt black. Weird.

If you’re after the 520 Smart Air, then at the time of writing it’s only availabe in matt black too.

If the Smart or regular helmet comes out in any other colours, you should be able to click the links below to drop straight onto their Scorpion Exo 520 pages to quickly see what’s available and any deals to be had.

Best places to buy an Scorpion Exo 520 Air helmet?

Please click below to visit the Scorpion Exo 520 Air 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).

Scorpion Exo 520 Air Video

Here’s a quick 5m look around the Exo 520 Air from Sportsbikeshop.

Other stuff – fasteners, bluetooth, weight, warranty

In Europe, the Scorpion Exo 520 Air is fitted with a micrometric fastener. They’re super easy to use fasteners and safe as houses as long as you check it’s done up tightly each time.

If you’re looking to fit a bluetooth headset to your 520 Air then you should be fine. Obviously if you’re looking for a quick out-of-the-box solution, then you might want to consider the 520 Smart Air which comes ready to rock with an Exo-com kit (mostly) pre-fitted.

scorpion exo 520 Air Tina Chameleon crash helmet side view — This one’s called the Tina Chameleon.

If you have your own set, then there’s speaker pockets in the helmet and space for a microphone and wiring. There’s also space to attach your controller to the outside of the helmet, so you should be good to go.

The Scorpion 520 Air isn’t the lightest weight helmet out there. In fact it’s pretty heavy for a full face helmet, averaging out around 1.6Kg (3.6lbs). Still, even though it’s a smidge heavier than your average full face, no one we came across found it a problem (it’s still lighter than your average modular helmet).

Finally, Scorpion covers all their helmets with an excellent 5 year warranty which is just about as long as you can get.

Overall/Summary

The Scorpion Exo 520 Air is a great full face helmet at a really good price. Just a shame about it being noisy.

It has a ton of features for the money: EQRS, Pinlock, optically correct visor and sun visor to name a few. And lots of owners love their helmet.

Scorpion-EXO-T520-Nama-Sushi-Black-Chameleon-Top-view — 520 Air Nama Sushi graphic

Plus if you’re looking for a lower cost helmet with bluetooth already fitted, then the 520 Smart Air might well make a lot of sense.

The only fly in the ointment is that, like its predecessor the outgoing 510 Air, a few owners found theirs noisy. Not all, but some owners found it noisy, whistly and a few reported it even vibrates at high speed.

Which won’t be a problem if you’re a slower rider or looking to use it for steady commuting where it should be a great value, useable helmet. But I guess the main probem here is that you won’t know if it’s going to be a problem for you on your bike until you’ve ridden in it – at which point you can’t return the helmet.

Which is a shame because in every other respect, the Scorpion Exo 520 Air is a great helmet.

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 Scorpion Exo-520 Air?

We’ve got lots of other ways you can find your ideal full face helmet. You can check out our Top 10 full-face crash helmets list to see our best rated helmets or head over to our Smartish Filters pages and zoom in on helmets with your ‘must have’ features.

HJC C70 lianto hi viz motorbike crash helmet side view — HJC C70 Lianto

You can browse through all our full face crash helmet reviews as well as our safest motorcycle helmets page where you’ll only find helmets that are SHARP four or five star rated – so you’ll know you’re wearing the best protection out there. Finally, check out our helmet gallery to find a lid that takes your fancy.

scorpion exo 1400 air torque red motorcycle helmet side view — Scorpion 1400 Air

If you’re after particular suggestions, you should check out these helmets below – all great helmets with excellent safety ratings.

AGV-K6-Multi-Hyphen-red-white-blue-motorcycle-helmet-side-view — AGV K6 in Hyphen graphics

The HJC C70 is another polycarb helmet with sun visor. But the HJC’s SHARP 5 star safety rated and cheaper than the Scorpion so well worth checking out.

Arai Profile V

If you want a Scorpion, the 1400 Air is a great value sports touring helmet. It’s available in composite and carbon fibre versions so it’s light weight and it has a sun visor and EQRS too and is SHARP 4 star safety rated.

AGVs equivalent is the AGV K6. It’s a bit more expensive but it’s a carbon/kevlar helmet that’s SHARP 5 star rated.

Finally, if you want to go more premium, the Arai Profile V is a fibreglass full face that’s SHARP 4 star rated. Comes with a Pinlock and it’s designed to be easy to get on and off.

Best places to buy an Scorpion Exo 520 Air?

Please click below to visit the Scorpion Exo 520 Air 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).

Star Ratings

Shoei J-Cruise II review: the open face that thinks it’s a full face helmet.

Page Contents

Shoei J-Cruise II review: expensive but quality open face helmet.

Shoei’s J-Cruise helmet has been around for a few years now and has built a reputation as being a high quality open face helmet, but kind of like an open face that thinks it’s a full face.

shoei-j-cruise-II-gloss-white-front-view — Massive visor and triple top vents are just two of the useful features of the J-Cruise II

That’s because Shoei designed it to offer pretty well all the functionality of a full face helmet, just without the chin bar.

The original J-Cruise was very well received with hardly any areas of weakness reported. So now it’s on with that difficult follow up: to try and replace the J-Cruise with a helmet that’s even better than the original.

So, Shoei’s taken that first helmet and tried to make the J-Cruise II that bit better in what seems to be more or less every area. They say it’s slightly lighter, better venting, has improved aero, a better sealing main visor and a slightly deeper sun visor.

But then they all say something along those lines whenever a helmet’s launched.

So, here’s what the Shoei J-Cruise II is actually like – taken from the comments and opinions of riders around the web who actually own one.

Fibreglass composite AIM Shell
Four shell sizes (that’s lots)
Drop down sun visor
Integrated bluetooth: SRL/SRL2
Pinlock ready visor (Pinlock not included)
Micrometric fastener
Sizes XS-XXL
Expect to pay £430-£540

Best places to buy a Shoei J-Cruise II?

Please click below to visit the Shoei J-Cruise II 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

If you look at our overall star rating of the Shoei J-Cruise II at the bottom of the page, you’ll find it hasn’t scored amazingly high. That’s probably because one of the factors we rate helmets on is value for money – and by anyone’s measure, the J-Cruise II isn’t the best value around.

And because it’s an open face helmet, it’s going to drop points on the safety rating too.

shoei-j-cruise-II-aglero-helmet-black-yellow-side-view — Side view of the Shoei J-Cruise II Aglero in black with fluo yellow highlights.

Having said that, with it’s AIM shell that usually scores well in SHARP safety tests and a good rating for noise attenuation (for an open face helmet at any rate) it’s still one of the highest scores we’ve given a helmet without a chin bar. Which is saying something.

That’s because, if money’s no object and you want an open face helmet, then the Shoei J-Cruise II is a cracking helmet. It’s superbly constructed. It uses Shoei’s tried and tested shell tech. And that double visor system’s excellent – although it really should come with a Pinlock antifog included at this price.

And owner after owner that we came across loves their J-Cruise II.

Overall then, if you’re looking for a high quality open face helmet that acts as if it were a full face in terms of comfort, aero and features, then you needn’t look any further than the Shoei J-Cruise. It’s really very good.

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

As usual when looking at safety with an open face helmet, we’ve gotta start off by saying something along the lines of ‘it won’t be that protective… there’s no chin bar so if you come off, things could get messy.’

There, think that about covers it. It’s an open face so don’t expect it to stop your chin/face/nose taking a battering if you have an off.

If you really need the freedom of an open face helmet but want something that’ll protect you as well, then how about checking out one of these modular helmets rated as top for safety instead?

Nope? OK, open face it is then.

In that case, the J-Cruise looks to be about as protective as you’re gonna get from an open face helmet. Not only do the sides come down nice and low to give you some protection lower down around your chin, but Shoei’s AIM shell uses the same helmet tech that’s used in some of their full face helmets.

shoei-j-cruise-II-aglero-black-white-rear-view — Rear view: another Aglero but this time in white and black. Battery pocket for the integrated optional comms unit hides at the bottom rear.

It’s not their most technologically advanced shell construction – that’s their AIM+ shells. But it is a solid helmet shell material, evidenced by other AIM helmets scoring pretty well when SHARP tests them.

For example, the retro Shoei Glamster’s got an AIM shell and that scored 4 stars out of 5 when tested by SHARP. Same with the Ex Zero and Neotech II – both AIM shells and both 4 star rated.

So, given that every AIM shelled Shoei scored a four star rating (apart from the original GT Air that scored three) we’d have to say that, were SHARP to test the shell of the J-Cruise II (which they won’t because it’s not got a chin bar) then I guess it probably would score 4 stars.

Of course, it’s not just the shell that’s at work here. It’s also that shock absorbing liner underneath. And in the case of the J-Cruise II, it’s multi denisity liner as found on most of their range nowadays. So that should do the job nicely.

It’s also great to see that it’s manufactured in four different shell sizes. That’s just what you want to see with a premium priced helmet like the J-Cruise 2 and means the helmet you buy should be well optimised for fit, size and safety.

So that means there’s one shell size each covering fitment sizes XS-S, M, L and XL-XXL.

shoei-j-cruise-II-Adagio-black-red-motorbike-helmet-side-view — This one’s the Adagio graphic J-Cruise II

Other than the helmet shell, you get optically correct visor and sun visor, there to reduce distortion and the sun visor to prevent dazzling on sunny days.

And the main visor’s Pinlock-ready (Pinlock not included unfortunately) so fitting a Pinlock should pretty well prevent visor fogging (see visor section below).

The J-Cruise II also uses a metal micrometric fastener; which are particularly easy to use – just always ensure the strap adjustor’s tightened up from time to time so your helmet doesn’t have the chance to come loose.

All in all then, the J-Cruise II does a good job of making a protective helmet; just not anywhere near as protective as a full face or the safest modulars.

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

OK, so the J-Cruise II is an open face that thinks it’s a full face. But open face helmets are always noisy helmets right, what with all that large area to let wind rattle around and noise creep in?

Thing is, that doesn’t seem to be the case with the J-Cruise II.

It’s fair to say that Shoei has made quite a bit of effort with the aero of the J-Cruise II, wind tunnel sculpting it to reduce drag and hence noise. They’ve also pushed some ear pads inside and made the visor fit tighter, slightly re-shaping it to divert the air. All of which should reduce noise when you’re riding.

I also suspect many J-Cruise owners’ expectations are pretty low in terms of noise suppression. I mean, you buy an open face helmet so you’re expecting it to be a bit windy and noisy, right?

shoei-j-cruise-II-Adagio-black-white-motorbike-helmet-front-view — Another Adagio graphic in black/white.

But having said that, noise perception is always going to be just that… perception. It’s what you think that matters. And in the case of the J-Cruise II the vast majority of owners we found say they’re more than happy with the noise levels on the move, and that it’s super quiet for an open face helmet.

Of course, you need to ensure you get the fitment right in the first place. With the J-Cruise II that means you need to have a medium oval shaped head – and if you’re between sizes, make sure you buy the size up as we’ve heard from owners who found their helmets to be too tight when they were on the cusp.

But provided you get the size that fits and you’ve the right shaped head, then it seems like the J-Cruise II is one of the quietest open face helmets out there.

In comparison to the quietest helmets overall (including full face helmets), it probably ranks around average. But that’s very quiet for an open face and a great performance by Shoei’s engineers.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

Ventilation is one of the key areas Shoei has worked on with the J-Cruise II.

You’d have thought that because it’s an open face helmet, you’d get pretty much all the ventilation you need without really trying.

Shoei_J-Cruise_Airflow — Three top vents venting through to a single rear exhaust. Word is that it’s effective.

Couple that with the fact that the old J-Cruise helmet was highly rated for ventilation anyhow, even with just that single vent up top.

But Shoei hasn’t rested on their laurels. They’ve reworked the helmet shell to make it more compact and with better aero properties and have stuck 3 big vents on the top just to make sure a ton of air gets through.

Shoei reckons everything’s somewhere around 20-30% improved from the old helmet in terms of ventilation. Which is nice.

What’s not quite so great apparently, is that the corresponding rear air vent is actually just a couple of small holes, thereby apparently restricting the air flow a little overall, according to one owner.

Still, most owners agree that the head venting on the J-Cruise II is great and lets plenty of air in and over your head just when you want it.

And if things get colder, those three vents are all 3-way adjustable with a half-open and closed position too, all operated with big glove-friendly sliders.

Visor

(more about visors)

The main visor on the J-Cruise 2 is massive, giving you a great view of the road ahead, your clocks and pretty well all around you, even when the visor’s down.

It’s an optically correct visor too, which is useful with the visor being so large. And it’s quick change too, so you can pull it off quickly simply by opening the visor then pushing a lever either side and pulling it free.

Just like the old J-Cruise helmet, it uses a super low tech peg and hole lock to keep the visor closed. Even though it’s a system that’s as old as the hills (and probably older!), it seems like it works just fine because we didn’t find anyone complaining about it online. Job done.

A couple of useful links…

– All our Shoei helmets reviews –
– Open face helmet reviews –

Surprisingly for an open face helmet, lots of owners reckoned they can have a problem with fogging. I guess that’s what happens when you make such a large and well sealed visor on a helmet – even if it’s an open face.

That shouldn’t be a particular problem on the J-Cruise II as Shoei has made the visor Pinlock ready. Bizarrely, they haven’t included a Pinlock insert free in the box (like they do on this £100 MT Rapide for example!) which is taking the piss a little on such an expensive lid.

Shoei_J-Cruise II_Intercom — Large visor’s very well designed and offers a great view of the road a head.

Still, at least there is the option for a Pinlock available I guess.

Making a Pinlock Evo available for the J-Cruise II is arguably tacit admittance that it is prone to some fogging. So too is the addition of a cracked-open city riding position for the visor – usually there to let more air in and help with defogging.

Then again, stick any piece of cold polycarbonate in front of your face on a cold or humid day and it’s probably going to fog up, so it’s good to know Shoei’s taken steps to address it.

What also good to know is that Shoei says their polycarb visor cuts out 99% of UV rays. Polycarbonate’s known for cutting out at least 95% anyway, but it’s always good to see an exact figure, especially if you’re planning on riding somewhere sunny.

Sun Visor

(more about sun visors)

The same figure’s quoted for the sun visor too – another 99% protection against UV. And Shoei’s apparently got that European Certified, sticking a DIN EN1836 certification on the sun visor. Hurrah.

shoei-j-cruise-II-matt-blue-open-face-helmet-front-view — Solid matt blue Shoei J-Cruise with new deeper sun visor fully dropped.

In the US that equivalent is the ANSI Z80.3-2010 standard which means it should give about as much protection as a pair of shades – and includes a test to ensure it won’t burst into flames. Which is always good to know!

Shoei have made the sun visor a bit longer than the old J-Cruise too. That’s often welcome as there’s always a few folks saying their sun visor doesn’t drop down low enough (just like we found with the J-Cruise I).

And while the placing of the sun visor’s slider is slightly unusual (necessitated by the location of the panel for the integrated bluetooth controller) the action’s nice and smooth and, once you get used to where to find it, it works well.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

The J-Cruise 2 is available in sizes XS-XXL and comes in four shell sizes.

It uses Shoei’s 3D Max-Dry liner. The 3D refers to the 3D laser cut foam that goes inside, and Max-Dry is Shoei’s regular interior designed to absorb and wick sweat away twice as fast as nylon does (which doesn’t seem much of a bold claim since nylon’s basically plastic!).

Still, Max Dry liners are highly regarded and Shoei does make a nice and comfortable liner.

shoei-J-Cruise-II-helmet-matt-deep-grey-side-view — Matt deep grey J-Cruise II

Like other premium helmet makers, you can also buy different thicknesses of cheekpads to help tailor the fit if you find it’s not quite right or loosens off over time.

And if you wear glasses, there’s also a glasses groove in there so the arms of your glasses won’t press into your head.

Overall, owners reckon that the J-Cruise II is a very comfortable helmet. In fact we didn’t find a single owner saying otherwise.

Obviously, you have to get the sizing right in the first place (check out our fitting guide) and the word is if you find you’re between sizes with the J-Cruise II, you’re best opting for a size up as a size down will be too tight.

Other than that, the quality and overall feel of the comfort liner is spot on.

Looks & Graphics

Shoei’s graphics always tend to be a bit on the conservative and muted side.

Having said that, there are a couple of graphic options out there at the time of writing: the Aglero and the Adagio that you’ll find up and down the pages and both available in a few different colours.

If you’re looking for a plain J-Cruise II, then you’ve a matt black, grey or blue to choose from or a gloss black or white.

If you’re interested in buying one, please drop on to the J-Cruise II pages at our recommended retailers using the links below, where you’ll also find any discounts and new graphics that might be around. Cheers.

Best places to buy a Shoei J-Cruise II helmet?

Please click below to visit the Shoei J-Cruise II 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).

J-Cruise II video

Their videos are usually a bit on the starchy side, but there’s some decent information in this video from Champion Helmets in the Netherlands (8m 30s).

Other stuff – bluetooth, weight, glasses, aero & buffeting, build quality, warranty

If you’re looking to fit a bluetooth headset to your J-Cruise II, it’s designed to work with the SCL 1 or 2 set that’s been developed by Sena and Shoei to integrate with their helmets.

That means there’s a place to stick the controller on the left hand side (there’s a small panel on the bottom edge to remove) and the battery pack slots into a panel at the bottom rear. There’s also plenty of space for speakers and a boom microphone.

shoei-J-Cruise-II-helmet-top-view — Closer view of those 3 top vents, each with 3 way, glove friendly sliders

Shoei managed to reduce the weight of the J-Cruise II over the old helmet by around 100g. It’s not a lot, but it means the J-Cruise II weighs around 1.4kg, down from the 1.5kg of the old helmet. It’s far from being the lightest open face helmet out there but it’s OK – and a few owners reckon the weight adds to its sense of quality too.

If you’re a glasses wearer, then the Shoei J-Cruise II is great for glasses. There’re glasses grooves inside and a several owners said there’s plenty of space to drop down the sun visor and main visor without interfering with your glasses. And because they’re both optically correct, there isn’t much noticeable distortion even though you’re effectively peering through three panes of plastic.

Shoei reckoned they’ve done a good deal of work on the aero of the helmet to reduce lift, drag and buffeting. That might be measurable in the wind tunnel but I’m not sure owners find much difference. Having said that, we didn’t come across any complaints either so it looks like the aero works just fine.

The build quality’s rated as excellent too. Lots of owners say just how fantastic quality the helmet is – the finish, the internals – you name it, they like it. Which is one of the reasons you go for a premium helmet like a Shoei: they take the time to get things right.

And it means they can happily offer a 5 year warranty on the manufacture of all their helmets.

Best places to buy a Shoei J-Cruise II?

Please click below to visit the Shoei J-Cruise II 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 Shoei J-Cruise II?

You can check out all our open face helmet reviews here. But if you want an interesting selection that we think you should consider, take a look at these open face lids.

Nolan-n40-5-GT-N-com-solid-white-motorcycle-helmet-side-view — The N40-5 GT with removable chin protector

First up, and in a similar vein to the J-Cruise II – and even more practical – is the Nolan N40-5 GT. It’s a supremely versatile modular helmet that can be converted into a jet by fully removing the chin bar. The best of both worlds!

sena savage helmet with short peak — Sena Savage

Or what about the Sena Savage? It’s a fibreglass open face helmet that comes with a bluetooth communicator pre-installed. OK it’s a reasonably basic bluetooth, but most owners find it’s fine. And it’s a decent wodge cheaper than the J-Cruise II. Mind you, you’d have to make do with a snap on visor.

shoei jo helmet hawker side view — Shoei JO Hawker

The fibreglass Shoei Jo has one built in tho. It also uses the same AIM shell as the J-Cruise II though the Jo’s much lighter and cheaper. It’s more back to basics too.

Finally, what about the Bell Broozer. It really looks the part and it has a fully removable but protective chin bar for when you want to get a lick on. It comes with both a clear and dark visor, weighs about the same as the J-Cruise II but comes in around half the price.

More Helmet Options?

For more helmet buying options, click through to our Open Face Helmet Reviews, our Modular Helmets Top 10 and our Safest Helmets. Or jump onto our homepage to find lots of other ways to find a new helmet - just scroll down.

Star Ratings

Thinking of buying a Shoei Glamster retro motorcycle helmet?

Page Contents

Fantastic looking and safe retro helmet using proven modern tech: Shoei Glamster review.

The Shoei Glamster is another full face retro helmet that’s designed to give you yesteryear’s styling and attitude alongside a hefty dollop of modern day helmet tech.

It’s aimed at giving you the chance to stand out from the crowd while having much of the safety features and utility of a modern day lid. Which is a great idea.

shoei glamster off white crash helmet front view — Front view of the Off White Glamster

And since the Glamster shares its AIM helmet shell with many other modern day Shoei helmets, and because it comes with a Pinlock antifog visor and features like EQRS (emergency quick release cheekpads) – the idea is that you really don’t have to compromise.

So, if you like the look of the Shoei Glamster and are wondering whether it’s worth buying one – here’s all the info you need.

Retro full face helmet
Fibreglass AIM shell
SHARP 4 star safety rated
3 Shell Sizes
EQRS
Pinlock antifog insert included
Sizes XS-XXL
Double D-ring fastener
Expect to pay £400-£500

Best places to buy a Shoei Glamster?

Please click below to visit the Shoei Glamster 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

The Shoei Glamster delivers modern day helmet tech and a high level of performance in a quality retro package.

Not only does it look the part – using tried-and-tested Shoei tech – but the UK’s helmet testing bods at SHARP have tested it and awarded it an excellent four stars for safety, which is very good and makes it one of the best protecting retro helmets out there.

shoei glamster basalt grey retro crash helmet side view — Basalt Grey Glamster – notice visor lock and always-open chin vents

Shoei knows how to build a high quality helmet too and the Glamster has a ton of features that you’ll find on their modern full face helmets – including that Pinlock ready anti-fog visor (with free Pinlock) and EQRS.

The biggest downside found by most (not all) Glamster owners is that it a particularly noisy helmet, which is a massive shame.

Other than that, there’s a new wave of retro helmets that work like modern helmets and the Shoei Glamster is the latest in the line.

So, if you like the look of the Shoei Glamster and want a high quality helmet that works as a practical everyday helmet as well as looking the part (and as long as you always ride with decent ear plugs in!), then we’ve no doubt the Glamster will fit the bill admirably.

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

The first thing to say about the safety of the Glamster is that it’s got Shoei’s AIM (advanced integrated matrix) fibreglass shell.

shoei glamster resurrection white retru crash helmet side view — Shoei Glamster Ressurection in white

That’s the same shell tech that you’ll find on the GT Air II and the SHARP 5 Star rated Shoei RYD.

OK, the RYD scored maximum marks for safety and it’s got the same helmet tech, but that’s not the whole story, because SHARP have tested four Shoei Aim helmets so far and they’ve scored anywhere from 3 to 5 stars.

Given those past results, it’s probably not suprising that when SHARP safety tested the Glamster in early 2022, it scored an excellent four star rating (out of 5), which is excellent going for a retro helmet.

From memory there’s only the Bell Bullet retro that’s been SHARP tested so far and it scored 3 stars.

Shoei Glamster SHARP 8_5ms test results — Courtesy of sharp.dft.gov.uk Shoei Glamster 8.5 m/s Impact test results.

Though I guess you could call the Simpson Venom a bit retro these days and that scored 4 stars too.

Shoei has created the Glamster in three different helmet shells – that’s good for fitment, looks and safety and it’s a reasonably number of shell sizes for what’s actually a competitively priced helmet.

Inside the helmet, you’ll find a dual density EPS liner (par for the course) and the helmet’s strapped to your bonce with a good ole fashioned and suitably retro double d-ring fastener.

D-rings are generally straightforward to use and secure, so you shouldn’t have any problems here. I say ‘shouldn’t’ because I’m currently struggling along with my latest Simpson helmet and the double-d ring doesn’t slide very well so it’s a real pain. Still, that’s a rarity.

Shoei has also included an EQRS liner inside the helmet – so if you do have an off-motorcycle excursion and the ambulance crew need to pull off your helmet, the EQRS cheekpads should make things easier.

shoei glamster lagua blue helmet top view — Top view of the plain Laguna blue Glamster

Including a Pinlock-ready visor on a retro helmet is a great touch too. It’s not massively in keeping with the retro vibe, but I’m pretty sure if riders in the 60’s had the option of being able to see out of their visors on cold and rainy days, they’d have bitten your hand off for a Pinlock – so why not?

And it’s good to see Shoei including a Pinlock with the helmet – that’s always a big tick in the box in my book.

So, overall, there’s lots going for the Shoei Glamster to suggest it’ll be a sound, protective place to put your head – which should probably be item number one on why we’re buying a helmet, right?

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

Helmet noise seems to be the biggest fly in the ointment with the Glamster.

And while there are some dissenters who find the Glamster OK for noise suppression (including Jerry in the comments section below – thanks Jerry), the majority of owners we came across said it’s sub standard – being much noisier than many have ever come across.

A couple of owners reckoned it’s because there’s a direct route for noise to travel up from the neck roll and cheek pads straight into a small void left for speakers, just where your ears are. Some said if you ride anything over 50-70 and it becomes unbearable.

Other riders, who didn’t have so much of a problem, reckoned fitting the included chin curtain helps and makes it OK.

Obviously, noise perception is very subjective (speed, riding style, bike etc. etc.) but overall the concensus seems to be that the Shoei Glamster’s a noisy helmet.

Obviously, ensuring you’re wearing a good pair of ear plugs will help, but we’d suggest that you’re after a quiet helmet, then you might want to look elsewhere.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

Shoei’s added a few air vents into the shell of the Glamster, though they’re very much erring on the side of style over function.

shoei glamster resurrection blue helmet rear view — Clean rear lines – and if you look closely, you might just see the rear vents in the neck roll

Those chin vents for example. While there are four of them – and they do let in a reasonable amount of air to the face and rear of the visor according to Glamster owners – they’re always-open, meaning that air’s always going to be pushing through the chin bar whether you like it or not.

The small forehead vent is closeable though, and that’s welcome. There are fairly generous internal air channels inside the helmet too and there are corresponding venting holes and cutaways in the internal liner to let some of that air get through to your head.

The only problem here is that there are only two tiny exhaust vents in the bottom of the neck roll to let any air out. Which, again according to owners, reduces the helmet’s ability to vent around the head.

It’s no surprise then that the word is ventilation’s about average – you can feel some air but you can tell they’ve prioritised form over function in this area, which is hardly a surprise in a cool-looking retro helmet I guess.

Visor

(more about visors)

Of course, venting’s also used to keep the visor mist-free, and if you’re riding in cool/damp/humid air, then the Glamster will have a tendency to fog up.

Thankfully, despite it being a retro-style visor, Shoei’s made it Pinlock ready and included a Pinlock in the box. So, attach the Pinlock and most of your misting problems will be gone.

A couple of useful links…

– All our Retro helmet reviews –
– Top 10 full face helmets –

Or at least that’s usually the case. The issue is that visor’s a bit retro too and because it’s more or less a 2D visor, a few owners said there can be a problem with it buckling slightly when you open or close it and that can unseat the Pinlock. It can also lead to a leaky seal around the visor in rain.

The good news here is that Shoei seems to have addressed the problem with later helmets and thickened up the visor a little.

The visor opening’s pretty generous and gives decent all-round vision including good peripheral vision. It isn’t a quick release visor though, so if you ever want to swap it out or remove it for cleaning, you’ll have to get your screwdriver out.

shoei glamster off white crash helmet side view — Another view of the Off White Shoei Glamster

It’s still pretty simple though – literally unscrew a single philips either side and the aluminium spacer comes away and the visor pulls off.

Shoei’s put a visor lock on the bottom of the visor, so close the visor and it’ll automatically lock. Push up on the black tab/lock and the visor unlocks.

A couple of owners reckoned it can be a bit fiddly to use at first and you might need to pull the tab forward a bit to disengage – but who said looking cool and retro was going to be easy. I mean you’ve gotta suffer a bit to look this cool, right?

Other than that, Shoei’s taken an old style visor and made it work well… ish.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

Internal fitment of the Glamster is medium oval – so should be the right shape for most riders’ heads.

There’s not much info on what materials Shoei uses inside, except to say it’s a fully removable/washable liner with 3D moulded cheek pads.

shoei glamster off white motorcycle helmet top view — Top view showing forehead vent

It’s also got EQRS quick removable cheekpads in there which is always worth having – anything to reduce injury, right?

Shoei does know how to make a comfortable helmet though, so provided you suit the head shape, several owners said they find their Glamsters a really comfortable helmet. On occasion the aero isn’t quite up to the standard of modern aerodynamically sculpted lids, but I guess that’s to be expected with a rounder shaped helmet.

But keep the speed down a bit – or sit behind a fairing – and you can expect the Glamster to be comfortable for long hours in the saddle.

Looks & Graphics

You can probably guess at the sort of graphic options available for the Glamster?

There’s a nice off-white and a couple of blacks as well as a plain Basalt grey and Laguna blue. At the time of writing there’s also a range of different colourways in the Resurrection graphic incuding a white, blue and black.

But you just know there’s going to be a stack more classy designs coming out soon. Feel free to click through to our recommended stores below to see the latest designs and Glamster deals. Nice one.

Best places to buy a Shoei Glamster helmet?

Please click below to visit the Shoei Glamster 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).

Shoei Glamster Video

While the sound’s a bit shonky with this vid, Champion does know how to do a good helmet overview and this 7m video gives you a decent look around the Shoei Glamster.

Other stuff – weight, bluetooth, glasses, warranty

The Shoei Glamster weighs around 1.2Kg (2.65lbs) making it a properly light weight helmet.

If you’re looking to fit a comms unit inside your Glamster, you might be disappointed if your speakers are anything other than super thin, because there aren’t any really any speaker pockets in there, only a space next to the cheek pads where you could just about slot thin speakers in. And there’s not much room inside for a microphone either as the chin bar sits very close to the face.

If you’re a glasses wearer or like to wear shades when you’re riding, the good news is that there are cutouts for glasses in the liner, and several owners have said it’s a great helmet for glasses wearers.

It comes with an excellent 5 year warranty.

Good Alternatives to the Shoei Glamster?

Shoei Ex-Zero retro helmet in gloss red yellow side view — Shoei Ex-Zero

If you’re in the market for an old-style helmet, the great news is there’s an increasing number of retro helmets with modern day utility.

agv-x3000-motorcycle-helmet-red-white-side-view — AGV X3000 in red/white

Shoei’s own Ex-Zero is a badass looking helmet that uses the same tech as the Glamster and costs about the same money.

And there’s the fibreglass AGV X3000 which is arguably more authentic and even classier than the Glamster.

bell bullet crash helmet in blue flake — Bell Bullitt in blue flake

There’s the good ole SHARP 3 star safety rated Bell Bullitt which is properly retro and comes in a ton of different designs too – including a full carbon version.

nexx-xg100-tokko-full-face-motorcycle-helmet — Tokko Nexx X.G100

Shoutouts to Nexx as well with their Nexx X.G100 and G100R which are both great looking composite fibre retro lids.

For more options, take a look at our Retro Helmets Pages.

Best places to buy a Shoei Glamster?

Please click below to visit the Shoei Glamster 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).

How could we improve our site?

We’d love your feedback on what we could do better. Please give us your thoughts here.

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.

Star Ratings

Schuberth C5 flip-front helmet: with integrated bluetooth and sun visor.

The C5 is the latest modular touring helmet from German helmet brand, Schuberth, replacing the outgoing C4 Pro.

Schuberth-C5-master-modular-motorbike-helmet-front-view — Master graphic Schuberth C5 with chin bar fully raised

Schuberth has a bit of a chequerered history when it comes to modular helmets in that the first version of the old C4 was a bit… how can I put it… pants.

Thankfully, Schuberth recognised this, improved it and released the C4 Pro which was a much better lid.

And now, here’s the C5.

Schuberth give it their usual marketing spiel to describe what the C5 offers and reckon more or less everything is better, lighter, quieter, more compact etc. etc. You know the score.

Looking past the rhetoric, there are one or two features that do look interesting. It’s got Sena 50S based integrated comms for a seamless bluetooth install. It’s also dual homologated to the new ECE 22.06 standards – so it’s designed to be used with the chin bar up or down.

So, if you’re thinking of buying a new modular helmet or a Schuberth C5 flip-up, then here’s all the info we’ve been able to find out about it.

Fibreglass/carbon fibre modular helmet
Touring focused
Pinlock Max Vision included
Micrometric strap
Dual Homologated
Integrated wiring for Schuberth SC2 Bluetooth
Weighs 1.6-1.8 Kg (about average)
Sizes XS-XXXL
5 year warranty
Expect to pay £499-£599

Best places to buy a Schuberth C5?

Please click below to go straight through the Schuberth C5 helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from either, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Page Contents

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

The Schuberth C5 is the first modular helmet to be ECE 22.06 certified. Which means it’s been thoroughly tested by the European helmet testing bods – everything from shell to visor to chin strap to chin bar has been thoroughly hammered to make sure it’s up to standard.

You can read more about ECE22.06 helmet testing here.

Schuberth-C5-matt-black-motorbike-helmet-side-view — Matt black Schuberth C5

The C5 has also been designed to be usable with the chin bar up or down – so it’s dual homologated – and has been safety tested in both configurations.

Inside the shell, there’s a dual density polystyrene liner and it’s made in two different shell sizes. I have to say, that’s a bit disappointing because it’s common practice these days that most premium helmets are made in more than two shell sizes to optimise looks, fitment and impact protection – and EPS liners with three densities or vari-densities are considered state of the art. So the C5’s behind the curve a little in these respects.

Obviously, there’s more to safety than just numbers though. Shell design comes into play along with shell materials. The Schuberth C5 has a fibreglass shell with a layer of carbon fibre over it for good measure.

Not sure if that layer of carbon is actually going to contribute much – full carbon fibre helmets are on average just 130g lighter than your typical fibreglass lid so a single layer probably ain’t gonna help much with weight reduction. So probably more for marketing purposes than anything?

Schuberth-C5-Master-modular-helmet-rear-view — Another Master graphic Schuberth C5, this time from the rear showing rear exhaust vent and bluetooth battery pocket centre/bottom.

It’s not until the C5’s been independently safety tested that we’ll know quite how well the Schuberth C5 performs in terms of protection. Until then, we can look back at how well previous Schuberths have done.

To date, none have ever scored the maximum SHARP 5 stars, with just 3 out of 12 tested lids scoring 4 stars and an average score of around 3.1 stars out of 5. So, based on past performance, we’d expect it to be 3 star rated but might manage 4 stars.

Chin bars usually do well on Schuberth helmets with all of their six tested modular helmets scoring an average 97%, meaning you’d only expect their chin bar locks to fail in a very small percentage of impacts.

Fabric of the helmet aside, other safety features of the C5 include a drop down sun visor; useful for when the sun’s low or blinding. The visor’s reasonably wide for improved peripheral vision and it comes with a Pinlock Max Vision antifog insert to stop it fogging up when it’s cold or wet.

Schuberth are one of the few manufacturers to enhance the strap on their helmets with what they call AROS or anti roll off system. It’s where each side of the strap is anchored in two points with the idea of stopping it moving about too much under stress – like when you hit the deck in an accident.

Schuberth-C5-Eclipse-Blue-flip-up-helmet-front-view — Front view, this time of the blue Eclipse C5

To be fair, ECE testing does include several strap tests to ensure a regular (i.e. non AROS) strap will stop the helmet simply rolling forwards off the head during an impact. So you shouldn’t really need a fancy strap – with the key point being that as long as you always ensure your strap is always fastened up tightly and correctly, it should stay on your head whatever happens.

Still, any innovation to try and keep a helmet securely fastened has to be welcome. It’s thought that helmets come off in somewhere around 6-10% of motorbike accidents (depending on which study you read) so I guess if it helps with a just a small proportion of cases, it’s a worthy innovation.

The strap’s fastened with a micrometric fastener – which are dead easy to use and safe as houses.

All in all, the Schuberth C5 seems to have most bases covered from a safety perspective. There’s a bit of a question mark about it’s potential for a good SHARP safety rating, and Schuberth should’ve stuck an EQRS quick release liner in there because… why not? They’re cheap to fit and could help prevent injury so it looks like an unnecessary cost cutting. But other than that, the C5 looks ok.

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

Schuberth do use windtunnels to help in the design of their helmets and they do make a concerted effort to make quiet helmets.

With the C5, they’ve reworked the neck roll to try and stop more noise getting in through the bottom of the helmet, plus there’s some small turbulators on the top edge of the visor that’re supposed to reduce noise around the visor. No idea if they actually work but Schuberth has stuck with them over the years so I guess they must have some impact.

Schuberth-C5-eclipse-modular-motorcycle-helmet-side-view — Another Eclipse graphic C5, this time in black white and red

Modular helmets are generally noisier than full face helmets – so if you want the quietest you should probably go full face (or check out our quiet helmets pages).

But in terms of modular helmet noise, Schuberth did OK in this respect with the C4 Pro, and Schuberth claims the C5 has been proven in the wind tunnel to keep sound down to around 85 dba at 60mph on a naked bike.

That’s quiet.

Helmet bluetooth specialists, Sena’s, own Momentum Inc Pro helmet that has active noise cancelling only gets down to 100db at that speed! And given Schuberth’s record of happily overstating the quietness of pretty well every helmet they’ve launched with gay abandon (at least in terms of customer feedback i’ve researched), you have to be dubious.

I did find one owner who said it was a nice quiet helmet but another who said it was noisy at anything above 50mph on their bike. If you check out the video below, they found that it’s in the ballpark of being the quietest of their recently tested modulars though, so that bodes well.

I guess it’s the usual story of one person’s noisy lid is another person’s whisper quiet helmet. It all depends on your bike, speed, expectations… how knackered your hearing already is… the list goes on.

Either way, stick in some quality ear plugs and you should be peachy.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

Ideally, you want a breezy helmet when it’s hot outside and a sealed one when it’s freezing.

Schuberth-C5-helmet-gloss-white-chin-bar — Dual chin bar vent with chin bar lock in red below

Up top on the Schuberth C5, there’s a single large vent with a nice big slider to open/close it. Given there’s a sun visor tucked away inside the shell around your forehead, the top vent’s mounted quite far back. But it does vent air through the helmet and does try to push it around the channels in the polystyrene liner; though there’s not much distance between that and the exhaust vent tucked away in that tiny blip of a rear spoiler, so don’t expect masses of circulation.

Things are a bit improved in the chin bar. Down there, there’s two vent switches – a toggle panel up top to direct air onto the back of the visor for defogging – and a bottom slider to let air through to your gob.

Schuberth-C5-top-vent — Single crown vent up top

Interestingly, there’s also a small removable/washable sponge filter in there to help stop bits of dismembered flies and the like making it through. First time I’ve seen that outside of an adventure helmet and a welcome touch.

Word on the net is that the chin bar vents work better than the top vents which are about average.

Visor

(more about visors)

The visor on the C5 pretty well covers all bases.

It’s nice and wide for improved peripheral vision and there’s – unusually – opening tabs on both sides, which is very useful.

It’s also a Pinlock ready visor and comes with a Pinlock Max Vision antifog insert in the box – the 120 version too which is Pinlock’s most effective version. Hurrah… then again it probably should at this price.

A couple of useful links…

– All our modular helmet reviews –
– Safest tested modular helmets –

Interestingly, the visor has what Schuberth calls a memory function. What that means is if you open the chin bar when, say, your visor’s half open, the helmet remembers its position and if you close the chin bar again, the visor should still be half open.

Schuberth-C5-fluo-yellow-flip-up-motorcycle-helmet-side-view — Stepped sun visor in fully lowered position on this Fluo Yellow plain C5

Opinions differ as to whether that’s worth the bother – some folks find it useful while others don’t.

Either way, it’s another example of how Schuberth has tried to innovate with the C5, which is always great to see.

Sun Visor

(more about sun visors)

Usefully, there’s a drop down sun visor on the C5, operated by a slider on the bottom left edge of the helmet.

Whether you use them regularly or not, sun visors are handy to have there in case you find yourself riding into a low sun or if you don’t want to swap out for a tinted visor.

The sun visor slider is well placed, though it does mean the bluetooth mount has to be pushed further back and is a little awkward according to a couple of owners.

Chin Guard

(more about chin guards)

The chin bar on the Schuberth C5 is dual homologated which means you’re legally allowed to ride with the chin bar fully raised or lowered.

Schuberth-C5-gloss-white-flip-front-helmet-front-view — Chin bar in fully raised position

Raising the helmet is pretty straightforward and a one handed job – grab the chin bar, push in the red button and that unlocks it.

The chin bar raises to just above the eyeline where it stays firmly in place – and if you intend to ride with it in that open position, then there’s a small red lock button on the left to lock it in place.

As mentioned above, when opening the chin guard, the chin bar will collect the visor and push it fully closed before the chin bar reaches its maximum position. The C5 has a ‘memory’ mechanism that remembers the position the visor was in before you opened the helmet, so when you close the chin bar again, the visor position is reinstated. Nice.

Obviously, if you ride in a modular helmet with the chin bar in the closed position, you want to know you can trust the chin bar to be reliable and protective.

Thankfully, Schuberth’s flip front helmets generally are. SHARP notes whether the chin bar became unlocked during their impact testing and marks it down as a percentage.

Overall, Schuberth modulars tested across the years score an average of 97% with the lowest score being 93% and highest 100%. That’s a good average score and we’d expect the Schuberth C5 to score similarly well.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

Pretty well all helmets go down to at least size XS but few go up to size XXXL like the C5. To find other helmets that go into larger helmet sizes, check out our Extreme Size Helmets page.

Schuberth-C5-Master-yellow-modular-helmet-side-view — Schuberth C5 Master with fluo yellow highlights.

Schuberth have designed the comfort liner on the C5 to be seamless, so you don’t get a pesky uncomfortable seam pressing into your head.

That’s not usually a problem on all but the cheapest helmets of course, but it’s still a welcome feature.

They’ve also made the side/back/cheekpads replaceable so you can tailor the fit by adding in thicker or thinner sections. We see that on quite a few other premium helmets too; but unfortunately, with the C5 that’s only an option for sizes M, L or XL for some reason – so if you’re another size, tough!

Word is that the internal fitment on the C5 is medium oval but a tiny bit rounder than the average. It’s a comfortable helmet though, and that liner’s easy to whip out for washing or swapping if you’re so inclined.

Looks & Graphics

Schuberth-C5-gloss-white-motorbike-helmet-side-view — Plain gloss white C5

You can spot a Schuberth helmet a mile off – they’re always clean looking with minimal but striking graphics. And the C5 is no different.

There’s a couple of bold graphics in the form of the Eclipse and Master graphics, each available in several colour combinations.

If you’re after a plain helmet, there’s a gloss white, matt black, gloss grey, gloss silver and hi viz fluo yellow.

Scroll up and down the page to find photos of most of these. Or click the links below to find more options as they’re launched – if we’ve done it right, they should drop you straight onto their Schuberth C5 pages.

Best places to buy a Schuberth C5?

Please click below to go straight through the Schuberth C5 helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from either, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Schuberth C5 Video

This one’s probably the most comprehensive look around the Schuberth C5. It’s 20m long though so grab a cuppa first.

Other stuff – bluetooth, weight, warranty

Potentially very useful on the C5 is the fact that it’s designed to integrate their SC2 bluetooth headset. The SC2 is made by Sena and is equivalent to the Sena 50S in terms of functionality. That’s a Mesh 2.0 headset which is pretty much the latest tech at the time of writing.

Schuberth-C5-eclipse-anthracite-chin-bar-raised — Schuberth C5 modular in anthracite and red

All of that means is that there’s a panel at the rear of the helmet to plug the battery pack into, a panel on the side to put the control unit on, and a push-in connector to fit the boom microphone – and you should be good to go.

Integrated bluetooths are potentially a nice clutter free way to add bluetooth comms to your lid.

But they’re usually a more expensive way to go too. You can find helmets with integrated bluetooths here – or headset-ready helmets here.

Onto weight. Modular helmets are on average 200g heavier than full face helmets. The C5 is around 1.6Kg if you buy it in a smaller shell size with larger helmets weighing around 1.8Kg. That’s about average weight for a modular so you shouldn’t have any problems there.

Schuberth C5s – in fact all Schuberth helmets – come with a 5 year warranty.

Overall/Summary

The Schuberth C5 is a nice looking helmet with some interesting features. In fact Schuberth has obviously worked hard to make a few nice touches around the C5 that’ll make it that bit easier to live with. Things like dual opening tabs on the visor, separate chin bar vents and the memory visor will all be welcomed by some touring riders.

Schuberth has certainly got the basics about right too. It’s around average weight for a modular – so no problem there – has a decent visor system, comes with a Pinlock and has a nice quick micrometric fastener.

Schuberth-C5-Master-graphic-black-orange-front-view — C5 Master in black/white/orange

Venting to your face and visor should be good too and it’s always handy to have a drop down sun visor in there, especially on a touring focused helmet.

It’s only made in two shell sizes and the internal fitting can only be tailored in certain sizes of the helmet (see comfort section above), which seems a bit of a weird thing for what is perceived as a premium helmet at a premium price.

But if you’re searching for a modern looking and well thought out modular helmet with integrated wiring for a decent bluetooth helmet – one that we expect will be on the quieter side of all modulars – then it’s undoubtedly worth considering a Schuberth C5.

Good Alternatives to the Schuberth C5?

agv-sport-modular-hi-viz-motorbike-helmet — AGV Sport Modular

You’ll find plenty of ideas for alternative modulars on our Top 10 modular helmets page, and our safest modular helmets page. But here’s a few other hand picked great performers…

The AGV SportModular is a four star safety rated carbon fibre modular designed to work particularly well with sportsbikes – though it’s fine for sports tourers too. It can be found for around the same price as the Schuberth C5 and features an optically correct visor, sun visor and comes with a Pinlock in the box. It’s a good bit lighter than the C5 too.

Nolan N100-5 consistency fuschia kiss motorcycle helmet side view — Nolan N100-5

The Nolan N100-5 is another SHARP 4 star rated modular (chin bar 100%) with P/J dual homologation, sun visor, Pinlock pre-installed and ready to rock the Nolan N-Com bluetooth.

AGV Compact ST Mono matt grey helmet side view — AGV Compact ST Mono

For a cheaper option, the AGV Compact ST has been around for a while though it still looks pretty fresh. It’s half the price of the C5 (it has a thermoplastic shell) but it’s still 4 star safety rated, has a micrometric fastener and comes with Pinlock in the box.

caberg-duke-2-modular-motorcycle-helmet-in-matt-gun-metal-side-view — Caberg Duke II

Finally, the Caberg Duke II is a rare beast. It’s cheap but it’s one of the few SHARP 5 star rated modular helmets. It’s lighter than the C5 too, it’s dual homologated, has a micrometric fastener and drop down sun visor. It even comes with a Pinlock in the box. Great value helmet that.

Other ways to find the Best Modular Helmet

If you're after a new modular/flip-up helmet, they've never been more popular and there's a ton of choice out there. You can find our latest top 10 modular helmets list here or check out all our modular helmet reviews here. You can also visit our Safest Modular Helmets page or our smart filters page where you can click the flip-up/modular check box then choose a few other features to find the best flip-up helmet for you.

Best places to buy a Schuberth C5?

Please click below to go straight through the Schuberth C5 helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from either, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Star Ratings

MCN Rating: Quality 4/5, Value 4/5

Biltwell Lane Splitter Review: SHARP 5 Star Retro Helmet. Cool, Safe, Basic.

Page Contents

Biltwell Lane Splitter retro motorcycle helmet review.

California-based Biltwell make just two full face helmets: the very retro Gringo and this very Simpson-inspired Lane Splitter.

The Lane Splitter’s aimed at road riders who want a mega stylish helmet but with a nod towards practicality. For that last point, it’s got a lockable clear visor, chin vents, double d ring strap along with some of the weather (and road) protection you get from a full face lid.

I say ‘some’ because you’ll have noticed those big chin bar vents? Well, they’re always open, so if it’s raining hard, let’s just say you won’t go thirsty.

Which gives you a hint at what the Biltwell Lane Splitter’s about.

Maybe don’t go expecting the last word in helmet performance or to be up there with some of the latest, non-retro full face helmets on the market. Because if you do, you might be disappointed… and missing the point.

The Lane Splitter’s more about offering a cool-looking and aggressive retro helmet that hits a sweet price point in the market for folks not necessarily wanting an all-singing all-dancing full face. But they do want it to look stylish.

So, now we’ve done the digging here’s the lowdown on what you can expect from the Biltwell Lane Splitter.

Polycarbonate full face helmet
SHARP 5 star safety rated (Maximum)
Double-D ring fastener
Optically correct visor
Always-open chin vents
1.4Kg (3.1lbs) – about average
2 year warranty
Expect to pay around £160-£190

Best places to buy a Biltwell Lane Splitter?

Please click below to visit the Biltwell Lane Splitter helmets pages at our recommended store and Amazon. 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).

biltwell lane splitter silver metallic motorcycle helmet front view — Front view of the Lane Splitter silver – those front vents are huge and always open

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

The Biltwell Lane Splitter has a polycarbonate ABS shell with what Biltwell call a urethane chin bar. Again that’s a plastic chin bar.

But don’t worry, polycarbonate and plastic helmets are some of the most rugged and best protecting helmets around. Essentially, it’s less about the material used but how well the helmet’s designed and manufacturered that seems to be the most important part (read our definitive guide to helmet safety).

If you buy your Lane Splitter, it’ll be both ECE 22.05 certified (UK/Eu) and DOT certified (US). Which means it’s met some pretty intense safety standards to ensure it’ll do a decent job in protecting you.

Biltwell Lane Splitter SHARP 8_5 ms test result — 8.5 m/s test results for the ECE Biltwell Lane Splitter courtesy of sharp.dft.gov.uk

And the great news is that early in ’22, the UK’s independent helmet safety testing labs took seven shop-bought Lane Splitters, pushed them through their 32 impact tests and awarded it maximum marks for safety. That’s a 5 star safety rating!

For a basic, reasonably priced polycarb helmet, that’s really very good going and means if you do have a spill, the Biltwell Lane Splitter should give as much protection as any helmet out there.

biltwell lane splitter factory motorcycle helmet side view — Side view of the Biltwell Lane Splitter Factory. Other side carries the graphics (see top picture)

OK, it’s fair to say that there is more to helmet safety than just a protective shell – and with the Lane Splitter, you won’t get more advanced safety features you might with some other helmets – stuff like proper anti-fog inserts or EQRS (though the visor is treated with their own anti-fog coating).

What it has got is an EPS polystyrene liner to absorb shock impact, a double-d ring fastener to keep it on your head and that visor is optically clear with a peg style lock to keep it closed.

But that’s about it. Like I say, reasonably basic.

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

OK, there’s a decent amount of padding inside the Lane Splitter plus it’s got a reasonably aerodynamic and smooth round shell.

But it’s also got always-open front vents in the chin bar and there’s mesh near the ears for speaker pockets.

On the road, most riders tend to find the Lane Splitter a bit noisy. Not deafening, just a bit noisier than most helmets. So if you’re looking for a helmet that’s quieter than most, you should probably check our quietest helmets pages.

And always make sure you wear a decent pair of ear plugs when you ride.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

biltwell lane splitter helmet in gloss copper side view — Fantastic Gloss Copper Lane Splitter. If you want ventilation round your head, open your visor!

Yep, you can see the ventilation on the Lane Splitter just by looking at the pictures. Or at least you can see most of it.

Those cool-looking chin bar vents are exactly that – very cooling for the bits of your face that sit behind them. And they’re cooling whatever the weather because they’re always open and there’s no way to close them off.

Which is fine if you live somewhere that’s always hot (it was designed in California remember), but not so much when you’re riding through a UK winter.

A couple of useful links…

– All our Retro Helmet Reviews –
– After a cool-looking helmet? –

Mind you, if you’re after a helmet to keep your head cool too – and not just your face – then the Lane Splitter’s maybe not such a good bet there…

biltwell lane splitter rusty butcher helmet rear view — Rear of the Rusty Butcher colourway. Says it all really…

There’s a slightly bizarre setup of ventilation grooves cut into the EPS lining and running front to back towards a rear exhaust vent, but without any front vent to let air in!

Not unless you keep the visor open anyhow.

It’s a slightly weird setup that we’ve really not seen before.

There will be some head-venting going on as some air will be pulled through by the exhaust and from around the head, but the word is that it’s not great for keeping your head cool. Face yes, head no.

Oh, it’s worth mentioning that those chin vents are not so great if you live anywhere there’s loads of bugs or rain because, according to owners, those vents will let the lot through. Yuk.

Visor

(more about visors)

That visor does all the basics reasonably well – it gives you some dirt and rain protection – and being a polycarb visor it’ll give you 95%+ UV protection too.

Biltwell have made it optically-clear as well, and a few owners have said it gives a nice, undistorted view of the road. They reckon it gives a nice wide field of vision too which is always good for shoulder checks and general all-round awareness of what’s on the road.

biltwell lane splitter flat red retro motorcycle helmet side view — Flat Red paint version – plus better view of the hole-and-peg visor lock

Other than that, it’s a basic sort of affair.

It’s fastened onto the helmet with a couple of cross head screws so if you want to swap it out for one of the several tint shades available, you’ll need a screwdriver.

Plus, like many visors that rely on screw fasteners, it can come loose and that means it’ll struggle to stay open and drop shut when you don’t want it to. In fact that’s one of the main bugbears from Lane Splitter owners.

Some say the detent when it’s fully open isn’t strong enough to keep the visor up either. And others reckon it comes loose too often. Either way, sounds like you’ll need to keep on top of the tightness of those screws to keep it working right.

There’s a simple peg locking mechanism to keep the visor shut – you know the type – a small (brass) peg sticking out of the helmet that sticks through a corresponding hole in the visor to keep it closed.

biltwell lane splitter flat black motorcycle helmet front view — Gloss Flat black version.

Well, it works OK to keep things shut but apparently it takes a certain type of knack to open it again without pushing your helmet up and across your face. Some folks have got the knack, others haven’t and say it’s a pain to use.

There’s a couple of other niggles that’re worth knowing.

The seal against water ingress ain’t that great, with a few riders saying it leaks when it’s raining. Also, it’s possible it needs handling carefully because a couple owners reported it scratches easily, even though it’s an antiscratch visor – could be that there was a slightly sub-par batch out there?

Again, the visor will do its job if you’re just after something to give you a bit of protection from time to time. But it’s not the all-singing, all-dancing kind of visor you’ll get on some of the best rated helmets out there.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

The Biltwell Lane Splitter is widely thought of as a comfortable helmet with a nice quality internal comfort lining that includes soft, moisture-wicking material. It’s fully removable and washable too, using velcro tabs to secure it in place, and it features speaker pockets in case you’re wanting to fit some sort of comms unit in there too.

biltwell lane splitter rusty butcher helmet interior view — Inside there’s a comfortable liner with double-d ring fastener

Having said that, a few riders have said the cutaways for speakers are a little too far back to place them right over your ears. I guess that might slightly depend on how your head’s laid out too – but on the plus side there’s plenty of external surface to side- or rim-mount your bluetooth controller on without any problem.

On the whole, sizing seems to be about right, so just measure your head then order the correct size helmet. That’s as long as your head’s not too long or round shaped, because the Lane Splitter is a kinda neutral shaped helmet – which should mean it’ll fit lots of people’s pretty well.

If you do find the fit’s not quite right for you, worry not because Biltwell does sell different sizes of cheekpads so, if it’s only slightly out, you can always tailor the fit by swapping pads.

biltwell lane splitter helmet safe-t yellow side view — If you wanna be seen, the Safe-T Yellow Lane Splitter is a good bet

Looks & Graphics

There’s a stack of nice retro-style colourways available for the Lane Splitter; most of em unusual solid colours that perfectly suit a retro ride. There’s flat reds, flat tan, a lovely gloss copper as well as some subtle metallics like silver, titanium and bronze. Oh, and that gloss blood red’s to die for.

There’s also a couple of hipster graphics like the rusty butcher and the plain black factory. But there’s sure to be more colours available – some old, some new – if you click through to our highly recommended stores below (thanks!)

Best places to buy a Biltwell Lane Splitter?

Please click below to visit the Biltwell Lane Splitter helmets pages at our recommended store and Amazon. 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).

Biltwell Lane Splitter Video

Here’s a 4m video (starting where he gets to the meat of the review) of a dude taking the Lane Splitter for a first 2h ride.

Other stuff – weight, aero, build quality, chin curtain, warranty

The Lane Splitter weighs in around 1.4Kg (3.1lbs) which is lighter than your average polycarbonate helmet but not mega light. Still, it’s light enough for one or two owners to say it feels light weight on the move and that’s all that counts.

Aero seems to be decent with folks saying it doesn’t lift at speed, though there are a couple of comments that turning your head sideways when you’re getting a move on can give a bit of air resistance due to the chin bar sticking out.

biltwell lane splitter bronze metallic retro helmet rear view — Photo doesn’t quite catch the subtle colour of the metallic bronze lane splitter

Even though it’s a relatively basic lid, lots of owners comment that it’s well built helmet that uses nice materials and has a quality finish to the paintwork. All important factors when you buy a new helmet so well done Biltwell.

Finally, the Biltwell Lane Splitter comes with a 2 year warranty.

Overall/Summary

Most folks really like their Lane Splitters because they looks so damn cool and don’t cost the earth. Which is a winning combo in most people’s books.

It’s a great helmet for cruising around but with the kind of protection you get from a full face. In fact, it should give you better protection than most full face helmets because it’s been awarded a maximum 5 star rating by the boys at SHARP in the UK so it’s a serious piece of kit.

biltwell lane splitter rusty butcher helmet worn — Here’s how you’ll look wearing the Rusty Butcher Lane Splitter…

Having said that, if you’re after a helmet that offers a ton of noise suppression or a watertight visor – then you might want to look elsewhere, because owners say there’s a few niggles going on – mainly regarding that visor it has to be said.

Overall though, Lane Splitters come at a really competitive price point and, like many retro helmets, half the reason to buy one is gonna be because of the looks. And with its super aggressive retro style and dynamite range of colourways, it’s definitely a great helmet to be seen with.

And now Biltwell has been proven to offer excellent protection, the Lane Splitter has just surged up our rankings and is well worth checking out if you’re in the market for a new full face helmet on a limited budget.

Good Alternatives to the Biltwell Lane Splitter

simpson venom gloss white motorcycle crash helmet front view — Simpson Venom

Retro helmets are becoming more and more popular – and better and better quality. I mean, why have a dull old regular lid when you can have something that better suits your ride and your style. So here’s a few of the standout helmets we’ve reviewed:

Of course we’ve gotta start off with a Simpson because they’re the guys who began this style of helmet. And the Simpson Venom is arguably the pick of the crop if you’re after a helmet that works like a modern helmet on the road. The Venom has a quality visor system, drop down sun visor, it’s SHARP 4 star safety rated (EU version) and has a Pinlock ready visor. It’s a quality modern helmet with Simpson’s famous retro style.

Bell eliminator rally crash helmet orange black front view — Bell Eliminator in Rally graphics

Bell’s Eliminator comes in fibreglass or carbon shelled versions, has an optically correct visor with ProVision antifog as standard. Looks mean too.

Bell-Moto3-black-silver-blue-stripes-helmet-side-view — Bell Moto-3 Stripes

Finally, if you’re after a retro helmet that works with goggles, the Bell Moto 3 is the original 1970’s motocross lid made modern. It super comfy and comes with Bell’s 5 year warranty.

Best places to buy a Biltwell Lane Splitter?

Please click below to visit the Biltwell Lane Splitter helmets pages at our recommended store and Amazon. 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.

Star Ratings

Nolan’s N80-8; full face polycarb all-rounder helmet.

The Nolan N80-8 is the successor to the Nolan N87 – a well liked, well specced polycarb all rounder full face helmet that was pretty much the staple of the Nolan range.

And while the N80-8 has a similar look and vibe, it’s actually a substantially redesigned lid.

nolan n80-8 50th mandrake white black red helmet front view — Nolan N80-8 in Mandrake graphics

It’s still got a polycarbonate shell though, and it’s got pretty well all the same features as the N87 – which is a good thing. And it’s still on the market at a competive price point: around the £200 mark – or maybe a smidge over if you go for graphics rather than plain.

If you’re after a good value all-rounder then, and aren’t put off by the fact it’s a plastic helmet rather than fibre or carbon (which you shouldn’t be because the outgoing N87 scored an excellent 4/5 stars for safety when SHARP tested it), then read on as we pick apart the N80-8 to see what it offers.

All rounder full face helmet
Polycarbonate shell
ECE 22.06 certified
EQRS
ESS (optional)
Sun visor
Pinlock included
2 shell sizes
Fitment sizes XXS-XXXL
1.5Kg (about avg for a full face)
Expect to pay £180-£220

Best places to buy a Nolan N80-8?

Please click below to drop straight onto the Nolan N80-8 helmets pages at our recommended retailers. 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).

Page Contents

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

OK, we love it when a helmet’s been SHARP tested because it makes sussing out whether it’s really protective very easy.

Unfortunately, the Nolan N80-8 hasn’t been SHARPed yet; though the old N87 – that had a similar spec – scored a thoroughly decent four stars out of five.

nolan n80-8 flat matt black motorcycle helmet rear view — Flat black version of the N80-8

The new N80-8 is ECE 22.06 certified though, so it’s undergone slightly more stringent mandatory pre-sale testing than the old helmet which was to the old ECE 22.05 standard. And of course, the Nolan Brand has always had a great history of making some of the most protective helmets you can buy.

They’ve never actually made it to the top of our ‘best protecting helmet brands‘ list but, at the time of writing, they’re at a very respectable mid-table and none of their tested helmets has ever scored less than four stars out of five when SHARP’s tested it – which is obviously an amazing achievement!

Testing and certification aside, it has a raft of features that you’d look out for when trying to buy a well protecting helmet.

It’s a polycarbonate shelled helmet that’s available in two shell sizes. That number ain’t particularly great as it means it’ll probably not be overly-well optimised for your head. Generally, you’d prefer a helmet to be made in 3 or more sizes for a better optimised fit.

The smallest of the N80-8 shells fits head sizes XXS-M and the largest, sizes L-XXXL, meaning Nolan has to either pad-out or under-pad most helmets a little to make them work for different sized heads – and that probably ain’t ideal for looks, fitment or protection.

You might notice the word ‘Lexan’ on the side of the N80-8?

nolan n80-8 staple black yellow crash helmet side view — This one’s the Staple graphic Nolan N80-8. Notice sun visor slider, nicely placed along the bottom edge

Nolan – and a few other helmet makers – shout a bit about it being Lexan polycarbonate, in relation to either the shell or visor. But what is it?

well, Lexan is simply a trade name for the polycarbonate made by Sabic, a state-owned Saudi chemical company. So I’m not entirely sure why they shout about it!

As far as my research shows, it’s a pretty standard material with no special characteristics over and above regular non-branded polycarbonates, so maybe it’s just the helmet makers trying to make it look better than it actually is by slapping the name on the helmet and their marketing materials? If anyone out there knows better, then please put it in the comments and I’ll share it with the world!

What the Nolan N80-8 does have in terms of safety-related equipment is: quick release cheek pads (EQRS), a wide visor fitted with a Pinlock antifog (Pinlock incuded in the price), a sun visor, metal micrometric 2 fastener and the option to fit an emergency stop light (ESS) on the back of the helmet.

All those things are good for safety as well as making for a more user-friendly helmet.

Given Nolan’s track record, we’d very much expect the Nolan N80-8 to score 4 stars for safety were SHARP to test it, so we’d expect it to give overrall very good levels of protection.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

Like the old N87, the Nolan N80-8 has Nolan’s AirBooster technology. I wouldn’t get too excited though as it’s just a fairly regular type of ventilation system with a fancy name.

nolan-n80-8-Starscream-black-red-motorcycle-helmet-rear-view — Rear exhausts and top vent button visible on this Nolan N80-8 Starscream

Essentially, air enters the helmet through that large crown vent, circulates around the head through channels in the polystyrene EPS liner before exiting via the pair of exhaust vents at the top and bottom rear of the helmet.

Nolan has put some decent sized holes and a mesh panel in the comfort liner though, which is important to let the air get through to your head.

That top vent can be closed off if it gets too chilly too, using a small but pretty glove-friendly slider on the top. Likewise, the chin bar vent can be opened or closed, this time that whole central panel slides up or down (making it very easy to use in gloves) and takes air into the chin area and rear of the visor to help with demisting.

It’s all a tried and tested system of venting that you’ll find on most helmets these days and, if it’s anything like the system on the N87, should be well up to the job. Couple it with a Pinlock on the back of your visor too and fogging should be kept well under control.

Visor

(more about visors)

The main visor on the N80-8 is designed to be nice and wide for good peripheral vision. There’s a single opening tab at the centre/bottom, which is good because it means you can open the visor with either hand, and it’s a quick release visor for easy removal when you want to swap it out or clean it.

A couple of useful links…

– All our mid price helmets –
– Pinlock-ready helmets only –

It should come with a Pinlock anti-fog insert in the box too – but double check when buying as Nolan say it’s ‘sector dependent’ which I’m guessing means depending on the country. In the UK it should be in the box.

nolan n80-8 classic slate grey motorbike helmet side view — Visor’s wide, quick-change and comes with a Pinlock. All good there then.

Nolan’s Pinlock pins are slightly adjustable for tension by adjusting the actual pins on the visor, so if you’ve ever had a problem fitting one before (personally, I haven’t) it might be of interest as you can fit the Pinlock and then tighten it in-situ.

Sun Visor

(more about sun visors)

There’s a handy drop-down sun visor fitted to the Nolan N80-8. It’s operated by a slider on the bottom left of the helmet and it’s spring loaded too. Spring loading means you can slide the sun visor down and when you want to put it back up again, you just press a button and because it’s spring-loading, it’ll auto-retract.

Spring loaded sun visors are great at first but the spring can tire over time, meaning you end up with the bottom edge of the sun visor in your view. It’s not a massive problem if it happens – and there’s not guarantee that it will happen with the N80-8 (we won’t know until it’s been on the market for a while), but it’s maybe something to consider if you’re thinking about buying one.

Like the main visor, the sun visor’s made of polycarbonate. Again, Nolan’s keen to point out that it’s a Lexan sun visor (and…?) but one useful point to note is that they say it gives UV 400 protection which is the highest you can get.

Of course all polycarbonate visors give pretty thorough UV protection (always over 95%) but not all manufacturers test it and advertise the exact levels of protection theirs offer so cheers for that Nolan – always good to know.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

The Nolan N80-8 has Nolan’s Clima Comfort liner which is a fairly standard sort of liner but now is eco friendlier, made from 100% recovered fibres ‘sourced from the post consumer recovery of nylon’. Consider the planet saved 🙂

nolan n80-8 50th anniversary motorcycle helmet top view — Top view of the 50th Anniversary graphic Nolan N80-8 (front is bottom of the picture)

Still, every little helps and I’m sure it’s something we’re gonna see more of in the future.

Clima Comfort liners also have a panel of mesh and ventilation holes to let air get to your head more easily.

Nolan internals are usually well thought out and comfortable places to put your bonce. For the N80-8, that means you’ve got a fully removable and washable lining, this time with reversable cheek pads.

The reversable part means, if you wear glasses, you can pull the cheek pads out, pull off the cover, remove a strip of padding, shove them back in the reverse way round and you’ve got glasses grooves in there to make fitting and wearing your glasses more comfortable.

Those cheek pads are also EQRS or emergency quick release compatible, so you can tug on the tabs at the bottom of the helmet and they should slide out, helping paramedics and the like get your helmet off more easily.

Hopefully you’ll never need them but you might as well have them in your helmet these days as there’s really no downside.

There’s also a slight bit of adjustability to the fitment of the liner – something Nolan call LPC or liner positioning control – where you can adjust a plastic strip to tighten the liner up a bit if you find the fitments not right. It’s not strictly there to make the helmet tighter or looser on the head but to adjust the way the helmet sits when it’s on. So, if you find the top of the visor too low, for example, you could tighten up the LPC to raise it up a bit.

It’s a handy system and gives that little bit more control that some riders might find useful.

All in all, inside the helmet’s got more or less everything you’d want to find in a modern full face helmet, so all good here.

Looks & Graphics

nolan n80-8 astute grey red motorbike helmet front view — Astute grey N80-8. In fact most graphics seem to be variants of black or grey with a hint of colour.

Most of the graphics that come on the N80-8 are dark with a flash of colour. There’s the Ally, the Thunderbolt, Powerglide, Astute and Staple that do this – a few with a touch of hi viz on there, if you’re looking to get noticed a bit.

Slightly more flambouyant are the Mandrake and Starscream graphics. And if you want a plain helmet, called Classic in Nolan’s line-up, you can choose from gloss white, black or grey, or matt black or grey.

As always, you can see any new graphics or colourways that become available by clicking on the links below that’ll take you straight to their Nolan N80-8 pages.

Best places to buy a Nolan N80-8 helmet?

Please click below to drop straight onto the Nolan N80-8 helmets pages at our recommended retailers. And if you buy from either, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Nolan N80-8 Video

Here’s Sportsbikeshop’s 7m review of the Nolan N80-8.

Other stuff – fasteners, bluetooth, warranty

The N80-8 has a metal micrometric 2 fastener. Micrometrics are particularly easy to use (compared to the old double-d rings) and safe as houses. Just make sure you do it up tightly and double check the strap adjustment from time to time as the ratchet bar will only adjust to a certain extent before you have to adjust the strap.

If you’re looking to fit a bluetooth headset, the N80-8 is designed to integrate with a Nolan N-com system (B902L, B902R and B601R systems). Nolan’s bluetooth kits aren’t usually quite as ‘integrated‘ as some other manufacturer’s integrations, but there’s speaker pockets, wiring grooves and fitting packs available for the helmets to make a nice neat job.

Even though the N80-8’s a relatively inexpensive helmet, it’s backed by Nolan’s 5 year manufacturing warranty which is about as good as they get.

Overall/Summary

The Nolan N80-8 looks to be a fitting successor the the N87, which was one of Nolan’s top selling helmets.

nolan-n80-8-n-com-powerglide-black-gold-crash-helmet-side-view — Powerglide graphic N80-8 in profile.

Why? Well, it’s available at a sensible middle of the road price point and it packs a lot of punch for the money.

It’s got a nice, modern design too, though that’s down to opinion. What’s not is the fact that it’s got a useful visor system that’s wider than average for improved peripheral vision and backed with an (included) Pinlock antifog. That in turn is backed by a drop down sun visor which will always come in handy.

It should have decent ventilation with both vents being glove friendly. And it’s all held on the head using a metal micrometric ratchet strap. Dead easy to use and saves us having to fiddle around with d-rings which can be a pain.

OK, it’s a plastic helmet, but Nolan’s reputation for safety is excellent and we reckon it’ll provide very good protection in an accident, based on their history of every helmet so far scoring 4/5 stars when tested by SHARP.

All in all then, you get a lot of helmet for not very much outlay with the Nolan N80-8 and is well worth a look if you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive but fully-featured full face helmet.

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 Nolan N80-8?

scorpion exo 1400 air carbon helmet pure red side view — Scorpion Exo 1400 Air carbon

Here’s a selection of helmets you might want to check out if you’re looking for a mid-priced full face helmet that’ll work well AND provide great protection.

The Scorpion Exo 1400 Air is Scorpion’s top flight sports touring helmet. It comes in composite or carbon versions, it’s SHARP 4 star safety rated and it’s great value for a great looking, hi-tech lid.

Arai Profile V

Or how about the Arai Profile V? Yes, it’s more expensive than the Nolan or the Scorpion, but you get that extra hand-built Arai cachet – and it’s a great full face, designed to be easier to get on and off and scoring 4 SHARP stars for safety.

airoh-valor-matt-solid-black-motorbike-helmet-front-view — Airoh Valor

If money’s one of your key considerations but you still want high quality protection, then the Airoh Valor‘s well worth a look. It’s a thermoplastic SHARP 5 star rated helmet with a wide, Pinlock-ready visor. Insert’s not included, but then what do you expect for so little dosh?!

AGV-K3-SV-motorcycle-crash-helmet-gloss-white — AGV K3 SV

Finally, if you want the brand name but only want to pay similar money to the Nolan, how about the AGV K3 SV (or SVS or whatever they’re calling the latest version!). The SV is SHARP 4 star, has great ventliation, sun visor, and Pinlock in the box. Well worth a look.

Other full face helmets?

We've got lots of other ways you can find your ideal full face helmet. You can check out our Top 10 full-face crash helmets list to see our best rated helmets or head over to our Smartish Filters pages and zoom in on helmets with your 'must have' features. You can browse through all our full face crash helmet reviews as well as our safest motorcycle helmets page where you'll only find helmets that are SHARP four or five star rated - so you'll know you're wearing the best protection out there. Finally, check out our helmet gallery to find a lid that takes your fancy.

Best places to buy a Nolan N80-8?

Please click below to drop straight onto the Nolan N80-8 helmets pages at our recommended retailers. 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).

Airoh Mathisse flip-front motorcycle helmet updated

Page Contents

Airoh Mathisse modular updated for 2022 – now with P/J certification, sun visor and Pinlock.

Italian helmet brand, Airoh, are known for making a range of competitively priced lids – from polycarbonate street helmets all the way up to carbon fibre FIM certified racing helmets.

airoh mathisse flip up helmet gloss white side view — Side view of the Mathisse gloss white in full face mode

The newly-updated Airoh Mathisse is definitely towards the lower end of the price range, formed in thermoplastic but designed to have most of the bells and whistles that the modern rider might be looking for in their street modular helmet.

The older Mathisse RS was poorly rated by SHARP when they tested it aeons ago – scoring just 2 stars for safety and giving the chin bar 83% (that’s the % it stayed locked during testing) which ain’t exactly great (you might want to check out our article on the best-protecting modular helmets).

And while we won’t know how well the new Mathisse will do until it’s tested, we do know that they’ve scored an avg of 3.5 stars for safety to date with their chin bars scoring on avg just shy of 80%.

That said, the Mathisse does offer a lot for the money.

Thermoplastic flip-up helmet
Micrometric fastener
2 Shell sizes
Pinlock anti-fog included
Drop down sun visor
Class 1 optically correct visor
Weighs around 1.7Kg (about average for a modular)
Sizes XS-XXL
Expect to pay £199-£240

Best places to buy an Airoh Mathisse Helmet?

Please click below to drop straight onto the Airoh Mathisse helmets pages at either of our recommended stores. And if you buy from one of them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

airoh mathisse matt black front view — Front view of the matt black Mathisse showing new wider visor

In addition to that lot, one of the great features of the Mathisse is its ability to pivot that chin bar right round to the back of the helmet where there’s a lock to make sure it stays put.

That makes for a proper open face feeling when riding. And unlike some modulars that can’t be used on the road with the chin bar up, the Mathisse is dual or P/J homologated, meaning that it’s legal to ride in open face mode.

There’s a few other helmets out that let you pivot the chin bar round to the back of the helmet (like the Shark Evo ES or LS2 Valliant) but it’s a great feature and means you don’t have a weighty chin bar loitering just above your view line and weighting your helmet weirdly when riding making it feel a little unbalanced.

Airoh say they’ve designed the Mathisse to have a wide visor opening for improved peripheral vision too. They’ve also added a class 1 optically correct visor in there to keep distortion to a minimum, and they’ve added a Pinlock to the visor to keep it all mist free – and the Pinlock’s included in the box, which is always nice.

airoh mathisse darkgrey flip up motorbike helmet — Airoh Mathisse in dark grey showing chin bar fully rotated and locked into position.

A couple of useful links…

– All our modular helmet reviews –
– Best protecting modulars on the market –

Inside the Mathisse, the liner’s removable and washable and it’s hypoallergenic too. There’s multipoint ventilation – through the chin bar (which also ventilates the inside of the visor) and a crown vent to get air around the head.

airoh mathisse bronze helmet rear view — The matt bronze Mathisse from the rear.

If you’re looking to put a bluetooth headset into your helmet, the Mathisse is actually designed from the ground up to accommodate their own bluetooth headset (no word on which one so far unfortunately).

If you’d rather fit your own bluetooth headset, that might be a bit trickier since the chin bar moves and the surface is highly moulded with the sun visor slider on the bottom edge of the lid making it tricky to clamp mount.

On the plus side, it’s got speaker pockets inside and there are removable panels to help you route the cabling and mount your microphone.

Airoh Mathisse Video

Here’s the slightly bizarre official video for the Mathisse.

So far so good. The Airoh Mathisse looks like it’ll be a decent stab at making a great all-rounder modular helmet with a wide range of useful features at a reasonably low price point.

Of course, there’s heaps of choice out there for a great modular helmet, so here’s some tried and tested modulars you might also want to take a look at.

Good Alternatives to the Airoh Mathisse?

First up, take a look at Nolan’s N100-5. It’s a SHARP 4 star rated flip up helmet that costs around the same as the Airoh. It’s got a 100% chin bar too and if you’re looking for an integrated bluetooth, the N100-5’s designed to take Nolan’s N-Com kit.

hjc c90 modular helmet metallic silver side view — Metallic Silver HJC C90

If you’re on a budget, how about the HJC C90? SHARP 4 star safety rated, sun visor – it’s pretty basic but it’s also half the price of the Mathisse.

We often recommend the Caberg Duke II – that’s because it’s great value and because it’s SHARP 5 star safety rated. It’s lighter than the Mathisse and comes with a Pinlock too.

Other ways to find the Best Modular Helmet

If you're after a new modular/flip-up helmet, they've never been more popular and there's a ton of choice out there. You can find our latest top 10 modular helmets list here or check out all our modular helmet reviews here. You can also visit our Safest Modular Helmets page or our smart filters page where you can click the flip-up/modular check box then choose a few other features to find the best flip-up helmet for you.

Best places to buy an Airoh Mathisse Helmet?

Please click below to visit the Airoh Mathisse helmets pages at either of our recommended stores. And if you buy from one of them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

100% Simpson style but without the price tag: Simpson Speed Bandit Review.

Page Contents

Simpson Speed review: Simpson’s entry level polycarb motorcycle helmet.

You want a Simpson helmet but you don’t want to pay what Simpson helmets usually cost? Well, the great news for Simpson fans is that the Simpson Speed gives you all that genuine Simpson look but at a lower price.

simpson-speed-bandit-helmet-gloss-white-side-view — Solid white Simpson Speed

That’s because the Simpson Speed (Speed Bandit in the US) is their entry-level, polycarbonate helmet. Designed to look – let’s be honest – the same as the rest of their range, but by using lower priced materials they can cut a chunk off the price, helping it come a bit closer in price to similar helmets like the Icon Airform.

OK, so the price tag’s lower, but what about the performance – has that been cut too?

You can read about the features of the Simpson Speed all across the web as well as down below.

But we’ve also checked out what owners think too (primarily from the US Speed Bandit because it was launched a year ago over there), so if you buy one, you’ll hopefully know if it’ll work great or leave you wanting.

Polycarbonate full face helmet
Double-D ring fastener
Always open vents
Made in 3 shells
ECE versions & DOT (US)
1.5Kg (3.3lbs) about avg for a full face
Fitment sizes XS-XXL
Expect to pay around £200

Best places to buy a Simpson Speed?

Please click below to visit the Simpson Speed 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

Most folks are buying the Simpson Speed because it’s got that great retro look of a Simpson, coupled with a lower price. And if that’s your criteria, you’ll probably be a very happy bunny.

Sure, you can get more bang for your buck elsewhere (check out great alternatives at the bottom of the page for starters) including some that are highly rated by SHARP for safety.

simpson-speed-bandit-motorcycle-helmet-matte-black-front-view — Matt black version. Note, all helmets come with clear visors

But if you love the Simpson look, then the Speed is also a comfy lid with a great visor system which makes for a good all rounder motorcycle helmet.

And it’s especially awesome if you’re wanting a helmet that let’s in a stack of air, because the Speed vents really well.

Just beware that it vents really well if it’s cold and if it’s raining outside too, because those vents are always venting whether you want them to or not.

All in all though, it’s a solid performer and a decent lower-cost way to buy into some of that Simpson helmet chic.

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

OK, if you’re looking for a Simpson helmet that’s got a proven safety record, you’re probably best looking at the Simpson Venom because that’s the only Simpson that’s SHARP tested (4 Stars).

As for the Speed, it’s ECE 22.05 if you buy in Europe, so should give at least a decent minimum level of protection. But beyond that it’s really anyone’s guess how well it’ll protect.

Simpson have been around a long while of course so they should know how to make a good protecting helmet. It’s just that until it’s been independently tested by someone like SHARP (or Snell in the US) it’s impossible to say.

What we can say is that polycarbonate shelled helmets – while they’re at the cheaper end of the market because they’re easier and cheaper to manufacture – they can make for some great performing helmets.

And while they might not have the same style and kudos as the Speed, helmets like the HJC C70 and AGV K3 SVS are both budget polycarbonate full face helmets that score well in SHARP safety ratings too – so you know you’re getting some of the best protection out there.

Back to the Speed: Simpson’s added a tried-and-tested double-d ring fastener on there and a few Speed owners say they’ve made the visor nice and wide for great peripheral vision, which is always great to see.

It’s also made in three different shell sizes, meaning that the physical size of the helmet will be more optimized for the fitment size – which is great for the look of the helmet as well as improving protection.

Other than that, it’s quite a basic helmet but one which should offer at least a similar level of protection to other ECE helmets.

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

According to Speed owners, it’s about average for helmet noise.

As far as we can tell, it tends to be more laid back riders coming from open face helmets or who cruise behind big fairings that tend to rate is as pretty quiet. Whereas faster riders on naked bikes are more likely to rate it as a noisy helmet.

But then, that’ll probably go for most helmets, right?

Overall, expect it to be about average quietness for a full face lid, and hopefully you’ll be pleasantly surprised. And if you find it noisy, stick in some good quality ear plugs and all should be well – or check out one of these quietest motorcycle helmets.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

The Simpson marketing blurb makes a big noise about the ‘speed brow’ on the Speed.

simpson-speed-bandit-helmet-top-vents — Top vents tucked away in the ‘Speed Brow’. Note: they’re always open.

You see something similar on several Simpson helmets – basically they’re ridges along the brow of the helmet which I guess help give rigidity and strength to the helmet shell but also, in the case of the Speed, helps push air into the helmet for ventilation.

There’s a couple of venting holes inside the speed brow and Simpson reckons the brow shape creates something called a venturi effect, reducing pressure inside the helmet to pull and speed up air through the helmet, so improving ventilation.

That air then enters internal ventilation grooves inside the helmet which match with venting holes inside the comfort liner to let air circulate around your head.

Plus, there’s a single exhaust vent at the back/bottom of the helmet to let that hot and moist air escape.

A couple of useful links…

– All our Simpson helmet reviews –
– Find a great Retro or Cool looking helmet –

The great news is that owners universally say it works well. A ton of air gets into the helmet from the top vents, and a ton of air gets into the front of the helmet through those six chin bar vents too.

So that’s job done. If you’re after a great venting helmet, then the Simpson Speed delivers. Which is excellent…

…unless, that is, if you ride somewhere cold or rainy – because those vents are always open, so they work whether you’re in a Texan summer or a Wrexham winter.

Visor

(more about visors)

The visor system on the Speed works well.

It comes with a regular clear visor in the box – so don’t be fooled by the pictures – although there are a range of coloured visors available – smoke, yellow etc. But like all helmets, the Speed’s shipped with a clear visor only.

simpson-speed-bandit-helmet-gloss-white-front-view — Note visor lock near pivot. It’s Pinlock ready too (Pinlock is extra)

It’s a quick release visor too – which makes it super easy to swap out or take it off for cleaning. And there’s a visor lock on there to lock the visor closed if you take it on the track.

The opening tab is on the left – that’s handy if you only open your visor with your left hand. My preference is for a center tab so you can open it with your right hand too – so when you’re holding the clutch in for example – but then I guess that’d ruin the look of a Simpson a little?

The visor has some solid opening detents – which means you can open the visor to four positions and the strength of the ratchet should mean it’ll hold there until you reach silly speeds.

And according to Speed owners, it’s a nice wide visor opening too, meaning you get lots of peripheral vision to help with shoulder checks and improving safety.

The visor’s the same one as in the Venom – so if you’re ever looking for a replacement, you could check those out too.

Oh, and if you need a helmet with an anti-fog system, the Speed’s visor is Pinlock ready. There isn’t a Pinlock included in the box but you can buy one for a few quid and that should solve all your visor fogging woes.

All in all, it’s a decent visor system with no real problems reported.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

Comfort inside the Speed is reported as very good.

It has a fully removable/washable hypoallergenic interior lining and it’s designed to fit medium oval shaped heads: that’s most of us.

There aren’t glasses grooves in there (if you’re a glasses wearer, you might wanna check out our ‘best helmets for glasses wearers‘ page) but there are pockets in the cheek pads for headset speakers.

There’s also plenty of space in that chin bar area to comfortably mount a boom mic and we’ve seen several people successfully fit a bluetooth headset – including sets from Sena and Interphone.

It’s not the most luxurious interior ever, but it’s a comfortable place to put your head according to Speed owners. Sizing’s about true too, so measure your head and buy the correct size and it should be about right – though you should always buy from a store who offer no quibble returns/refunds but note: don’t remove the tags or stickers before you’re happy the size is correct for you or they won’t accept returns.

Use our helmet fitting guide to know how to correctly find your size, then use our recommended store (below) who offer no quibble returns.

Looks & Graphics

Like all Simpsons, it’s a stunning looking and timeless helmet that should suit a wide range of rides. And like all Simpsons, there’s a limited range of colourways available – essentially just a couple of blacks and a solid white. That’s it.

Best places to buy a Simpson Speed?

Please click below to visit the Simpson Speed 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).

Simpson Speed Video

Here’s a useful 7m comparison between the Speed Bandit (US version of the Speed) and the Biltwell Lane Splitter.

Other stuff – weight, build quality

At 1.5Kg (3.3lbs), the Speed is just a smidge over the average weight for a full face helmet. That means you shouldn’t have a problem with the weight – and in fact we found many owners feel their Speed’s a nice and light weight helmet when they’re riding, so that’s all good.

Onto build quality – generally it’s good, though one or two owners said they could feel where Simpson’s cut corners in the materials used – such as lower quality internals or maybe the way some of the components are finished.

There’s a built in breath guard but they’ve left out a chin curtain too – which is going to make it a bit more drafty and noisier helmet. I guess it’s what Simpson’s had to do to deliver the helmet to a budget.

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 Simpson Speed?

If you love the style of the Simpson Speed, you might want to check out our reviews of other cool retro helmets or jump on over to our Simpson Helmets review page. If not, here’s a selection of some of the best performing, coolest-looking standout helmets.

The Nexx X.G100R is a composite fibre (carbon available) retro full face lid with an optically correct visor. The ECE version scored a great 4 star SHARP safety rating too and it’s lighter than the Simpson.

Bell Helmets‘ retro lid is the Bell Eliminator. It’s fantastic looking,

Bell eliminator spectrum black chrome motorcycle helmet front view — The Bell Eliminator Spectrum

lighter than the polycarb Speed and available in both carbon and fibreglass versions. It’s a bit pricier tho.

simpson mod bandit helmet gloss white front view — Solid white Mod Bandit

So too is the Simpson Darksome – the same great Simpson look but in a modular helmet. Like most modulars, it’s a bit noisier but you get the convenience of a flip-front helmet and a drop down sun visor too. The entry level version has a composite fibre shell or you can upgrade a little to a carbon fibre version.

If you’re looking for the best protection, check our Safest helmets pages that include SHARP 4 & 5 star helmets.

Best places to buy a Simpson Speed?

Please click below to visit the Simpson Speed 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).

Star Ratings

Sena match Cardo by Introducing Quantum – with Harmon Kardon speakers

Earlier this year, Cardo Systems definitely stole a march on Sena by teaming up with speaker gurus, JBL, to offer a range of motorcycle intercoms with fantastic sound.

So now, and in a totally predictable move (and one that’s great for us riders), Sena has done a deal with Harman Kardon to fit their high quality speakers and mics into Sena’s latest range of headsets. Hopefully meaning that their latest range will offer similarly fantastic audio…

Until you ride above 30mph that is, and the wind starts to drown all the nuance out of your hifi quality audio kit – but there’s not much we can do about that part! But I digress…

If you’re not familiar with Harman Kardon, they’re best known for their car stereos. And they make some fantastic kit – including the setup I’ve got in my car actually so I can vouch for the quality of their gear.

So how’s it affecting the Sena range of motorcycle Intercoms?

First up, their 50 range of intercoms; namely the 50S and 50R will have the HK treatment. They’ve also lobbed HK speakers/mic into the 50C, which is their top of the range 50 bluetooth headset with a 4K camera.

And they’ve also included Harman Kardon speakers/mics into their Impulse and Stryker helmets (we’re gonna have to look over those in the not too distant).

Quantum what?

You might see that Sena talk about Quantum series. That’s just a fancy name they’ve decided to call all and any devices they make using Harman Kardon speakers or mics inside – whether just a headset or integrated helmet.

But note – the Quantum series from Sena isn’t out until early 2022 so if you must have the best quality motorbike bluetooth headset going and have it right now – then you might want to check out the Cardo Packtalk series which have fantstic audio (by JBL) already.

Again, the slower you ride and the bigger your fairing, the better quality your auditory experience is gonna be. Meaning if you ride over the ton on a naked bike – just dont expect to be able to perceive the delicacies of its high-end or the detail of its mids until you park up!

Also, when the Quantum series are out and you’re looking to buy one, just make sure you search for the product name and always double check it’s the one with Harman Kardon speakers, in case they’re still trying to shift old stock that doesn’t have the swanky HK speakers fitted.

Quality alternatives to the Sena Quantum range?

We’ve reviewed one or two bluetooth headsets now.

The Cardo Packtalk Bold or Black are generally regarded as the best motorcycle headsets out there at the moment. They’re more or less the same headset, bar the colour. They’re not cheap, they’re rather large but they do have lots of features including Mesh & bluetooth modes along with high quality JBL speakers.

You might also want to check out our pages full of helmets that have been designed from the ground up to accommodate bluetooth headsets – on our Integrated headsets pages.

Slightly less integrated are communicator-ready helmets. These are helmets that we’ve reviewed and are known for working pretty well with 3rd party/universal motorcycle bluetooth kits. They include spaces to mount the main unit on the outside of the helmet along with space inside for speakers.

AGV X101 1970s retro Dakar inspired motorcycle helmet review

Page Contents

Review of AGV’s basic but cool Dakar inspired Retro MX helmet: the AGV X101.

As you might have noticed, there’s quite a move towards retro helmets going on. AGV were towards the vanguard with their Ago-inspired X3000 retro racing lid which gave proper levels of performance as well as really looking the part.

AGV X101 mono white retro motocross helmet front view — Front view of the mono white X101

And now, they’ve gone all Paris-Dakar on us with the latest of their Legends range of helmets.

Like the X3000, the X101 is thoroughly retro but designed to offer decent protection. And just like the original 70’s helmets, it’s still very much a basic no-nonsense helmet with its old style d-ring fastener, no speaker pockets – and no visor even (but then it is a crosser helmet).

So, if all that back to basics appeals, here’s the lowdown on AGV’s X101.

Retro Paris-Dakar inspired motocross helmet
Fibreglass Shell
No visor – goggles required
ECE and DOT (US) versions available
Double D ring fastener
Medium oval fitment
Around 1.3Kg (2.9lbs)
Sizes XS-XXL
Expect to pay £250-£290

Best places to buy an AGV X101?

Please click below to visit the AGV X101 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

Looking at the AGV X101 you probably know exactly what you’re gonna get. There’s no hidden bells and whistles with this retro lid, just a good quality, back to basics, Dakar motocross inspired retro lid.

AGV X101 dust dakar retro motocross helmet side view — Dust graphic X101. Standard ‘off road’ peak can be swapped with shorty peak or other 3 stud peaks.

Which, if you’re thinking of buying one, probably means you’ve already thought about all the downsides: there’s no visor so you’ll have to stick in some goggles; it’s windy and noisy, there’s no speaker pockets and no fancy stuff like EQRS or integrated comms.

And if that doesn’t put you off, then you should probably go for it. Because the AGV X101 is properly authentic and it does all the basics right. It’s comfortable, well built, has a useful peak, fits pretty well all goggles and owners rate it highly.

That’s your lot. And as long as you’re prepared for getting rain in your face and not looking upwards above 85 (unless you fancy a walk to retrieve your peak from the road) you and your X101 should live (and ride) happily ever after.

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

Potentially, one of the great things about buying a modern retro helmet is that you can have all the kudos of an old style helmet but one that’s made with modern tech, so you’ll know it’ll stand up to a proper hammering and give all the protection of a modern lid. Potentially.

AGV X101 mono matt black retro motorcycle helmet rear — Matt black AGV X101. Smooth and round without any nasty vents cluttering things up!

The problem with the AGV X101 is that it’s tricky to work out quite how protective it’s going to be.

Of course, it’s ECE certified so it’ll offer at least a regulated minimum level of protection, but beyond that, there’s not much to go on. That’s because when a helmet hasn’t been independently safety tested (the X101 hasn’t) we usually look back through SHARP testing data to find out how similar helmets have faired.

AGV’s opted to make the shell of the X101 out of good old fibreglass. Using fibreglass on its own is pretty retro these days as mid-priced helmets and up are usually a bit more of a complex composite adding materials like aramid and carbon into the mix.

SHARP don’t often get to test pure fibreglass AGVs very often, so direct comparisons aren’t that straightforward. But having said that, whenever a fibreglass AGV helmet has been SHARP tested in the past, it’s always scored either four or five stars.

And actually, the same goes for every AGV helmet tested ever (bar one very old one which scored 3). Which of course is an AMAZING performance!

AGV X101 multi dakar retro motocross helmet — Dakar 87 graphic looks like it’ll be one of the most popular.

So while we can’t be 100% sure, we’d expect the AGV X101 to give a similar excellent level of protection – we’d guess at around a SHARP four star rating if they were to test it.

That’s even despite the X101 being a very basic helmet in terms of features. There’s no visor, no quick release interior (EQRS), nowhere to push speakers inside and only an old style double-d ring fastener (though these are as safe as they come).

But should the worst happen and you hit the deck while riding, we’d expect the AGV 101 to do the business and give you decent impact protection.

And whenever SHARP gets around to testing it – which hopefully they will – we’ll add the test results to this page straight away.

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

Except for in the chin bar, there aren’t any vents in the actual shell of the X101. Few vents usually equates to few places for air and noise to get in which should help keeping a helmet nice and quiet.

Problem is that massive gaping hole you find in the front of motorcross helmets – a hole that won’t be covered by a visor (unless it’s a dual sport helmet). So, whatever work AGV has done to keep things quiet in the shell will always be undone by that hole for your goggles and there’s really not much you can do about it.

AGV X101 mono red motocross helmet front view — Red Mono X101 comes with white peak as standard (black replacement will be extra)

Basically, it’s never gonna be as quiet as a full face (or even a modular which are broadly less quiet than full faces). So as long as you accept that riding in an X101 is going to get a bit loud, then you should be OK with it.

Of the owners we came across, pretty well all said it’s loud – or rather it’s loud but that’s OK. Because you’ll probably go into buying an X101 knowing it’s as much about style as it is performance, and helmet noise is going to be one of the areas you have to compromise.

And of course, always shove in a good pair of plugs to protect your hearing long term (or protect what hearing you’ve got left medium term!). If you do that, you should find the X101 acceptable. Or do that and ride behind a screen and you should be a happy bunny.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

Ventilation is a bit of a weird one in the X101.

The chin vents are always open, covered by a bit of metal grid to keep the bigger chunks of road dirt out (and nicely dice up bluebottles before they hit your mouth!). With that and the front opening, you’re always going to have a pretty drafty face.

So what about the rest of your head? Well, there aren’t any other vents in the helmet, which does help give it a nice, clean, and very retro look.

AGV X101 mono white retro motocross helmet — No shell vents but plenty of air (and noise!)

But AGV expects some air to get into the helmet from the front and they’ve put some very optimistic front-back channels into the internal polystyrene liner to help air circulate. There’s mesh in the comfort liner too so should any air get that far, it’s got a chance of cooling your head down (and pushing the air out of exhausts in the neck roll to the rear).

The word is that, despite there being no shell vents, the X101 does let enough air through to keep your head cool in all but the most extreme weather. And of course your face is going to be kept cool whatever the weather throws at you, whether you want it or not!

Goggles

Just like your typical Dakar helmet from the 70’s (or the 2020’s for that matter!) there’s no visor on the AGV X101 only space for goggles.

The good news is that the space is no compromise, meaning you should be able to get pretty well any pair of full size goggles in there.

You’ll need some goggles that grip though as there’s no rear goggles loop or profiling of the rear of the helmet to keep your goggle strap in place.

Still, riders take the full Dakar course in their stride without either, so your Sunday afternoon jaunt to Minehead shouldn’t pose a problem if you buy the right pair.

A couple of useful links…

– Loads of motocross helmet reviews –
– Even more super cool looking lids –

We heard from riders wearing Oakley Airbrakes, Biltwell Moto2s and Barstows without a problem. And of course, AGV also make their own range of Legends goggles to fit their helmets so you can go down that route if you want to be sure when you buy your X101.

Peak

That peak apparently works very well on the road. It’s useful for blocking out sun and those grooves/holes cut into it really work at stopping lift and buffeting.

The peak’s a traditional style peak stuck to the helmet using 3 poppers which means it’ll take a range of other 3 button peaks if you want to replace the standard ‘off road’ peak that comes with the helmet.

Again, there’s also a range of official AGV replacement peaks including a shorter one (it doesn’t have to be yellow tho!) and various black or white peaks.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

The AGV X101 has been designed to suite medium oval shaped heads – which is most of us (though if your head tends to be a bit longer than average, you can find long-oval helmets here).

It’s available in fitment sizes XS-XXL and, according to several owners, sizing’s about spot on, so follow our fitting guide to measure up and then order the correct size.

AGV X101 mono matt black retro motorcycle helmet side view — Classic matt black AGV X101

The helmet’s made in three shell sizes, which is a good number (here’s why if you’re interested) with the smallest covering fitments XS-S, middle covering M, larger covering L-XXL.

Inside the X101, AGV’s made a good compromise between the old and the new.

Around the viewport and neck roll, you’ll find real leather – what AGV calls Eco Leather because it’s apparently been prepared in a more environmentally friendly way.

But inside is a regular, removable, comfort liner and cheek pads. That liner is moisture wicking and can be washed. AGV also provides you with an extra piece of foam to put at top of the liner to give you a bit of adjustment to how the helmet sits (higher or lower).

And with the average overall weight being around 1.3 Kg (2.9 lbs) give or take and depending on your shell size – according to one or two owners it feels nice and light weight while you’re wearing it.

All good here then. Moving on…

Looks & Graphics

While the X101 definitely looks the part, I’m not sure it’s actually based on any specific old time helmet (like the Bell Moto-3 or the AGV X3000) but it’s rather a rendition of the type of helmet found in that era.

AGV X101 multi dakar retro motocross helmet rear — Rear of the Dakar 87. Note all Dakar stages in tiny writing.

Still, that won’t put most of us off because the X101 is a seriously cool looking helmet. Especially in the Dakar 87 graphics which seem to be particularly popular – with all the stage names of the 87 event running round the back of the helmet. Nice touch.

At the time of typing, there’s also plain white, black and red as well as a couple of graphic versions – the Dust and Dakar. If AGV release any more, you should be able to click links to our recommended retailers below and find them straightaway. Happy hunting!

Best places to buy an AGV X101 helmet?

Please click below to visit the AGV X101 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 X101 Video

A 5 minute vid looking round an X101 by some dude who’s spent some quality time with his Dakar 87!

Other stuff – bluetooth headset, glasses, build quality, warranty

If you’re after fitting a bluetooth headset onto your X101, you might struggle. In their wisdom, AGV has decided that if you want a retro helmet you also want that retro communication experience of shouting at your fellow riders, just like they did in the 70s. So they’ve not put any speaker pockets in there.

AGV X101 mono white retro motocross helmet rear view — From the rear, plain gloss white X101

That means it’s in the lap of the Gods whether your kit will fit. It should mount onto the outside OK given there’s plenty of space, but whether your speakers will dig into your head is anybody’s guess.

So, I recommend buying from a retailer who’ll accept no-quibble refunds (like all our recommended retailers but not necessarily if you buy through Amazon) so if it doesn’t fit, there’s nothing lost. Though make sure you don’t damage the helmet trying to fit your bluetooth unit, and keep on all the tags in place otherwise most stores won’t accept the return.

There isn’t much information out there on whether your glasses will fit. There aren’t any specific glasses grooves in there to accommodate the stems though we’ve heard from at least one rider who said they work just fine for him.

If you’re unsure, either follow the buying advice above or check out helmets that work great for glasses wearers.

Build quality on the X101 is universally praised with owners loving the paints, finishing and overall quality feel of the helmet.

Finally, AGV X101 helmets come with a fairly standard 2 year warranty.

Good Alternatives to the AGV X101?

Shoei Ex-Zero retro helmet in gloss hi viz yellow side view — Shoei Ex-Zero

There’s a good range of retro lids that really look the part and perform these days. If it’s the motocross bit you’re interested in, you can also find all our motocross helmet reviews here. Or if retro’s what you’re after, have a glance over our retro helmet reviews.

Otherwise, you might want to have a gander at the Shoei Ex-Zero. I reckon it’s a fantastic looking lid, and it’s got a nice pull down internal visor, it’s nice and light weight and it’s got an EQRS interior.

The Bell Moto 3 is the real deal, being derived from Bell’s original Moto 3 from the 70’s. It’s fibreglass too and it’s a mid price helmet, costing about the same as the X101.

If you don’t necessarily want a motocross helmet, how about the Shoei Glamster? It’s got a reasonably advanced AIM composite shell, a nice large visor with (included) Pinlock antifog insert and it’s a great quality helmet.

Finally – and back to the motocross look – how about the Nexx XG200. Composite fibre, medium oval fitment, well made and loads of funky retro graphics. Good price too.

Want to check out the best looking helmets?

You'll find the coolest, meanest and most retro helmets available on our Coolest helmets pages.

Best places to buy an AGV X101?

Please click below to visit the AGV X101 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).