Caberg Duke II Modular Crash Helmet Review

caberg-duke-2-featured

The Caberg Duke II is the follow up to the popular SHARP 5 star rated modular/flip up crash helmet, the Duke I.

On the face of things, it’s not hard to see why it’s popular because it ticks all the right boxes – it’s pretty light, looks cool, it’s independently tested to be about as safe as they come (SHARP 5 star rating) and it has a host of useful features like a integral sun visor lockable chin guard.

That’s all fine and dandy, but if it doesn’t do the basics right, then it’s going to be a pain to live (and ride) with right?

    • SHARP 5 star safety rated
    • Modular/flip up
    • Approved for use open or closed
    • ECE 22.05 approved
    • Pinlock anti-fog included
    • Drop down sun visor
    • Micrometric fastener
    • 1.55Kg (light for a modular)
    • Typical price range: £140-£200 depending on graphics

Best places to buy a Caberg Duke II?

Please click below to visit the Caberg Duke 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).

Buy from SportsBikeShopBuy from GetGeared

Safety

 (more about helmet safety)
caberg-duke-2-modular-motorcycle-helmet-in-Legend-red-white-rear-view
Rear view of the Duke II Legend in red

The Duke’s shell is made of a thermoplastic – ABS to be precise. Old timers like me tend to sneer at plastic helmets as being inferior to fibreglass or kevlar – but it’s all pretty baseless. Thermoplastics make for low cost, lightweight, durable and, ultimately, safe helmets – you don’t score 5 stars in a SHARP test by making a flimsy helmet shell.

The old Duke I scored 5 stars for safety by SHARP, and so too has the Duke II – which is not surprising really because they’re very similar helmets.

Inside the helmet, there’s the usual dual-density polystyrene to absorb impacts and beneath that a fully removable/washable lining. All present and correct there.

A couple of owners have also commented that the shell size seems to be externally slightly smaller than previous crash helmets they’ve owned, meaning looking back and life-savers are that much easier. This is probably a comment from people with larger helmet sizes because the Duke is only available in one shell size meaning for wearers of larger helmets, it’ll feel smaller – see later.

Folks also reckon the the visor aperture is slightly narrower than most – not enough to cause any problems though, but you might find it noticeable.

But what’s great about the Caberg Duke II is that SHARP 5 safety rating. However, that’s not the entire picture – read the chin bar section below for more.

The Duke has been wind-tunnel designed and owners reckon that’s made a helmet with a slippery shape that many owners reckon has noticeably less buffeting that other helmets. And of course, good aero will also help with reducing wind noise too.

caberg-duke-2-modular-motorcycle-helmet-in-Legend-black-fluo-yellow-front-view
Another Duke 2 Legend – this time black and Fluo Yellow

In fact, several owners commented that they don’t ride with ear plugs in with the Duke because it’s so quiet – which is astonishing for any helmet never mind a flip-up.

However, despite a few positive comments like this, overall it’s fair to say the Duke is about average for noise suppression. It’s quiet for a modular, but they’re usually noisy compared to full face helmets.

The Caberg Duke II is available in the usual plain colours as well as a couple of hi-vis options such as the plain hi-viz yellow or the Legend black/fluo. Other options are variants on the dual racing-stripes (was it Gulf that started that design originally?) which is called the Duke II Legend (in red or black versions).

For the latest graphics and deals, please click links through to our recommended retailers below.

Ventilation & Visor

Onto ventilation – and again the Duke scores well.

It has effective chin and forehead vents that pull air in up over the face and through channels in the polystyrene liner to give a decent amount of ventilation.

The top vent has a big slider to open/close it and it’s easy to use even with your winter gloves on. They’re not enough to stop the main visor steaming up on its own (they never are) but despite being one of the lower-priced helmets, the Duke comes with a Pinlock anti-fog insert in the box, which is outstanding value and, as we always mention, Pinlocks really do work in all but the most extreme circumstances (like if you’re sat in zero degree temperatures, at the lights in the rain – but that’s about it!)

caberg-duke-2-modular-motorcycle-helmet-in-metal-white-side-view
Drop down sun visor and Pinlock visor on the Duke Metal

Sun Visor

The Duke comes with a sun visor too – there’s a slider on the top of the lid to open/close it and it can be stopped at any point in between (not all helmets with sun visors can, which is a nuisance for some riders).

The only down side here is that locating the sun visor slider on the top of the helmet is a bit inconvenient and it’s easy to start fiddling with the top vents when you’re trying to find it.

Even though internal visors are tucked away in the helmet shell, they can steam up in the cold/damp; I’ve yet to find one that doesn’t. So, if you do lots of cold weather riding, some anti-fog spray might be useful. However, the sun visor is optically very good so all in all it’s one of the best.

Chin Bar

The flip up chin bar is easy to use, with a large central button to press before the chin bar raises.

The Duke has been dual-homologated for use on the road in either the full-face position or with the chin bar up – not all are so beware. Having said that, I’ve never heard of anyone being stopped by the plod for illegally using their modular helmet, and I reckon plenty of police are probably unaware of this and breaking the law themselves!

To ride with the chin guard up, there’s a little P/J slider (P & J refers to the ECE homologation code for closed or open) that you must use to release the chin bar and then lock it in the open position. A lock’s a good touch to stop the chin guard dropping down, although I’m not sure I’d want to have an ‘off’ with the chin guard up as it could easily catch and rotate the helmet. That’s something you definitely don’t want to happen during an accident!

I mentioned in the safety section that there’s more to it than that SHARP 5 star rating. That’s because when SHARP does their testing, they take note of how often the chin bar remains fully locked and closed.

In the case of the Caberg Duke II, it managed it 90% of the time out of 32 impact tests (up from 87% with the old Duke I).

Believe it or not, that’s actually a very good score for a flip-up helmet; though we’ve removed half a star from our overall star rating below because it still compromises safety in an accident.

caberg-duke-2-modular-motorcycle-helmet-in-Legend-black-white-side-view
Legend in gloss black with the chin bar up and locked. Note P/J locking slider near visor pivot

Any Downsides?

Well one or two folks think it feels a bit cheap and the shell only comes in one size. That means if you’re an XS you’ll get the same outer shell size as the XL – which might make it look massive on you.

A few people reported that there’s not much room for their chin (it seems to be only the occasional modular helmet that has this sort of problem) so if yours is particularly large or pointy, you might want to try before you buy – or buy from our recommended retailers who don’t quibble if you want a refund.

Best places to buy a Caberg Duke II?

Please click below to visit the Caberg Duke 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).

Buy from SportsBikeShopBuy from GetGeared

Other stuff – Fastener and Communications

It has a nice and easy micrometric fastener which we like very much and it’s also Caberg Just Speak Communicator-ready.

caberg-duke-2-modular-motorcycle-helmet-in-matt-gun-metal-side-view
Mean looking matt gunmetal Duke

Overall/Summary

Just like the old Duke, it’s pretty hard to fault the Caberg Duke II – and very few owners do.

We knew before we started that the Duke II looked great on paper and were wondering if it covers off all the basics to make it a good real-world helmet that’s easy to live with.

And we’re happy to report that according to owners, it sure does. It’s comfortable, light weight and reasonably quiet (for a modular!) and has a host of nice touches that make the Duke 2 a superb all rounder.

And it comes with that excellent SHARP 5 star safety rating, all at an extremely competitive price too.

Very well done Caberg – at the time of writing, the Caberg Duke is one of our top-rated flip-up helmets.

Alternatives to the Caberg Duke II?

Modular/Flip-up helmets are increasingly popular at the moment so there’s masses of great alternatives out there.

There’s the Shoei Neotech which has similar features and is all day comfortable – though it’s much more expensive and only scored 4 on the SHARP safety test (though the chin guard stayed closed a creditable 93% of the time when being tested). There’s some deals to be had though because it’s been replaced by the Neotech II.

There’s also the excellent AGV Compact which is a SHARP 4 star safety rated modular that owners say is both comfortable and well ventilated.

Or how about the HJC IS Max II; that’s another SHARP 4 star rated modular helmet for around the same money as the Duke, with an internal sun visor and that’s comfortable and well ventilated.

Best places to buy a Caberg Duke II?

Please click below to visit the Caberg Duke 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).

Buy from SportsBikeShopBuy from GetGeared

caberg-duke-2-hi-vizion-modular-motorcycle-helmet-guard-up-view
This one’s the Duke 2 Hi Vizion with chin bar in its locked-up position

Definitely want a Caberg?

Here you'll find all our Caberg crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Safety
Comfort
Noise
Features
Value
Previous articleLS2s budget adventure dual sport helmet: the LS2 Pioneer
Next articleBell SRT full face and modular motorcycle crash helmet
caberg-duke-modular-crash-helmet-reviewThe Caberg Duke II is a well designed, comfortable flip-up helmet with a host of features the modern rider wants - all at a very competitive price. It's SHARP five star rated too and comes with a Pinlock anti-fog in the box. All in all that makes the Caberg Duke one of the best value modular helmets on the market and a great buy.

17 COMMENTS

  1. I think I know why there are widely differing opinions about noise. I have several bikes and so I was able to try on different situations. this helmet is very quiet with a road motorcycle equipped with a windshield. however, on a motorcycle without a windscreen or a windscreen, a lot of air comes from below and it becomes quite noisy.

  2. I bought 2 DUKE 2 Smart at 99 euros at louis moto thanks to you. We are pleased. it is a very good helmet. It is very quiet even at 120km/h. I’ve had louder full-face helmets than this one. it is beautiful and original. the vision is panoramic and the mist dissipates very quickly. ventilation is good. it is easy to handle. only the sunscreen could be darker. no it is not noisy at all especially for a modular!

  3. Never read such garbage as some of these people have written!

    “Noisiest helmet ever” utter Crap.
    I’ve had 3 or 4 Caberg Dukes 1 & 2. Quietest flip front I’ve ever seen.

    “Chin bar flies open when I turn my head” Really?.. have you fastened it properly? Because non of mine have.

    “It’s so noisy at 140mph”. What isn’t

    “I can’t hear Iron Maiden😭😭😭” what the hell do want to listen to that crap for – does your bike not sound good enough?? (Get a car)

  4. Quiet?? It’s the noisiest helmet I’ve had. So much so that after 5 months of ownership, I’m thinking of binning it.

    My O’neil sierra 2 I can go without ear plugs and be much quieter than the duke II WITH ear plugs.

    My Cheap Leopard I can go without ear plugs and be a fair amount quieter than the duke II

  5. I bought this helmet because of the excellent safety test results. Just because. I wanted to buy Shubert but he had very poor security test results. Duke II is a medium silent, good aerodynamic helmet. When driving on highways between 100mph and 140 mph, there are no problems with excessive noise compared to other helmets of this type. The Duke II even allows you to drive at speeds of 160 mph (German highway) and your neck doesn’t hurt. Ventilation in the helmet is very poor and the sun visor is too short. My next helmet will be either Caberg Levo Carbon or BMW system5.

  6. The only difference between the Duke 1 and Duke 2 is they redesigned the visor with the pins closer together, so that the could save money on the inbox pinlock. The Duke 1 came with a pinlock 70 and fitted the shape of the visor perfectly, the Duke 2 is designed to take the pinlock 30 an entry level pinlock insert that doesn’t cover as large an area of the visor and as I have witnessed let’s in condensation and traps it meaning not even opening the helmet can clear this when it happens. The best thing you can do with a duke 2 visor is bin it and buy a duke 1 visor and linlock 70 to go with it.

  7. I have had my duke 2 for 18 months and although this is my 5th caberg it will be my last.!
    It is noisy! and my eyeballs nearly freeze if i am out in cold weather because of the ventilation and this can not be closed. I spoke to caberg about this and they said ‘ you can see in the picture that the vent does not close !]
    At speed, bits of flies come through the vent and get thrown at your face and on occasion i have lifted the flip to talk to my girl at the lights and then found that i could not close it when the lights changed. Finding somewhere to stop and remove your gloves to remedy this is not fun !
    My Duke 2 has not been modified with Gaffer tape and works better as a result so Caberg need to try harder. I am still on their case!

  8. Had Cabergs for the last 4 lids, no complaints at all to be honest, current Duke 1 is great in all weather’s, sun visor is excellent especially for a spectacle wearer, only slight issue is sometimes you can trip the pj lock without realising until you try to raise/lower the chin piece, doesn’t happen often though. As an all rounder they’re great for the cost and my next one will be a Duke 2.

  9. I love everything about this lid except that it’s way to noisy above 50 mph. I have headphones in and my phone on full volume and Iron Maiden are too quiet to be heard over the wind. My bike does have a small screen so I’ve ordered an extension to try and cut the wind moving over the helmet. From a health point of view I’d be wary of this helmet the wind pressure really gives your ears a bashing. Fit is great although chin is a bit close to guard and I’ve got a normal chin. Comfort when under 50mph I’d say is great. Price is ok for such a nice below 50mph helmet. I’ll be getting rid soon, before I go deaf.

  10. I had a Duke for 3-years. Where I live in Canberra we get temperatures from -7C to +40C, so it’s a hard test for any helmet. It was the most comfortable helmet I’ve owned (I’ve owned loads). My only bleat is that the view is restricted in a racing tuck and the top vent doesn’t do anything. Last month I crashed at Wakefield Park Racetrack. My bollard got rattled across the ripple strip and the the helmet was written off, but I didn’t even get a headache or sore neck.

  11. Worst helmet ever! Terrible visibility when compared to other modular helmets. (it IS quieter than most) Inner visor doesn’t come down far enough and the outer shield doesn’t raise up far enough. The edges of both pieces of plastic seem to be right in my field of view no matter how I angle my head. The button to flip up the face is very wonky and takes some figiting to push while riding. Also the outer visor flips up at speeds greater than 80mph when I turned my head. It would pop halfway up forcing me to physically close it EVERY SINGLE TIME I moved my head to the side to see traffic. My head is on a swivel so that is a very big problem. I have no idea how something with such blatent flaws and terrible visibility made a 5 star rating. Didn’t anyone actually try it on and ride with it???
    I ordered from Motostorm.it and they will not let me return it because I tried it on. I am now stuck with a $250 paperwieght.

  12. tried one and…well front wouldn’t lock down while on my head, even loose fit xl. Even off the head it was tricky to get it to lock in front down position.

  13. I bought mine last Thursday. Returning it back today (just did). One of the fluo yellow stripes started peeling off (between neck roll & outer shell). Also, air is coming to the left ear in a whistling form through the P/J lever slop when turning even slightly to the right. Faulty or design flaw…? Apart from these, peripheral vision is very good, ventilation is average, visor is easy to operate (open & closes firmly), chin guard is a bit fiddle to operate while riding (need to push the button & grab your thumb as a leverage on the chin curtain which feels cheap & ready to tear) but open and closes in a smooth-secure way. Inner lining provides an almost snug fit, spacier to the ears. Chic pads area looks like is going to break if you push both hands inwards. Sun visor perfect. Haven’t tried the pinlock. Quite hot in my country now. Overall, if i would have to rate it, giving a 10 point to Schuberth C3 Pro, i would give a 7.

  14. Not Quiet in the least.
    I’ve had many helmets over the years. This has to be the loudest helmet I’ve ever had.
    Just look at it’s design. Big mesh on the front and angles all over the place. Plus there’s a big gap between the top of the visor and the body.
    I need ear-plugs even at 30MPH.
    at 70MPH ear-plugs are totally insufficient.
    This helmet is a quick route to early deafness.
    A quiet helmet will be smooth.

  15. Been using my caberg duke for almost 2 years and for the price I paid(120pounds) is ok, however, if you’re looking for a quiet helmet you’ll be disappointed. I ride Mon-Fri all year and up to 40-50 mph the noise is bearable above that you really should consider using ear plugs. The sun visor is not dark enough. At this time of the year when the sun is low there isn’t much difference if you ride with the sun visor down or up. Not up to the job. Wouldn’t buy again.

  16. I bought a duke last month and i’m loving it. v quiet vcomfortable and v well made. It’s my first lid with a sun visor and it’s excellent especially because i wear glasses and it means i don’t have to swap them if i’m riding in the sun. I highly recommend the duke.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here