A look at the Caberg Modus modular/flip-up motorcycle helmet

Caberg Modus is a polycarbonate modular/flip-up helmet from Italian crash helmet maker Caberg. In fact, it’s a single helmet but with three versions available (not in all countries).

First there’s the Caberg Modus Easy – that’s the same as the standard Modus but has a removable Caberg sticker and doesn’t come with a Pinlock.

Next there’s the Caberg Modus CPL – that stands for ‘Caberg Pump Lining’. This one has an inflatable internal lining (similar to those found in quite a few Scorpion Air helmets) where you can pump air into small bladders – in this case placed behind the cheek pads and inside the neck roll – which squeezes the lining towards your cheeks and neck to make the fit a bit tighter.

Finally, there’s the standard Caberg Modus which comes with the Pinlock anti-fog insert as standard but without the CPL inflatable lining.

Note, if you’re buying from in the UK, only the standard Modus is available; so buy through one of our continental recommended retailers for the CPL version (see the links below).

All clear? Then let’s see what the Caberg Modus has to offer and what owners think of it.

• Polycarbonate Flip-front helmet
• ECE Dual homologated
• Micrometric fastener
• Quick release visor
• Drop down sun visor
• Pinlock anti-fog in the box (except for Easy version)
• Weight – 1.7Kg (about average)
• Sizes XS-XL
• Expect to pay £200-£245
• CPL version about £40 more

Best places to buy a Caberg Modus?

The Modus is being phased out nowadays, but you could still find it at Amazon UK the last time we checked. Please click below to visit the Caberg Modus page at Amazon – and if you buy from 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).

Overall/Summary

The Caberg Modus ticks a lot of boxes if you’re looking for a fully-featured flip-up helmet.

It’s got a great chin bar mechanism, it’s dual homologated P/J, has a quick release visor with Pinlock insert included – and it’s all backed by Caberg’s second-to-none reputation for safety.

There’s really not much information online about how well the Caberg Modus performs though. But from scouring the web (including lots of non-English language forums!) we’ve found it’s a well-liked helmet. It’s not the quietest (but then, which modulars are?!) but it’s comfy, has a useful sun visor – and owners get on well with them with few niggles reported.

At this mid-price point, there’s lots of competition (see our alternatives section at the bottom of the page) but even so, the Caberg Modus is a great flip up helmet and well worth considering.

Safety

The Caberg Modus is ECE 22-05 approved for sale in the UK – which means it’s undergone some thorough impact testing and has a met a number of other safety standards to make sure it’ll offer a decent level of protection when you wear it on your bike.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been safety tested by SHARP, so we don’t know quite how well the Modus will perform beyond that standard or in comparison to other helmets.

But looking at the data (as we do!) Caberg has a great track record – and at the time of writing are our joint first placed helmet maker for safety.

There’s been four polycarbonate ‘system’ helmets tested by SHARP over the years and, overall, they’ve scored three maximum (five) star ratings and one four star safety rating. That’s pretty amazing going.

If you’ve read our flip-up helmet reviews before, you’ll know we also like to see a decent (high) percentage for the number of test impacts the flip-up chin guard stays locked too.

Well, Caberg do very well here too. They’re not scoring the 100% the likes of Nolan Group helmets manage, but they scored an average of 89% across all their tested system helmets, which is pretty good.

Another tick in the box for the Modus is that it’s dual homologated.

That means it’s approved to be used (and give protection) whether you’re riding with the chin guard up or down. Not all modular helmets are dual homologated and therefore legal to be worn like this, so that’s worth having.

Other bits and bobs that add to improved safety?

Well, there’s a Pinlock anti-fog insert in the box (not the Easy version) – that speaks for itself why that contributes to safety on your bike!

There’s also a nice and easy to use micrometric fastener – and as long as the strap’s set up right in the first place, micrometrics allow you to tighten up the strap just right for every trip, to make sure your helmet won’t come off in an accident.

Somewhere between 5-10% of motorcycle accidents see the rider lose their helmet so make sure you get a helmet that fits well and tighten your strap up tightly every trip!

Helmet Noise

Overall, the Caberg Modus offers about average noise suppression for a modular helmet. That means if you go at a decent lick, it’ll get noisy and you’ll need ear plugs – but it’s OK at lower speeds.

A couple of owners said it’s an improvement on previous Caberg modulars they’d tried and another said he thought it was pretty quiet.

One also commented that using the air pump on the CPL version quietened things up a bit more.

Bottom line is that it’s probably about average for a flip-up but is very dependent on how fast you go, whether you’re behind a screen or not, and a few other factors that all contribute to making a helmet noisier and your perception of noise.

Ventilation

Generally, owners say the Caberg Modus gives decent ventilation.

Both front vents are pretty easy to operate with nice big sliders opening both the front chin vent and the forehead vent.

The top vent brings air into the helmet which is then circulated around the scalp via channels cut into the EPS shock absorbing liner. It then exits via the two rear exhaust ports.

However, 0ne owner commented that he found the top vent didn’t bring much air into the helmet because the holes in the interior lining weren’t lined up correctly with the vent holes in the helmet shell. That’s something we’ve come across before and prevents any air ventilating the scalp. Not good.

It’s not a widely reported problem though.

Visor

The Caberg Modus has what Caberg call Double Visor Tech. Not sure if that’s referring to the standard clear visor having a Pinlock anti-fog insert on it or the fact that there’s a main clear visor and secondary drop-down sun visor too.

Either way, the Modus is very well equipped in the visor dept.

As mentioned, the main visor is Pinlock ready and comes with a Pinlock anti-fog insert in the box (except for the Modus Easy model). Pinlocks are pretty good and are probably the easiest way to stop your main visor steaming up.

The main visor’s also quick release – which is still pretty rare for a modular helmet. Caberg’s quick release mechanism isn’t the slickest on the market; but once you’ve got the hang of it, it only takes a few seconds to remove the visor (and a bit longer to refit).

The Modus’ sun visor is operated by a big slider on the top/rear of the helmet. It’s not spring-loaded so you can easily drop the sun visor to any point you want and gives infinite adjustment.

We’ve not come across any problems reported with either visor system so all seems good there.

Chin Guard

As mentioned in the safety section above, the Caberg Modus is P/J dual homologated.

What does that mouthful mean? Well it’s an ECE (European) testing certification essentially meaning you can legally ride with the chin bar up or down.

And while it’s unlikely you’ll get nicked riding with any modular helmet with the chin bar up, it does mean it should, theoretically, be safer to do so while riding with a dual homologated helmet if you have an accident.

To open the chin bar, you pull the red tab at the bottom-centre of the chin guard which releases the lock. Owners report that it’s very easy to open the chin guard and the action is nice and smooth.

If you watch the video (around 2 mins in) you’ll see how the chin guard raises then is pulled back towards the helmet to secure the helmet in place.

Owners who ride with the chin guard up reckon it’s quite well designed so it’s aerodynamic and doesn’t act as a sail until you get up to motorway speeds.

To lower the chin guard, you pull the chin guard forwards and it drops down – again easily and smoothly.

Again, as we mentioned in the safety section, Caberg have a decent (though not perfect) record of their chin guards remaining locked during an accident – as well as a great overall SHARP safety record.

Comfort & Sizing

The Caberg Modus is made in just one shell size.

Read here why that’s not so good. If you’re looking for one of the smaller sizes, it may mean the helmet looks a bit big for your body size too (the lollipop effect).

Other than that, the Modus comes in sizes XS-XL. It comes with a removable chin curtain which does a good job at reducing wind entering the helmet and cutting out a bit of noise caused by turbulence.

The interior comfort lining is removable and washable and – as long as the helmet fits correctly in the first place – is reported as comfortable.

Note the CPL version has Caberg’s Pump Lining fitted – that’s small air pockets fitted behind the cheek pads and neck roll, that can be inflated by pressing the pump bladder (see picture) and deflated by pressing the reset button.

We’ve seen this sort of system before and, generally, it seems to be a matter of personal preference whether you’ll get on with it or not.

Inflating it does give a tighter fit and it’s also been said that because it presses the liner in a bit more, it can quieten helmet noise down a bit. And there’s no doubt that getting a good firm fit is an important factor in making a helmet usable and safe in an impact.

However, making sure you get a well fitting helmet in the first place should achieve this; and not everyone can be bothered pumping up their helmet each time they ride.

The Modus CPL is also a bit more expensive than the standard Modus.

Finally, the Modus has glasses grooves in the comfort lining to accommodate glasses’ stems. Reports are that you can also open/close the chin bar with glasses on with no problem and no interference.

Check here if getting a helmet that works with glasses is important to you.

Looks & Graphics

There’s not a massive range of graphics available for the Caberg Modus. There’s a few plain blacks and whites and a couple of hi viz versions (the Hi Viz Vision and Duale Hi Vis) and that’s about it.

You’ll find pictures of all these up and down the page – but to find the latest graphics and prices, click the links to our recommended helmet retailers below.

Best places to buy a Caberg Modus?

The Modus is being phased out nowadays, but you could still find it at Amazon UK the last time we checked. Please click below to visit the Caberg Modus page at Amazon – and if you buy from 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).

Caberg Modus Video

Here you go, some lady from the two wheel centre in UK takes you round the standard Caberg Modus.

Other stuff – audio, weight, build quality, warranty

The Caberg Modus is designed to be bluetooth communicator ready (but it seems like you’ll have to get the special Modus Just Speak kit and not the universal – see comments at the bottom of the review). The little pull-away section you can see on the left hand side of the helmet can be popped out to accommodate the unit.

Onto weight – the Modus is about 1.7Kgs which is a tad heavier than the average modular crash helmet (after a light weight helmet?)

Build quality is reported as very good by most owners and the Modus, like all other Cabergs, comes with a weeny one year warranty only (if that’s a deal breaker for you, check out which helmets come with a five year warranty).

Looking to buy this Caberg?

It's not stocked in too many places, but you could still find it in these two stores last time we checked. First off, try the Caberg helmets pages at Amazon. Also try Motoin in Germany who are a quality outfit with decent Euro prices and great review scores. Please see here for more info on our recommended stores or click the links to go straight to their Caberg helmets pages.

Alternatives to the Caberg Modus?

There’s tons of helmets to choose from if you’re after a competitively priced flip-up helmet.

First off, there’s the hugely well rated  duo of Caberg helmets – the Caberg Duke and Tourmax – they’re both cheaper than the Modus and both are SHARP 5 star safety rated (that’s the maximum!) though the Tourmax is more a dual-sports style modular and a bit heavier.

Going upwards in price next – have a look at the HJC IS-Max II – that’s SHARP 4 star rated with most of the features of the Modus but for considerably less money – same goes for the AGV Compact and the Lazer Paname which are both 4 star safety rated with sun visors too.

Going up the price scale from the Caberg Modus, there’s the X-Lite X-1003 – SHARP 4 star, 100% chin guard locked, Pinlock, lighter than the Modus but more expensive. And if we’re looking at modular helmets then we’ve got to include a Shark – in this case the 4 star Shark Evo One with its chin guard that rotates to the back of the head – it’s dual homologated too and includes a Pinlock Max Vision.

And finally, another SHARP 4 star rated helmet – the Shoei Neotech. It’s well liked with a wide visor aperture and that legendary Shoei build quality – though you’ve to pay a hefty sum over the price of the Caberg Modus to get it.

Best places to buy a Caberg Modus?

The Modus is being phased out nowadays, but you could still find it at Amazon UK the last time we checked. Please click below to visit the Caberg Modus page at Amazon – and if you buy from 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).

Star Ratings