Schuberth has a history of producing car racing helmets for the likes of Michael Schumacher and Sebastien Vettel. But they’re not so well known when it comes to making racing motorcycle helmets. Well, they decided to change all that with the release of the fibreglass/carbon Schuberth SR1; a full face helmet designed for the track – or road riders who think they’re on the track!
Creating the ultimate track helmet is probably the most difficult challenge in motorbike helmet design and there’s some really big names who throw a lot of development money and technology at the problem to create a safe, aerodynamic and light helmet – names like AGV, Shoei and Arai. So is the SR1 full face helmet up to the job?
- SHARP 4 star safety rated (out of 5)
- Composite fibreglass/carbon shell
- Designed for sports and track riders
- Outstanding ventilation
- Lighter than average
- Sizes XS – XXL (*Important – see size section)
- Typical price range: £325-530 depending on retailer/model
- Note: Now replaced by the SR2 so deals to be found at our recommended retailers (below)
Overall
For those of you in a rush, here’s what we think of the SR1 – but read on for more detail.
The SR1 is almost universally liked by sports riders and is an outstanding racing helmet. It’s lighter than the average full face, fits nice and tightly – which is just what a racer needs – is pretty quiet and scores well for safety. It’s built very well too with top quality finishing and materials and the design has some really nice touches that racers and road riders alike will like (see below). It’s an expensive helmet, though not as expensive as some of its race-bred competition. If your pockets are deep enough and you spend a good deal of time riding in a racing crouch, then the Schuberth SR1 is highly recommended and well worth a look.
Safety
The Schuberth SR1 was tested by crash helmet safety scheme SHARP and given 4/5 stars, which is very good. The shell of the SR1 is made from fibreglass and carbon fibre making for a strong yet light helmet that more than one owners has said makes you forget it’s there. So they’ve got the basics of producing a safe and usable helmet covered.
The SR1 is manufactured in 3 shell sizes which is also good for safety (here’s why) and it’s also got a locking visor, which is more important for track rather than road riders as it means their visor won’t crack open when they pop out into the slipstream under braking.
There’s the usual multi-density EPS (or expanded polystrene) shock absorbing liner you find in most crash helmets, but one other interesting safety feature is that there’s a couple of hidden straps built into the chin strap which are designed
to hold the chin strap in place during an accident and stop the helmet pivoting off the head from behind. Apparently it’s not as uncommon as we think to have a helmet come off the head during an accident on the road as well as the track (Simoncelli’s wasn’t that much of a freak accident!) so Schubert’s AROS anti roll off system sounds like a good idea.
Helmet Noise
Of course, the SR1 is a track-focused helmet so noise suppression probably wasn’t at the top of Schuberth’s list of priorities when designing it. Most track riders (and road riders for that matter) will be wearing ear plugs anyhow and they do a splendid job of cutting noise. So racing helmet designers don’t really have to make much effort in reducing noise levels.
That said, many owners report being staggered at how quiet the SR1 is. Of course, noise levels are subjective and many were commenting off the back of wearing another track-focused lid like an AGV PistaGP or Arai RX-7 GP; but more often than not, an owner would say the SR1 is much quieter. One even commented that it was like being sat in a car with the windows up. Now, it has to be said that was a one-off comment, but for a balls-out sportsbike lid, the broad consensus is that it’s quiet, which means that compared to a standard road helmet, it’ll be about average. But that’s still pretty good and testament to Schuberth’s wind-tunnel design and attention to detail.
And it might explain why Schuberth have actually put a couple of holes into the sides of the helmet to help the rider’s hearing.
It sounds odd but if you look at the side of the lid, what first looks like a typical exhaust air vent is actually an opening that’s there to help the rider hear. There’s an optional piece of padding that covers the inside of the hole, but that can be removed to help the helmeted rider hear better – whether that’s pulling into the pit and hearing an engineer or hearing competitors coming up behind – or, I guess, other traffic on the road.
Other reviewers have said it’s a great feature, though I’ve yet to hear any riders say it’s particularly useful. I can only think that some of Schuberth’s test riders (including Michael Schumacher when he was riding in the German Superbike series) suggested it’d be useful. If it’s of use to you, then great (and we’d like to hear), otherwise, it’s at the very least a demonstration of the attention to detail and design thought Schuberth’s designers have put into the SR1.
Aero
The SR1 is a racing helmet. That means it needs to cope with high speeds and lots of wind and buffeting. Like many Schuberth’s, the SR1 has been extensively wind tunnel tested and in this case, it’s resulted in a stable helmet that, according to owners, copes very well with cross-winds and doesn’t produce lift. Depending on your size, bike and riding position, there’s also an adjustable rear spoiler that can be used to marginally increase downforce when racing.
Looking to buy a Schuberth?
We recommend SportsBikeShop (UK) for competitive prices, free delivery and 365 day returns backed by outstanding reviews. We also recommend GetGeared (UK) who offer free delivery (and free 365 day returns) and who get very good online reviews for service too.
Or if you'd prefer to buy from Germany in Euros, Motoin are a quality operation with decent prices and great review scores. Or you can click through to the Roof helmets pages at Amazon if you prefer to buy from there.
Please see here for more info on our recommended stores or click the links to go straight to their Roof helmets pages.
Size
The SR1 comes in the usual XS – XXL sizes. But beware, Schuberth sizes are one down from your normal helmet, so a Schuberth XL will be your average size L. Also note that because it’s a racing helmet, it’s designed to fit more snugly than your typical helmet – racers demand helmets that don’t want to twist or lift whatever you throw at them, so they’re tight to get on and will touch/press the head in more places than your regular helmet. That said, like any helmet it needs to be comfortable so no really tight spots, and bear in mind the helmet will settle over time so what was tight when new will slacken off a bit over the first week or two. Check our fitting guide to see how to check you’ve got the right helmet.
If you do buy an SR1 and struggle to get it on, we’ll reiterate, they are tighter than average to get on (that’s normal), with some riders recommending you remove the neck roll to make it easier.
Ventilation
Ventilation is a particular strong point for the SR1. There’s a couple of obvious vents in the chin guard that take air around the side of the guard and to the side of the head. These chin vents are controlled by a switch underneath the chin guard that opens or closes the vent or allows slight openings in between.
There’s also a large central toggle switch the chin guard which simply toggles open/closed and feeds air up the inside of the visor and face. That’s really easy to use, even with gloves and does a great job of bringing air to defog the visor and cool the face.
The final vents are on the top of the forehead – two angled vents with small (and slightly fiddly) sliders behind them that brings air over the top of the head and out to the exhaust vent behind the spoiler to the rear.
Owners and reviewers alike can’t say enough about the venting of the SR1, especially when the helmet’s so quiet at the same time (the two are often mutually exclusive). Schuberth have obviously put in the hours and a good deal of careful thought to give unimpeded airflow and that really translates into outstanding ventilation. Owners in hot places often remark it’s the coolest helmet they’ve owned and folks in wet/cold places say it’s great for demisting.
Visor
The Schuberth SR1 comes fitted with a class 1, optically-correct quick release visor. Class one visors are as clear and optically correct as you can make a visor and if you’ve never tried one before you’re in for a treat. The visor opens in six positions and has a simple slide-to-lock mechanism that serves to either keep the visor open a crack to aid with defogging, or will keep the visor closed and locked for when you’re riding fast.
The visor aperture is a fairly standard width, but is slightly higher than most helmets to allow improved forward vision when in a tuck position. And while one owner commented that there’s still too much of the top of the opening visible when really tucked in and behind the fairing, it’s certainly better than most helmets.
Schuberth have a fairly novel quick-release visor mechanism on the SR1. It takes a bit of getting used to but once you’ve got the knack, you’ll find it easy to use. With the visor closed, you simultaneously push in the button on each side of the visor pivot and open the visor fully for the visor to pop off. To refit, you push the visor in at each pivot point and close the visor. Unusual but effective – and quick.
Comfort
As we mentioned, it’s a racing helmet so it’ll be more snug than usual; racers want a helmet that’s firmly stuck to the head and isn’t going to wobble about whatever they do. And while the SR1 does all that and more, once you get the right fitting helmet, owners say it’s an outstandingly comfortable helmet. Schuberth use high quality materials for the interior, including an antiallergenic and antimicrobial foam, and a material called Coolmax which is a moisture wicking material.
Again, owners say it’s a very nice place to be and the liner is well thought out and works well. Another example of Schuberth’s attention to detail is the use of a different more pressure-absorbant material to the upper cheek guard where the stems of glasses might go. They have more give in them to allow glasses to slot in easier and not dig into the side of the rider’s head. Very nice touch Schuberth.
Another nice touch is that, in order for the helmet to sit more comfortably against the racing suit/hump, there’s a cut-away in the rear of the helmet shell to accommodate it and help with both aero and rider comfort.
The inside padding is fully removable and washable, with studs used to secure the liner in place.
Looks & Graphics
The graphics on the SR1 are reasonably understated with all at the time of writing being mostly black with subtle graphics. They have two graphics/designs – the SR1 Blade and SR1 Stealth with three colour variants of each. You can see most of them on this page – the Blade is available in red, blue and silver and the Stealth in red, blue and orange.
Video
Here’s Schuberth’s own ‘how we make em’ video giving you an idea how it’s made through the use of a very entertaining 1980’s corporate video voiceover 🙂
Other stuff – fasteners, audio, weight, glasses, buffeting, spoiler, etc.
The Schuberth SR1 comes with a double-d ring fastener and an ACU gold sticker for track use. It’s actually only marginally lighter than the average full face helmet, with the XL weighing in at around 1.45Kg – though owners generally report it feels very light.
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.
Best place to buy a Schuberth crash helmet?
First off, we suggest you check out SportsBikeShop. They're based in the UK, offer free delivery with 365 day refunds, have really competitive prices (they'll price match too) and offer outstanding service (9.8/10 on Trustpilot at the time of writing).
GetGeared are another recommended UK retailer, with free delivery, a no-quibble 365 day returns policy (with free return postage) and scoring 4.8/5 on eKomi at the time of writing.
Motoin are based in Germany, have decent Euro prices and get great feedback (4.9 and 4.5 out of 5 on Idealo and eTrustedshops at the time of writing) though note, there's a delivery charge to ship outside of Germany, so factor that in (see here for details).
Or you can jump through to the Schuberth helmets pages at Amazon if you prefer to buy from there - but make sure you only buy from the most reputable sellers.
Please click any picture/link to drop onto their Schuberth helmets pages. 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). Click here for more info on our recommended retailers.
Click above to drop onto their Schuberth helmets pages or *quick view retailer T&Cs here.
Alternatives
At a similar price point to the SR1 is Shark’s Race-R Pro Carbon, a fully carbon fibre 5 star SHARP rated helmet that’s slightly lighter than the Schuberth and performs just as well on the track. There’s also the Arai RX-7 GP, a 4 star rated composite helmet that is also track-focused and performs in pretty well every respect a racer needs.
Definitely want a Schuberth?
Here you'll find all our Schuberth crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.
