Flip-front helmets

Transcription

Flip-front helmets

PRODUCT TEST FLIP-FRONT HELMETS
THE
PRODUCT TEST
Flip-front
helmets
Popular with touring riders, instructors and
officers of the law, flip-front helmets are
comfy, practical and high quality. But which
one is right for you? We test 15 to find out
By Simon Weir Photographs by Jason Critchell
THERE ARE SO many situations where
a flip-front helmet comes in handy.
Stopping to ask directions, showing
your passport at the ferry port, having
a sip of water or quick roadside confab
with your riding mates before moving
on again, or even when filling up in one
of those annoying petrol stations that
wants riders to remove their helmets:
lift the flip and everyone’s happy.
Of course, there are trade-offs. Not
least the cost: flip-fronts can seem
expensive beside full-face helmets.
There are other disadvantages: they’re
usually heavier and can often be noisier
too. But in their favour, flip-front lids
often have a lot more features than
full-face helmets.
All the helmets tested here can take
a Pinlock anti-fog visor insert and most
of them come with one included in the
box. All but one have drop-down sun
visors, and the one that doesn’t comes
with a Transitions visor that turns black
in the sun. Many are designed to make
fitting Bluetooth communication
systems easy – a couple even have
systems designed specifically for them.
How we tested them
We have gathered together 15 flip-front crash
helmets from 13 different manufacturers, ranging
in price from £150 to £500. They were all ridden
for a minimum of 500 miles in all weathers, on a
mix of naked and faired bikes.
Stability was compared on a series of
high-speed runs. Noise was assessed both by
riding with earplugs in and when listening to
music using in-ear headphones.
Every helmet was weighed (in XL size) to get
its true figure, rather than simply believe the
manufacturers’ claims. We removed every visor
and fitted the Pinlock insert.
Finally, based on our road testing, we marked
80 |
AUGUST 2016
all of the helmets on the following criteria:
Stability: How badly is the helmet affected by
buffeting at speed?
Noise: How much wind noise reaches the
rider? Is it too noisy to listen to music at 70mph?
Quieter helmets get a higher score.
Interior: Is the lining plush or itchy? Is it cool
or sweaty? Is it well fitted? Is it removable?
Vents: Do they work to keep you cool? Are
they easy to operate with gloves on when riding?
Do they stop the interior misting?
Vision: How good is the field of vision? Does
the edge of the Pinlock obscure your vision? Is
the visor clear or distorted?
Sun visor: Is the drop-down
sun visor usefully dark? Is the shape
good? Does it have two positions (in or
out) or can you adjust it? Is it easy to
operate and adjust?
Flip action: How easy is the flip-release to
operate with gloves on? How smoothly and
securely does the flip go up – and how easy is it
to close securely?
Finish: The devil is in the detail – so how
accurate is the detailing? Are logos neatly
lacquered in or are they crude stickers? Does
the ratchet mechanism feel high quality?
TOURING
BIKE
SPEC AL
BUYING CHECKLIST
Know
your flips
1 SHELLS
If a helmet is produced in only
a single shell size, that shell
will have less internal padding for
a large lid, with more and more
added to make smaller sizes. A
helmet that’s produced in two shell
sizes means the balance is better.
2 MATERIAL
The lightest helmets are
made from carbonfibre.
Equally strong but a little heavier
are composite fibre helmets.
Polycarbonate (or thermoplastic)
helmets are nearly as strong but
are always heavier than fibre lids.
3 RATING
All these helmets are
homologated for full-face
use, which is a P rating. If you
want to ride with the chinbar
raised, you need a helmet that is
dual-homologated: P and J rating.
4 BLUETOOTH
Some of these helmets
come ready for Bluetooth
intercom systems to be fitted,
with designed-in recesses for
batteries and controls.
5 LININGS
Some interiors leave areas
of the expanded polystyrene
(EPS) lining exposed to enhance
venting. A removable lining can be
taken out and washed or replaced
(unlike exposed EPS).
6 CHIN STRAP
Unlike top-end race helmets
there’s not a double D-ring
fastener in sight here. Instead
these all use adjustable ratchettype buckles to fasten.
7 FIT
As with any crash helmet,
fit is crucial. A helmet that
doesn’t fit properly won’t protect
you fully in the event of a crash.
AUGUST 2016
| 81
Lazer Monaco Evo Pure Carbon £379.99
www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk
Sizes XS-2XL | Shell sizes 1 | Rating P and J |
Material Carbonfibre | Weight 1470g | Removable
lining Yes | Colours Black/white, black/yellow, black |
SHARP score 4/5 | Bluetooth ready No
This is super light for a flip-front lid – as light as most
top-end full-face sports helmets. It’s made of carbonfibre,
with large areas exposed beneath the lacquer to show the
weave (including the logo on the back). There’s a red
reflector on the back – a nice touch.
It’s well vented, mist-free and very comfortable. It’s
stable on all bikes at all speeds and quiet most of the time,
though if you tilt your head down at some speeds it does
whistle slightly. The liner is soft and comfy – you can fit
the ear pads or leave them out if fitting bulky intercom
speakers. The flip mechanism is excellent.
There’ss no drop-down sun visor – instead this helmet’s
unique feature is that the visor is a Transitions lens that
automatically goes dark in the sun. It doesn’t
overreact and darken in response to headlights
at night. It’ss slow to lighten, so it doesn’t react in
very short tunnels but does clear in long ones.
Overall this is a beautifully made, well
designed and refined flip-front helmet.
CARBONFIBRE
Shell is lightweight carbonfibre
with large areas left visible
behind the lacquer.
SCORES
Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Noise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Vents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Sun visor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Flip action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65/80
NO SUN VISOR
There’s no drop-down
sun visor. Instead the
Transitions visor darkens
in the sun. A replacement
would cost £90.
82 |
AUGUST 2016
Solid, comfy,
quiet and stylish,
with an easy-to-use
flip: a great lid
Shoei Neotech £499.99
www.shoeiassured.co.uk
Sizes XS-2XL | Shell sizes 1 |
Rating P only | Material Composite
fibre | Weight 1725g | Removable
lining Yes | Colours White, two
black, three silver (£469.99), three
patterns (£499.99) | SHARP rating
4/5 | Bluetooth ready No
Very well made, with decent vents, a
plush interior and a glove-friendly flip
mechanism. Vision is excellent. The
sun visor is a good size and is
steplessly adjustable. It’s not a light
helmet, most noticeable when you’re
being battered by the wind on a
naked bike. But even then it remains
impressively quiet. It’s an expensive
helmet, but it’s a really good one.
X-Lite X-1003 Elegance £329.99
Sizes 2XS-3XL | Shell sizes 3 |
Rating P and J | Material
Composite fibre | Weight 1670g |
Removable lining Yes | Colours
White, black, grey (£329.99), carbon/
black (£379.99) | SHARP rating
4/5 | Bluetooth ready Yes
SCORES
Stability ................................9
Noise ....................................8
Interior..................................8
Vents ....................................6
Vision....................................7
Sun visor...............................7
Flip action .............................7
Finish ....................................9
TOTAL .................................61/80
No fuss, no frills
but a great
performance at a
good price
**TAG** BEST UNDER
£200
BEST UNDER £200
Stability ................................7
Noise ....................................8
Interior..................................8
Vents ....................................7
Vision....................................8
Sun visor...............................8
Flip action .............................8
Finish ....................................9
TOTAL .................................63/80
To open, flick the
lower button to pop
the upper lever out,
pinch and lift
www.motogear.co.uk
The super-slick visor opens easily
with a secure two-lever pinch
system. It’s light and comfortable,
with a plush liner, though the chinbar
is close fitting. Vision is decent, with
a variable-position sun visor. Vents
are good (though the chin vent is
easily knocked shut). This fibre
helmet can take the N-Com Bluetooth
system, though the £380 carbonfibre
version can’t.
SCORES
AGV Compact £199.99
www.motodirect.co.uk
Polycarbonate | Weight 1910g |
Fluoro yellow, silver, pattern, black
(£179.99) | SHARP rating 4/5 |
Bluetooth ready Yes
A great lid at a great price, the
Compact shows it’s a polycarbonate
helmet only with its hefty weight. It
has a decent field of view, and a
two-position sun visor operated by a
lever on the side. On the other side is
a similar lever to lock the chinbar up.
Weak spot is the venting, as it can
get misty. But overall it’s great –
especially as older paint schemes
can be found online for under £200.
SCORES
Stability ................................7
Noise ....................................6
Interior..................................6
Vents ....................................5
Vision....................................7
Sun visor...............................6
Flip action .............................7
Finish ....................................7
TOTAL .................................51/80
AUGUST 2016
| 83
Built-in Bluetooth
system adds cost
but is brilliant and
easy to use
BMW System 6 Evo £450
www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk
lining Yes | Colours White (£430),
fluoro orange, fluoro yellow, two
black, two silver (all £450), two
patterns (£475) | SHARP rating
3/5 | Bluetooth ready Yes
Lovely lining, solid build, easy-to-use
flip mechanism, and a sun visor
adjusted with a slide on the base of
the helmet. It sits low on the brow
and the vents could be more
effective, but it’s an impressive
helmet. Not light, but some weight is
from the £325 BMW communication
system fitted to ours.
Kabuto Ibuki £359.99
Stability ................................6
Noise ....................................8
Interior..................................9
Vents ....................................6
Vision....................................7
Sun visor...............................7
Flip action .............................8
Finish ....................................8
TOTAL .................................59/80
Flip release on the
side of the chinbar
stops accidentally
closing chin vent
www.tri-motive.com
Sizes XS-XL | Shell sizes 2 |
Rating P only | Material
Composite fibre | Weight 1720g |
White, two black, two silver |
SHARP rating No | Bluetooth
ready No
Don’t be fooled by the plain looks –
this is a smart, sophisticated helmet.
It’s light, stable and has a comfy
interior. There’s a good field of vision
with a Pinlock Max Vision insert and
a good-sized, dark, variable-position
sun visor. The flip mechanism is
released by a button under the left
side of the chinbar. It’s quiet, but the
vents could do more. Deserves to
look as good as it performs.
SCORES
SCORES
Stability ................................7
Noise ....................................7
Interior..................................7
Vents ....................................6
Vision....................................8
Sun visor...............................8
Flip action .............................7
Finish ....................................7
TOTAL .................................57/80
Flip button is hard
to operate with
gloves on and rain
can get in visor
Schuberth C3 Pro £499.99
www.tranam.co.uk
lining Yes | Colours White and two
black (£449), red and silver (£469.99),
fluoro yellow and seven patterns
(£499.99) | SHARP rating 3/5 |
Bluetooth ready Yes
Quiet and stable, with a good sun
visor and the plushest lining here.
But it feels less like a helmet and
more like a hostage situation due to
fiddly flip mechanism. Sits low on the
brow so you may end up staring at
the Pinlock seam. The vents aren’t
great, and heavy rain can trickle
down the inside of the visor. That’s
unforgivable for the premium price.
SCORES
Stability ................................7
Noise ....................................8
Interior..................................10
Vents ....................................6
Vision....................................6
Sun visor...............................7
Flip action .............................5
Finish ....................................7
TOTAL .................................56/80
AUGUST 2016
| 85
Vents are easy to
use, unlike the sun
visor which is hard
to reach
HJC R-PHA Max Evo £269.99
www.oxfordproducts.com
lining Yes | Colours White, silver,
grey, two black | SHARP rating
A nice, light helmet with a good liner.
Vents are easy to operate but their
effectiveness is less impressive. The
field of view is good, though the
weakly spring-loaded two-position
sun visor is operated by a slide on
the top of the helmet that can be
hard to use. It might not be perfect,
but it’s a good helmet for the money
– those that outperform it all cost
substantially more.
Shark Evo-One £329.99
Stability ................................7
Noise ....................................7
Interior..................................7
Vents ....................................6
Vision....................................7
Sun visor...............................6
Flip action .............................7
Finish ....................................7
TOTAL .................................54/80
To close, you pull
the edge of the
chinbar out slightly,
then flip it shut
www.nevis.uk.com
Sizes XS-XL | Shell sizes 2 | Rating
P and J | Material Polycarbonate |
Weight 1730g | Removable lining
Yes | Colours White, two black (all
£309.99), five patterns (£329.99) |
ready Yes
The Shark’s chinbar flips all the way
to the back of the helmet – it’s easy
to use, but there is a knack to it. It
can be noisy at speed and the vents
are fiddly and feel small, but it’s a
nicely mist-free lid with a good field
of view. The sun visor slider on top
of the lid can be hard to reach, but
it’s steplessly adjustable with a
smooth action. The lining is excellent.
Overall, it’s a clever, comfortable lid.
SCORES
SCORES
Stability ................................7
Noise ....................................6
Interior..................................7
Vents ....................................7
Vision....................................7
Sun visor...............................6
Flip action .............................6
Finish ....................................8
TOTAL .................................54/80
Nolan N104 Absolute £269.99
Wouldn’t have
fitted Jimmy Hill:
chinbar comes
in at the base
www.motogear.co.uk
Sizes 2XS-3XL | Shell sizes 2 |
Removable lining No | Colours
White, grey, two blacks (all £249.99),
four patterns (£269.99), fluoro yellow
(£279.99) | SHARP rating 4/5 |
Bluetooth ready Yes
This polycarbonate flip-front has a
steep back and can buffet at higher
speeds. It’s quiet, with a pleasant
lining and a decent field of view,
though the two-position sun visor
– operated by a slider on the base of
helmet – is an odd shape. Vents don’t
seem to do much. Flip operates with
a secure two-lever pinch mechanism,
dropping well down for flip-up riding.
SCORES
Stability ................................6
Noise ....................................7
Interior..................................7
Vents ....................................5
Vision....................................7
Sun visor...............................6
Flip action .............................7
Finish ....................................7
TOTAL .................................52/80
AUGUST 2016
| 87
Clever, secure flip
mechanism pulls out
before moving
Caberg Modus £224.99
www.cabergcares.co.uk
White, black | SHARP rating No |
Bluetooth ready Yes
Nicely finished with a clever flip
mechanism that drops the chinbar
low when it’s raised, to reduce drag.
The vents are of limited
effectiveness, allowing some misting.
There’s a decent range of vision,
spoilt by the visible and too-small
Pinlock. There’s a variable-position
sun visor, and the helmet is ready for
Caberg’s Just Speak Bluetooth
system.
Scorpion EXO910 £149.99
Stability ................................7
Noise ....................................6
Interior..................................7
Vents ....................................6
Vision....................................6
Sun visor...............................6
Flip action .............................7
Finish ....................................6
TOTAL .................................51/80
Vents are tiny and
too easily closed by
mistake. Flip doesn’t
always stay up
www.tranam.co.uk
Sizes S-XL | Shell sizes 1 | Rating
P only | Material Polycarbonate |
Weight 1700g | Removable lining
Yes | Colours White, two blacks,
fluoro yellow, red | SHARP rating
No | Bluetooth ready No
An eyecatching lid, but noisy and
with the worst vents here; it’s also
one of the few that doesn’t come
with a Pinlock in the box. The
two-position sun visor is operated
by a small, fiddly slider on the side
of the helmet. The flip mechanism is
similar to that on the AGV Compact,
but takes more of a slam to close and
can droop when it should be up. In its
favour, it has a pleasant lining and it’s
stable at all speeds.
SCORES
SCORES
Stability ................................7
Noise ....................................5
Interior..................................7
Vents ....................................4
Vision....................................5
Sun visor...............................5
Flip action .............................5
Finish ....................................7
TOTAL .................................45/80
Flip mechanism is
good but helmet is
heavy and loud with
an itchy liner
HJC IS-Max II £159.99
www.oxfordproducts.com
Rating P only | Material
Fluoro yellow, two silver, two black,
white, five patterns (£179.99) |
SHARP rating 3/5 | Bluetooth
ready No
Noticeably heavier than many of the
other helmets here. It’s fairly noisy,
the vents are weedy and the interior
gets itchy when it’s hot. Field of view
is decent, though the two-position
sun visor is awkward to work,
operated by a slide and released
by a button on top of the helmet.
Outclassed by the more expensive
helmets.
SCORES
Stability ................................6
Noise ....................................5
Interior..................................5
Vents ....................................5
Vision....................................6
Sun visor...............................5
Flip action .............................6
Finish ....................................6
TOTAL .................................44/80
AUGUST 2016
| 89
We couldn’t get
the visor off to
fit its Pinlock
Givi X.08 Modular £148.99
www.givi.co.uk
Thermoplastic | Weight 1870g |
White, silver, fluoro yellow, two black |
ready No
A heavy helmet. When it gets
buffeted at speed it’s not pleasant,
and it’s not quiet either. The chin vent
does nothing, but the brow vents are
good. Decent field of view is let down
by distortion at the edges of the
visor and a poorly shaped sun visor.
The flip is hard to close and prone to
drooping. Pinlock insert not included
(but is impossible to fit).
SCORES
Stability ................................5
Noise ....................................5
Interior..................................7
Vents ....................................6
Vision....................................6
Sun visor...............................4
Flip action .............................4
Finish ....................................6
TOTAL .................................43/80
Caberg Tourmax £214.99
www.cabergcares.co.uk
Black, white, silver (all £189.99), two
patterns (£214.99) | SHARP rating
A flip-front with a peak sounds like
a good idea, but there are limitations
– mostly the levels of noise and the
buffeting, which are the worst here.
The flip is released by an awkward
button in the middle of the chinbar.
The pale-tint sun visor hasn’t much
of a nose cut-out and is operated by
an awkward slide on top of the lid,
but the peak does help fight the sun
and the field of view is decent.
THE
SCORES
Stability ................................4
Noise ....................................4
Interior..................................6
Vents ....................................5
Vision....................................6
Sun visor...............................5
Flip action .............................5
Finish ....................................6
TOTAL .................................41/80
VERDICT
WE’VE BEEN IMPRESSED by the standard of these flip-front
helmets. Even the budget helmets are pretty decent and some
are great value, especially the AGV Compact, which performs
to a very high standard and so gets a Recommended triangle.
Paying the extra for a fibre helmet over a polycarbonate one
is, in our view, worth it. Not only does the lower weight mean
better stability and comfort, but also the refinement tends to
be better in these helmets. Linings are plusher, vents work
better, flips are easier to use… though not in every case.
Generally the high-end helmets all perform to a high standard
and the one that fits you best will always be the best one for
you. But two stood out – so we’ve awarded Recommended
triangles to the Shoei Neotech and X-Lite X-1003 Elegance.
Our Best Buy is the Lazer Monaco Pure Carbon – the lightest
lid here, and the only one with a Transitions visor. A spare is
£99, but when did you last damage a visor so badly it had to
be replaced? The one on the helmet should be the only one you
need – and the Monaco could be the only helmet you need.
Flip-release
button needs a very
firm push. Peak
catches the wind
Lightweight
Lazer Monaco
Pure Carbon is
our Best Buy
AUGUST 2016
| 91

Flip-front helmets

Transcription

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