There are different types of motorbike helmets such as full-face, open-face and modular. A modular helmet is a combination of the first two and allows the front chin bar to flip up exposing your face and therefore making it easier to chat to your mates or pay for petrol from jobsworth garage attendants.
Traditionally I ride in full-face helmets as the protection is considered best and I was excited when I was sent the Shark Evo-one 2 modular helmet to try. My initial worry about any modular helmet is the safety of the movable chin guard on impact, this is the obvious weak point, however I was reassured with the Shark Evo-One 2 as it has been tested by SHARP and the chin guard stayed locked in place 100% of the time. That is an awesome score and should mean you can rely on the chin guard to stay protecting your face, which isn’t true for most modular helmets. The Evo-One 2 has been tested and certified to be used in both full-face and open-face configurations. This would appear to be a very safe helmet.
The first thing I noticed when I put the helmet on was how easy it is to get onto your head compared to a standard full-face. When the chin bar is flipped up the helmet can be pulled slightly wider to put your head in. Once the helmet is on you can ride with it as an open-face or full-face, which is not the case for many modulars. Once the chin bar is pulled to the front and clicked in place it seems to tighten the whole fit of the helmet and feels very comfortable and secure.
The chin bar cleverly pushes the visor out of the way and then sits nicely around the back of the helmet with a click. The sun visor is easy to operate with a slide button on the top and as it is a slide you can adjust how far up or down you want the sun visor. Other helmets have an up or down only sun visor, which doesn’t always fit and can rub on your nose.
I found this Shark very comfortable from the get-go with no bedding-in period, it just felt right.
The Slasher graphics on mine look brilliant but if you don’t like these there are many to choose from right down to plain colours.
The liner is made of luxurious wicking material to take sweat away and is fully removable and washable connected with pop studs and Velcro to the helmet. I found it simple to add in my PackTalk communication system within the helmet and the Evo has considerate cut outs for speakers in the ears. Shark also do their own communications system called SHARKTOOTH® that slots straight in.
The ventilation is brilliant as there is a front chin vent and two vents on the top and of course if you get too hot flip the chin bar back for a breezy open face.
The chin strap is a ratchet affair which I like as it is quick and easy. I have had too many D-ring straps that are a bit fiddly and when they get older and the strap gets softer they can twist through the D-ring.
On the inside of the chin guard is a retractable magnetised breath guard. It has a plastic tag on it - which you can easily grab with a gloved hand and pull down - and it sits under the chin to reduce wind noise and draft. When you don’t want to use it you flip it back up and it stays in place. It is unobtrusive and you might ride in the life of the helmet and not even realise it is there.
The visor is wide and gives great vision. It is also Pinlock ready and comes generously with the Pinlock Max Vision insert.
A question always asked when testing helmets is, “How noisy is it?” I struggle to answer that as I always ride wearing earplugs. I have read too many white papers that conclude that riding without ear protection is stupid and can terminally damage your hearing, so I won’t ride without plugs, even for a review. That said, it doesn’t seem any louder than any of my other helmets.
I wasn’t sure that a modular type helmet was for me, however once I read the safety statistics and was reassured, I thought, ‘why not give it a go?’ and I am really glad I did. After riding in it for a few hours there is nothing negative to report back and there are loads of benefits you don’t get with a full-face. This is the helmet I will be riding down to the South of France in July when I will be reviewing loads of gear. With the best part of 3,000 miles planned for this trip, it will sort out the men from the boys and I will keep you posted about the helmet however at the moment its looks very positive. RRP £349.99
4.5 out of 5
Pros
Comfortable
Quality
Sliding sun visor
Ratchet strap
Best of both worlds
Cons
Heavier than a standard full-face
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