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Schuberth Concept Helmet Review

After having searched the web high and low for a decent review and/ or comparison of the Schuberth Concept Helmet, I came up pretty short and went and dropped some cash on one anyway.  In an effort to help others who may be considering this helmet, I'm posting this personal review.  MotoTour, nor I have any affiliation with Schuberth or any of the other helmet manufacturers mentioned in this review.

Initial Impression
After having just purchased the helmet, I put on a little over a hundred miles of local city and canyon riding.  My previous helmet was an HJC AC-10 helmet, so keep that in mind as you read my opinions of this helmet.

Fitting - In agreement with what I have read about this helmet's fitting on other sites, this helmet does run small, and has a different overall shape when compared to other helmets.  I wear a size Large in my AC-10, but had to jump up to an Extra-Large in the Concept helmet.  The Schuberth size chart seems pretty accurate, as my head measures about 24-1/4", which equivocates to an XL.  I had read warning's that this helmet tended to fit people with round heads better, and that people with long oval heads may run in to problems.  I did not find this to be true, and I have a relatively long oval head.  The Concept helmet provides the most room in front of your face compared to most of the other flip-up helmets that I tried.  The Shoei Syncrotec being the worst fit for me, since it smashed my big Russian nose every time I lowered the chin bar.  The Concept helmet has a larger than average chin curtain that extends far under your chin when the chin bar is closed.  I have a thick goatee, and do not notice any discomfort from this large curtain.  Several of the flip-up helmets I tried did not have a chin curtain, or had only a small curtain.  The only sizing issue was that this helmet seems to seal around the neck a little tighter than I was accustomed too.  After a few rides, I didn't notice this anymore.  Overall, the fitting of this helmet went pretty smoothly.  I would highly recommend that anyone considering this helmet try it on before you buy it, because it does fit significantly different than most other helmets, and that may not suit everyone.

Features - If you are into gadgets and features, this helmet is loaded.  The one-handed flip-up release works perfectly.  I've found that closing the chin bar almost always requires two hands; gripping the chin bar through the face shield and making sure both sides of the chin bar lock closed.  I can get both sides to lock with a single hand, but I'm relatively new to flip-ups and like the reassurance that the chin bar is closed.  I'm sure this will get easier with time as the locking mechanisms break-in.  The users manual also recommends using a little Vaseline to lubricate the locking mechanisms, which I have not tried yet.  Overall, the flip-up feature works fine.

Possibly the coolest feature of the helmet is the retractable sun visor.  After an evening canyon ride, where I was riding through shadows and direct sun,  I am convinced that this is the coolest thing since twist-top beer bottles.  At first I though it would be something I would rarely use, but having the option to retract and flip-down the visor with a simple one-handed slider, makes it easy (and safer) to ride through varying light conditions.  The visor only tints your view of the road ahead and peripherals, leaving your view of your instrument panel un-tinted.  This was a little weird at first since I'm used to using full-tint visors and/ or sunglasses, but one I got used to it, I will never go back.  Once thing that I am worried about with the partial sun visor, is getting sun burn on my face on long rides (I speak from experience).  This helmet will definitely warrant using sun block on the lower portion of your face if you plan on doing any touring through the desert.  In my opinion, able to clearly see your tach, fuel, and less importantly your speedometer, are worth this inconvenience.  I have read other sites that claim that when the sun is low and to your side, sunlight can sneak around the peripheral of the visor.  Although I have not experienced this, I can definitely see that it is a possibility.

The face shield on this helmet is the largest shield I've ever seen.  The Concept helmet gives the most unobstructed view of your surroundings that I have ever experienced while wearing a helmet.  The sides of the face shield extend back almost to your ears, giving you 100% of your peripheral vision.  When looking straight ahead, you almost don't even see the helmet.  The anti-fog treatment on the face shield is also incredible.  I rode through 40-degree weather, where you could easily see your breath, yet only a slight film of fog (barley noticeable) formed on the shield.  Once moving, this fog quickly disappeared and the shield was incredibly clear.

The Schuberth Concept helmet also has a small compartment on the exterior of the helmet that contains information for emergency personnel on how to correctly remove the helmet.  You can also easily insert other information such as blood-type, medical conditions, emergency phone numbers, etc.  I've heard this jokingly called the "in case my helmet is separated from my wallet feature".  I actually like this feature, since it serves as a backup for any emergency information you carry.  Plus, my motorcycle jacket has so many pockets, sometimes I can't even find my own wallet, let alone a stranger in an emergency situation.  This little compartment is pretty obvious and easy to see, and might cut minutes off the time it will take emergency personnel to locate your wallet.  Even if you don't agree with this, you have to admit that having that information in two locations is better than relying on it in only one location.

The helmet is very well vented, with one gigantic chin vent, head vents, and the option to push the face shield out about 1/8".  Before I purchased this helmet, I thought they meant you could just crack the face shield open, but that is not the case.  The face shield actually pushes horizontally out away from its gasket, keeping the helmet's aerodynamics relatively unaltered, and providing substantial ventilation.  The chin vent is huge on this helmet and is controlled by another vent on the inside of the chin bar that lets you direct air straight-through to your face, or up across the inside of the face shield.  The head vent functions similar to other helmets, taking air in at your forehead and diverting across your scalp to the rear of the helmet.  So far, I have been very happy with the ventilation systems on this helmet.

The concept helmet has a removable liner that comes out as one piece.  It is very simple to remove and replace - much simpler than the HJC AC-10 multi-piece liner.  Apparently different thicknesses of helmet liners are available to further customize the fit of this helmet.  I have not seen these, nor do I know where to obtain one.

The aerodynamics of this helmet are pretty cool.  I read a lot of hoopla about the small spoiler on the rear of this helmet.  The fact is, it really seems to work.  Even at speeds in excess of 100 mph on my 1150GS Adventure, the helmet remains very aerodynamically neutral.  The helmet also feels incredibly light.

I've recently starting to investigate installing a communication system in the helmet.  No instructions are provided with the helmet on how to accomplish this.  There are speaker cut-outs near each ear on the inside of the helmet which contain two small pieces of removable insulation to reduce noise when speakers are not installed.  Getting to these without disassembling the helmet seems to be a challenge.  Also, as with most flip-ups, the microphone becomes an issue.  If you use a boom microphone, you will have to play with it every time you lower your chin bar.  A stick-on microphone requires running wire from the helmet to the flip-up chin bar.  Basically there is no great solution.  I'm starting with a boom microphone until I can figure out something better.  I've heard that some companies are now producing headsets specifically for flip-up helmets, so check around.

Cons - Like any helmet, this helmet is not perfect.  The biggest issue I've noticed is noise.  Schuberth's web site states, "The Concept helmet is also extremely quiet, due to extensive aerocoustic testing and flip-up design."  MotoTour's reply to this statement would be, "My ass this helmet is quiet!"  Compared to sticking your head out of a Boeing 747 window at 30,000 feet, this helmet may be quiet.  This helmet is at least twice as noisy as my HJC AC-10.  This is obvious and expected due to all the seams created by the flip-up feature, but I can't believe that Schuberth makes this claim.  The helmet may be quieter than other flip-up helmets, which I could believe with the Concept's excellent chin curtain and gaskets on the chin bar/ helmet interface, but "quiet" this helmet is not!  Ear plugs are mandatory for any highway riding (which I would highly recommend for any helmet), and could be useful even for urban riding.  I had to knock up the volume on my intercom system just to hear my passenger while riding at low (30 - 40 mph) speeds.  Additionally, as awesome as the venting system is, it contributes significantly to the noise inside the helmet.  By closing the chin vent alone, you can knock down the noise by what seems to be a few decibels.

Another minor drawback of the Concept helmet is that the chin strap does not have any rings to attach the helmet to your bike's helmet lock.  This requires that you A) leave your helmet unlocked, risking it being stolen or having it fall off your bike, B) carry your helmet with you while away from your bike, or C) carry a separate cable lock (i.e. a ski or snowboard cable lock) to lock the helmet to the bike.  I personally use option C - but it just adds to the gear I have to carry.

Like all flip-up helmets, the helmet is only DOT rated.  I've heard two explanations of why there are not any Snell approved flip-up helmets.  The first explanation is that SNELL has not tested any flip-up helmets.  Why?  No one can seem to answer that.  The second explanation I've heard is that no helmet companies have submitted their flip-up helmets to SNELL for testing.  Why?  Supposedly they are worried that they will fail.  I have no clue what the true story is.  Personally, I'm a little worried that this helmet does not have a SNELL rating.  Hopefully some light will be shed on this in the near future since flip-helmets are becoming more popular.  The following is an excerpt directly from Snell's web site FAQ section:

"Why won't Snell certify some types of helmets like flip up front designs?

Snell does not dismiss out of hand any helmet design that strays from the conventional.  Snell does not point out any design specifications other than general requirements in our standards.  We are however, always concerned with innovations and new designs that may effect the helmet's ability to protect the wearer, or in some cases the helmets potential to cause injury.  At present the Foundation has not had the opportunity to test any of the flip up front type helmets for certification.  We do not find any fault with these designs as long as they are used according to the manufacturers instructions and meet all of the requirements of the standard.  We will also certify any size of helmet as long as it meets the same requirements as any other Snell certified helmet."

... so what the hell does that mean??

Conclusion (for now) - Overall, I am very pleased with this helmet.  All the cool features and general performance out-weigh the noise issue.  My key advice at this point would be to find a dealer where you can try on this helmet.  A dealer that is willing to take the helmet back if you are not happy with it would be even better since it is hard replicating riding at 75 mph by running back and forth inside the motorcycle shop.  I will add more to this review once I have more time riding in this helmet.

Please keep in mind that this is one man's opinion.  The helmet's fit, and personal preferences may give you an entirely different opinion of this helmet.  These are just some of the things I noticed and that you may want to consider if you are planning on purchasing this helmet.

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