I bought a new helmet the other day – a Schuberth M1 Pro open face – and have now worn it for two full days out. I’ve never liked full-face helmets: I have a quite nice looking Shoei, but never wear it as it feels too claustrophobic. In the past, I wore completely open face helmets with goggles, but in recent years I’ve preferred the sort with a full coverage visor which can easily be tilted up or down. Anyway, I decided it was time to pension off my old Caberg, which was a bit noisy and gave me a stiff neck after a while holding my head against the wind resistance.
After much studying of the Sportsbikeshop website, I fancied trying the Schuberth M1 Pro. These generally retail at about £375, but Sportsbikeshop and one or two other discounters were offering white ones for £260.99, which looked like a good deal, so I ordered one.
Unlike many open face helmets, the sides project slightly forwards to give improved protection to the cheek and jaw area. The main visor is noticeably thicker and more protective than any others I have encountered, and it covers the whole face when fully down, but will stay put securely in any position if you want some wind in the face on a hot day. There’s also a very effective sliding vent on the top for coolness. As with most modern helmets, there’s a dark inner sun visor which works well.
Schuberths are made in Germany, and the finish and build quality are right up there with the top Japanese makes. They use wind tunnel testing to make them as quiet as possible, and it is definitely the quietest helmet I have worn. (Bearing in mind that quietness is a relative term as far as motorcycle helmets are concerned.) The same aerodynamic qualities mean that it offers minimum resistance to the wind, and doesn’t give me a stiff neck. It is close fitting and doesn’t lift at speed, and I find it very comfortable to wear, although of course comfort is a personal thing.
For those who want that sort of thing, it also has microphones and earphones built in out of sight, and there is a discreet blanking plate in the back where you can plug in some Bluetooth gubbins which is claimed to give you plug & play communication. I shan’t be finding out.
So overall I’m very pleased with it It suits me perfectly, and it’s well worth trying one if you like this style of helmet.
