There are many great helmet manufacturers out there but I’d got myself into thinking there was Arai and then there was everyone else. And so it was when I decided that I wanted a more adventure styled helmet to match the bike and my other touring gear I instinctively turned to Arai. At the time I was at the NEC Motorcycle Live show and was browsing the new range of helmets while my current helmet, a Quantum ST Pro, got a free service (another good reason to buy Arai). At the time I had my eye on the Tour-X 4.
The show was in November and the Arai wasn’t in the shops until the following March so I had time to look around. Not that I needed to as I’ll remind you of my opening statement suggesting I need not look any further than Aria, however in the months following I kept seeing a lot of recommendations in the touring community to the Schuberth helmets.
The Schuberth E1
I took a look out of curiosity and was quite impressed with the specs. It was a flip up helmet, had an internal visor, came with a pinlock fittedand could have an optional integrated comms system. Sure it also came with a price tag closing in on £700 but all of these extra features gave me a reason to change rather just on styling.
A year went by and another NEC show came around. This was the perfect opportunity to try one on for size, thus opening up the ability to buy online with confidence. One I’d confirmed that my head was still large and that the Schuberth large conformed to my large head I came home to do some browsing. It was a further four months on when I stopped searching but in that time I’d found an E1 in an older livery for £399 from Helmet City. I liked the colour and I was making a £270 saving!
Out of the box the helmet felt great. While some people made reference to some head shapes not liking it, I must fall into the bracket of skull compatibility that suits the Schuberth. It was immediately comfortable and the convenience of the ratchet closure rather that the double D ring was a welcome addition. As with most helmets I took a few minutes to work out where all the vent positions are while wearing the helmet and also the switch for the internal visor that, while immensely practical, also gave you a Top Gun jet fighter look.
Out on the road I found that in its delivered position the peak was a little intrusive in my line of sight so I lifted this one notch up. The adjustment was simple with the release of a locking lever. I’ve yet to ride on a wet day but I have noticed a bit of internal condensation that immediately clears when the visor is cracked open in its ‘urban riding’ position. Perhaps I need to open up a vent? Either way the pillock did its job and there is nothing in the main field of vision. It is possible that with everything closed it has less ability that the Arai (in a good way) to vent out any moisture from my breast as the next skirt is quite snug. This also has the ability to reduce noise considerably and I’m finding that it is a very quiet helmet. I certainly look forward to touring in it.
Can you hear me now?
When I ordered it I had agonised long and hard as to whether I should be buying the integrated SC10U comms based on the Sena system. Long story short, yes the integrated system would be neater than retaining the UClear but everyone I need to communicate with has the UClear. If this changes at a later date I can get the integrated system to fit. It is good that the helmet is prepared for comms as it gave me an ample recess to mount the UClear speakers.
