Full-face, modular or open-face: which helmet suits how you ride?

Three types side by side

A full-face helmet has a fixed chin bar and a visor. Shell and chin bar are one piece. You see it on sports bikes, tourers and scooters. Examples are the Shoei NXR 2, the Schuberth S3 and the Scorpion Exo-391.

A modular helmet, also called a flip-up or system helmet, has a chin bar you lift. At a stop or the petrol station you can talk and drink without taking it off. Examples are the Schuberth C5, the Scorpion Exo-930 Evo and the LS2 FF906 Advant.

An open-face or jet helmet leaves the face free and often has a visor or a sun visor. It is airy and light, and common on scooters and classic bikes. Examples are the Scorpion Exo-City II, the LS2 OF616 Airflow II and the Schuberth O1.

Reading the ECE label

Every approved helmet has a label sewn to the chin strap. It shows an E with a number for the country that approved the helmet, and an approval number. If that number starts with 06, the helmet is approved under ECE 22.06, the version that now applies to new helmets. Many makers put it in the product name, like Scorpion with "ECE 22-06 gekeurd" or Caberg with "ECE 22.06 gekeurd".

The label also carries a letter for the chin bar:

• J: an open-face helmet, without a chin bar.
• NP: a chin bar that does not protect the chin.
• P: the chin bar protects; this is how a full-face helmet is approved.
• P/J: a modular helmet approved both closed and open. You may also ride with the chin bar up.

If a modular helmet shows only P, it is approved closed only. MT Helmets puts it in the name of the Genesis SV: "systeemhelm P/J".

When to choose which

Long rides and motorways: a full-face or modular helmet closes your face off from wind and rain. A full-face has no hinge in the chin bar; a modular is handy at stops and if you wear glasses.

Touring with stops: a modular helmet with a P/J label, because you lift the chin bar to fill up, pay or talk without taking the helmet off. Look at the weight the maker states: the mechanism in the chin bar adds to it.

Town and scooter: an open-face helmet is open and airy. In rain and cold your face is in the wind. An open-face with a long visor, like the Nolan N20-2, covers more.

Off road: for dirt there are motocross helmets without a visor and adventure helmets with a peak and a visor, like the O'Neal D-SRS. Caberg makes the Tourmax as a modular in enduro shape, LS2 the OF606 Drifter as a multi helmet.

Visor, sun visor and Pinlock

Many helmets have a sun visor that slides down inside the shell, like the Axxis Panther SV. Then you don't need sunglasses under the helmet. A Pinlock is an inner visor held on the visor by two pins that helps against fogging; Caberg mentions it for the Tourmax. Whether a visor is ready for a Pinlock is stated by the maker.

Intercom and fit

If you want an intercom, check whether the helmet is prepared for one. Schuberth makes its SC2 system for its own helmets, which fits into the shell; other makers leave room for speakers in the lining. There is more in the guide to intercoms.

Whichever type you choose, the helmet has to fit. How to find your size is in the guide to helmet size.

Comparing prices

Every type is under helmets, with brands such as Schuberth, Scorpion, Shoei and LS2. Every size and colour has its own EAN, and Piegga compares them one by one.