Best retro motorcycle helmets | Classic looks with modern safety, as tested by MCN

The recent rise in popularity of retro-style motorcycles – machines with classic, old-fashioned looks but with bang-up-to-date mechanicals and performance such as Triumph’s 1960s-influenced Bonneville and Kawasaki’s 1970s-inspired Z650RS – has also led to a rise in retro motorcycle kit.

After all, nothing spoils your retro bike image as much as riding in modern high-tech clobber. And that applies not just motorcycle helmets, but to leather jackets, gloves and bike boots as well. It’s a lifestyle look that’s just as relevant if you ride a café racer or cruiser.

Now there are more retro-style helmets available than ever. Legendary US brand Bell, who invented the first ‘full face’ helmet back in the 1960s, led the way when it introduced its retro Bullitt full face in 2014.

Since then, however, there has been a flood of retro offerings from all the leading manufacturers; some full face, some open face (which obviously don’t offer as much protection) and some even motocross style.

Nor do you have to worry about retro helmets providing retro-standard protection, either. All are built to the same exacting manufacturing and ECE safety standards as any other, including modern structures, fastenings and visor openings and offer protection to match the best – just in more retro styles and colour schemes.

But what’s out there? Can you get a budget helmet and what’s included?

Our pick of some of the retro helmets we think are amongst best

Other options to consider

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Frequently asked questions and tips

Is it road legal?

To conform to UK law a helmet must either:

• Reach British Standard BS 6658:1985 and also carry the BSI Kitemark
• Meet UNECE Regulation 22.06
• Meet a European Economic Area member standard equivalent of BS 6658:1985 and also carry a mark equivalent to the BSI Kitemark

Most lids will have ECE 22.06 printed on them, usually at the back of the lid.

Helmets stamped ECE 22.05 are still legal to be sold until retailer stocks run out but these are disappearing fast.

Is it Sharp rated?

SHARP’s five-star safety rating is an independent helmet testing scheme ran by the Department of Transport. You can see which lids have been tested at SHARP’s website.

Is it ACU gold-approved?

An ‘ACU Gold or Silver’ sticker means that the lid is approved for use in motorcycle sport by the Auto Cycle Union in the UK. Some trackday and race organisers insist on you wearing an ACU Gold-approved helmet, but it’s not a legal requirement for road riding.

Does it have a Pinlock insert?

One of the best anti-fog inserts on the market, many lids come with a Pinlock included in the box while others simply have its fixings and you need to purchase the Pinlock itself separately. If you need to buy it, factor this extra expense into your buying decision.

How much does it weigh?

A heavy lid can put extra strain on your neck, leading to fatigue when worn for a long period of time, so a lightweight lid can be an advantage when it comes to touring.

Is the lining removable?

Helmets get sweaty and removing the lining and cleaning it thoroughly is the best way of reducing smells and keeping it nice to wear. If you cover a lot of miles in all weather conditions it is a good idea to get a lid with a removable lining.

Is the visor easy to remove?

A fiddly visor removal system can be very annoying when it comes to removing the visor to give it a good clean and remove and stuck on flies. Look for a well-designed system that will allow you to quickly remove the visor with minimal effort or use of tools. Some overly-complicated visor release systems result in broken side-pods or a damaged mechanism and that could mean a lengthy delay while you await spare parts.

Does it have an integrated sun visor?

A ‘flip-down’ sun visor is a really handy addition for when the sun is out as it means you can simply flip it down while on the go rather than stopping to fit a pair of sunglasses.

What is its ventilation like?

A hot head is an uncomfortable head, so see if the helmet has vents and if they are easily operated by a gloved hand. The more vents, the cooler your head will be, however they can create extra wind noise.

Is it ready for a communications system?

Many helmets are ‘communications ready,’ which means they are designed with extra recesses around the ear areas so that you can insert headphones for a communications system. Without these recesses, the headphones can press irritatingly on your ears.

Is it designed for glasses?

If you wear glasses, a lot of helmets have special areas in them to allow the glasses’ arms to sit comfortably between the lining and your face, stopping them pressing on you or getting deformed and also making them easy to remove and put on.

What kind of strap fastener does it have?

There are two general types of helmet strap fastener – a D-Ring and a ratchet-style. The D-Ring requires manually threading and then tightening the strap where a ratchet-style system is a simple push-fit. It is a matter of choice with some riders preferring the ease of the ratchet-style and other opting for the secure feeling offered by a D-Ring.

Can I buy a dark visor?

Legally a visor must allow a light transmission of 50%, which means most dark visors are ‘for non-road use only.’ This doesn’t stop riders wearing them and if you want to have a dark visor, always check that one is readily available for the helmet you are looking at.

How MCN tests retro helmets

At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles in order to provide you with opinions and evaluations you can trust, alongside news of the most significant developments in motorcycling safety gear. We want you to stay safe, enjoy your riding and hopefully look great while doing so! 

We don’t test our helmets to destruction; we use it exactly how you do, in the real world and in all conditions.

That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on. To make it onto this list, retro helmets must have been worn for hundred or thousands of miles by our team of experienced testers, show no major flaws, and meet modern safety standards as well as offering decent value for money. 

Each of our expert reviewers tests their lids for a variety of things, both subjective and objective. Factors assessed include the helmet’s conformity to the latest ECE 22.06 safety regulations, whether comms systems can be installed, what type of chin strap fixture they have, how heavy they are and if they include details such as a drop-down sun visor, removable peak or any additional aerodynamic properties, and of course, how they look.

However, we also assess how they fit, their perceived build quality, how quickly we’re able to swap the visor out, what the venting feels like and how comfortable/adjustable the liner is during daily use.

We cover thousands of miles in these lids and regularly compare them with one another in the office, so collectively we’ve built the sort of knowledge base you can trust.

If you can’t see a review against a helmet on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet or they did not manage to achieve a score of four stars or above. Only retro helmets that have four or five stars will be included in our best of buying guides. These helmets will only be included if we think they’re important and relevant in the market, and rest assured, we will be working on bringing you a review as soon as we’ve done the miles.

Here’s a brief run-down of the star rating system we use, and what each score means:

• 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A helmet with a single star rating has fallen below the expected standard and should be avoided.
• 2 stars – Basic performance in this area or overall. A helmet with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level and there is room for improvement. It might be lacking safety features, be poorly built or far too expensive to recommend.
• 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A helmet with a three-star rating has achieved a basic level of performance and is deemed adequate.
• 4 stars – A product has performed over and above the accepted averaged in this category or overall. A helmet with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
• 5 stars – A helmet has performed at the highest possible level in a particular category or overall. A product with a five-star rating has delivered to the highest possible level, impressing the tester with its performance. We would happily spend our own money on it.

To find out more about our kit testing, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

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