Long-distance comfort meets sporty styling in these sports-touring helmets | Tried and tested by MCN

Sports-touring motorcycle helmets, as the name suggests, are a mixture between sporty lids and comfier touring models that take the best bits from each for an aerodynamic, good-looking end result you can easily wear all day. As you’d expect, they’re ideal to wear on sports-touring motorbikes.

They take the hard-edged looks and streamlined shell shapes of more extreme sportsbike helmets – which are designed with lap times more than saddle time in mind – and add in useful features like drop-down sun visors and integrated intercoms.

• Related: Travel in style and comfort with a two-piece touring suit

Many adventure bike riders opt to tour in adventure bike helmets, but these road-biased lids are often very similar to sports-touring helmets if you remove the peak.

Sports-touring helmets can also include the sportier end of the flip-front helmet market, for a more extreme commitment to practicality.

• Related: Touring essentials for stress-free travel

Remember that just like other types of helmet, you need to be checking that the relevant safety testing standard has been met (ECE 22.06 now or 22.05 for older stock) and for added peace of mind you can check if a helmet has a Sharp score, too. Find out more about how to choose a motorcycle helmet in our ultimate buying guide.

Here are some of the best sports-touring motorbike helmets the team at MCN has tested recently:

• Related: Choose the best sports-touring tyres for your bike

• Related: Best touring motorcycle boots tried and tested by MCN

• Taking a shorter trip? Here are the best motorcycle rucksacks we’ve tested recently

• Related: Best clothing for motorcycle touring

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How MCN tests helmets

At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles. We don’t test our kit 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.

Each of our writers has an in-depth understanding of the needs of today’s biker… because they are one.

We’ve worn these tested sports-touring helmets for hundreds or thousands of miles on MCN test bikes and we ride in all weathers and conditions, too. We’ll never recommend a helmet we wouldn’t put our own head in!

If you can’t see a review against a helmet on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet. 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.

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

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Our scores explained

When we review a product, we award it a score out of five. In the ratings tab of a given product, you may also find more specific scores for the different aspects of a product’s performance to help you make an informed decision. Here’s a guide to what each number score means:

• 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A product 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 product with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level and there is room for improvement.
• 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A product 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 product with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
• 5 stars – A product 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.

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