Schuberth E2 helmet review | Is this high-end, comms-equipped flip-front worth the money?

I’ve been testing the Schuberth E2 adventure touring motorcycle helmet in all conditions over thousands of miles and I’ve found that it is – in one sense at least – in a class of its own. It’s the only flip-front helmet at this pricepoint with an adventure-style peak, but also comes with an integrated flip-down sun visor and preparation for an optional £325 comms system, which I’ve also been evaluating.

Comfort

This flip-front lid is very comfortable. There are no pressure points for my shape of head, and the chin strap has Velcro-secured padding to keep it soft against your skin.

There’s a chin curtain too, but it never touches my face or other gear, and really does keep the elements out of the equation. Unlike some lids with integrated comms gear, you’d never know it was fitted when you’re not using it.

There’s plenty of ear room and earplugs are never disturbed. My only negative point here is the microphone used with the comms system, because I found this either prevented the front from folding down properly or pressed against my face, which was pretty annoying.

While a snug fit, this inclusion became annoying enough for me to leave it in the garage for most rides.

Visor

The main visor has Class 1 optics, which means minimum distortion, and it comes with a Pinlock 120 anti-fog lens pre-installed and some tabs for pushing the visor open on either side. There’s a very wide aperture on this lid, meaning a vast field of vision.

It’s easy to remove the visor using the rotary clips, and can be replaced with a dark tinted visor for the sunnier days. However, that tinted visor isn’t illegal for road use, letting through enough light to remain on the right side of the law.

You can supplement this with the integral drop-down sun visor, which doubles up on the shade effect. This is easily deployed with a thumb slider on the left-hand side of the helmet.

Ventilation

There are two vents on the chin that open and close, along with a larger one of the forehead that slides, and exhausts out of the black spoiler on the back. All vents feature insect protection too, and this seems to work well: I’ve never ingested a fly with this lid.

The ventilation itself is very effective. In fact, it’s so much so that if I forget to close them in colder conditions I instantly regret it as my head gets too chilly. But they do also open and close easily with a gloved hand, and the visor doesn’t steam up in heavy rain either.

Noise

The marketing bumpf does claim superior aerodynamic properties for this lid, and they claim it’s very quiet, but in fairness this is borne out by my experience. It’s a quiet helmet at most speeds, and clearly the design features a number of attributes aimed at smoothing airflow. Case in point: the little pyramids on the visor, which help to guide the air under the peak and reduce turbulence.

As you’d expect for a lid with integrated communications systems, they perform flawlessly, with perfect sound quality for listening to music or using the phone.

Looks

I think in this Concrete Grey shade, it’s a pretty unassuming design that masks some of the more interesting and/or aggressive aspects of the design. Look closer and you realise there are plenty of clever features.

That will suit some, and not others, so pick your colour carefully – there are eight finishes to choose from, although six of them are £614.99 rather than this helmet’s RRP…

Either way, those who know what they’re looking at will be able to see that you mean adventure bike business.

Quality

For me, this is where the E2 falls down everso slightly. Sure, it’s rammed with features and indeed the lining is very comfortable, but when you’re manhandling it, subjectively I don’t think it feels of a particularly high quality given the price it commands.

Specifically I think the peak is too bendy and the visor fittings feel flimsy, and I’ve found it very easy to scratch the paint on the shell too. Don’t drop it! Furthermore, the shell and drop-down elements together don’t feel particularly robust, although I will caveat this with the fact that after 5k miles everything still works flawlessly.

It’s also worth mentioning here that the E2 comes with a five-year warranty, which should help mitigate any concerns on manufacturing quality.

Value

As mentioned above, this is a fairly pricey helmet and goes up against some impressive competition, with Shoei’s Neotec 3 the most obvious rival, albeit without the ADV-style peak. For touring, you may also consider Klim’s slightly cheaper (and carbon-fibre, but without specific comms system preparation) TK1200 or the cheaper still HJC R-PHA 91, which seems fantastic value at £499.

And finally, a note on the communications kit it comes with. It’s a Schuberth-branded version of Sena’s 50S system, and the helmet comes with the speakers and antenna pre-installed, which means you can fit the optional £325 comms unit in seconds.

Features include Bluetooth 5.0, voice control (including Siri or Google Assistant), a boom mic (mentioned above), and four easily operated buttons on one of two units subtly attached to the shell. Battery duration is a claimed 14 hours, so long enough for pretty much every adventure you’ll go on, while the battery itself lasts up to 18 months.

Verdict

This is a high-quality, feature-rich lid with plenty to recommend it as an ownership proposition, including a brilliant comms system integration and the five-year warranty. It isn’t perfect; I’d like slightly higher quality-feeling materials for the money, but overall I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

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