Best Sport Touring Helmets of 2021 Road Test - ChampionHelmets.com
once again it is time to ask the dreaded question what is the best sport touring helmet for 2021 well we've set out to find an answer we've given our top helmets to our rider equipped our test bike with our measuring instruments and sent them out to bring back the data on noise ventilation and more sebastian from champion helmets here and sport touring helmets are among one of the most popular riding segments currently out there and it's not hard to see why you get the safety of a full face helmet fantastic noise isolation and excellent touring comfort for long days in the saddle these types of helmets do take some inspiration from sport helmets but they're also coming with a lot of touring features and influences such as with their focus on comfort and a quiet ride but even when we come to premium sport touring entries like these you still get a wide range in performance especially when it comes to matters such as noise which is crucial on longer rides so we've decided to actually test them out on our data driven helmet road test to actually see which is best the helmets we'll be testing out include the shark spartan gt carbon agvk6 belstar deluxe mips shoei gtr2 and the hjc rfa70 carbon but we've also tested a number of other helmets from top manufacturers to make sure that these really are the best so we do have some runners up that we'll cover towards the end before we get going with our test don't forget to subscribe and check out the rest of our youtube channel for more data driven helmet road tests like these where we actually test these helmets out to bring you the facts before we get going with our helmets for today just a quick reminder for how we set up our road test on the left we have a white monitor showing the day's interior temperature in degrees celsius from a thermometer placed between the helmets liner and eps in the middle we have a decibel meter showing the helmet's internal noise level from a microphone placed near our rider's ear and lastly on the right we have a telephone showing the day's average airspeed on the helmet from a bike mounted anemometer so that we can fairly compare our helmets in the middle on the dash we also have our rider's speed and the day's exterior temperature we performed all our tests on the same bike on long stretches of highway at 130 kilometers per hour or 80 miles per hour and we're also the first to actually test helmets in this way the shark spartan gt carbon is shark's main entry into the sport touring market taking over from the venerable shark spartan carbon featuring improved safety and comfort the helmet comes in at a recommended retail price of about 480 euros or 570 us dollars the helmet is fully made of carbon fiber and two outer shell sizes for a lighter weight since the spartan gt carbon comes in at about 1420 grams in a size m or three pounds and two ounces there is also a fiberglass version available for ventilation there is an adjustable venturi vent in the chin with another large scoop above the brow to let this air out there is then an adjustable exhaust in the rear and the visor of the helmet is pin lock prepared with the anti-fog insert provided in the box it also features an improved latching system for safety and a drop down sun visor operated by a slider on top of the helmet the liner of the shark spartan gt carbon is shark's sanitized alveotec liner fabric which is removable washable fits glasses comes with emergency quick release and is anti-bacterial the helmet also comes with a preparation for the shark tooth prime intercom has an intermediate oval fit and fastens with a double d-ring chin strap the helmet is ece 2205 certified and though not tested by sharp yet the previous spartan carbon did earn four of five stars when we tested out the shark helmet the day's airspeed was at about 115 kilometers per hour which made for good testing conditions the day's exterior temperature was at about 13 degrees celsius or 55 fahrenheit while the helmet's internal temperature gave us a result of about 14 degrees celsius or 57 fahrenheit which means the helmet was only one degree hotter for noise as well we got a strong result of 102 decibels showing up on our decibel meter which was also decent performance as far as ranking the shark spartan gt carbon also does very well since four material with its carbon fiber outer shell and two outer shell sizes the helmet earns 4 stars with a weight of about 1 420 grams and a size m the shark helmet earns 4 stars since the visor is pinlock paired with the insert in the box the shark helmet earns another 4 stars for noise with a result of 102 decibels the shark earns three stars while for ventilation it comes back with a strong four stars again since it was only one degree hotter lastly for the comfort the alveotech liner earns four stars since it was indeed comfortable overall this brings a short spartan gt carbon to a total of 4 stars at 21 euros per star next up we come to the agv k6 this helmet is coming in as agv's offering meant to cover a wide variety of riding positions and styles which is excellent especially since it is coming at a recommended retail price of about 430 euros or 510 us dollars the helmet is made out of carbon and aramid fiber for light weight and it comes in four outer shell sizes it is indeed very lightweight since it gave us a showing of 1 330 grams or 2 pounds 14 ounces on our scale and for ventilation the helmet comes with a large vent in the chin bar with a further three adjustable vents spaced around the brow to let this hot air out you then get a set of exhaust vents underneath the spoiler the visor of the helmet is pin lock prepared with the insert provided in the box and it has a large field of view both horizontally and vertically the interior of the helmet uses two dry micro sense ritmo and chalomar fabrics for a premium comfortable feel these materials also ensure the liner is removable washable anti-bacterial and moisture wicking and the helmet does fit glasses as well as it is designed to integrate with the agv arc communication system lastly the helmet fastens with a double d-ring chin strap has an intermediate oval fit and is ece 2205 certified when we tested out the k6 it was another great day for testing with the day's average airspeed at about 115 to 120 kilometers per hour the day's exterior temperature was at about 22 degrees celsius or 71 fahrenheit while the helm's interior temperature was an impressive 23 degrees celsius or 73 fahrenheit which is a strong showing of a only one degree difference for noise we also have an excellent result with a reading of 101 decibels on our decibel meter in the middle which definitely helps cement the k6 in our lineup as far as ranking the agv k6 also did very well since the helmet is made of carbon fiber and four outer shell sizes it earned five stars for its light weight of 1 330 grams it also earned another five and since the visor is coming prevent pin lock prepared with the insert in the box the k6 also earns another 4 stars for noise result of 101 decibels the helmet earns another 3 and for ventilation with a 1 degree difference to the outside the k6 earns another strong 4 stars finally for comfort with its great range of materials and features the k6 earns three and a half stars overall this brings the helmet to a total of four stars at 17 and a half euros per star which means that as far as budget friendliness the k6 is already coming out on top the bella star deluxe mips is coming as belle's top sport touring helmet that interestingly enough has been derived from its racing cousin the bell race star flex nonetheless this helmet is designed for the street and it is coming in at a recommended retail price of about 500 euros or 600 us dollars the helmet is made of bell's tri-matrix construction which is aramid carbon fiber and fiberglass composite in six outer shell sizes which is the most of this lineup this means the helmet comes in weighing in at about 1 525 grams or 3 pounds 6 ounces in a size m and it gives a more proportional fit for ventilation the bell helmet comes with a large adjustable air inlet in the chin with a second stopper inside the chin bar in the brow there is another adjustable vent with a second scoop further along the top and lastly all this hot air will exit the helmet out the adjustable air outlet and exhaust underneath the spoiler the visor of the helmet comes pin lock prepared with the insert included in the box and it is extremely easy to change the interior is an x-static xt2 liner which is removable washable anti-bacterial and it does fit glasses the helmet uses a magnet fusion magnetic double d-ring chin strap and comes with an intermediate oval fit and it also has speaker pockets lastly the helmet is ece 2205 certified earned 5 of 5 stars from sharp and comes with a mips impact protection system to help manage rotational impact forces when we tested out the bell star it was a nice day for testing but the day's airspeed at about 115 to 125 kilometers per hour though it did later pick up to about 140. the day's exterior temperature was at about 14 degrees celsius or 57 fahrenheit and once our test was underway the helmet's internal temperature quickly dropped to 13 degrees celsius or 55 fahrenheit which was an excellent one degree cooler for noise as well the bellstar deluxe gave us a surprisingly strong result at about 101 decibels which is fair considering the helmet's strong ventilation and it matches up nicely against today's competition for ranking the bellstar's strong performance in the data already bodes well for material with the fiberglass composite outer shell and six outer shell sizes the bell helmet earns four and a half stars for weight with a result of about 1525 grams in a size m the helmet earns four stars and the visor which offers a fantastic field of view and comes with the pinlock anti-fog insert in the box earns a further 4 stars for noise as well with a decent result of 101 decibels the star earns 3 stars however for ventilation the score earned jumps to 5 stars since the helmet was 1 degree cooler lastly the liner was extremely comfortable and soft not to mention offering a number of great features earning the helmet 4 stars overall this brings the star to a total of 4 stars at 20 euros per star which is also a very strong result next we come to our top contender from last year the shoei gtr ii this is currently one of the best sport touring helmets out there from both a quality and performance standpoint so with the recommended retail price of about 500 euros or 600 us dollars let's see how the gtr2 does out on the road when measured the shoei helmet is constructed out of aim plus or advanced integrated matrix and it comes in three outer shell sizes for a proportional fit this all means that the shoei helmet comes in at a decent weight of 1486 grams in a size m or three pounds four ounces for ventilation there is a large adjustable chin vent and another large air inlet scoop in the brow and this hot air then escapes out a set of exhausts in the back of the helmet above the spoiler the visor of the gtr2 is pin lock prepared with the insert provided in the box and you do also get an internal sun visor operated by a slider on the side of the helmet the interior of the gtr2 is joey's 3d liner which is removable washable anti-bacterial and it comes with emergency quick release cheek pads the helmet has an intermediate oval head fit fastens with a micrometric chin strap and is designed to directly integrate with the cena srl2 communication system lastly the helmet is ece 2205 certified and earned three of five stars from sharp during our test of the gtr2 we had a great conditions with the daisy airspeed at about 130 kilometers per hour and the days exterior temperature was at about 26 degrees celsius or 79 fahrenheit while the interior temperature for the helmet was about 27 degrees celsius or 80 fahrenheit this is a strong result as well for the helmet since it was only one degree hotter than the outside and for noise the shoei gtr2 really shone since it was coming in with an incredible 97 decibels already making this one of the quietest helmets we have tested so far now as far as ranking the shoei gtr2 also offers up a strong showing for material with the fiberglass composite construction and three outer shell sizes the gtr2 earns four and a half stars for weight as well with this result of about 1 480 grams it earns another four since the visor is pin lock prepared with the insert in the box the gtr ii also earns a further four stars and for noise with an astounding 97 decibels the gtr2 unsurprisingly earns 5 stars for ventilation the helmet also did well being only 1 degree hotter which means it earns 4 stars lastly for comfort the gtr2 was also impressive earning itself a further 5 stars this brings the shoei gtr 2 to a total of 4 stars at 20 euros per star which means it also has a lot to offer in terms of value for money lastly for our main lineup we come to the htc arfa 70 carbon though the r470 has been around for some time the carbon version is a more recent release from hjc there are some minor differences between the two but the pin plus carbon or premium integrated matrix shell does mean the helmet comes in at about 530 euros or 630 us dollars the helmet is produced in three outer shell sizes and the normal rfa 70 is made of carbon aramid and fiberglass composite the higher carbon content does help the helmet cut down on weight since it was coming in at about 1 390 grams in a size m or three pounds in an ounce for ventilation you are getting a large adjustable vent in the chin with another large scoop in the brow and you then get a further two small air inlets further back on the helmet and there is an exhaust at the back to let this hot air out the visor of the rfa 70 carbon is pin lock prepared with the anti-fog insert provided in the box and you are also getting a drop down sun visor in this helmet with the lever located on the bottom lip of the helmet the interior is hjc's multi-cool liner which is removable washable fits glasses and has emergency quick release cheek pads and it is also anti-microbial the helmet fastens with a double d ring chin strap and is intermediate overland fit lastly the carbon arfa 70 is prepared for the smart hjc 10b or 20b communication system and it is also ece 2205 certified and the normal rf70 earned three or five stars from sharp when we tested out the htc helmet we had an airspeed measurement for the day at about 115 to 120 kilometers per hour which was favorable the exterior temperature for the day was at about 14 degrees celsius or 57 fahrenheit but the interior temperature of the helmet later dropped to just below 14. so this means that the interior was the same as the exterior which was an excellent result for noise we also had a strong showing just like with the rfa 70 since we had 97 to 98 decibels showing on our decibel meter and this means that the helmet also matches up with the shoei gtr 2 as one of the quietest sport touring helmets out there as far as ranking the hjc rfa 70 carbon also earns itself quite a number of stars for material with its carbon fiber and fiberglass composite outer shell and three outer shell sizes the helmet earns four and a half stars for a light weight of 1 390 grams the helmet also earns another 5 stars and for the visor since it is pinlock prepared with the insert in the box the helmet earns 4 stars the alpha once again earns 5 stars for noise as well since it came in with 97 decibels and for ventilation since the rfa 70 carbon was equal to the exterior temperature it earns another four stars and lastly the comfortable liner earns the helmet a further four altogether the hjc rf 70 carbon has earned itself a total of four stars at 20 euros per star which means it is on par with the rest of the helmets in our lineup though we finished with our top five sport touring helmets we've also tested out several more to make sure that these really are the best and though each of these following helmets does have a strong performance they were not quite strong enough to make the cut our runners up include the icon air flight arrive profile v nolan n87 plus and the scorpion exo 1400 air the icon air flight has quickly proved one of the most popular helmets coming from icon thanks to its impressive design and a wide array of features the helmet is coming in at a recommended retail price of about 270 euros or 320 us dollars and it is composed of polycarbonate and three outer shell sizes the helmet includes a total of three inlet vents in front with a large exhaust on the back and the visor is only anti-fog treated you also get a drop-down sun visor and the interior is removable washable and anti-bacterial when we tested the air flight out we had the day's airspeed at about 110 to 130 kilometers per hour the day's exterior temperature was at about 14 degrees celsius or 57 fahrenheit while the interior temperature of the helmet was 15 degrees celsius or 59 fahrenheit which is a strong result since that means the air flight was one degree hotter than the outside however this ventilation did come at a cost since we recorded 110 decibels on our decibel meter and for ranking the airflight did fairly well overall its polycarbonate shell and three outer shell sizes earns it three stars and for a weight of about one thousand seven hundred and twenty grams it earns another three since the visor only anti-fog treated it earns two stars while the high noise level of 110 decibels earns the air flight only one star nonetheless the strong ventilation result of a one degree difference earns the air flight four stars and lastly for comfort the liner was more basic than some of the helmets we tested today earning it two and a half this brings the airflight to a total of two and a half stars at 17 euros per star our next runner-up is the arai profile v this is a safety focused helmet with a specially made smooth outer shell for glancing off of impacts which means that the profile v comes at a recommended retail price of about 470 euros or 560 us dollars the helmet is made of veriz peripherally belted e complex laminate construction in three outer shell sizes and there are five inlet vents in front with a further four exhausts in the back and the visor is pinlock prepared with the insert in the box lastly the liner is removable washable fits glasses and has speaker pockets and when we road tested the profile v the air speed for the day was at about 125 kilometers per hour the exterior temperature for the day was at about 21 degrees celsius or 70 fahrenheit while the internal temperature of the helmet was an unfortunate 28 degrees celsius or 82 fahrenheit which means that we had a 7 degree difference to the outside nonetheless the helmet was quite quiet coming in at about 101 decibels on par with the bell star deluxe and as far as ranking the profile v also does fairly well since the helmet comes with a fiberglass composite outer shell in three shell sizes the helmet earns four stars and for a weight of about 1 495 grams in a size m it also earns a further four since the visor offers an incredible field of view has a safety focus design and mechanism and it comes with a pin lock insert in the box it earns 5 stars for noise as well with the result of 101 decibels the array earns 3 stars and though the ventilation does dip to 1 star for that 7 degree difference the comfort of the helmet was excellent bringing it back up to 4 stars overall the profile v earns three and a half stars at eighteen and a half years per star and while it was a very strong helmet that half star difference means it didn't quite make it into our top lineup the nolan n87 plus is our third runner up and it is also a strong helmet in its own right offering mid-tier performance at almost entry-level pricing since it comes in at a recommended retail price of about 280 euros or 330 us dollars the helmet is made of lexan polycarbonate in two shell sizes the helmet has three adjustable air inlets with a large exhaust out the back the visor is also pin lock prepared with the insert in the box not to mention an integrated sun visor the liner is removable washable adjustable and anti-bacterial and when we tested out the helmet we had the day's airspeed at about 110 to 130 kilometers per hour and the exterior temperature was at about 9 degrees celsius or 48 fahrenheit and the internal temperature was 11 degrees celsius so a 2 degree difference for noise as well we got a good result of about 102 decibels which is about average for most full face helmets and for ranking the nolan helmet also didn't do too bad since for its polycarbonate outer shell in two shell sizes the helmet earns two stars with its weight of about 1 570 grams in a size m it earns three and since the visor is pinlock prepared with the insert in the box the helmet earns four stars for a noise result of 102 decibels the nolan earns a further three stars and since the ventilation in the helmet showed a difference of two degrees the n87 plus earns three stars lastly since the helmet was overall comfortable with an adjustable liner it earns three stars and all this brings the nolan to a total of three stars at 15 years per star making it very budget friendly lastly for our runners-up we now come to the scorpion exo 1400 air scorpion's top sport touring entry coming at a recommended retail price of about 300 euros or 360 us dollars the helmet is coming made of scorpion's ultra tct composite material and three outer shell sizes and the helmet has three air inlets in the front and a large air outlet in the back visor's pin lock prepared with the insert in the box and it also comes with a drop-down sun visor lastly the liner is removable washable moisture wicking adjustable and anti-bacterial when we tested out the scorpion helmet the day's airspeed was at about 115 to 120 kilometers per hour with some later gusts of wind as well on the way back the day's exterior temperature was at about 16 degrees celsius or 60 fahrenheit while the helmet's multiple air inlets and exhausts brought the helmet's interior temperature down to about the same of 16 degrees so no difference there and this already shows a strong result for noise the helmet also did surprisingly well since it came in at about 100 decibels of noise which was very quiet indeed as far as ranking the exo 1400 air does come close to making our lineup but we did have to make a hard decision to keep it as a runner up for material with this fiberglass outer shell in three shell sizes the scorpion helmet earns four stars for a weight of 1 450 grams the helmet earns another four and since the visor is pin lock prepared with the insert in the box it also earns a further four stars for noise with the strong result of 100 decibels the helmet earns 4 stars and with the temperature inside the helmet the same as the outside scorpion earns another 4 stars the helmet earned 3 stars for its decent liner and inflatable cheek pads overall this brings the scorpion exo 1400 air to a total of 4 stars at 13 euros per star finally for our road test we can put all our results together to see how all our helmets compared as far as noise isolation we have a lot of strong results all around but we still have the shoei gtr2 and the htc alpha 70 carbon offering up 97 decibels which is fantastic following them we have the agvk6 arrive profile v star deluxe and the scorpion at the 100 to 101 decibel mark while the spartan gt n87 plus and air flight are coming in a little bit louder as far as ventilation we get a slightly different story with the bell helmet coming in on top since it was one degree cooler to the outside we have the shoei shark nolan agv icon and hjc each coming in with almost the same temperature to the outside which is also impressive alright so now we come to our final rankings for all these helmets put together and we've got a great set of results at the top we have the shoei gtr ii closely followed by the htc rf70 carbon and although they both came out with four stars overall the shoei was more comfortable we also had some surprise climbers during our test in both the bell star deluxe and the scorpion exo 1400 air and got to admit they did exceed our expectations in performance so that's nice to see as well we do also have the k6 giving us an excellent performance in both weight and value for money and lastly as far as the icon and nolan entries they do offer strong performance for their price point and this means that they do also offer a strong level of value for money lastly the spartan gt carbon gave us consistently high performance across the board and though the profile v suffered from some poor ventilation is still offered excellent performance and other areas on the road so again we're getting top performance results from a number of our helmets and as surprising as it is to see the hjc helmet seems to be trying to close the gap with a shoei gtr2 if you're curious to learn more about any of the helmets we featured today then make sure to check out championhelmes.com where we have our lowest price guarantee and plenty of bundle deals including extra visors and discounted communication systems that's all for the best sport touring helmets of 2021 we've tested a total of nine helmets to truly find which are going to be coming in at the top once tested and measured out on the road with the data now measured we have our answer so if you like the video then make sure to subscribe to stay in the loop on more road tests like these and let us know your thoughts in the comments down below i'm sebastian from champion helmets and thanks for watching
2021-01-12 17:51
