Everything you need to know about shields

There’s little more important on a motorbike helmet that its shield.

Of course, they keep all the dirt, rain, wind and bugs out of your eyes when you’re steaming along. But they also have limitations. They restrict your view, they can scratch and dazzle and and they can fog up so bad you can’t see your hand in front of your face.

So to stop all these nasties from happening, what should you look out for in your next shield?

Large Opening

A shield hole is a shield hole, right? Actually nope, because like most things in life, some are bigger and better than others.

You see, some helmets have nice and wide shields, designed to maximize your peripheral vision; which is particularly important on a motorcycle because you need to be especially vigilant and that means you need all the forward and peripheral vision you can get. So it’s always best to get a helmet with a wide shield.

See all our helmets with wide shields here.

Also, if you ride a sportsbike, your tucked-in riding position will be chin-down and looking up through towards the top of the shield much of the time. So, you need a crash helmet with a tall shield opening so the top of your view isn’t obscured by helmet.

So you’re probably best looking for a helmet that’s designed for sportsbike riders. You can find all our sportsbike helmets here.

Opening Tab

Opening tabs on your shield come in all sorts of locations. Left, right, left and right, bottom centre – even top centre. A tab in the bottom middle is probably best for most people – or some shields have a tab bottom right and left which is even better.

That way you can easily open your helmet with your left hand when riding along, but also open it when you’re sat at the traffic lights and your left hand’s pulling in the clutch.

Anti-Fog

For most of us who ride in cold climates – or really hot and humid climates – a decent anti-fog system is a must. Riding with a murky, foggy helmet is both annoying and dangerous and you really don’t need to increase the potential for mishaps when you’re riding any more than absolutely necessary.

You can of course get sprays and liquids that coat the inside of your shield that try to prevent fogging. But in my experience, they work with varying degrees of ineffectiveness (but if you’ve got one that absolutely, totally, 100% works for you, then I’d love to know and we’ll put it to the test).

But the best and most consistently great anti-fog solutions are the Pinlock-type insert that attaches to the rear of the shield. I say ‘Pinlock-type’ because some makers – notably LS2 – offer their own versions of an anti-fog insert, but Pinlock are the most high-profile system out there. They’re made for most helmets too.

You can read much, much more about what Pinlocks do here. But suffice to say, we suggest you buy a helmet with a Pinlock-ready shield (meaning that it’s designed to work with a Pinlock insert).

Many helmets come with a Pinlock insert in the box too and most these days use the Max Vision Pinlock. That’s the biggest and best Pinlock and the one to go for.

Click the link to see all the helmets we’ve come across that either have Pinlock-ready shields and/or come with a Pinlock free in the box.

Ultra-Violet (UV) Protection

Good news! Standard clear polycarbonate shields protect your eyesight from UV light damage. That’s because polycarbonate naturally absorbs UV radiation.

How much? Well, that depends on the shield, but usually somewhere between 90-99%. The thicker the shield, the more is absorbed.

Absorbing UV light actually structurally changes the polycarbonate material over time – which is one of the reasons polycarbonate helmets lose their effectiveness over the years.

Quick Release System

Shields used to be hard to remove and involve things like screwdrivers and know-how.

Nowadays, most makers have tool-less shield removal systems that allow you to whip the shield off, clean all the crap off it, and get it back on your helmet in moments. That means there’s no excuse to ride with a filthy shield.

Ok, in reality, some still need a bit of know-how to figure them out, but you’ll get a hang of the best systems in a jiffy (and we always try and tell you how good their systems are in all our reviews).

See all our helmets that come with quick release systems here.

Optically Correct Shield

If you keep your shield clean and have a decent anti-fog insert, there’s no reason you won’t have great forward vision all the time.

However, most aren’t guaranteed to be entirely distortion free. To be honest, we’ve never found much distortion on standard shields, but if you’re worried or bugged by a bit of a warped shield, you can opt for one of these helmets that come with optically-correct shields which should keep things clearer still.

Read here for more information on optically correct shields.

Sun Shield System

Lots of helmets these days come with drop-down sun shields. They’re a second, tinted shield that you can operate with a switch or slider that drops it down behind your main, clear shield to stop you getting dazzled by the sun.

We think they’re a great idea and while they’re not always a substitute for some good shades or a dedicated tinted shield on the sunniest of days, they’re great to have available to stop you getting dazzled when the sun’s low in the sky or you forget your shades.

Here’s all the helmets we’ve seen that offer a drop down sun shield.

Photochromic Shield

An unusual alternative to an integral drop-down sun shield is having a main shield that’s photochromic – i.e. it dynamically tints according to how bright it is.

Lazer was the first to offer them (we think) but Bell and one or two other companies now offer a photochromic shield with some of their helmets.

You can also buy after market photochromic shields for some helmets, though they tend to be very expensive. So if you’re after a helmet with a photochromic shield, you’re probably best getting it as part of the package with the helmet.

See all of the helmets we’ve found that come with a photochromic shield in the box or read more about photochromic shields here.

Tear-offs

Finally, you can get some sportsbike or track-focused helmets that are either tear-off shield ready or come with tear-offs in the box. They’re used mid-race when you urgently need a clean shield but don’t have the time to stop.

If you need any more information on what tear-offs are, then you probably don’t actually need one! But if it’s something you need in your life, check out our helmets that are tear off ready (or come with a tear off shield in the box).

(…or how to find a helmet that vents well)

Why do you need good helmet ventilation?

First off, a crash helmet with great ventilation keeps your head cool in the summer or if you’re riding for long hours. No shit, Sherlock.

But that’s not all. It also slows down how quickly your helmet lining gets stinky (meaning you don’t have to wash it that often). And, of course, ventilation to the front of the helmet helps keep your shield fog-free and reduces misting – though if you live somewhere cold/rainy/humid, we advise you to stick a Pinlock on your shield too.

Of course, most helmets have sliders over the vent holes so you can open or close them at will – buy a helmet with good venting and you’re not committing yourself to spending the winter months with icicles hanging from your ears!

So, how do you find a helmet with great ventilation?

Well, to be honest, it’s not easy.

As we’ve discovered in our helmet reviews, some helmets that have a zillion vents on them get slammed by owners for crappy ventilation. Others only have one or two small vents but owners say they’re great.

Most helmets employ a similar system these days. They have one or more vent holes on the front or top of the helmet crown which allows air to pass through the helmet shell into the helmet. From there, air’s usually directed through channels in the polystyrene shock absorbing liner and onto the head. Of course, helmets have a fabric comfort liner inside, but these are usually perforated to allow air to circulate directly onto the head.

From there, most helmets have an exhaust vent or two on the back of the helmet to allow the stale warmer air out of the helmet – or so the theory goes: though we’ve actually seen one or two helmets without any obvious exhaust vents that get highly rated for ventilation by owners.

Helmets usually have a vent or two on the chin bar too. These route air onto the back of the shield to help stop the shield misting up – and sometimes route air to the chin for extra ventilation around the jaw.

So, given most helmets have a similar venting system, how do you find a good venting helmet?

Well, that’s why we review helmets and put all the helmets that owners say vent really well onto one page.

– You can find all our helmets with great ventilation here – 

(…and other stuff to think about when buying a helmet)

At Billy’s Crash Helmets, we’ve made it our business to find out as much as we can about motorcycle helmet safety so we can offer as much advice to you when you’re looking for that new helmet. We’re not saying we’re the last word, but in the world of protective gear, we’ve picked our way through as many tests/papers/studies as we can so we can help you get the best.

So, if you’re after buying a helmet that’ll give you maximum protection, here’s what we advise you to do.

Buy a full face helmet

Full face helmets offer the best protection. End of. So if you want maximum protection, buy a full face.

They cover all the head – including the chin and face – so not only give you weather protection but protection to all the head in an accident.

See all our full face helmet reviews here.

Why not a modular or open face?

Modular helmets feature removable chin guards – and because they’re removable, they’re always a potential weak point.

At the time of writing, Snell hasn’t certified a single modular helmet – though they say they’re not averse to testing flip-up helmets so maybe we’ll see some Snell modulars in the not too distant future.

Some flip-up helmets have been tested by SHARP in the UK (see below) and given maximum marks for safety. But even so, there’s still always potential for their chin bars to unlock and open in an accident.

Indeed of all the modular helmets that have been SHARP 5 star rated (the maximum score) only one has ever managed to keep their chin guards closed and locked through all tests. And that helmet (the BMW System 5) is now discontinued.

See all our modular helmet reviews here.

Buy a Snell Certified or SHARP five star helmet

The Snell Foundation tests US helmets to a demanding level – though with Snell, manufacturers have to submit and pay for Snell testing, which isn’t ideal. Snell covers only DOT certified helmets.

In the UK, Government testing agency SHARP (short for Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Program) is an independent testing organization whose testing regime is directly drawn from the most comprehensive real-world study on helmet safety. Helmet makers don’t have a say whether their helmets are tested nor do they provide the helmets – they buy ECE helmets straight from the distributor.

SHARP helmets are graded 1-5 stars, with 5 stars being their maximum safety rating.

Snell helmets either pass or fail – Snell certified helmets come with a Snell sticker.

So if you want a helmet you can rely on, it’s best to go for one of these helmets.

Here’s a link to all our Snell approved helmet reviews.

Here’s a link to all our five star helmet reviews.

Buy a helmet that’s DOT or ECE certified

If you wear your helmet in mandatory helmet law states, they must be DOT certified to be legal – so always make sure your helmet carries the relevant DOT approval sticker on the back.

In the UK or Europe (and some other places like Oz), any helmet on sale should be the equivalent which is ECE 22.05 approved.

With DOT, manufacturers have to certify that their helmets are compliant to the standard and random helmet testing takes place to uphold the standard. Whereas all ECE helmets all have to go through mandatory and independent testing before getting approved, at which point they can then go on sale.

Either way, ensure your helmet has the appropriate (and genuine!) DOT sticker on it so you know it’ll meet at least minimum safety standards.

Buy a helmet with other safety features

There’s always new features being added to helmets which all help with safety. Here’s a few to look out for…

EQRS

Stands for Emergency Quick Release System – basically a helmet with a couple of tabs at the bottom that paramedics can pull to extract the cheek pads safely and without disturbing your neck after an accident. Get a helmet with these if you can – esp if you take your bike on the track or dirt.

Here’s all our helmet reviews of helmets with EQRS.

Wide shield

Quite a few helmets are designed with really wide faceshields to give you better peripheral vision, so you don’t get caught out with cyclists and the like sneaking up on you.

Here’s all our reviews of helmets with wide shields.

Pinlock antifog

Stands to reason you need a nice clear shield to keep your vision clear. But things like rain, cold or humid weather can cause your shield to fog up. Stick in a Pinlock anti-fog (preferably a Max Vision that covers all the shield) and your vision will stay clear in all but the most extreme circumstances.

Here’s all our reviews of helmets that are Pinlock ready or come with Pinlocks in the box.

Sun visor

Riding into a low sun can be really dangerous, so a helmet with an integral sun visor is always there to flip down and give you some protection.

Here’s all our reviews of helmets with sun visors.

Buy a helmet that covers some or all these features and you’ll be well protected when you ride your bike.

At the time of writing, no single helmet ticks all these boxes – but talking of ticking boxes, use our Smart Filters to identify two or three features that you really want from your next helmet and quickly zoom in on the best helmets for you.

All about Helmet Noise

Most of us probably want to wear a quiet helmet, but finding one isn’t that easy (which is actually one of the reasons I set up this website in the first place!).

You can try and go on what the manufacturers say – but that often turns out to be BS.

You can look at the helmet specs – stuff like nice and thick comfort liners and smooth aero design. But again, that’s often misleading.

Ultimately, you can visit our quietest helmet review pages – and probably buy some of our best buy ear plugs to wear with it.

But read on for how we rate our helmets for quietness, and other things to consider when you’re looking to buy a quiet motorcycle helmet.

So how do you find a nice quiet helmet?

You’d probably think that the best way of finding out which helmets are quiet and which are noisy would be to ask owners. Which is entirely right and exactly what we do at Billy’s Crash Helmets of course – because we take as many people’s views as possible and, where we can, work out which are the noisy and which are the quiet helmets.

The only problem with that is it’s amazing how many people find the same helmet massively different when it comes to assessing helmet noise.

All too often we find one person’s noisiest helmet in the whole world ever is the next person’s whisper-quiet dream helmet. Which, if you’re looking for a new, quiet helmet – doesn’t really help.

Why do opinions vary soooo much?

It’s complicated, but there’s a few reasons:

The motorcycle you ride

If you ride a Goldwing with a massive screen up front, you’re probably going to – broadly – find a helmet quieter than someone on a naked. Stands to reason; when there’s less wind blast on the helmet, then it’s going to create less noise for the rider.

Only, that’s not the entire story because some screens can do strange things to air flow; blasting air at different points of the helmet (if the rider’s taller or smaller) or even directing air towards the rear of the helmet through weird turbulence shenanegans.

Plus, some helmets are actually designed to work better in the wind flow (which the designers can simulate in the wind tunnel and therefore design-around) so they may well work better on a naked than a fully faired touring bike.

Told you it’s complicated…

The position you ride

If you ride upright or tucked in, then different helmets will react differently to the windflow. And some are designed for use on sportsbikes so have better aero when in a racing tuck. Conversely, street helmets are more geared towards a more upright riding position so their aero is designed to work better with the chin-up rather than head-down.

Ride your naked street bike with a sportsbike helmet and it’ll attack the air at a different angle than it was designed for, create more turbulence, and probably end up noisier as a result.

Your hearing

Obv one this so doesn’t need much explaining.

Younger hearing = more sensitive hearing = noisier helmet. Older person’s hearing = less sensitive = quieter helmet.

So a young person saying it’s a noisy helmet might not equate to an older person feeling the same way about it.

The last helmet you owned

If the last helmet you owned happened to be massively well sound-insulated and you change to a new one that’s less so, you might well shout from the rooftops that you’d rather put your head in a tumble dryer than wear your new lid. When in actual fact, in the overall scheme of things, it’s a pretty quiet helmet.

But if you’re used to riding around ton-up in an open face helmet then stick on a pretty poor $10 helmet from Walmart, it might feel like the last word in serenity.

So opinions are ALWAYS colored by what you’ve worn before.

Expectations

How often have you gone to watch a film that your mate’s been banging on about for the last week at work – only to find it’s another Boys in Blue?

Well, if we hype up a helmet as being like wearing an isolation tank on your head, chances are you’ll be disappointed when you take your new helmet on its first ride. Matching – or beating – expectations, is often very tricky. So try and manage your own expectations.

Helmets operate in a pretty hostile and noisy environment, so if you’re expecting silence, that’s probably not realistic and you’ll be disappointed.

The helmet

Obviously, some helmets are better designed, sleeker, with better sound insulation and with less bits projecting up into the air flow and fewer vent holes to conduct sound into your lug holes than others.

Not all helmets are created equal.

And while some folks will still say they’d be better off riding with a paper bag on their heads for all the sound attenuation their helmet offers, we look for a helmets with a very high proportion of owners who comment that their helmet is nice and quiet before we award a helmet with a place on our Quietest Helmets Pages.

But if you’re just scouring websites looking for a new helmet, it’s not easy to spot this sort of helmet from just looking at it, because it’s usually not obvious from the specs or from the look of a helmet which are going to perform best.

There is one rule of thumb to follow if you’re after a quiet helmet – and that’s 90% of full face helmets are quieter than modulars

They just are – probably to do with the chin guard gubbins meaning less padding around the ears.

So, how do you work out the quietest helmets?

When we’re reviewing a helmet, we get as many owner’s opinions on the noise levels of a helmet as possible. And only where the vast majority are positive will we add it to our quietest helmets pages. If it’s a 50/50 split or mixed review, it’ll never make it in.

Which is not to say that if you bought that helmet, you’ll not find it acceptably quiet – for all the reasons listed above. But hopefully if you buy one of our quietest helmets, then you’ll stand the highest chance of getting a helmet that’ll work for you.

Oh, and of course, if a helmet is goddawful noisy, we’ll always put that in the review too.

Happy (quiet) biking 🙂