Shark Evo2 Helmet

[Sooty09]

Today was my first good run wearing a new Shark Evo2. Its a very clever bit of kit which allows the chin guard to rotate fully to the rear making the helmet open face of full face. In either mode to can use the visor and the integrated drop down sun visor. Its a bit expensive at £275 but feels wall made and the reviews were all good quoting low sound levels.

My first ride home in it was horrible. The helmet was noisy, and I felt a draft above my eyes.

Today I used an extra buff and my Alpine ear plugs. It was still noisy and I found I could not ride above 40 with the visor up (I wear toughened glasses) More important I could not rotate my head enough to see over my shoulder.
I was very disappointed but once worn you cannot take a helmet back.

Over the next few hours I experimented with various configurations and found I could ride at 70mph with the visor up in open face mode, the noise was much less than full face mode. As the temperature fell below freezing I set it up for full face mode, visor fully down and the sun visor down. My ride home was 35 miles of fast road and I found the helmet very stable with no buffeting.

By the time I got home I had grown to like the helmet, its comfy and stable with good vision, the visor is easy to open and the helmet ratchet style fixing is easy to use. I just need to find a very good set of ear plugs which will fit my small ears. Maybe a set of the DIY silicon plugs?

 

[jontym]

Thanks for short review Sooty,was looking at one of these myself,have you used it bit more since your post? and do you feel vulnerable with the chin gaurd up,I find most helmets tight on my forehead,whats the shark internal shape like?
thanks Jonty.

 

[Sooty09]

The helmet is very comfy on my head, I find shoei fits me but Arai and AGV are too tight on my forehead, You need to try on on, they are a bit heavier and wider than most others. By the end of my ride out I like the new helmet, its noisy and thats probably a good thing because it will now force me to get used to earplugs, probably a bit too late.
I do not feel vulnerable with the chin guard up, the sides of the helmet come further down and over the cheeks more than a standard jet helmet. Its comfy at 60+ fully open on a std F800gs which is ideal for me because my usual day out speed is about 35 to 50. When on faster roads just swivel the chin guard into place.

 

[jontym]

Thanks very much for that Sooty,will see if I can find somewhere to try one.Problem with the tourX3 is its louder with earplugs than without! so it may not be a bad idea to be able to wear earplugs with a helmet.

 

[les049]

Chin Guard

Sooty, nice review as I have been looking at getting one of these as an alternative to the more pricerer Schuberth. Can you move the chin guard from its open position down into the full face position when moving ??

 

[Sooty09]

The operating instructions say to be stationary when you move the chin guard. In practice I found it very easy to open and close on the move, the visor needs to be open a bit and the chin guard swings over to close using the left hand, it needs pushing back firmly to engage all the clips. One odd thing is the visor lifting tab is in the middle top of the visor, it takes a bit of getting used to. A small bottle of rubber lubricant is supplied, this is to keep the visor seals flexible.

A strange bit of kit is supplied with the helmet. It says to operate legally in France a set of four reflective pads need to be stuck on the helmet. A jig is supplied to show you the correct location. Another note says to consider the aesthetics before applying the pads, so Im assuming they look crap when fitted.

 

[Dickieboy]

Another plus for the Evo2 is the improved peripheral vision regardless of the chin piece position.

 

[peejay]

Sooty, nice review as I have been looking at getting one of these as an alternative to the more pricerer Schuberth. Can you move the chin guard from its open position down into the full face position when moving ??

Had one of these a few months and I love it. It's type approved in either position.
Found that the visor rattles slightly if open and above 30mph. Can live with that.
I would not recommend trying to close the chin bar on the move. Opening it is no problem, but because you have to apply backward pressure to activate locks it's not easy and is distracting trying to fiddle with it.

All in all it's a great helmet if you want the open face alternative, and on a comfort level it compares well with others (Arai, Shoei etc) IMHO

 

[oldrascal]

Had one of these a few months and I love it. It's type approved in either position.
Found that the visor rattles slightly if open and above 30mph. Can live with that.
I would not recommend trying to close the chin bar on the move. Opening it is no problem, but because you have to apply backward pressure to activate locks it's not easy and is distracting trying to fiddle with it.

All in all it's a great helmet if you want the open face alternative, and on a comfort level it compares well with others (Arai, Shoei etc) IMHO

Wot he said............

 

[siwhite]

George White in Swindon have a load of these at reduced prices - £185 sticks in my mind for some reason.

 

[Kritou]

That could be the heavier series 1

 

[The Sea Dog]

Had one for a year now, piece of cake to open or close on the go if you find it hard you're not doing it right, very plush and I do like it however......


Worst helmet for leaking and misting up I've ever worn, the later being very surprising given the amount of wind that roars up the massive space between chin bar and your face, which also makes it noisey. This is the series 2 which is meant to be improved for weather protection so god only knows how bad the first one is, I wear my Shoei in the rain as the evo for me is just un-usable and dangerous. For reference I'm 6'1" on an 1150GSA