There is nothing worse than traveling long distances with wind noise wiseling around your head so it’s important to choose the best noise-canceling helmet money can buy. We have put together five of the best motorcycle helmet for the wind noise so every journey is a quiet journey.
1 – Shoei Neotec II Modular Helmet
The Neotec II helmet is a top contender in the world of modular helmets, it is one of the best noise-canceling helmets in my opinion but I will stay unbiased throughout the review and give you a nice fair rundown of what it’s like.
The original Shoei Neotec 1 came out a few years ago and they made a few waves in the world of helmets and that’s because it was a great modular helmet. I wasn’t the best and there are a few downsides but they have really improved with Neotech 2.
It is one of the three top modular noise-canceling helmets around, the others being the eSport modular and the Schuberth C4 Pro. They’re slightly different and Neotech 2 definitely fits in. I think it’s number one but within that price range. As one of the best modular helmets around this helmet is going to be priced as one of the most expensive at around $700 US dollars.
This is not an entry-level helmet but for all that money you do get one thing from Schuberth and that is quality. They’re a brand that has a high focus on quality and with the Neotech 2 that is immediately obvious.
That quality really begins with the shell of the helmet and that’s because the shell is made out of fiberglass composite material and also uses Schuberth’s advanced integrated matrix technology.
Weight
What that means is they can take that fiberglass composite and put it into areas of the helmet to make it stronger, they can also take it away from areas where it does need to be. They can be very precise and they do that to make a stronger but lighter helmet
I say lighter but the weight of this helmet is really the major downside apart from the price, it’s a real Achilles heel and at 1750 grams it is quite heavy.
The C4 Pro pro from Schuberth is comparable in weight, the HEV sport modular is a lot lighter but that Hummel was built to be a bit more sporty with a different purpose so I think it’s justified on the Schuberth. The extra weight has really been given to comfort and a few other things which I’ll go into a little bit later.
Aerodynamics
The aerodynamics of the helmet is quite good. It has a few extra ridges running around the helmet and then a little lip at the back so which helps to keep it a bit more aerodynamic and stable at higher speeds. It also helps with noise reduction which is great, it’s just another mark of the comfort and quality of their Schuberth Neotec 2
Ventilation
If you look at the outside of the helmet you will see the ventilation ports. The ventilation is controlled by two vents, one vent on the top front of the helmet and the other on the chin. The vent on the chin bar can be opened or closed and one on the top can be opened, half-opened or closed depending on how you like it.
At the back, you have two open vents which let the air escape when it’s hot so the ventilation is a strong suit of the Shoei Neotec 2 and it will keep you cool.
Visor
The visor is a little bit different on the Shoei Neotec 2. The visor is actually quite standard, it’s a high-end modular visor with a good field of view, it’s pin-lock prepared but the mechanism is pretty cool.
The visor mechanism has a spring and this spring is one of the things that helps it to seal into the helmet. When you push the visor down the spring really pushes it so it seals strongly against the shell of the helmet, that makes a good reduction in wind noise and it’s a cool thing from the Neotec 2
The visor can also be opened into one of seven positions, you can crank it all the way open and there are a few positions you can set in the middle. The positions are relatively strong but if you go too fast it can blow back so be careful.
Sun Visor
The inside of the helmet has a drop-down Sun Visor and that’s controlled via a slider on the side of the helmet, you just drop it down or push it up to open or close the visor. The sun visor is rated to be almost as good as sunglasses, in reducing UV radiation so it’s got that going for it. It will keep you safe from those harmful solar rays and it gives you a nice clear field of vision.
Interior
On the inside of the helmet, we have the liner. It’s soft and comfortable and it feels good to wear, it doesn’t chafe and it draws the line pretty well between being either warm or cool depending on how the conditions are.
It’s removable and washable and you have a few different cheek sizes for the pads so you get a few different pads if your helmet doesn’t fit you properly.
Noise Reduction
The Neotec II is really focused on noise reduction as I’ve said a couple of times already. They have achieved this by adding extra material all around the neck area, what this does is it reduces the amount of wind that can get in from around the neck because the wind is what makes all the noise.
Shoei’s wind tunnel testing it’s a strong feature of the helmet and it’s so quiet that I can’t really tell the difference between the C4 Pro, the sport modular or the Neotec II. They’re all really quiet and on the Neotec II that quietness is just a real mark of quality.
Communication System
Something a little bit controversial about the Neotec II is the communication system and that’s because Shoei and Sena have made a deal where they design in a Neotec II to fit perfectly with this and a Sena one communication system and it does that very well.
You can mount it easily into one of the ports and also the battery pack can be stored at the back of the helmet. There are channels in the liner so it’s easy to install, easy to use and that’s great if you have a Sena system.
Those are the specifications and the facts about the Shoei Neotech II so let’s talk a little bit more generally about the helmet.
It is one of the top three modular helmets along with the AGV Sportmodular and the Schuberth C4 Pro. The AGV Sportmodular Modular is designed to be a bit more sporty and that’s why it’s so lightweight, it’s not the same purpose as the Shoei Neotec II. The C4 Pro, however, is quite similar, similar weights, similar designs, and similar prices.
They also target the more comfort-orientated riders, riders who like touring or cruising so this is going to be your kind of helmet.
It’s a very quiet helmet, very good generally and I highly recommend it if you have the budget or if you like to tour a lot this is a great helmet overall.
There few downsides of the helmet are it’s expensive, and heavy, and also that the Sena communication system is a little expensive.
2 – AGV Sportmodular Modular Helmet
The AGV Sportmodular Modular Helmet is a top-of-the-line modular helmet and it’s always great to review things that are more expensive, you know the best of the best plus it’s also a little bit different than many other modular helmets.
This helmet is a good helmet so I’m going to say a lot of good things about it, I will let you know though that it does cost around $750 US dollars so bear that in mind.
Weight
What sets this helmet apart is the fact that it’s made out of carbon fiber and that means it’s a very light and very strong helmet. you may ask me what does that matter?
I know other helmets that are made out of carbon fiber like the Roof Box Carbon, well this is special because the entire chin bar is also made out of carbon which further helps to improve the strength and to reduce weight and it was also quite unique among modular helmets.
With all this weight loss it weighs only 1300 grams. That is practically nothing for a modular helmet which is typically heavier because you have to reinforce the chin bar more and you need the mechanism to lift up the chin bar.
The Shoei Neotec II is a direct competitor of the sport modular but weighs in at 1750 gams, that’s quite a lot of weight compared to the 1,300 of the sport. That is a major difference and it’s as far as I know the lightest module helmet out.
As part of their weight-saving focus, they’ve made the D-Rings out of titanium instead of steel and that has shaved off about 2.5 grams off the overall weight. It’s not much but it shows the kind of detail that went into this helmet to make it as light as possible.
Aerodynamics
It’s also quite an aerodynamic helmet just by looking at it, it’s definitely not a slouchy helmet, it’s definitely not a bucket, it’s quite simple in its design which I appreciate.
It has two ridges running along the side which develops into a little spoiler at the back to regulate airflow, overall it’s a pretty cool looking helmet.
The dynamics are also helped by the little spoiler at the back which is movable, you can have it open or closed depending on how you want to ride. What this means is that if you ride in a tuck position it will give you a bit more stability and better aerodynamics.
The fact that it can be changed also gives it a good versatility which is also something I like with this helmet.
The shell of the helmet is quite aerodynamic and that contributes to the sportiness look of this helmet, that’s something that they’ve really tried to do.
Style
They’ve tried to make this a sporty modular helmet which is typically a contradiction of sorts because modular helmets aren’t focused on sportiness but in this case, they’ve done a pretty good job.
Contributing to the sporty look of this helmet is the fact that the ventilation is quite good, especially considering there are only two vents on all air inlet vents on the helmet.
There is one on the chin and one at the top front of the helmet and one at the back which is the exit point. It’s surprising because there are only two vents but they do quite well and they can slide into different positions.
It also helps you that the inside of the helmet, the EPS liner and the liner itself is designed in such a way to circulate the air and then pull it out the back via the vent.
Despite having these sporty elements I wouldn’t call it a sports helmet, that’s because the modular helmet just can’t really be a sports helmet but more of a sport touring helmet.
You can take the features of a sports helmet and align it more into that kind of style, but if you want to take this to the track you’re probably doing yourself a disservice. It’s not going to protect you because it’s not going to be as specialized as a full-face sporting helmet or a racing helmet.
If you wanted to go to the track then I wouldn’t recommend this helmet but if you’re a sporty Toura this is a great helmet.
Sound Reduction
AGV reckons they have made a very quiet helmet with the sport module and I have to agree with them, it is a very quiet helmet. A few people online have given reviews and made comments about how it’s not that quiet, I think that really just comes down to fitment.
I can’t really tell the difference between this and the Shoei Neotec II or the C4 Pro. It comes down to fit, it’s going to come down to the day, is it windy, is your bike loud that kind of thing but it’s a very quiet helmet overall.
It’s got that sleek aerodynamic design which pushes air from the side of the helmet, it seals well and also the liner and the inside is designed to minimize noise pollution.
Visors
This helmet comes with two visors as standard, a smoked visor, and a clear visor which is scratch and pinlock prepared that pin lock is in the box which is always great.
it has the same visor mechanism as the AGV Vista GPR which is their top-of-the-line racing helmet, it’s a great system overall. It’s not as complex as something like the Shoei Neotec II but it does the job very well.
You can also open the visor into one of several positions, the cracked position which is still locked which gives you a bit of extra ventilation, that’s a great feature.
I will say though the two positions in the middle are a little bit weak and if you go too fast, let’s say 80-90 hundred km an hour it’s going to blow back into the open position but once it’s there it will stay there.
I personally don’t know why you would be riding at 100 kilometers an hour with your visor open because there are few things more painful I think than hitting a Bee at 100 kilometers an hour, just my personal opinion.
Sun Visor
On the inside of the helmet, there is also a drop-down Sun Visor which is one of the more touring aspects of the helmet rather than the sports aspect. It’s good for comfort and the Sun Visor blocks out the Sun pretty well as it’s meant to.
It’s controlled using a slider on the side of the helmet, its a little bit clunky though and it’s got a bit of a breaking-in period like the chin bar but that will decrease over time as the system gets used more.
When you pick it up for the first time and put it on just remember that when you try to drop down the Sun Visor it can be a little bit difficult. When you want to put the chin bar up it’s going to pull a little bit on your head but that will fade over time.
Temperature
On the inside of the helmet, there is a liner made using two materials. Those materials are hot and cold or for warm and cold weather. The warm material which is called Shamer is quite nice and warm, it’s very soft and overall good material.
On the other side, there is the ritmo material and that is going to pull sweat away from your head giving you a bit more breathability if that’s a word.
Ther is also a little tag that tells you exactly which side you’re using hot or cold. I will thank AGV for doing that because it’s really annoying when you put on your warm side and it’s thirty-five degrees.
The liner is also a removable washable antibacterial material so it’s a great liner. It’s comfortable and it’ll keep it cool or will keep you warm depending on what you like.
To summarize this helmet is very lightweight, very comfortable, and aerodynamic.
It does a lot of different things and does them pretty much all well but it is quite expensive at $750 US. It does have a small breaking-in period with some of the movable parts like the Sun Visor and the chin bar but overall it’s a great helmet.
It sits comfortably as one of the top three modular helmets with the Shoei Neotec II and the Schuberth C4 Pro and it really deserves that place.
I would recommend this helmet to someone who either has the need for something that’s top-quality best of the best and has the budget to justify that or to someone who just can’t handle heavy helmets.
This is the lightest of the helmets you’ll get and if you want a modular helmet and you can’t stand the weight of something like the Shoei Neotec II this is the helmet for you.
3 – Roof Boxxer Carbon Modular Helmet
The roof boxxer for carbon is the new flagship from the French company of roof and it’s a successor to their popular roof boxer v8. Now straight up the biggest addition, they’ve made is this extra X in the name of boxers so now its the boxxer.
They say that it’s symbolic of all the different improvements that they made to the helmet, personally, I just want to know how much an X is really worth.
Weight
If we look at the weight it’s much better, the old boxer v8 was 1750 grams and this now weighs at 1550 and that’s because they’ve made it out of carbon fiber and fiberglass and that’s also why they added carbon to the name. 1550 grams is quite respectable for any modular helmet.
If you look at two of its closest competitors the HJCR 90 weighs 1450 grams, 500 grams less and the Shark Eva 12 weighs about a hundred more at 1650 grams so it’s nicely in the middle and is quite respectable.
It now comes in seven sizes, there is XS all the way up to double XL so hopefully, you should be able to get a good fit for your head.
You’re going to notice a lot of changes to do with the boxer carbon area around the chin bar.
Chin Lock
On the old V8 to open the front of the helmet you had to push and pull the two release clips on the side of the helmet to open it up. To lock it you had to pull the open face down, pull on the clips again to lock it. You couldn’t do it with one hand and was a little complicated.
With the new V8 carbon you can use one hand to open the clips and open the front of the helmet, to close it you can just pull the face of the helmet down and it automatically locks into position.
With the new V8, you can open the face of the helmet 180 degrees, so the face is right at the back of the helmet reducing the drag if you decided to have your helmet open at hight speeds.
Visor
The visor has ani scratch and Anti Fog which is important because it doesn’t have any pins for a pin long visor. One of the major changes has come with the chin bar and the visor and that’s the visor seal.
On the eye socket area of the helmet by your nose is a soft material, it’s a silicone material so you can close it the normal way which is first the visor then the chin bar, or you can close the visor on its own which seals.
This is a new system from them, it works quite well and makes a nice seal. It’s quite a good system and a big improvement over the Box v8 which was much more difficult.
Ventilation
On the chin bar alone there are six vents that can be opened independently so you have some good customization options. You should be able to get to the ventilation level you want and then on the top of the chin bar, you have the one big vent which is controlled by a slider.
On the top front of the helmet, there is one big vent which again is controlled using a slider, it pulls air in through the front and vents through the back.
When we don’t want ventilation the visor seal gets a pretty big yes from me for keeping rain and wind out, I really liked the way that’s changed.
The vents do a pretty good job keeping you comfortable in that uncomfortable weather and seals you pretty nicely into the helmet. The chin bar, the visor, the ventilation has all had a really big rework with the new boxer and it’s much much better than the last one.
Communications
On the inside, everything soft is removable and washable which is always nice plus underneath there is a space for a Bluetooth intercom system. Just make sure if you have your own it will fit the boxer before you go out and buy one.
It’s also now a bit quieter than the v8 but it’s still going to be a pretty noisy helmet despite all of their attempts to improve on that, and they have. It’s still going to be a bit noise helmet compared to some others in the same range and definitely in the higher ranges especially when it’s opened.
Safety
When it comes to safety the boxxer carbon has you pretty well covered whether you wear as a full face or an urban helmet, that’s because it’s been E2205 certified in both positions. That’s great because you are legally covered no matter how you wear it.
The chinstrap is now anchored to four points of the helmet which is nice, it’s not groundbreaking but it’s good to have. It’s going to roll less on your head in an accident making it a little bit stronger.
The buckle for the chinstrap has also been changed, it’s now a push and pulls buckle pull and release. I like that, some people don’t so it’s going to come down to a bit of your own personal choice. Personally, I think it’s a very easy system.
Style
When it comes to looks this helmet looks great, especially in the jet position. It looks like a fighter jet helmet, who hasn’t dreamt of being a fighter pilot as a kid.
With this helmet you’re going to have to make a few compromises, It’s the same with every helmet there is going to be a compromise somewhere.
On this helmet, the cost is going to be a bit of a compromise and that’s because it is quite high. It’s running about $650 US dollars so it’s quite a lot. There are others that are cheaper but they don’t look as good so again it all comes down to choice.
Quality
The quality of this helmet is not great, it’s not been a direct focus unlike the Shoei Neotec II or the sport modular from AGV who have a much higher focus on quality, but then you’re going to have to pay a lot more for those helmets.
Where this sits in price is okay, it’s not spectacular but it’s not terrible. Where it really shines though is in the looks, you can obviously tell that’s what they’re focused on.
When you look at it you can tell it’s a stylish helmet and especially if you’re in America. It’s not really that well known in the USA and that’s because it’s a French company.
They’ve focused a lot on the European market particularly in France and so it’s going to be a little bit more exclusive in those places.
If you like that then that’s going to be great for you but if you’re someone who likes to talk about your helmet online that’s going to be difficult unless you speak French.
For me, this helmet is not what I would want. It’s got that clear focus on style but everything else comes second, whereas I want a helmet where the focus is more on value and then comfort and quality.
That’s not to say I don’t like this helmet, it’s a good helmet. It looks great, it’s just not what I would personally want from my helmet. If it was on sale I’ll definitely pick it up, there’s nothing wrong with it per se, it just doesn’t cater to my specific needs.
4 – Shark Evo-One 2 Modular Helmet
The Shark Evo-one 2 which is not to be called the Shark Evo 12 because it simply isn’t, it’s the Shark Evo-one 2 and it is made by the French company shark.
It’s a modular helmet that flips back all the way with the chin bar just like the roof boxer and it is a direct descendant of the Shark Evo 1.
It is also separate from the shark Evo line 3 series which is another series of modular helmets by the same company. What we’re going to find with this helmet is that there are a lot of small improvements that really set it apart as the top shark in the ocean.
Chin Bar
The chin bar tracks all the way 180 degrees and is a key feature with this helmet. It’s been done for aerodynamics, you can tell that because you have a fin on the back of the helmet which directs the air in a much better fashion.
A nice feature is when you open the chin section of the helmet the visor opens with it which is a nice handy feature.
Another nice feature is if you have been cruising with the chin section open to the back of the helmet, but with the visor down you are able to close the chin section without having to move the visor all in one go.
Size
If you look at the helmet you will see that it is smaller and more compact than other shark modular helmets, which means it’s going to be more aerodynamic and sits better on your head, weighs less and feel less bulky.
The shell is made out of polycarbonate and comes in two different sizes which means there’s a lot of versatility when it comes to sizing. If you look at the visor you will see it has an auto-open system with anti-scratch and comes prepared for the pin lock visor which sits in the box.
Visor
If you lift up the visor you will see it has a Sun Visor. The Sun visor is controlled by a slider on the top of the helmet which is quite easy to use even if you are wearing gloves.
The visor is 23 percent larger than the Evo 1, a lot of people complained that the visor was too small to be of any use so they improved it.
Sound Proofing
A big focus of shark for this helmet has been wind noise reduction and to do that they ran it through a computational fluid design system. They took a digital copy of the helmet and threw a bunch of different fluids at it in the digital world and plugged all the holes.
You can really tell the difference as it’s now a much better helmet when it comes to soundproofing. Unfortunately, they couldn’t fix all the problems, when you open it up it’s still quite noisy.
If we dive into the interior of the helmet everything is removable and washable, that’s great as it means you will get you a lot more life out of the helmet. It also means you can keep it odor-free after a long day riding in the sun.
Once you take everything out of the helmet there is enough room inside for an intercom system, the shark is one of those few brands that actually have their own intercom system called the shark tooth.
Interior
If you look at the inside you’ll notice there is a bit of a hollow and that hollow is intentional, that’s called the shark easy fit system and that’s meant for riders with glasses.
If your a rider that wears glasses you know that it can be very uncomfortable depending on the helmet when your glasses dig into the side of your head. Shark has tried to do away with that so you have a lot less pressure on the side of your head.
I personally don’t ride with glasses so it doesn’t matter too much to me but for someone who does it can really make a difference, but who knows in the future, you may need to so that’s another good feature.
Safety
In terms of safety, this helmet is DOT and ECE rated so it’s pretty much legal to ride in every country. You have a piece of mind that it’s going to protect your head in the case of an accident.
Style
If you look at the helmet it is quite nice, it’s not as nice looking as the roof box carbon. This helmet has been made with other considerations as priorities like value and all the extra features that it has, but that’s not to say it looks bad.
Weather Proofing
In terms of weatherproofing, Eva 1-2 does a pretty good job, the visor and the chin bar mechanism are well made and it doesn’t leak much water. The sound and weatherproofing typically go hand in hand and you can really tell that the computational fluid design system they used has paid off.
The ventilation is quite good, it was taken from the racer pro series of full-face helmets that they make plus the great thing with modular helmets is that if you’re a bit hot you can always just open the helmet.
I really like the shark Eva 1-2, it’s a good helmet for what it does, and coming in about $350 US dollars it’s a pretty decently priced helmet. It’s will give you a good taste of the luxuries that are more expensive modular helmet can offer but for half the price.
This helmet is good at everything, it’s not really the best at anything except for value. That being said, don’t get this helmet thinking that it’s going to be like a sport modular, thinking that it’s going to be twice as expensive as what it is.
It’s will give you a taste of those good features but it’s still a value helmet, and for what it’s worth I really like this helmet. It’s probably one of my favorites just because it’s got so much great value built into it.
5 – Schuberth C4 Pro
In this last section, we are going to look at the differences between the Schuberth C4 Pro and the original Schuberth C4.
To be honest there’s not too much to notice just by looking at the helmets but what they have changed for the C4 Pro is going to make a big difference in terms of quality.
Shape
To start off with the head shape of the fit with the original C4 is like an oval own intermediate oval but with the C4 Pro, it’s now in a circular round shape which is better for a lot of people who like Schuberth helmets.
Schuberth has traditionally been a round-shaped company, a lot of the helmets were made in that style so the departure with the original C4 was not well received by a lot of people who have traditionally chosen Schuberth as a brand.
Ventilation
You can’t really notice it but the ventilation on the C4 Pro got redesigned, on the original C4 thee event on the front chin part of the helmet would break.
After a little while, the vent cover would pop off so it wouldn’t seal the vent which was a real letdown with that helmet. On the C4 Pro they have fixed the fault, they’ve made it much more robust which was definitely needed.
The top vents also got redesigned on the C4 Pro to make it more robust, similar to the lower chin vent. They didn’t particularly need to but it’s been made better and it should be stronger so I have no issues with that at all.
Interior
One of the most immediately noticeable differences between the two helmets is the inner liner. On the original C4, it’s a darker material, it’s quite soft and it’s still quite a nice liner. Whereas on the C4 Pro there is a velvety like material, it looks very comfortable and it’s called the cool max liner.
The last real change they have made to the helmet is the pin lock. The pin lock on the original C4 was made by Schuberth and sucked, it was simply terrible and caused more trouble so they dropped that.
With the C4 Pro they have gone back to the tried-and-true pin lock lens, the one that everyone uses, the one everyone knows and it simply works much better.
In Conclusion
So these have been all the differences that they’ve made between the C4 and the C4 Pro. There haven’t been too many but they were quite important and they fundamentally fixed the issues of the original C4 and that is what is really important.
The original C4 just wasn’t the helmet that we expected from Schuberth, it wasn’t a bad helmet per se but it wasn’t up to the high quality of the Schuberth brand and it wasn’t what people really paid for.
Which Is The Best Motorcycle Helmet For Wind Noise?
The best noise-canceling motorcycle helmet by far blocked 13 decibels in the soundproofing test was the Neotech II. It’s the quietest helmet from this test but what surprised me the most about this test were the results with the Roof Boxx of Carbon. This helmet was as quiet as the other two helmets but the other two are premium helmets.
They are designed and marketed to be very quiet and the roof box of carbon is made to be pretty, small difference but remember what we’re testing and that’s how much noise is blocked by the helmet.
It’s going to be reliant on the shell, the liner, the fit, the visor, the EPS ventilation, and pretty much everything is going to come into play. Typically a lot of these helmets when they’re made are made to block out wind and prevent wind noise which is a slightly different factor when getting into your helmets and whistling around stuff.
It is a major irritation but we’ve today only looked at how much noise is actually blocked by the helmet so I’m pretty sure that on the road the C4 Pro is going to be much quieter than the roof box of carbon but in our test that’s not what’s came up.
That’s a really interesting result for me but I can say that one thing I’ve been saying for quite a long time held true and that’s the Neotec II is a pretty well-built helmet.
So there you have it, the Shoei Neotec II stands heads and shoulders above the rest of the competition so that is my recommendation if you are looking for the best noise-canceling motorcycle helmet.
I hope you enjoyed our posts, thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.
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