There is so much bang for your helmet buck here, it’s almost embarrassing.
From a design perspective, Kiska, the Austrian design house responsible for KTM’s look, is also behind this Schuberth range.
If you’re after a great all-round full-face, a lid you can use on the track, to commute, or to tour, and you haven’t got a million dollars, this German masterwork could be for you.
Unless your head is shaped weirdly, in which case you’re on your own.
You’ve worked out by now Schuberth helmets are up there with the very finest lids on earth.
They’re made in Germany and have a well-deserved reputation for being the quietest and most aerodynamic lids on the market.
They also come fully-loaded out of the box with a host of features, including in-built speakers and microphone, as well as an integrated antenna designed to offer outstanding reception for the Schuberth SC-1 communication system (developed in conjunction with Senna), which is sold separately – and literally plugs into the bottom of your R2. The standard SC-1 system is $280, just so you know.
And because it is German, it does exactly what it says on the box.
I don’t have anyone I wish to talk to while riding my bike, but if you do, then this is the system for you. Listen to tunes, take and make calls, pray during conference calls, order pizza – you name it, the R2 and its attendant comms system is up for it.
This is pretty good for a lid that’s not the top of the Schuberth range.
But it’s the sheer quietness of the S2 that won me over. This is all down to the aerodynamics, fit and padding. The helmet does not lift, it doesn’t buffet, and it doesn’t try to oscillate when you turn your head at speed, so it’s directionally stable. It really is some kind of special.
I have worn it on sportsbikes (MV Agusta F4RC), nakeds (Aprilia Shiver), and I even bunged it on my head on a Harley just to see what happened (people looked at me funny). The R2 worked, but it especially worked at speed.
My head seems to be of a shape that is conducive to Schuberth, who will tell you the R2 likes a round-to-intermediate oval head to sit on. Rounder heads need to look at the C3 Pro, and the R2 will fit a rounder head better than a Shoei RF-1200.
I guess you have to try it on, and I strongly suggest you do. You will be amazed. There is a reason the R2 just won Motorrad magazine’s 2018 helmet comparo test.
It’s also relatively light (1350gms), and boasts outstanding force absorption due to the multi-part construction of its inner lining.
And then there’s the outer shell. Direct Fiber Processing is a manufacturing process unique to Schuberth. It’s a procedure that generates endless fibreglass which is precision cut into pieces by alien robots and blown into the mould by the breath of various gods. This is then baked under very high pressure and injected with resin. The result is a light, but super-strong and solid outer shell.
The visor opening is oversize, so both your peripheral vision and central vision is never compromised, it comes with its own anti-fog system (not Pinlock, but the same principle), and can be easily replaced without tools.
Air is channeled into the lid through the big vent crown (easy one-handed click operation) and through the chin-piece. Also a click from open to closed. And there’s a lot of air that gets into the R2 if you want it to.
The lining is lovely, removable, washable and fast-drying, which is all anyone could want from their lining.
I guess you’d be hard-pressed to find a more feature-packed lid for the price.
Of course, Schuberth lids are not cheap. But they are superb value for money. They work exactly as they say they will, and they come with a five-year warranty.
They’re not like other helmets. And you’ll be very pleased they’re not.
HOW MUCH?
Solid colours – $699 Graphics – $799
SPECIAL OFFER: The factory loves you and wants you to be happy, so it is offering you a free second visor for a limited time. A Schuberth visor normally costs $100, but when you register your R2 on-line for the five-year warranty, Schuberth will send you a free visor.
GO TO https://www.schuberth.com/en.html FOR YOUR NEAREST AUTHORISED DEALER
PLEASE BE AWARE
There is only one authorised Australian importer of Schuberth helmets and that is Schuberth Australia.
If you’re dumb enough to buy a Schuberth helmet from anywhere other than an authorised dealer, your five-year warranty will be invalid, and you’re probably buying a fake fibreglass pot made in Albania.
Words by Boris Mihailovic