Schuberth makes BMW-badged lids under contract at its Braunschweig [Brunswick] factory in Northern Germany, and the two companies have been close for years. Schuberth also makes a range of conventional lids under their own name, but this piece is only concerned with the Concept ‘flipper’.
It’s especially attractive for glasses-wearers, but I bought it on its own merits. You get a BMW-quality lid, with added features but without the 'designer brand' lifestyle-aspirational-malarkey mark-up. The only 'comfort' difference is that there's appreciably more chin-room in the Schuberth than the BMW for Jimmy Hills and beardies. The thing is made to German TÜV standards, which are more stringent than those of the BSI. Recent EU harmonising legislation means that there is no longer any danger of insurance hassles in the event of a spill. By being tested and authorised in any EU country, it is legally usable anywhere within the EU. Cost: about £225.
I have had my Concept for 18 months, and I love it. There is a variety of ventilation options, including the ability to move the visor forward 1/8th inch [left, right or both sides] to increase and fine-tune the airflow at slow speeds. The visor stays in whatever position you set it. Overall build quality is excellent. It’s full of cunning features. The lining has stayed fresh. The outer visor has anti-scratch and anti-fog treatment. Quiet for a 'flipper', it’s as good without earplugs as my old helmet was when wearing plugs. It’s very comfortable, and the only small quibble is that it’s arguably a bit on the heavy side at 1,650grams [3lb 8oz].
The one over-riding feature that sold it to me, however, is the 'Robocop' inner visor. This is a darkened, UVA-resistant half-visor that flips up and down very easily with a thumb-flick on the move, thus obviating the need to carry shades. It cuts out sky and road-reflected glare, but leaves the instruments clear to read. It is truly wonderful to be able to flip between dark and clear when, for example, the sun’s playing peek-a-boo through the clouds. Oh, and it IS cool!
The Schuberth is awarded 11 out of 10 in my personal non-objective survey. You can find details on www.schuberth.de/index2.htm, and when checking this URL for you I also discovered that they have now added an English language option.
