Italian helmet company AGV has brought the world's first full carbon flip-face to market. At just 3.06 lb (1.39 kg), the Sportmodular weighs in lighter than some race helmets, gets a super-high safety rating, and features a panoramic 190-degree visor and flip down sun shade too. Looks like a beauty!
I love modular flip-face helmets. Always have. I ride everywhere I can with the chin up, enjoying the breeze and the superb visibility, but then flip the chinpiece down on the highway, in the twisties and in the rain. It's less claustrophobic than a full-face, you can talk to people and pay for your gas without anyone thinking you're a bandit.
On the other hand, I'm fully aware they look dorkier, make more noise, weigh significantly more and tend to have slightly lower safety ratings than a full face lid – all prices I'm willing to pay. But those prices might disappear with the introduction of AGV's Sportmodular lid, the world's first full carbon modular brain bucket.
It looks decently sporty when the chin's down. It weighs in at 3.06 lb (1.39 kg) in a small shell, making it just about 10 percent lighter than the carbon/composite X-Lite X1004 and indeed a tiny bit lighter than AGV's own full-carbon race helmet, the Pista GP R, despite the whole flip-face mechanism.
Part of that is because the whole shell, including the chin bar, is carbon fiber, and doesn't include the drinking straw attachment you get on the full-on race lid. But the attention to grams here is extraordinary – even the double D-rings you use to do it up have gone on a diet. They're titanium.
In terms of safety, there appears to be no penalty at all. With the chinpiece down, the Sportmodular matches the Pista GP R for impact protection. And in terms of functionality, it seems pretty stellar too. The visor window allows a massive 190-degree field of vision, which is a massive benefit when you're riding in traffic. There's also a flip down sun visor that works independently of the chinpiece, and a distortion-free Class Optic 1 visor with Pinlock anti-fog capability.
The inner lining is a combination of antibacterial, moisture-wicking comfort materials, and the crown liner can be flipped over to choose between a cooling Ritmo side for summer riding and a warmer Shalimar side for winter.
Seems to us AGV has thrown the kitchen sink at this one. The only downsides might come if you don't have an AGV shaped head, or potentially if the full carbon shell interferes with the long-range efficacy of any aftermarket intercom you might be planning to clip onto it.
Pricing is competitive at US$749 and the Sportmodular is available now in the US.
We've got a review unit on the way and will bring you a full opinion once we've had a chance to get our noggins into it. In the meanwhile, here's a short video and there are photos of all color combinations in the gallery.
Source: AGV
