#modular

Updated May 2021

Updated March 2021

We’ve now sung the praises of the modular helmet enough that all regular readers probably have the chorus down: It’s excellent to be able to flip up the whole front of your helmet when you want to talk to people or quaff a refreshing drink while you’re stopped for gas, etc., without having to take the whole thing off your head.

BMW introduced a new generation of scooters when it debuted the C650GT and C600 Sport (since renamed the C650 Sport) back in 2012. Today, BMW’s “urban mobility” line has grown to include the C400X, C400GT and the electric C Evolution. What gets forgotten, sometimes, is that BMW used to have another scooter introduced in 2000 called the C1.

Thanksgiving means it’s time for family, football, turkey, and, of course, Black Friday shopping. While you’ve been scarfing down stuffing or watching the Bears down the Lions (spoiler alert!), we looked around and compiled a list of some of the best Black Friday deals for motorcyclists.

Harley-Davidson is launching a new modular platform including a liquid-cooled DOHC engine that will be produced in four displacements ranging from 500cc to 1250cc. This platform will result in three product lines, an adventure touring family, a streetfighter/standard family and a more traditional H-D custom lineup.

The RPHA MAX Modular that HJC so graciously sent to my passenger Chrissy Rogers for our recent Yamaha Star Venture first ride was such a nice-looking lid when it popped out of the box, I thought it was a new model. I was wrong; T. Roderick tested it five years ago.

Klim’s a new player in the modular streetbike motorcycle helmet game. With a reputation of constructing technical apparel – oftentimes of the high-end, expensive variety – it should come as no surprise the company managed to create a quality modular lid for a price commensurate with competitors Schuberth and Shoei.

Hey Y’all,

A few months ago complaints began to filter down that somebody was wearing the same old wine-colored Shoei Neotec modular helmet in every dang photo shoot I was in (and unwashed black Aerostich suit). Action needed to be taken, and one of them was for me to track down the HJC marketing person (one very pleasant Molly Lang), and get myself a new helmet. Here it is, the new IS (internal shield) MAX II modular, in black/blue Elemental graphics.

Wow, we’ve been waiting more than a year for Schuberth’s new modular to get here if the date on this MO story from last year is correct, but now it’s finally here, a brand-new E1 in Hunter Blue (one of 15 available schemes) in this case. At that coming-out party last September, Schuberth said the new E1 is a lot like the C3 modular it’s been manufacturing for years, but with an adjustable visor to make it an “Adventure” helmet. Mission accomplished!

The beauty of modular helmets is the ability to have the best of both worlds; the convenience of a three-quarter helmet when you want it, with the protection of a full-face helmet when you need it. What more could you ask for, really? If you talk to the folks at Scorpion, there’s plenty more, like a modular helmet suitable for adventure touring rides. This modular would have all the benefits we’re accustomed to, but also be able to handle the occasional trip off the beaten path. With that, Scorpion took it upon itself to develop a modular helmet that lived up to the definition of modular: the EXO AT-950.