Shark Evo ES

I am a big fan of Shark; my last three helmets have all come from them. I’ve never owned a modular helmet before, so this was a new experience.

The Evo ES is P/J homologated; you can ride with the front up or down. It’s party trick is the front flipping right over the back. This is definitely a helmet I’d say “Try before you buy”. I take a small… and it’s on the small side of small. It's best to put it on and take it off with the front up. Once on it is very comfortable, and the lining feels plush and snug.

Given the extra mechanics needed in a modular I was surprised to find it weighs 1,650 grams – just 120 more than my full-face D-Skwal. It’s beautifully balanced with the front down. The first time you open the front, for a couple of seconds you feel the weight shift but this is quickly forgotten. As I said I’ve not worn a modular, but my husband tells me ‘front on top’ can feel like a sail in windy conditions.

I have an open-face helmet. Compared to that, in the Jet position the side panels come further round giving increased protection, counterbalanced by a slight reduction in peripheral vision. I like how when you open the front, it lifts the visor (you can pull it down), meaning you don’t need to think about it when opening and closing.

The slider for the integral sun-visor is on the top of the helmet, making it easy to locate and operate. The sun-visor has a blue tint that helps vision. Talking controls, the release for the front is easy to locate and operate, but it isn’t always easy to click it back into place. The vents are also easy to find and operate. There is also a flip-down chin curtain to reduce wind and noise when closed. Open, it’s quite noisy, but it’s not intended for long rides like that.

To keep the Evo ES price down, the visor isn’t Pinlock-ready, using Shark’s own anti-fog coating. It isn’t as effective as Pinlock. Stopping with the visor down on a cold, damp day, the visor kind of ‘smeared’. I wiped inside and out with a microfleece towel, which improved things.

The Evo ES is a very good helmet at the price. There is a Pinlock-ready visor available from Shark, and I’d be tempted to negotiate for one if buying from a dealer.

Each Shark helmet is designed according to the principle of ‘Reverse Engineering’. This is when the user’s body shape is the starting point