OUR FAVOURITES

Full-facers for under five hundred quid.

X-lite X-803 RS £479.99

All the joy of a race hat, with ace vents, great quality, carbon shell with bugger-all weight, big (detachable) spoiler, and unique liner adjustment for a perfect fit, too. But unlike some racy helmets the X-803 doesn’t get itchy or annoying on long road rides. Great lid. Mine is obviously smothered in a silly scheme, but simple designs start at £479; shop around and you’ll only pay £385. They do reps of various race heroes too.

Shark Spartan GT £409.99

This is Shark’s sports touring rival to Shoei’s big-selling GT-AIR 2, which was my last lid. As a lifelong Shoei wearer it’s taken me a year in the Shark to face facts: it’s better than the Shoei. The aperture is bigger so you’re more aware of hazards in your periphery, the padding is more resilient so after a year the fit is as good as it was on day one, and I’ve grown to prefer the central visor locking system. Several stores are giving big discounts too.

Arai QV £499.99

I’ve been using a QV for the last three years and over 150,000 miles. It’s basically the same as an RX-7, but with minimal scoopage, so it’s a lot quieter and it’s fitted with Arai’s chin curtain to keep out drafts. I ride year round so it often gets grubby, but it always comes up like new after a clean, the vents and visor mechanism still work perfectly and it’s kept that reassuring, velvety Arai feel when I put it on. QV has been replaced by new Quantic.

HJC RPHA70 £330-£480 (carbon)

This is the best lid I have ever owned. Light, comfortable for all day riding, and with the added bonus of an internal visor when the sun gets too bright. You can actually feel the breeze flowing through the vents and they’re easy to operate on the move. Visor’s never leaked, Pinlock has never misted up, and I love this ‘Forvic’ battleship paint job. It’s an old design but still available for under £200 on the interweb. The RPHA is everything I want in a helmet.

‘Roberts says his 1975 win on a Yamaha TZ750 at the Indy Mile is his best ever’