My 7 year old modular took a hit, literally. Hitting the concrete at what was probably more than 10 mph, it needed replacing. No, not a crash, darn thing fell off my seat of all things.
Tried Shoei, Nolan, and even a Schuberth and Bilt but nothing fit well. Happened to come across a Kabuto and although not the color I wanted, it fit so well I had to buy one. Found a local dealer who stocks them and after a final test fit, got it, pearl white to match the Norge.
The Kabuto is light. Really light. Compared to the old KBC it was like putting on a head skin only and going a ride. The first thing I noticed is that it is very quiet, almost too quiet because the engine sound is so muffled as to make gear selection (which I do by feel and sound rather than looking at the tach) take some getting used to.
The field of vision is wide which means less head turning and the front of the helmet sticks out farther making somewhat of a bill to shield some direct sun. Speaking of sunlight, it does have like many these days an integrated flip down internal visor but it comes down farther than most so if you have a long big snoaze that might be a concern. The internal sun visor is medium dark and I found I didn't use it much unless I was droning down the freeway. In twisties where you run along tree lined roads with lots of shadows I left it up which is easy to to since the lever to raise and lower it is at left ear height. It takes some time to get used to it but after that it is easy to use. I ride with non-polarized sunglasses because it makes reading LCD screen easier without getting that moire effect so using the internal sunshield made it too dark. Without sunglasses on it was still darker than I'd like for the roads mentioned but that might be different for you.
The modular portion of the helmet works really well and seems secure. It took some time to get used to the position of the level which is on the left side rim between the left ear and chin. My old helmet had the level in the middle of the chin edge making it very natural when you want to lift the front up. I would rather the Kabuto work that way but I did get used to the new location. It is very easy to use and a simple flick with a thumb gets the modular front in motion. It lifts quite easily. What wasn't quite so easy was lowering it. It should get easier as I use it more but out of the box it is a little stiff to lower it. I ended up using more force to snap it closed and had to make sure. I chalk this up to being new and my not being used to it, hopefully that changes. If it doesn't get easier that I'd consider to be a serious concern. When you close the modular you want to know it is closed, not in a halfway locked position.
The ventilation seems good with a front vent and one near the top, you can actually feel air movement at speed even behind the Norge's fairing. The is a little bit of wind noise when you open the top vent but it is still very quiet.
Then we get to the securing buckle. The first time I put the helmet on and when I stopped for coffee went to remove the helmet and opening the lever did absolutely nothing. No matter what I did, it would not unlock. I am sure the people who might have watched me wonder just when I was going to take my helmet off. Rather embarrassing. It turns out that the lever you use to allow easy insertion of the racket slip is not the same as you use to release it, its on the opposite side. It makes some sense when you think about it but it sure had me wondering about cutting the thing off and had me looking in the mirror to figure it out. Now it is simple as very quick. No doubt the engineers or designers figured that making the lever operate in a different direction that what the lever force might be if it contacted the pavement in a fall was prudent.
RTM I guess.
The interior of the Kabuto is nicely appointed with a good density foam and covered with a microbial resistant material. It remained cool on a day with temps near 85-90.
Mor eon the modular portion. On the Norge with the windshield at the lowest height I could ride with the modular up at speeds to 70 mph and did not experience any lift at all. I raised up a bit to get more air stream but it still didn't lift so a good design.
The face shield is easier to open since the lift tab is right about in the middle. It raises up and stop at good partial openings so you can get that in town position easy. As with the modular front, you can ride with the face shield open at decently high speeds and not get any lift or have the shield getting forced down.
In the box you also find a breath guard if you need it and of course it does have the pin lock system and a package of genuine pin locks included. I don't use them, never have but they are there just in case.
The helmet comes with a 5 year warranty. I did email the company and the same day a local brand rep emailed me and called me so that seems good. When I buy things that come with a warranty and cost more than a few dollars I always buy them with one of those credit cards that extend the warranty to twice what the manufacturer offers so I now have a 10 year warranty which is longer than I'll want to wear this but nice to have all the same. It also covers accidental damage or just plain theft so thats nice to have.
Kabuto also makes non-modular helmets but I have not tried any of them, I've gotten used to having a modular and although their safety compared to a regular helmet might be less, its my personal choice. I figure that if the impact is that bad my head rolling around the ground in a non-modular helmet probably isn't going to make a difference to me.
If you need a new helmet, give the Kabuto a try. It isn't an inexpensive helmet at about $420+ but is around higher mid range in price. I think it is a real good value if the lowering of the modular front gets easier. If it doesn't, I'll address that with the manufacturer as maybe mine is a bit more stiff and can be adjusted.
The Kabuto comes in red, white and black so two of the Norge colors are covered. The black is more of the dull type not glossy black. The white matches the white of the Norge almost perfectly.
There you have it.
