Schuberth C3 Pro..quiet?

[flower_king001]

Hi,

 Thinking of buying a Schuberth C3 Pro..just how quiet is it? I have a Nolan N91 and a Scorpion EXO-GT3000 (both modular) and they are ok while using earplugs. I ride with full wind (fresh air) in face and looking to get as quiet as possible due to my tinnitus.

Thanks

[DonTom]

Hi,

 Thinking of buying a Schuberth C3 Pro..just how quiet is it? I have a Nolan N91 and a Scorpion EXO-GT3000 (both modular) and they are ok while using earplugs. I ride with full wind (fresh air) in face and looking to get as quiet as possible due to my tinnitus.

Thanks

I know many people who own a C3 and most of them have complaints about one thing or another. However, it's probably the most quiet helmet that exists, so that is NOT one of the complaints.

I have tried one on and found it very uncomfortable. But this makes sense because the reason it is quiet is because it fits tight, kinda  holding your ears in with pressure.

The Nolan Helmets I found MUCH more comfortable and they have the same basic design (sunscreen, type of chin strap, etc) as the C3 at less than half the price. Perhaps not nearly as quiet, but I cannot be sure because I have never ridden with a C3 and I doubt if I ever will. But perhaps a two dollar set of ear plugs would help as much, but i have not found them necessary with my Nolan.

BTW, I hope nobody here thinks expensive helmets protect your head better. Often the reverse is true, but it really depends on the type of accident. The Harry Hurt Report came to the conclusion for MOST cycle accidents the cheaper helmets did better.  But to really know the best helmet, you will have to know the type of accident in advance.

Back then in around 1980, he discovered the $15.00 helmet sold at K-Mart then was the best for most cycle accidents because cheap helmets absorb more of the impact at MOST speeds motorcycle accidents occur.

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[sbaker]

Well, I have only ever worn Schubert.. I have a Pro now, so I can't comment on noise.. I also wear ear plugs, regardless of the quietness of the helmet, the continual drone of the air over the helmet regardless of how quiet the helmet is will injure hearing... Wear ear plugs! .. Then the relative noise profile will be minimized. For more info; www.webbikeworld.co m

[craigclu]

Mine is not as quiet as I expected from researching before buying.  The neck cuff was too tight and started to affect blood circulation after 30 minutes or so so I needed to relieve that with some modifying but it was noisier than expected previous to that.  I now use ear plugs with it and after some fiddling with it, it's quite comfortable.  It's made decently but not so much better or different than mid-range lids, in my opinion.

[flangeman_70]

I have a Pro now, so I can't comment on noise.. I also wear ear plugs, regardless of the quietness of the helmet, the continual drone of the air over the helmet regardless of how quiet the helmet is will injure hearing... Wear ear plugs!

As S.Baker has written

I have had a C3 Pro for 3 years now and it is quiet. It took about 2 months of daily riding at about 1 hour to break it in and during this period I thought I'd made a horrible mistake/decision. Today there is no doubt, I will buy again.

On the Centauro it is surreal how quiet it is in the clean air but behind the SPIII fairing if the vent is open or the visor not locked close at above 60mph it makes a hell of a droning noise.

EAR PLUGS!!!! Yes, I am YELLING
I have tinnitus (suspected medicine side effect) and wear hearing aids due to it and a genetic hearing condition.

Adam

[charlie b]

I loved the C3.  BUT...it was the first helmet that fit my head perfectly, without modifying the foam at all.

Yes, it was quiet, IF it is in a bubble or if it is in clean air.  If you have a windshield that puts any turbulence on the helmet it will be noisy.  To be fair, even in turbulent air it was quieter than a Shoei RF1100.

The biggest problem is same as above, if it does not fit your head you will be miserable.  I can't compare it to Nolan's cause they make liners that 'cut into' my ears.  Others I tried, like the Shark, are much heavier.  The HJC Symax III was much louder.

So, try one on first, and leave it on for a good period of time.  FWIW, there is a thing called the 'Schuberth stripe'.  It is from the way the liner is made, it leaves kind of a mark on the forehead.  Also, Schuberth sizing is different than everyone else.  I wear a L in most cases.  The Schuberth was an XL.

[TodkaVonic]

I agree with the concensus: the C3 is a quiet lid. Super quiet in fact. I hope it fits you better than it did me, flower_king. It's a strange and perplexing situation when the first thing to hurt enough to get me to stop for a break is my dang forehead.

[pauldaytona]

I have just tried the c3 in the shop and it felt claustrophobic. Because it closes the down side too, it can be much more quiet.   Try with a normal helmet from downside up, mostly you can easy reach the ear, so sound can.

 There is a c4 on it's way. in production in April.

[flower_king001]

Hi,

 Thanks to all you replied....helmets is much like windscreens or saddles.

[JeffOlson]

I have a C3. It is the best helmet I have ever had.

However, I had to swap out the cheek pads to get it to fit right. It was very tight when new despite being an XL.

Also, on my Norge, it is NOT quiet unless I stand up so my head is in clean air. Then it is quiet. Otherwise, it is like being in a howling gale. Earplugs are definitely necessary.

[flower_king001]

I have a C3. It is the best helmet I have ever had.

However, I had to swap out the cheek pads to get it to fit right. It was very tight when new despite being an XL.

Also, on my Norge, it is NOT quiet unless I stand up so my head is in clean air. Then it is quiet. Otherwise, it is like being in a howling gale. Earplugs are definitely necessary.

Thanks....main thing with any helmet is that to be quiet is that you need to have helmet in 'clean air'. Any turbulence from screen, clothes, bike ect can enhance noise levels. All of my bikes have small screens and adjusted to 'clrean air' in face. My Breva 1100 has small screen (no buffering w/ simple mod), '86 Lemans (small oem fairing) and my EV which has oem sport shield.

 Revzilla has the Pro 3 Hi-Viz on sale for $475 and I was wanting a hi-viz.

 I have been wearing earplugs for the past couple of years. I have found that these cheap blue comfort plugs at CVS work very well and also these from Surefire:

http://www.surefire.com/tactical-equipment/earpro-products.html

[Northern Bill]

Several years ago I bought a Shoei modular and it leaked the first time out ($600 and they wouldn't do anything on warranty for me) so I started looking at Nolan's and Schuberths.  Both were very expensive and one of them was very heavy, in my opinion, so I started looking elsewhere. By chance I came across a Caberg helmet on ebay U.K  that looked good and was very inexpensive. In fact, it was so cheap I decided to do some research on it.  What I found was that it was rated number one in Europe at the time but was not certified in Canada??. It was 99 pounds with 25 pounds shipping for a grand total of around $200 Canadian. This was about 4 years ago and it is the best helmet I have ever had. Besides being a good helmet all around it also had the built in sunshade and the strap had the quick release snap rather than the usual 2 D rings. As for quietness it doesn't seem much different than any of the other helmets I have owned.

[zokn]

I bought my C3 Pro last spring. Previously, I have had Scorpion and Nolan helmets, among other brands going back over the years. I had to travel 3 hours to the nearest dealer that stocked the Schuberths to try it on, but, hey, my nearest Guzzi dealer is now a 2-day ride away! I was lucky: It fit me well; I know that isn't the case with everyone.

I have never had a quieter helmet - by a long shot. I will likely never use any other brand, unless they come up to the Schubert standard. The fit (for me) is excellent. The helmet works properly, is easy to open and close, can be put on and removed without first removing my glasses (Yeh!), manages fogging extremely well (I live by the ocean in humid and cool Nova Scotia), and just plain feels great.

One of the neat benefits of this helmet for me is that there is almost no buffeting when I turn my head to shoulder check at speed or when I stretch up or bend my head down to look at gauges or GPS, or take in the scenery. This, and the quiet overall comfort, has done more to lengthen my riding day than anything else.

But...if it doesn't fit you, you will need to look elsewhere. You just won't have the benefits of this helmet.

Regards, Stephen

[flower_king001]

Well I broke down and purchased the Schuberth C3 Pro in hiz-viz. I got it in Friday and it's been raining off and on however....I did about 50 miles so far. Fit and finish is top notch! I'm able to do everything with gloves on from opening lid, on/off chin strap, open/close both air vents ect. I got a 2XL and perhaps just a tad tight round my ears so at this point I put my glasses on after and perhaps in time it will break in some or I'll get other cheek pads. I know for certain that I don't want to go bigger as once on it fits and feels great! It's the most quiet modular helmet I own/have comparing to a few Nolans and Scorpion. Revzilla had them on sale for $475 which I felt was a great deal as if I got it in a solid color other than hi-viz the price would have been $769! Also Schuberth's come with a 5 year warranty.

[DonTom]

Also Schuberth's come with a 5 year warranty.

A five year warranty that may not work.   Does anybody here know anybody where they used the Schurerth's warranty?  I know one such person and he received a bunch of BS about his the helmet was mishandled and therefore Schurerth did not make good on it. And the owner says all the stuff he was told about it being mishandled wasn't  true.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[charlie b]

Yes, I know three in fact.  One had a face shield mechanism fail.  They were sent a new one at no charge (he had sent them a pic of what happened).  Another the chinbar would not stay up.  Again, parts sent without charge.  Last was a guy who went to the Schuberth tent at a rally.  They 'refurbished' his helmet on the spot as part of his 5 yr warranty (his helmet was 4+ yrs old.  They replace all of the liner material, new faceshield, new sun shield and new 'ratchets' on the sides of the helmet.

[DonTom]

Yes, I know three in fact.  One had a face shield mechanism fail.  They were sent a new one at no charge (he had sent them a pic of what happened).  Another the chinbar would not stay up.  Again, parts sent without charge.  Last was a guy who went to the Schuberth tent at a rally.  They 'refurbished' his helmet on the spot as part of his 5 yr warranty (his helmet was 4+ yrs old.  They replace all of the liner material, new faceshield, new sun shield and new 'ratchets' on the sides of the helmet.

Good to know. The guy who was rejected for the warranty service  was told by Schuberth that his helmet was pushed in (pushed  in causes harm unlike being pushed out), which violates the warranty. However, he says it never was pushed in, or he would have known. Perhaps the difference was that is helmet was FUBAR, and would require a replacement, not just a repair.

If there is more to this story, I do not know.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[earemike]

Good luck, I tried one on while in Europe & ordered at 30% off (hi viz  )...

On my LeMans I keep under 180kph & don't bother with the ear plugs anymore. Damn nice helmet so far 

[charlie b]

Yep, don't think anyone warranty covers crash damage or severe damage to shell.  He'd have to show that the shell basically did that on it's own.

I also stopped wearing ear plugs with my C3 (also purchased as a closeout for under $400).  The only difference I noticed was I had to turn the music louder :)