Dual-sport motorcycle helmets take the elements from on-road and off-road riding and combine them, making for a helmet that’s both durable and accessible.
But out of all the dual-sport helmets on the market, how do we know which one is the best?
Join us as we help answer that question.
What This Article Covers:
Dual Sport Helmets Overview
A dual sport helmet is a cross between your full-face helmets used on the road and your more rigid design off-road helmets.
The reason why many bikers prefer these helmets over choosing either an off-road or full-face one is the larger eye protection visor.
This visor can snap into a hidden position so that you can still wear goggles.
They’re the perfect option if you plan on mixing up the terrain when riding as you can snap the visor down when on the road and up when on the off-road trail.
Dual-sport motorcycle helmets adopt design features from both full-face and off-road options.
For example, dual sport helmets have a similar exterior design to off-road helmets with their large visors and large chin bars.
As for full-face helmets, the dual-sport offers a similar padding and interior comfort.
In other words, you’re getting the best of both worlds. They act as the halfway point as they cater to both off-road and full-face riders.
Now let’s have a look at some of the best motorcycle adventure helmets that fall under the dual-sport category. We’re going to break down the best helmet in three different price ranges.
Best Dual Sport Helmets
Best Entry-Level Helmet: SCORPION EXO-920 EVO SOLID COLOURS
There’s no better place to start than the Scorpion Exo-920 EVO Solid Colours.
If you were to ask a rider what the best motorcycle helmets for beginners are, many will recommend Scorpion helmets. They’re some of the most affordable and provide excellent quality considering their price.
Scorpion has been at the forefront of creating innovative, comfortable, and affordable riding gear designed to make for an authentic experience when riding.
The Scorpion Exo 920 EVO follows this design philosophy closely.
Design
The EXO-290 EVO has a sleek matte black design, making any rider feel like a rebel on the streets.
As with most motorcycle helmets in this price range, they are made from polycarbonate, which is the cheapest helmet material.
This isn’t slandering the product however as these materials still offer incredible protection. The fact that it’s the cheapest material is simply due to it requiring less to manufacture.
It has a dual-density EPS shock-absorbing chin on the inside of the helmet, protecting you from high-speed impact forces.
There’s a micrometric fastener located inside the helmet, keeping the helmet on your head and making it easy to remove.
Ventilation
A good motorcycle helmet should ensure adequate ventilation.
There’s no point spending money on a helmet that protects your head but has terrible ventilation to the point where you can’t breathe.
There are two front vents on the Scorpion EVO-290. One is located near the chin bar and the other is on the crown.
These vents work by pressing the one end to open it and the other end to close it.
There are also some hidden brow vents inside the helmet to help with demisting. Not being able to breathe is already a problem, you don’t want your vision to be obscured too.
Channels are located near the EPS lining and circulate the air from the front to the back of the helmet.
This helps the moving air to cool your head and prevents you from sweating heavily when wearing the helmet.
Visor
What good is a helmet that you can’t see out of? Every motorcycle helmet, dual-sport or not, needs an effective visor system.
All Scorpion helmets make use of the Ellis-tec mechanism, allowing the user of the helmet to gently pull the visor towards the rubber seal. This protects the visor from any water or residue.
The visor design is so optically correct that it gives the rider the sense that there’s no visor when they ride. Scorpion as a brand doesn’t advertise this but it’s evident in almost all their products.
What they do claim is 100% UV-A and UV-B protection.
Most polycarbonate helmets offer between 90 and 95% protection but Scorpion goes the extra mile during the production phase to ensure that number is at 100%.
The sun visor also does a good job at showing why this is one of the best every-level motorcycle helmets available on the market.
It drops down at a good angle and is easy to slide back up without feeling like it’s going to break.
This visor is also coated with Everclear antifog, preventing your visor from misting or fogging up during colder conditions.
Closing Remarks
These helmets are priced at around $330, making them the most affordable helmet on our list, but don’t let their price fool you.
The Scorpion Exo-920 EVO Matte Antracite is a force to be reckoned with and will provide newcomers with the best helmet in that price range.
We think this is the best motorcycle helmet for cruisers or those starting in the world of dual sport helmets.
Best Mid-Level Dual Sport Helmet: AGV AX-8 Dual EVO
From this point, the prices are going to increase but so too will the quality of the helmets themselves.
Our contender for the best mid-range dual sport helmet is brought to us by AGV. We are of course talking about the AX-8 Dual Evo.
Hailing from Italy, AGV aims to create products that are innovative in aerodynamics, comfort, and safety.
Design
The AX-8 Dual Evo goes for a more sporty aesthetic, with a white base tripped in red and black. However, there is a matte black option available for those who prefer something more understated.
The fit is slim and narrow, allowing for a wider range of riders to wear a helmet.
The outer shell of the helmet is made from carbon aramid fibre, a synthetic type of cloth that strengthens the shell and protects it from any impacts.
Speaking of shells, you have the choice to pick between 3 different shell sizes, meaning that you’re bound to find a size that suits your head.
There are 4 different EPS liners located inside the helmet. EPS is the expanded polystyrene that’s used in helmets to protect your skull from any damage.
The EPS liners consist of 5 layers that absorb the impact of any knocks or bumps that might occur when on or off-road.
The padding on the inside of the helmet is plush and comfortable, made from Dri-Lex fabric.
The internals of the helmet can be taken out and washed easily because AGV knows that you’re bound to break a sweat on the road.
The padding also absorbs any moisture inside of the helmet and dries it out so that you don’t put on a sweaty helmet.
Ventilation
The AX-8 Dual EVO uses technology found in road helmets by putting integrated ventilation throughout the helmet.
This means the venting happens at the top of your head with the two exhaust vents at the top of the helmet.
Below these vents are an additional 2 exhaust vents that take in the air coming in from the front of the helmet and push it out to the back.
There are 2 vents located in the front of the helmet that can open and close by simply sliding the cover over them.
This brings the air through the front, over the top of your head, and coming out of the rear end of the helmet to ventilate that hot air.
We think this is also what makes the AX-8 Dual EVO one of the best hot weather motorcycle helmets because this ventilation system is top tier.
The front vent is borrowed from AGV’s more off-road helmets and can be swapped out if you are wanting to do off-road riding.
Visor
What separates your off-road, racing motorcycle helmets from your standard road helmets is the inclusion of a visor system.
The exterior visor is a very simple system that works with a flat blade mechanism. In other words, you twist and turn it to adjust.
The visor of the AX8-Dual Evo is a step-visor, meaning it stays in position once you lock it in.
Whether that’s half-open, half-closed, or anywhere in between, your visor won’t shake around from one position to another.
If you don’t want this kind of system for your visor, don’t worry, AGV has you covered. Included with the helmet is a non-step visor kit that replaces the base plate on the step visor.
This allows for a fluid motion, choosing to keep the visor up or down.
Both the visor and peak can be removed by turning the flat blade till the parts become loose and unscrewing the side screws.
Once the visor is off, the helmet transforms into an off-road helmet. This means you can grab your pair of goggles and start hitting the trail.
The goggle strap fits beautifully on the ridge of the helmet due to the aerodynamics of the helmet itself.
The peak can be lifted causing the air to flow through the gap between the peak and the helmet, whooshing over the top of the helmet.
Not only is the peak there to allow for easy airflow over the helmet, but it also adds protection for off-road riders.
When riding on the trail, you can drop the peak down and it acts as a shield, protecting you from any obstructions and bright sunshine rays.
This peak is quite sturdy, so you don’t need to worry about it flopping around while you ride.
Closing Remarks
The AGV AX-8 Dual Evo comes in at around $650, making it more expensive than the Scorpion EXO-290, but its improved ventilation and visor make up for the price increase.
We recommend such a helmet for the more seasoned riders who aren’t new to the game.
Best High-End Dual Sport Helmet: Schuberth E1 Adventure Helmet
We have now crossed into the category of high-end helmets. Schubert E1 Adventure Helmets are for those who have been riding for a long time and are looking for a helmet to replace their old workhorse.
Schuberth is a german based company that makes some of the highest quality helmets on the market. They don’t just make motorcycle helmets though.
Their design and rigidness are used in the police and firefighting forces to protect them from all sorts of harm.
The Schuberth E1 Adventure is a high-end helmet that has everything you could ever ask for in a dual-sport helmet.
It takes all the aspects of off-road and on-road and throws them into one professional package.
Design
The E1 Adventure sports a matte black design with hints of green around the top of the helmet.
Schuberth has spent a lot of time developing the shape of this helmet and has come up with the best fit for the biker market.
It’s not overly round, it’s not overly narrow, it’s right down the middle, and is considered the best fit.
The shell is made of a fibreglass-kevlar-carbon material, making it not only one of the lightest helmets on the dual-sport market but one of the most durable as these materials are used for maximum protection.
The sizing of such a helmet can range from extra small up to XXXL.
In terms of fit and comfort, the material on the inside of the helmet along the mohawk and brow is an open-cell mesh.
This is made from COOLMAX materials which are designed to remove moisture away from the head so that you don’t ride with a sweaty face. The lining is completely removable and washable.
The E1 Adventure also features a rigid chin bar that reduces the possibility of your helmet shattering or coming off your head should you be in an accident.
Schuberth noted that this was a common problem found in bike accidents and decided to create a more firm, rigid chin bar.
Ventilation
The vent located near the chin bar is fully backed with a filter that can be changed whenever necessary.
This chin guard vent gets a good amount of air so you won’t need to worry about insufficient ventilation.
There are also vents located near the crown that absorbs air into the helmet and then channel it through the shock-absorbing lining found around the scalp.
The vent above the peak slides in and out of place allowing for easy airflow in and out of the helmet.
The E1 Adventure has one of the best ventilation systems that money can buy.
It has incredible airflow around the rider’s head and the way that air is circulated out of the helmet is effective and efficient.
Visor
While Scorpion’s helmets don’t claim to be 100% optically correct, Schuberth prides itself in creating a helmet visor that has zero distortion.
It has a pin-lock design that’s fully interchangeable should you need to replace it or remove it in the future.
The field of view from the front visor is wide and the quick release visor mechanism is an impressive feature.
Some visors on dual-sport helmets lack this pull-down feature that allows you to easily remove the visor.
The drop-down sun visor is a welcome addition too as it operates using a slider on the left-hand side of the helmet, allowing you to quickly toggle from it being up or down.
The sun peak is the star of the show here. It has a 3-way adjustable design that locks into position once you found the right position.
When it’s in the lower position, it shields your eyes from the low shining rays without getting in the way if you wanted to open the chin bar.
The peak moves according to the chin bar being raised or dropped. For example, if you lower the chin bar, the peak will rotate back to its original position.
Closing Remarks
The Schuberth E1 Adventure Helmet is the priciest on our list but it offers the best in terms of quality, protection, and features, it’s well worth it if you are willing to spend some bucks.
The average price of one of these bad boys is around $,1000.
Best Enduro Motorcycle Helmet
Enduro motorcycle helmets offer the best in protection, comfort, and ventilation. They are catered more towards off-road riders wanting a lightweight yet versatile helmet.
In our list of the best dual sport helmets, the one that could cater to enduro riders would be the AGV AX-8 Dual EVO.
The reason for this is that it’s easy to alternate between the helmet being for on-road or off-road.
It’s also affordable and features filled to the brim.
If you want to purchase any one of the helmets we spoke about in our list, be sure to check out Moto1’s collection.
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