There is no such thing as a Harley helmet in engineering terms. No manufacturer builds a shell differently because the bike underneath has a V-twin. What actually changes when you ride a Harley is the riding position, the wind you sit in, and the culture you ride in – and those three things really do point you toward different helmets than a sportbike rider would buy.
You sit upright, so wind hits your chest and pushes the helmet back rather than lifting it off your neck. Many Harleys have a fairing and a windshield, which changes noise in ways that surprise people – a windshield often makes a helmet louder, not quieter, because it throws turbulent air straight at your head instead of clean air. And half helmets are woven into Harley culture in a way they are not anywhere else in motorcycling.
So this page covers what actually decides the purchase: which safety standard on the label means something, which of the five helmet types suits how you ride, how to get the size right when almost every modular helmet on the market runs small, and how loud each one is at seventy miles an hour. The products come after that, because a helmet that does not fit your head is not a good helmet at any price.
#1 Pick: Best Helmet for Harley Riders
Bell Qualifier Full Face Helmet
DOT FMVSS 218 plus ECE 22.06, three shell sizes, speaker pockets and over 4,200 ratings at around $150. Independently tested certification at a price most helmets cannot match.
The top best product [hide]
DOT, ECE 22.06 and Snell: What the Labels Actually Mean
This is the part worth reading even if you skip everything else, because the most common assumption about helmet certification in the United States is wrong.
DOT FMVSS 218
DOT is a self-certification standard. The manufacturer tests the helmet against Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218, decides it passes, and applies the sticker themselves. No government agency tests the helmet before it goes on sale. NHTSA buys helmets off shelves and spot-tests them afterwards, and manufacturers who fail face recalls and penalties – so the standard has teeth – but the DOT sticker on the back of a helmet is a claim by the company that made it, not a certificate issued by anyone.
That matters because it is also why counterfeit DOT stickers exist and why unsafe novelty helmets carry them. A sticker costs nothing to print.
ECE 22.06
The European standard works the opposite way. Helmets must be tested by an independent approval authority and receive a homologation number before they can be sold. Batch testing continues during production. ECE 22.06, which replaced 22.05, added oblique impact testing for rotational forces, tests at more impact points and more speeds, and tests the helmet with the visor and accessories fitted.
Practically: if a helmet carries ECE 22.06, someone independent tested that model. That is a meaningfully stronger signal than a DOT sticker alone, and it is why we have flagged which helmets on this page carry it. Four of the seventeen do.
Snell M2020
A voluntary private standard, and the strictest of the three for impact energy. Snell tests to higher energies and does its own certification testing plus random sample purchases. Very few cruiser helmets carry it because Snell certification pushes shells toward stiffer, heavier construction aimed at track use. Exactly one helmet on this page is Snell rated.
How to spot a novelty helmet
Novelty or “shorty” helmets are sold as fashion items and offer close to no impact protection. They are legal to sell and illegal to ride in wherever a helmet law applies. Three tells:
- Weight. A real DOT half helmet weighs somewhere around 1.8 to 2.5 lb because it contains a genuine expanded polystyrene liner. A novelty lid often weighs under a pound.
- Thickness. Squeeze the edge. A certified helmet has a solid inch or so of dense EPS foam under the shell that does not compress under thumb pressure. A novelty helmet has thin padding you can squash.
- Wording. “Novelty use only”, “not intended for highway use”, or no standard mentioned at all. If a listing does not name a specific standard, treat it as uncertified.
The uncomfortable version of this: the small, low-profile look many riders want is exactly what a certified helmet cannot fully deliver, because the foam has to be there. A DOT half helmet will always look bulkier than a novelty shell. That bulk is the product.
The Five Helmet Types
Half helmet (skull cap, beanie)
Covers the top of the skull, nothing else. The most common helmet in Harley culture and the least protective option that is still certified. Cool, light, hot-weather friendly, and leaves your face, jaw and ears fully exposed.
The honest counterpoint: in widely cited European research on motorcycle helmet impacts, roughly a third of all impacts land on the chin and jaw region – the exact area a half helmet does not cover. That does not mean nobody should wear one. It means you should choose one knowing what you are choosing.
Suits: short rides, city speeds, hot climates, riders who value the look and accept the trade.
Three-quarter (open face)
Covers the skull, ears and back of the head, leaves the face open. More protection than a half helmet, better noise isolation, still the open-air feeling. Most accept a bubble shield or flat shield on brow snaps, or you wear goggles or sunglasses.
Suits: retro and bobber builds, riders who want ear coverage without a chin bar, anyone who dislikes the enclosed feeling of a full face.
Full face
The most protective and usually the quietest, because the shell seals around your head instead of leaving an open edge for air to tumble over. The downside on a Harley is not safety, it is heat at a standstill and the enclosed feeling.
Suits: highway miles, long days, cold or wet weather, anyone who has decided protection outranks style.
Modular (flip-up)
A full face with a chin bar that lifts. The most popular type among touring riders, and the compromise most Harley owners land on: full-face protection at speed, open face at the fuel stop without taking the helmet off.
Two honest caveats. Modulars are heavier than an equivalent full face because the hinge mechanism adds weight and structure – expect 3.5 to 5 lb where a good full face is under 3. And they are dual certified as P/J in the ECE system, meaning the chin bar is rated as protective, but a hinged chin bar will never be as strong as a fixed one.
Suits: touring, glasses wearers, riders who stop often, anyone talking on a comms unit all day.
Dual sport
Peak visor plus a full face shell. Rare on a Harley outside the Pan America, where it makes sense. On a bagger the peak catches wind and tries to lift your head at highway speed.
How to Size a Motorcycle Helmet
More helmets get returned for fit than for any other reason, and in this category the pattern is so consistent it is almost a rule.
Measure, do not guess
Run a soft tape around your head about half an inch above your eyebrows and around the widest point at the back. That circumference in centimetres is what every size chart uses. Your hat size is not a substitute and neither is the size you wore in a different brand.
Head shape matters as much as circumference
Two riders with identical 59 cm heads can need different helmets. Shells come in three broad shapes:
- Intermediate oval – slightly longer front to back than side to side. The most common shape and what most helmets on this page are.
- Long oval – noticeably longer front to back. If an intermediate oval helmet presses on your forehead and the back of your skull while feeling loose at the sides, you are long oval.
- Round oval – closer to circular. If a helmet squeezes your temples while your forehead has room, you are round.
The tell is where the pressure is after ten minutes, not whether it feels tight when you first pull it on. Every new helmet feels tight; a wrong-shape helmet creates a hot spot in one specific place and it does not go away.
Modular helmets run small – almost all of them
This is the single most useful practical fact in this article. Of the modular helmets researched here, LS2 and ILM both warn buyers directly in their own listings to size up, HJC C91 owners routinely went one or two sizes above their measurement, and Sena Outrush buyers describe it as tight through the cheeks even after sizing up.
There is one exception and it runs the other way: the Simpson Mod Bandit runs large, and owners routinely size down one or two. Do not apply the general rule to that helmet.
The fit test
- The helmet should be hard to pull on. If it slides on easily it is too big.
- Fasten the strap, grab the chin bar or front edge and try to roll the helmet forward off your head. It should not come off.
- Move the helmet side to side. Your skin should move with it – cheeks squashed, eyebrows moving. If the helmet turns and your head does not, it is too big.
- Wear it for fifteen minutes indoors. Pressure points that appear in that time will be unbearable at hour three.
- Cheek pads should be tight. They break in and loosen; the crown padding does not, so never buy up a size to fix tight cheeks – buy thinner cheek pads instead.
Wind Noise: The Thing Nobody Mentions Until It Is Too Late
Sustained highway noise inside a motorcycle helmet routinely exceeds levels that cause permanent hearing damage over time, and on a Harley the problem is often worse than riders expect, for a reason that seems backwards.
Why a windshield can make it louder
A windshield does not remove air, it redirects it. If the top edge sits at eye level or just below, it throws a turbulent, tumbling wake directly at your helmet instead of letting smooth air flow over you. That turbulence is far noisier than clean airflow. Riders who fit a taller windshield expecting quiet often end up with a helmet that roars.
The evidence from owners backs this up. One Bell Broozer owner riding a Street Glide with the full fairing and windshield reports significant highway noise and notes it should not be that loud behind a fairing. An LS2 Stream II owner on a cruiser reports good noise reduction with the windshield – the difference between the two comes down to where each windshield sits relative to their head.
If your helmet is loud, changing windshield height is often more effective than changing helmet.
What the owner data shows
- Quietest: Shoei RF-1400 and ScorpionEXO Covert FX. A Shoei owner on a club-style cruiser calls it significantly quieter than his previous Icon and Bell. A Covert FX owner calls it the quietest helmet he has experienced by a good margin.
- Loudest: Sena Outrush, where an owner behind a windshield on a faired touring bike describes the noise above 60-75 mph as intolerable. Bell Broozer, ILM 953 and ILM 902 all draw consistent noise complaints above roughly 55-65 mph.
- Type pattern: full face is quietest, modular next, then three-quarter, then half. A modular is louder than a full face of the same quality because the chin bar seam is a gap for air.
Wear earplugs
Foam plugs cost almost nothing and cut roughly 20-30 dB of broadband wind roar while leaving engine note and sirens audible – wind noise is largely low-frequency, and plugs attenuate that band hardest. Every long-distance rider who still has their hearing wears them. This does more for your comfort at hour six than any helmet upgrade.
Bluetooth: Built In or Bolted On?
Three helmets researched here have Bluetooth integrated at the factory. The rest either have speaker pockets ready for an aftermarket unit or nothing at all.
The case for built in
Cleaner – no external pod hanging off the shell to catch wind, no adhesive mount, no wiring to route yourself. The speakers sit where the designer intended. And it is usually cheaper than buying a helmet plus a comms unit separately: the Sena Outrush is a complete integrated flip-up under two hundred dollars, and the LS2 Advant ships with a factory-fitted Cardo 4X.
The case against
You are married to that unit. When the module is obsolete in four years, or the battery degrades, the helmet is what you replace. A separate headset moves to your next helmet and can be upgraded on its own.
And the audio is a real compromise. One ILM 953 owner describes the speakers as incapable of bass in any form and worse than cheap earbuds. That is a common finding for shell-integrated speakers at this price – they are made to be flat, and flat speakers do not move much air.
The practical point everyone misses
Above roughly 55 mph, wind noise beats the speakers in almost every helmet here regardless of price or brand. Sena, ILM and HJC owners all report the same thing: calls stay intelligible because voice sits in a frequency band that cuts through, music does not. If you mainly want music at highway speed, the answer is a quieter helmet and earplugs, not louder speakers.
If you go aftermarket
Check speaker pocket depth before you buy the unit. The ScorpionEXO Covert FX states its pockets as 50 mm diameter by 5 mm deep, and owners note that 45 mm speakers fit comfortably while larger 50 mm units may need the foam trimmed. Shoei RF-1400 owners report the cutouts are shallow enough that older, thicker speakers press on the ears. Depth, not diameter, is what causes pain at hour two.
Harley-Davidson Helmets vs the Alternatives
Search for a Harley helmet and Google fills the shopping results with Harley’s own range: the Outrush R modular, Ultra X16, Velo H34, Gargoyle X07, Capstone H35, Evo X17, Division X15, Lucid J03, Maywood II. Worth understanding what those actually are.
Harley-Davidson does not manufacture helmets. The range is built by established helmet manufacturers to Harley’s specification and styling, then sold through dealers under the Bar and Shield. That is not a criticism – it is how most apparel brands work, and the helmets are properly certified products.
What it does mean is that you are paying for the badge and dealer distribution on top of the helmet. A rider who wants the Harley look on the bike and the Harley name on the box is buying something real and should buy it. A rider who wants the best shell, the quietest ride or the highest certification for the money is usually better served elsewhere – and “elsewhere” often means the same tier of manufacturer without the licensing markup.
One practical note for this page: Harley’s own helmets are sold through dealers rather than general marketplaces, so none of them appear in the list below. Everything here is an alternative rather than a competitor to the Bar and Shield range.
Best Helmets for Harley Riders
Seventeen helmets, grouped by type, all currently available and checked. Every one states a certification – sixteen of the seventeen confirm DOT FMVSS 218 in the listing, and where ECE 22.06 or Snell applies we have said so.
Read the sizing note on each one. In this category it is the difference between a helmet you wear for ten years and one that goes back in the box.
Half Helmets
Lowest coverage, highest cultural weight in Harley riding. All four below are genuinely DOT marked, which puts them in a different category to the novelty lids that dominate this shape.
Daytona Skull Cap Half Helmet
Type: half helmet. DOT FMVSS 218. Around 1.8 lb. Sizes XS to 4XL. Around $73.
Fits: intermediate oval heads, and the only helmet here that goes up to 4XL. Round-head riders report forehead and rear pressure points.
Rating: 4.1 / 5 from 3,726 ratings
The lowest-profile genuinely DOT-certified half shell available, and that is the whole point of it. Most riders who want a skull cap end up in a novelty lid because certified helmets look bulky – Daytona solved that problem properly, with real EPS foam in a shell that still reads as a skull cap rather than a mushroom.
The size range is the other reason it belongs at the top of this group. XS through 4XL is unusually wide, and if you have a large head this may be the only certified half helmet that fits you at all.
Two honest warnings from owners. Several report a strong chemical smell out of the box that does not always air out. And at 1.8 lb it feels heavy for a skull cap – that weight is the EPS liner doing its job, but people expecting a novelty lid are surprised. The shape is intermediate oval, so round-headed riders get pressure at the forehead and back.
What owners say: “Best helmet for the price; ever. I’ve been riding for thirty years and absolutely hate big helmets.”
HJC IS-Cruiser Half Helmet
Type: half helmet with integrated drop-down sun shield. DOT FMVSS 218. Polycarbonate composite shell. Around $130.
Fits: sizes XS to 2XL across the range. HJC half shells are generally intermediate oval.
Rating: 4.5 / 5 from 41 ratings
One of the very few half helmets with a proper drop-down sun shield built into the shell, which is what makes it worth twice the price of a plain skull cap. Flip it down at speed and you have eye protection without goggles, and it clears sunglasses if you already wear them.
The removable snap-on peak visor is the second useful piece – it comes on and off in seconds, so the same helmet works as a peaked cruiser lid or a clean skull cap.
The review base is thin at 41 ratings, which is the main caveat. The complaints that do exist are about the sun shield being fiddly to slide, and a few colour and finish mix-ups on delivery rather than anything structural.
What owners say: “Visor also fits over sunglasses: I use the visor at 55+ mph and on roads with loose gravel.”
ILM MH201 Half Helmet with Sun Shield
Type: half helmet with retractable sun shield and quick-release strap. DOT FMVSS 218. Around 2.07 lb. Around $40.
Fits: sizes M to XXL with a rear adjustment dial. Runs narrow – the brand tells round-headed riders to size up an extra size.
Rating: 4.0 / 5 from 2,624 ratings
The budget way to get a sun shield in a half helmet, at roughly a third of the HJC’s price. The tinted visor retracts into a groove in the shell rather than sitting proud of it, and a quick-release ratchet strap plus a rear size dial mean you can fine-tune the fit without fighting D-rings in gloves.
At forty dollars the compromises are visible. Owners describe the drop-down shield as flimsy, hard to clean and not dark enough to do much in real sun. Quality control is inconsistent – a repeat ILM buyer reported receiving a visibly defective unit. And the sizing runs small enough that the brand itself tells buyers to order one or two sizes up.
The most useful owner summary of this helmet is also the most honest one: fine for cruising, not for high speed.
What owners say: “Perfect for cruising not for high speed.”
CARTMAN Half Helmet, DOT Approved
Type: half helmet with graphics. DOT FMVSS 218. ABS shell with fully vented high-density EPS. Around $38.
Fits: four sizes M, L, XL, XXL. Listing insists on measuring head circumference rather than using hat size.
Rating: 4.7 / 5 from 1,890 ratings
The cheapest genuinely DOT-marked half helmet here, and it carries the highest rating of any half helmet in this group at 4.7 from nearly 1,900 ratings. That combination is unusual enough to take seriously.
What you get is a real ABS shell with a real vented EPS liner, a quick-release buckle that adjusts with gloves on, and loud patriotic graphics – Flag Skull and Patriotic Eagle – which are either the reason you buy it or the reason you do not.
The honest limitation is that it is a plain lid: no visor, no sun shield, no frills. And because the EPS is genuine, it has more bulk than a novelty shell. One owner puts it well – the mushroom-head effect is not too bad on this one, but it is there, because the foam has to be.
What owners say: “Surprisingly nice helmet for under 40 bucks. I don’t think the mushroom-head is too bad on this one.”
Three-Quarter Open Face
Ear and rear-of-skull coverage without a chin bar. Both take brow-snap shields, so you can run a bubble shield, a flat shield or nothing.
Biltwell Bonanza Open Face Helmet
Type: three-quarter open face, retro. DOT FMVSS 218. Injection-moulded ABS shell with EPS liner. Around $130.
Fits: sizes XS to 2XL. Biltwell shells are neutral to slightly round in shape.
Rating: 5.0 / 5 from 6 ratings
The retro shell that turns up on more bobber and chopper builds than anything else, and the one genuinely unusual feature here is that the entire comfort liner and cheek pads are removable and replaceable. That matters more than it sounds: liner packing down is one of the main reasons a helmet stops fitting, and on most helmets that means buying a new helmet. On this one you buy a liner.
Brow snaps accept Biltwell’s own bubble shields and flat shields plus many other brands, so you can run it bare, with a bubble, with a flat shield or with a peak.
The caveat is the review base – six ratings on this listing is almost nothing, so there is no long-term feedback here even though the Bonanza itself has been around for years and has a strong reputation. Note also that this listing is DOT only; Biltwell’s ECE R22.06 model is the Gringo SV, not this one.
What owners say: “This is our sixth Bonanza! Great fit, very comfortable and very reasonably priced! You can even change the entire liner.”
TORC T50 Del Mar Retro Open Face Helmet
Type: three-quarter open face. DOT FMVSS 218. Two outer shell sizes. Around $69.
Fits: sizes XS to 2XL. Intermediate oval – stated explicitly in the listing, which most brands do not do.
Rating: 4.5 / 5 from 1,176 ratings
Half the price of the Biltwell with a review base nearly two hundred times larger, and one design decision that puts it above most budget helmets: two outer shell sizes rather than one shell padded down. That means a small helmet actually looks small on a small head instead of looking like a bowling ball, and the big sizes are not just thinner foam in the same shell.
The five-button snap system takes bubble shields and flat shields, and a three-snap peak visor comes in the box. The listing also states the head shape as intermediate oval, which is genuinely useful information that most manufacturers leave out.
Complaints are almost entirely about packaging and fulfilment rather than the helmet – beaten-up boxes on warehouse-deal units, and buyers receiving the plain T-50 when the photo showed the graphic T-50C variant. Check which variant you are ordering.
What owners say: “Nice retro helmet. I use it when I ride my Royal Enfield Classic 650. – Royal Enfield Classic 650”
Full Face
The most protective and the quietest. Three of the four here carry ECE 22.06 or Snell in addition to DOT, which is the strongest certification set on this page.
Bell Qualifier Full Face Helmet
Type: full face. DOT FMVSS 218 plus ECE 22.06. Polycarbonate shell, 3 shell sizes. Around $150.
Fits: XS to 3XL across colourways on three shell sizes. Bell intermediate oval – a buyer with a wide, round head reports it fits well.
Rating: 4.6 / 5 from 4,234 ratings
The most-bought helmet on this page by a wide margin – over 4,200 ratings at 4.6 – and it earns that with a certification set most helmets at twice the price do not match: DOT FMVSS 218 and ECE 22.06, meaning an independent European authority tested this model before it went on sale.
Three shell sizes rather than one padded shell is the other reason the fit works across a wide range. The ClickRelease system swaps shields without tools, and integrated speaker pockets mean you can add a comms unit without butchering the liner.
Two things to know before ordering. It ships with a clear shield only – the smoke visor in the product photography is not included, and this is far and away the most common complaint. And there is no chin curtain in the box, which makes it noisier than it needs to be; adding one is cheap and makes a real difference.
What owners say: “Size wise it fits pretty nice and that’s coming from someone with a straight melon as a head.”
ScorpionEXO Covert FX Full Face Helmet
Type: full face, street fighter profile. DOT FMVSS 218 plus ECE 22.06. TCT-Ultra composite shell. 1,348 g / 2.9 lb in medium. Around $285.
Fits: XS to 3XL on two shell sizes with three EPS densities. True to the brand chart. Note one long-oval rider found this shell too round for him.
Rating: 4.6 / 5 from 439 ratings
The best quiet-per-dollar helmet here. Owners repeatedly rate it among the quietest they have worn – one calls it the quietest by a good margin – and at 2.9 lb in a medium it is the lightest stated weight of any full face on this page.
Certification is the other strength: DOT plus ECE 22.06 puts it in the top tier here alongside the Bell Qualifier and LS2s. And it ships with two shields, a clear and a dark smoke EverClear fog-free, rather than the usual one.
Noise reports are not unanimous, which is worth flagging honestly. One owner describes aggressive whistling above 25-30 mph with the visor up, and says that above 50 mph with the visor down you cannot hear the speakers over the wind. Speaker pockets are 50 mm across and only 5 mm deep – 45 mm speakers fit comfortably, larger ones may need the foam trimming.
What owners say: “By a good margin the quietest helmet I’ve experienced. Really like the Exo Covert as it has the classic styling.”
LS2 Stream II Full Face Helmet with Sun Shield
Type: full face with drop-down sun shield. DOT FMVSS 218 plus ECE 22.06 with AREM rotational energy management. KPA shell, 3 shell sizes. Around $150.
Fits: XS to 3XL on three shell sizes. Runs small and snug through the brow and cheeks – a 58.5 cm rider takes a Large.
Rating: 4.4 / 5 from 332 ratings
The value pick if you want a sun shield in a full face. At around $150 you get ECE 22.06 with AREM rotational energy management – the system that addresses the oblique, twisting impacts that 22.06 added testing for – plus a drop-down sun visor that drops lower than most rivals.
Three shell sizes across XS to 3XL means the big sizes are not just thinner foam in the same shell. Multiple owners say it is unusually light for the money and compare it to helmets several times the price.
Noise is the split. One cruiser rider with a windshield reports good noise reduction; another calls it so loud he could not listen to music. That is not a contradiction – it is the windshield effect described earlier on this page, and it depends entirely on where your screen sits relative to your head. One owner also reports going into a barrier in this helmet and walking away.
What owners say: “My motorcycle is a cruiser and I’ve been using it with my windshield on. With a windshield, the noise reduction is good. – cruiser with windshield”
Shoei RF-1400 Full Face Helmet
Type: full face. Snell M2020 rated. Multi-ply Matrix AIM+ fibreglass composite shell. 3.6 lb. Around $537.
Fits: XS to 3XL. Shoei RF intermediate oval. Extremely tight out of the box – cheek pads need breaking in, and thinner pads are available.
Rating: 4.6 / 5 from 537 ratings
The quiet benchmark, and the helmet that cruiser riders name when they finally stop fighting wind noise. A rider on a club-style cruiser describes it as significantly quieter than both the Icon and Bell he rode before – quiet enough to change how a long day feels.
The shell is multi-ply fibreglass composite rather than polycarbonate, the aerodynamics and shield sealing were reworked specifically for noise, and the Emergency Quick Release System lets paramedics pull the cheek pads out and remove the helmet without moving your neck. That is a feature you hope never matters.
Two honest points. It is the most expensive helmet here by a distance. And the fit out of the box is brutal – one owner describes putting it on as a reverse birthing process, another says his ears bled from pulling it on until it broke in. That is normal for Shoei and it does settle, but budget for thinner cheek pads if you are between sizes.
One certification note worth knowing: the Amazon listing states Snell approval but does not explicitly state DOT. Shoei sells the US RF-1400 as Snell M2020D and DOT, but if that matters to you, verify on the helmet itself.
What owners say: “I ride an aggressive club styled cruiser. It’s significantly quieter than both my Icon and Bell. – club-style cruiser”
Modular (Flip-Up)
The touring rider’s default. Remember the sizing rule: every modular here runs small except the Simpson, which runs large.
LS2 Advant Modular Helmet with Cardo 4X Bluetooth
Type: modular with 180-degree rotating chin bar. DOT FMVSS 218 plus ECE 22.06 with P/J rating. KPA shell in 3 shell sizes. Factory Cardo 4X. Around $280.
Fits: XS to 2XL. Intermediate oval – stated in the listing. Runs very small, especially in the cheeks; the listing itself tells buyers to size up.
Rating: 4.4 / 5 from 102 ratings
The strongest modular here on engineering, and the one with the certification to back it. DOT plus ECE 22.06 with a P/J rating means the chin bar has been tested as protective in both the closed and open positions – which is exactly the question people ask about modulars.
The chin bar rotates a full 180 degrees and locks behind your head, so with it open this genuinely works as a three-quarter helmet rather than a full face with a chin bar sticking up into the airflow. Most flip-ups become aerodynamic disasters when open; this one does not.
Cardo 4X comms are factory fitted, so no adhesive mounts and no wiring to route. And there is a crash report in the reviews that is hard to ignore: a rider who hit a deer at 60 mph and slid roughly 200 feet on his face says the chin bar stayed latched.
Size up. The listing says so, and owners often needed two sizes. The drop-down visor also fogs in cold weather and at least one owner could not stop it.
What owners say: “I hit a deer at 60 mph, slid about 200 ft with my face on the pavement. The chin bar stayed latched.”
HJC C91 Modular Helmet with Pinlock Shield
Type: modular. DOT FMVSS 218. Advanced polycarbonate composite shell. 3.5 lb. Pinlock-prepared HJ-17 shield. Around $199.
Fits: XS to 5XL – the widest size range of any helmet on this page. Runs small; most owners sized up one, several went two.
Rating: 4.3 / 5 from 627 ratings
If you are hard to fit, start here. XS through 5XL is the widest range of any helmet researched for this article, and for riders with large heads the choice in modulars is usually between this and nothing.
The Pinlock-prepared HJ-17 shield is the standout feature at this price. Pinlock is the insert system that genuinely stops a visor fogging – not an anti-fog coating that works for a season, an actual double-glazed insert – and having the shield prepared for it matters if you ride cold or wet. RapidFire tool-free shield changes and a proper drop-down sun visor round it out, and it is Smart HJC ready with speaker pockets already in the liner.
Owners are consistent on the downsides: it runs small, it is heavier than expected at this price, and there is noticeable highway wind noise. One rider’s summary is fair – a tad noisy on the highway, but light years ahead of the open-face helmets he owned before.
What owners say: “A tad noisy on the highway but it’s light years ahead of the open-face models I’ve owned.”
Sena Outrush Modular Smart Helmet
Type: modular with fully integrated Sena Bluetooth. DOT FMVSS 218. Polycarbonate ABS shell. Around 5.2 lb. From around $177.
Fits: S to 2XL. Runs small and narrow through the cheeks – owners repeatedly had to go up a size, and even then describe it as tight.
Rating: 4.2 / 5 from 671 ratings
A complete integrated flip-up with Sena comms built in for under two hundred dollars, which on paper is remarkable value – the comms unit alone normally costs a significant fraction of that. Three-button and jog-dial control on the left side, four-way Bluetooth intercom, FM radio and voice prompts, all with nothing bolted to the outside of the shell.
Sena is a communications company that builds helmets around its electronics, and that shows in both directions. The comms are the best-integrated here. The shell is the loudest helmet on this page – one owner behind a windshield on a faired touring bike describes the noise above 60-75 mph as intolerable, and worse than other helmets he has used, full face or modular.
So the honest positioning: buy this if comms are the point of the purchase and you ride at moderate speeds or always wear earplugs. If you cover long highway miles and want quiet, buy a quieter helmet and add a separate headset.
What owners say: “Good BT sound quality in a fully integrated flip-up for under $200. I’m behind the windshield of a 2018 Goldwing. – 2018 Gold Wing”
Simpson Mod Bandit Modular Helmet
Type: modular. DOT plus ECE 22.05. Woven carbon fibre shell on this variant. Two outer shell sizes. Carbon around $800, painted variants from around $590.
Fits: XS to 2XL on two shells. RUNS LARGE – the opposite of every other modular here. Buyers routinely size down one or two.
Rating: 4.6 / 5 from 104 ratings
The Bandit shell shape is why people buy Simpson. It has been on Harleys, bobbers and choppers for decades and it is unmistakable – and the Mod Bandit is that shape in a modular, which did not exist before.
Owners call it ridiculously light for a flip-up, which matters because modulars are usually the heaviest thing you can put on your head. The chin bar flips one-handed on metal locking hardware, the ear pockets are wide with pre-routed wiring channels for comms, and one owner reports it fogs far less than other high-end helmets he has used, comparing it favourably with helmets costing considerably more.
Two caveats. It is ECE 22.05, not the newer 22.06 – still a properly tested independent certification, just the previous revision. And the sizing is unlike anything else here: it runs large, so ignore the size-up rule that applies to every other modular on this page. Wind noise above roughly 40 mph is enough that one owner rides in earplugs.
What owners say: “Ventilation is adequate and it fogs up far less than other high end helmets I’ve used.”
Bell Broozer 2-in-1 Helmet with Removable Chin Bar
Type: convertible – full face with a fully removable chin bar. DOT plus ECE, dual certified in both configurations. 1,350 g claimed. Three EPS shell sizes. Around $231.
Fits: XS to 2XL on three EPS shell sizes. Bell intermediate oval – one long-oval rider reports it fit where a Scorpion EXO Covert was too round.
Rating: 4.4 / 5 from 636 ratings
Not a flip-up but a genuine 2-in-1: the chin bar comes off completely, turning a full face into an open face, and Bell states the helmet is certified in both configurations. That is different from a modular, where the chin bar goes up but stays attached and in the airflow.
Three EPS shell sizes rather than one shell with thicker padding is the quality tell – it means an XS and a 2XL are genuinely different helmets rather than the same helmet with more foam. The woven eyewear arm pockets in the liner are a small, thoughtful touch if you ride in glasses.
The consistent complaint is noise, and it comes with useful context: one owner riding a Street Glide with the full fairing and a windshield reports significant highway roar and notes it should not be that loud behind a fairing. He is right that it should not be – and this is exactly the windshield turbulence problem described earlier. Worth trying a screen adjustment before blaming the helmet.
What owners say: “I get a lot of wind noise on the highway. I’m riding a Harley Street Glide with the full fairing and windshield. – Street Glide”
ILM 953 Bluetooth Integrated Modular Helmet
Type: modular with built-in Bluetooth intercom. DOT FMVSS 218. Around 5.36 lb. Around $220.
Fits: S 55-56 cm through 2XL 63-64 cm. Runs small, and riders with wide jaws report it is very tight through the chin and cheeks.
Rating: 4.2 / 5 from 2,090 ratings
The budget alternative to the Sena: an integrated Bluetooth modular with rider-to-rider intercom out to 1,680 feet and DSP echo cancellation, at around fifty dollars less and with three times the review base.
You get the practical benefits of integration – nothing bolted to the shell, no wiring to route – plus a drop-down internal sun shield. For a rider who wants comms without a project, it does the job.
The audio is where the price shows. One owner describes the speakers as apparently incapable of bass in any form and worse than cheap earbuds. Another reports that above roughly 55 mph wind noise drowns the music out entirely while calls stay clear as a bell – which is the pattern across every integrated helmet here, but more pronounced on this one. It also runs small and weighs over five pounds.
If comms matter and budget is tight, this is the honest choice. If you want to actually enjoy music at speed, no helmet at this price does that.
What owners say: “The helmet is a little noisy at high speed around 55 mph, it makes music hard to hear, but calls come in clear.”
ILM 902 Dual Visor Modular Helmet
Type: modular with dual visor. DOT FMVSS 218. High-resistance ABS shell. Around 5.1 lb. Around $90.
Fits: S, M, L, XL. Owners say the ILM chart is accurate on this model – unusually for the brand.
Rating: 4.5 / 5 from 4,509 ratings
The value pick, and the numbers are hard to argue with: 4.5 from over 4,500 ratings at around ninety dollars, which is the largest review base of any modular on this page by a wide margin.
Dual visor means an anti-scratch, anti-fog wide-view clear outer shield plus a drop-down tinted sun visor, which at this price is more than most helpers manage. Unlike ILM’s other models, owners report the size chart is actually accurate here.
There is a crash report in the reviews worth quoting in full context: an owner whose bike hydroplaned in a sudden downpour writes that his head hit the ground and he felt nothing – not a headache, not a wobble. That is one anecdote, not a test result, but it is the kind of feedback that matters more than a spec sheet.
The trade-offs are exactly what ninety dollars buys. A lot of wind noise above 65 mph, around five pounds on your neck, and inconsistent build quality – one helmet arrived with the chin curtain hanging off a broken mounting point. For a spare, a pillion helmet or a first helmet, it is a genuinely sensible purchase.
What owners say: “My bike hydroplaned in a sudden downpour. My head hit the ground and I felt nothing. Not a headache, not a wobble.”
When to Replace a Helmet
After any impact – no exceptions
The EPS liner protects by crushing, and crushed foam does not spring back. A helmet that has taken a real impact has already spent its protection even when the shell looks perfect. This includes dropping it onto concrete from seat height with nothing in it. If you are not sure whether an impact counted, it counted.
The owner reports collected for this article include three riders describing genuine crashes – one hitting a deer at 60 mph and sliding roughly 200 feet, one going into a barrier, one hydroplaning in a downpour – and in all three the helmet did its job. In all three the helmet was then finished.
Roughly every five years otherwise
The usual guidance is five years from first use, or seven from date of manufacture, whichever comes first. The date is stamped inside the shell under the liner. The reasoning is real if unglamorous: adhesives and the EPS degrade with heat cycles, UV and sweat, and the comfort liner packs down until the fit is no longer the fit that was tested.
Sooner if
- The liner has compressed enough that the helmet has become loose – a helmet that no longer grips your cheeks does not stay put in a crash
- The shell has cracks, deep gouges, or paint lifting away from the surface
- The strap is frayed, or the D-rings or ratchet slip under load
- It has lived in a hot garage or on a rear rack in direct sun for years
What not to worry about
A scratched visor is a visor, not a helmet – replace it. A dirty liner is washable on almost every helmet here, and several have fully replaceable liner kits. Neither is a reason to buy a new helmet.
Helmet Brands Worth Knowing
Shoei
Japanese, hand-built, and the reference point for a quiet full face. The RF-1400 is the model that appears in every quiet-helmet discussion, and the emergency cheek pad release – red tabs that let paramedics remove the pads without moving your neck – is a genuine feature rather than a marketing one. Expensive, and worth it if highway hours are what you do.
Bell
American, and the brand with the widest span here: the Qualifier is one of the best-selling full faces at any price, the Broozer is a genuine 2-in-1 with a removable chin bar, and the Bullitt and Custom 500 are the retro shells that show up constantly on Harley builds. Bell uses multiple EPS shell sizes rather than one shell with thicker padding, which is why their fit is generally good across a size range.
HJC
Korean, and the volume leader in value helmets. The IS-Cruiser is one of the few half helmets with a proper drop-down sun shield, and the C91 modular covers XS through 5XL – the widest size range of any helmet researched here, which matters if you are hard to fit.
LS2
The brand doing the most interesting engineering at mid price. Both LS2 helmets here carry ECE 22.06 alongside DOT, which is a stronger certification set than helmets costing twice as much. The Advant’s chin bar rotates a full 180 degrees to lock behind your head, so it works as a true three-quarter helmet rather than a full face with a visor sticking up into the wind.
ScorpionEXO
American, and the Covert FX is the standout: 2.9 lb in a medium, ECE 22.06, and two shields in the box rather than one. Owners consistently rate it among the quietest helmets they have worn.
Simpson
The Bandit shell shape is the reason people buy Simpson – it is unmistakable and it has been on Harleys and bobbers for decades. The Mod Bandit brings that shape to a modular. Expensive, light for a modular, and the one helmet here that runs large.
Sena
A communications company that builds helmets around its electronics rather than the other way round. That shows in both directions: the comms are excellent, the shell is noisier than helmets designed shell-first.
Biltwell and TORC
Both serve the retro and bobber crowd properly. The Bonanza’s fully replaceable liner is unusual and genuinely extends the useful life of the helmet. TORC’s T50 uses two outer shell sizes so a small helmet actually looks small.
Daytona
Makes the lowest-profile genuinely DOT-certified half shell available. If you want a skull cap that is legal and still looks like a skull cap rather than a mushroom, this is the brand that solved it.
ILM and CARTMAN
The budget end. ILM’s 902 modular has over 4,500 ratings at under a hundred dollars and a documented crash in the reviews where it worked. Expect the trade-offs that price implies: more weight, more noise, thinner audio, inconsistent quality control. For a spare helmet, a pillion helmet, or a first helmet, they are reasonable. Both mark DOT.
Harley Helmets - FAQs
What helmet do most Harley riders wear?
What are the top 5 motorcycle helmets?
What is the best full-face helmet for Harley Davidson riders?
Should you wear a full-face helmet on a Harley?
Are Harley-Davidson branded helmets worth it?
How do I know if my helmet is DOT approved?
Why is my helmet so loud on my Harley?
How often should I replace my motorcycle helmet?
Do modular helmets run small?
Is a half helmet safe?
Conclusion
Three things decide whether you got this right, and price is not one of them.
Certification. DOT is self-declared by the manufacturer, so treat it as a floor rather than a guarantee. ECE 22.06 means an independent body tested that model before it was allowed on sale, and if two helmets are otherwise close, that is the tiebreaker. Anything that names no standard at all is a costume.
Fit. Measure your head, work out your head shape from where the pressure lands, and assume any modular helmet runs small unless it is the Simpson. A helmet that rolls off your head when you pull on it is not protecting you regardless of what the label says.
Honesty about the trade you are making. A half helmet is the least protective certified option, and roughly a third of helmet impacts land on the jaw it does not cover. Plenty of experienced riders wear one anyway. That is a legitimate choice made with open eyes – it is only a bad one when nobody told you.
If you ride mostly highway miles, buy a full face and a set of earplugs and you will be more comfortable at hour six than any other combination. If you stop often, wear glasses, or run a comms unit, buy a modular and size up. And if what you want is the skull cap, buy the one with a real DOT mark and a real EPS liner rather than the thinner one that looks better.
#1 Pick: Best Helmet for Harley Riders
Bell Qualifier Full Face Helmet
DOT plus ECE 22.06 at around $150, three shell sizes and the largest review base here. Add a chin curtain and a smoke shield – neither is in the box.
