Matte Black Motorcycle Helmets

A matte black helmet, matt or flat black as some riders call it, has something a gloss finish cannot give: without reflections the shell looks plainer and more compact, and it suits a naked bike just as well as a scooter. This selection covers all three styles, full-face, open-face and modular, from NZI and By City, in plain matt black, in oxidised black and in matt combinations with red, blue, yellow or grey. What you need to know before choosing one is mostly about the finish.

Matt or gloss: what you notice over time

Matt paint does not reflect light, so it hides the swirl marks and fine scratches that appear when you clean a gloss black helmet. On the other hand, it shows fingerprints, rubbing from a backpack or a top box and scuffs more clearly, and it cannot be polished: a mark on a matt finish stays there. If you prefer a deep black with some shine, or that kind of wear worries you, have a look at our black motorcycle helmets in gloss. And bear in mind that, glossy or not, black is hard to see at night: let your jacket provide the reflective panels.

Matt black by helmet type

• Full-face: the NZI Trendy 2, Trendy 3 Stream, Activy 3, Revival, Go Rider, Street Track 4, Eurus 4, Freccia, Vitesse II and Wake, plus the classic-looking By City Roadster III, 90 Degrees and Rider. These are the ones for open roads and motorways; every other model and colour is in our full-face helmets.
• Open-face: for town and short trips, the Ringway 2, Magma, Rolling 4 Sun, Vintage 3, Hopper, B-Cool 3 or Art B-Vespa. All of them sit with our open-face helmets.
• Modular: the Minimod, Combi 2, Combi 3 and Fastback, with a chin bar that lifts so you can talk or fill up without taking the helmet off. More choice among our modular helmets.

Oxidised black and black with details

Besides plain matt black, there is an aged-looking oxidised black that suits classic bikes and scramblers, on the Street Track 4, the Rolling 4 Sun open-face and the Mad Carbon, which has a carbon fibre shell. And if you want a touch of colour while keeping a dark base, there are matt versions in black and red (Go Rider, Fastback Summum), blue and black (Revival), yellow and black (Rolling 4 Sun Diana) or grey and black (Minimod Involt, Combi 3 Metric).

How to clean a matt helmet without spoiling it

1. Lay a damp cloth over the bugs for a few minutes to soften them instead of scrubbing.
2. Wash with lukewarm water and mild soap, dabbing with a clean microfibre cloth.
3. Dry without rubbing. No wax, gloss enhancers or all-in-one cleaners: they leave shiny patches that never blend back in.
4. For greasy fingerprints, use a cleaner made for matt paint.

For other colours and styles, head back to our motorcycle helmets section.