Modular Helmets

A modular helmet, also known as a flip-front or flip-up helmet, is a full-face whose chin bar lifts: closed, it protects like a full-face; open, it lets you talk, drink, fill up or put your glasses on without taking it off. It suits touring riders, glasses wearers and anyone who stops and starts many times a day. Here you will find modular helmets from NZI and By City; before choosing, there are two things worth understanding.

P/J: the approval that lets you ride open

A modular helmet can be approved as a full-face only (P) or in both positions (P/J). With P/J, the open configuration has been tested too, so you can ride with the chin bar raised; with plain P, opening it is for when you are stopped. The NZI Combi 3 Duo, Minimod Duo and Fastback Duo and the By City 180 Tech II and 90 Degree list ECE 22.06 P/J approval on their product pages. Even so, at main-road speeds a modular is worn closed: open, it works like an open-face helmet, for better and for worse.

Flip-up or 180-degree chin bar

On most models, such as the Combi 3 Duo or Minimod Duo, the chin bar lifts and sits above your forehead. On 180-degree designs, like the NZI Fastback Duo and the By City 180 Tech II, it keeps rotating to the back of the helmet: open, the helmet stays balanced, with an open-face profile and nothing out front to catch the wind. The 180 Tech II also has a fibreglass shell, an emergency quick-release system and provision for an intercom.

Who is a modular for?

• Glasses wearers: lift the chin bar and put them on or take them off with the helmet still on. Several models, such as the Combi 3 Duo and Fastback Duo, also have a channel for the arms of your glasses.
• Touring riders: the internal sun visor, found on every NZI modular here, and being able to chat at stops without removing anything matter more than a few extra grams.
• Riders who work on the bike or make lots of short stops, as there is no need to take the helmet off every time.
• If you want the lightest possible helmet or plan track days, a full-face is still the better choice: the mechanism adds weight and parts.

The mechanism needs a little care: clean the hinges and the chin bar latch now and then, and check that it clicks home when you close it. For a single brand, see the NZI modular helmets, and if you prefer a one-piece shell, the full-face helmets. Sizing, Pinlock inserts and approval are covered in our guide to motorcycle helmets.