Shark Absolute Evoline Series 2 Modular Motorcycle Street Helmet

Introduction

Be honest. What do you first look for in a helmet? Looks, style, to make a statement? We are guilty of that, too. When the real reason for wearing a helmet is safety and protecting your head and face in an accident, why is our first concern not safety ratings? It should be, because not all helmets are created equal.

In a perfect world, motorcycle riders could all feel the wind in their hair, the sun on their faces, and enjoy the scenery helmetless. All vehicles would watch out for bikers and yield the right-of-way to them with a smile on their faces. No one’s head would ever hit the pavement. 

But, this isn’t a perfect world. Head and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) resulting from an accident are inherent risks of motorcycling adventures. That’s why it is important that if you have decided to put a helmet on your head, you select one that will protect your head and face.

This review will contain the opinions of two reviewers; one male, one female, each wearing a Shark Absolute EvoLine Series 2 Modular helmet. Reviewers measured his/her head before size selection to confirm the correct size helmet. Reviewers measured for the same size helmet normally worn. Both helmets fit reviewers correctly and neither reviewer experienced any areas of discomfort after wearing the helmets in excess of 4 consecutive hours.

Before we say this is a good-looking helmet and get in trouble, we’d like to point out that the one of the reasons for reviewing the Shark EvoLine Modular helmet is safety. Shark helmets exceed all current safety standards in all the countries where they are distributed. That means they are DOT, SNELL, ECE (Europe), INM (Brazil), AS/NXS (Australia/New Zealand) approved. More on that later; back to the looks part. 

The Shark Absolute EvoLine Series 2 Modular helmet is an attractive black helmet with silver graphics that converts from a full-face helmet to an open-face helmet and back again; ideal for those of you who cannot decide what type of helmet to buy. It comes with a clear external anti-scratch/anti-fog shield and a retractable, interior anti-scratch sun visor. Shark is an innovative company and was the first to design and manufacture a modular helmet with dual homologation, full face and open face.

The helmet shell, made from injected thermoplastic resin, is available in a range of colors in gloss or mat finishes. An upper air intake above the forehead area on the helmet allows air to enter the upper part of the head, when open, and through the specially designed interior padding cooling the head. Another function of the air intake is to direct a flow of fresh air over the interior surface of the visor to minimize fogging of the visor.

The interior of the helmet is constructed of Meryl fabric that feels pleasant to the skin and absorbs perspiration. The EvoLine Series 2 neck and sides width are wide to provide better noise reduction and protection against weather, and they do an excellent job of reducing wind and noise. Interior pads can be removed and washed or replaced as necessary.

The Shark EvoLine Series 2 helmet feels comfortable and balanced on our heads, even though it weighs about 3.08 pounds, it does not feel heavy. The padding fits securely around the neck, cheeks, and ears, and the chin strap is easily fastened with double D-rings. The free end of the chin strap can be slid into a plastic strap loop on the comfort padding to prevent it from flapping in the wind.

Shark is a leading motorcycle helmet manufacturing company from France. Begun in Marseille, France in 1929, Shark helmets have enjoyed popularity and respect in Europe and more recently, 2006, in the United States. 

The Shark Absolute EvoLine Series 2 Modular helmet features include:

• 2-in-1 helmet converts from a full-face helmet to an open-face and back again
• Retractable, interior anti-scratch sun visor (longer in Series 2)
• External high safety toric anti-scratch/anti-fog shield
• External shield easy to dismantle without tools
• Maximum air flow using multiple channel ventilation
• Rachet visor system instead of spring controlled system
• Chinstrap with an exclusive and patented Tech Move System guide
• Can be opened with one hand
• Upgraded locking mechanism on chin bar stainless steel closing system
• Inset vents
• Upgraded impermeability pack hermetically sealed watertight edging to combat wind noise and rain and reduces microscratches on visor
• Anti-backwash deflector
• Upgraded neck roll for lower wind noise
• Meryl interior can be fully dismantled and is washable and adjustable
• Double D ring chin strap
• 5-year manufacturer’s warranty
• Meets or exceeds ECE 22-05 and DOT standards

The Shark EvoLine Series 2 Modular helmet comes in 5 sizes ranging from XS to XL, and colors: absolute black anthracite red (review), black, matte black, silver, silver metal, matte silver, white, wine, wayer black, wayer white 

Its easy to assume that helmet operation is as easy as 1) put the helmet on your head, 2) fasten the chin strap, and 3) lower the visor. But the most important step is selecting the correct helmet size. Be sure to take the time to select a proper fitting helmet. A helmet that does not fit your head not only hurts your head, but is a safety risk. And, that is your fault, not the helmet’s fault. Take time to ensure you leave the store with a helmet that fits, because they are not returnable.

To determine proper fit, measure around your head size with a tape measure about 1” in height above your eyebrows. Select the helmet size closest to your head size measurement. If your head measurement falls between two sizes, start by trying on the smaller size. 

• Be sure to check your fit by following this checklist:
• Check whether the helmet inner lining fits snugly all around your head.
• Check whether the top pad presses closely on the top of your head.
• Check whether the cheekpads are in contact with your cheeks.
• Check to make sure there is no space around your brow under the inner lining, where you can insert your fingers.
• Lastly, take hold of the helmet with a hand on each side. Without moving your head, try to move the helmet up and down, and side to side. You should feel the skin of your head and face being pulled as you try to move the helmet. If you can move the helmet around easily, it is too big. Try a smaller size.

Tightening the chinstrap correctly is extremely important. If the chinstrap is loose, the shock of an impact may knock your helmet off, leaving your head completely unprotected. No doubt your reasons for wearing a helmet are based on safety. Be sure to wear your helmet correctly so it can do its job.

Helmets are designed to help absorb one impact, including dropping the helmet. After your helmet has protected you from an impact or absorbed one impact, you must get a new one. Also, the helmet industry recommends helmets be replaced, impacted or not, at least every three to five years.

Ultimately, the useful service life of a safety helmet is dependent on the intensity and frequency of its use. In addition to absorbing an impact, helmet replacement is recommended even if only one of the following conditions applies:

• The comfort padding or the retention system has become loose due to heavy use or display signs of deterioration.
• The synthetic foam padding displays signs of heavy use and the helmet feels too loose. Test: with the retention system fastened, the helmet turns to the side when you gently shake your head.
• There are indentations in the EPS liner and/or white scratches can be seen on surfaces with black paint.
  

The Shark Absolute EvoLine Series 2 Modular helmet easily converts from a full-face helmet to an open-face helmet. To transform the helmet: 1) lift visor up, 2) with the red button on chin section pushed in, pull out slightly on the chin section and move smoothly up and back to the locking “jet’ position 3) lower visor. 

To transform helmet back to full-face: 1) lift visor up, 2) rotate the chin section downward to the full-face position with the palm of your hand, 3) tap the chin section back until you hear a click indicating the chin section is locked into place, 4) lower visor.

The visor is designed to be easily removed. Simply move the visor to the fully open position. Apply pressure to the catches using the tip of a pen or similar narrow blunt instrument. Rotate the visor; it will come out of the support without difficulty. Reverse the steps for visor replacement.

The sun visor is raised and lowered using the button on the top of the helmet. Slide the button forward to lower the sun visor; raise it to raise the sun visor.

The Shark Absolute EvoLine Series 2 Modular helmet is an outstanding value. The helmet is comfortable and provides the wearer versatility. The MSRP for a graphics helmet is $469.95 USD, solids $429.95. 

Shark constructs its helmets under ultra-modern, hi-tech performance manufacturing processes placing safety firmly at the center of all concerns. Shark helmets are designed to exceed all current safety helmet standards in all the countries where they are distributed. That means they are DOT, SNELL, ECE (Europe), INM (Brazil), AS/NXS (Australia/New Zealand) approved. Every year Shark tests 5000 helmets for strength and reliability.

The Shark 5-year warranty guarantees the initial purchaser that any possible manufacturing fault or material defect will be covered by the Shark warranty.

Shark guarantees the latest technology for all their products. Their engineers and technicians are always working toward cutting edge designs and materials. Shark’s goal is to always be ahead of other manufacturers in design, in quality, in innovation, and in safety. When you pick up a Shark helmet and inspect it, you get a sense of that quality.

We were concerned about the comfort, or the lack thereof, which seems to be the biggest complaint of most riders about helmets. Our experience has been that most helmets need a break in period where you adjust to the places where the helmet puts pressure on your head. Not with the Shark helmet. There were no areas of discomfort for either reviewer.

We were also impressed with the quietness of the helmet traveling down the road. We experienced a lot of wind during one ride and wind noise was minimal. The other thing we noticed was that the design of the helmet prevented it from blowing around on our heads in the wind. Even with big wind gusts, our heads weren’t buffeted around by the wind. 

Shark helmets are deliberately designed in such a way that they would absorb much of the impact caused by an accident or collision, thus, ensuring more protection to the person wearing the helmet. Shark makes use of the concept of ‘crumple zones’ in the manufacture of their helmets. The same concept used in automobile manufacture. ‘Crumple zones’ are regions in automobiles, which absorb much of the impact resulting from head-on collision or a crash. 

This concept is used in Shark helmets to provide more safety to the rider wearing the helmet. After an accident, Shark helmets can be found more damaged when compared to other helmet brands because of the implementation of the ‘crumple zones’ design concept.  

All major brands of motorcycle helmets have a place in the racing world. Shark is no exception. Shark holds more than 20 world championship titles over the last 40 years and sponsors over 170 riders for various teams. The quality of Shark’s design allows them to be a favorite for extreme racing conditions. If a motorcycle racer trusts his/her head to a Shark helmet when racing over 100 mph, you can believe that a Shark helmet will protect your head when you are out riding.

Her thoughts: 

Never a lover of the full-face helmet, I was somewhat skeptical as I entered into this experience. I assumed I would use the helmet primarily as an open-face helmet. When we left on our first test, my helmet was in the open-face position. 

About 20 miles away, I realized it was colder than I anticipated (46 degrees for those of you wondering how I define cold). Normally, this would be a grin and bear it moment. But, here’s the neat part, I lifted my visor up, reached back to the chin bar and moved it forward to the full-face position, tapped it back until I heard it click, and lowered my visor. 

The process took less than a minute to complete, and what a difference it made in my level of comfort. To my surprise I didn’t feel suffocated or uncomfortable. The wide visor allowed me to see around me very comfortably, too. Because the helmet is so comfortable to wear, it didn’t bother me that I was wearing a full-face helmet. I love the design and the style. 

The Shark helmet offers a sun visor, which is a nice extra, and I like the clear visor. My current helmet has a tinted visor, chosen to prevent the need of sunglasses whose temples always get pushed uncomfortably into my head. The disadvantages are that other drivers cannot see your face when you want to get their attention, and tinted visors are not safe after dark. 

The quietness of this helmet also makes wearing it a pleasant experience. The visor seals tightly and doesn’t rattle. And, the Shark EvoLine Series 2 exceeds ECE and DOT safety standards. 

I like this helmet and it’s versatility a lot.  

His Thoughts:

My motorcycling experience can be divided into 3 periods: riding with a helmet, riding without a helmet, and now riding with a helmet.  During the first period, I wore a helmet because I thought I was supposed to.  Reflecting back on that period, I realize the 2 or 3 helmets that I wore were of little value when it comes to safety. 

Then I went through a period where I really enjoyed not wearing a helmet.  Still don’t from time to time.  During this period in time, I started to learn more about the contributions a helmet can make to adding years to my riding adventures and extending quality time with my family, etc.

Now, helmets and I have grown up!  The Shark helmet that is the subject of this review is a product of the evolution of the helmet industry and Shark Helmets specifically.

The Shark Absolute EvoLine Series 2 Modular helmet meets all of my criteria for an excellent option as a motorcycle helmet. 

• It is constructed to meet contemporary safety standards
• Construction utilizes superior quality materials as described above
• Moving parts are designed and constructed to last
• It is a comfortable modular helmet
• It keeps the elements on the outside
• The sun visor is convenient, and when retracted with the clear visor, is legal for night riding
• Conversion from full face to open face makes removing the helmet easy
• The helmet looks nice
• It is guaranteed for 5 years

Tucker Rocky provided the Shark helmets for this review. 

Click here to find a Shark Helmet dealer in your area. http://www.tuckerrocky.com/