Mod Envy
I’ve been a fan of modular motorcycle helmets since I saw a rider pull up to a stoplight, flip up her helmet, and casually take a long swig of coffee she pulled out of her tank bag. My mind was blown by its versatility. Even still, the flip-up feature can add extra weight and the hinges introduce an additional point of potential failure. However, wearing the premium AGV Tourmodular helmet for a full season, I enjoyed testing it from the Pacific Northwest to South Dakota’s Black Hills, and beyond. After all, you never really know how a helmet will fare until you’ve been through it all.
Safety and Fit
The AGV Tourmodular helmet meets ECE 22.06 standards and is also “P/J homologated,” essentially meaning it meets the ECE certification requirements both when the chin guard is down and when it’s up. It is constructed of layers of carbon, aramid fiber, and fiberglass, which makes it a pretty light modular helmet at 3.75 pounds. It also has five different densities based on the section of the helmet, maximizing the protection in each part of the helmet.
AGV’s Tourmodular helmet comes in three shell sizes (XS-MD, LG, XL-2XL) with four inner shell sizes. The cheek pads are interchangeable between all sizes—30 possible combinations in all—to get the right fit.
Sounding Off
In terms of functionality, one of the first questions anyone has about a helmet is how quiet it is. To me, without the ability to accurately test the decibel levels while riding, this helmet falls somewhere in the middle. The helmet does whistle when riding with the regular visor up (and sun visor down), which is how I sometimes ride around town when it’s hot out. This whistle goes away when the visor is lowered and there is no whistle at highway speeds.
AGV Tourmodular features an optional integrated communication system featuring DMC (Dynamic Mesh Communication) technology. The AGV INSYDE intercom system (sold separately for $344.95) was developed with Cardo and uses mesh technology to allow up to 15 riders to be connected at once.
Seeing Clearly
The AGV Tourmodular helmet’s distortion-free visor comes with a fog-free Pinlock 120 system. The tab to open and close it is in the middle rather than off to the side, which I prefer.
There is also a removable internal sun visor that you can flip up and down with a sliding tab located underneath the left side of the helmet. On local rides, especially when it’s hot, I like to ride with the regular visor up and the sun visor down.
The internal sun visor is, unfortunately, a light tint and almost useless in bright sunlight. The tint is great when riding in shady areas where you only need a little sun protection, or when the light is dappled. But there are countless instances on sunny days when I attempt to lower the sun visor only to realize I am already using it. Luckily, you can comfortably wear sunglasses under the visor, but to me, that defeats the purpose of a sun visor.
There are a plethora of AGV accessory external visors to choose from. Options include clear ($92.95), 50% tinted ($108.95), smoke ($108.95), and Iridium silver and gold ($130.95). All these visors are Pinlock-ready.
More Info
The AGV Tourmodular helmet retails for $659.95 (solid colors) and $769.95 for graphics. There are currently 10 color options.
Visit AGV.com for more information.