JQL
Growing old disgracefully
My local motorcycle dealer (Outsider in Montlhery) was having and end of Summer Sale and offering about 20% off their stock so I stumped up for a Schuberth C3 with SRC-S (Bluetooth) system. I got 21% off the helmet and 25% off the Bluetooth system. Outsider fitted the Bluetooth system to the helmet and also paired it up to my GPS for me.
The Helmet
What?s in the box? The helmet with a Pinlock Visor, a separate sun visor, a helmet cover and very comprehensive manual.
This helmet just oozes quality! The quality of the finish; the quality of the fittings; the thought behind how everything works. I thought the Nolan N103 was good but the Schuberth C3 is in a different league. The exterior is a Glass Fibre type material which, according to the manual, can be painted. The interior is some sort of foam and, I think, alcantara.
The fit is snug, very comfortable and very, very light. The lining is super soft which is why it is so comfortable. The chin strap has a Velcro pad to hold it together and the fastener is similar to that of the Nolan, but with a little tab to make it easier to remove (as I said before, a lot of thought has gone into this helmet). I wear glasses and putting the helmet on and taking it off is really easy no need to remove my glasses and, the helmet doesn?t pinch the frames.
The flip front is easy to use though, with the SRC-S system, it does require two hands to close it properly (more on this later). The ventilation is nothing short of fantastic. It cools when you want it and, when you don?t need the cooling, it still manages to ?vent? the visor without you getting cold.
The visor gives excellent visibility and the Pinlock works extremely well. A quibble is that the Pinlock inner visor isn?t as wide and tall as the one in the Nolan so you can ?see? the edges more easily. The various positions of the visor hold it where you want it until your speed reaches about 50mph then it closes. There is a lock to lock the visor down which takes some practise to master but, this really makes the helmet much quieter on the motorways (highways). The Sun Visor works very well and is easy to use (unlike the Nolan which sometimes sticks). There is a lock position in the fully up which is nice. The Sun Visor is made of a thinner material and is more flexible. I would prefer it to be less flexible.
The ventilation has been extremely well thought out. There are two vents: one on the front of the helmet below the visor and one of the top of the helmet.
The vent on the top of the helmet has 3 positions: Off, partially open, fully open. It also has an adjustable flap on the inside of the helmet which seals off the vent holes in the top for winter riding (did I mention a lot of thought has gone into this helmet?). The vent works extremely well, gives massive amounts of ventilation when open and fully sealing the top of helmet when closed. Oh, need to clean under the top vent? They thought about that as well! You can use easily remove the vent for cleaning by using the open/close button as a lever.
The front vent has two positions: Open and demist. In the Open position, copious amounts of air flow in giving you all the ventilation you need. On the Deauville, the front vent can be noisy when open. This has something to do with the flow of air off the screen because, on the Honda Crossrunner, there is little or no noise when it is open. When closed, it seems like there is no air entering the helmet but, this is not the case. A small amount of air is directed over the visor helping to keep it ?fog free?. Also, when closed, the noise on the Deauville disappears. All the air vents out through a gauze section in the collar.
The SRC-S System
The microphone is huge. That?s the first thing you notice. Apart from that, everything is hidden in the collar which is, in my opinion, excellent.
I?m not a fan of distractions on a bike and use the SRC-S system mainly for Bluetooth GPS so I don?t need to look at the GPS screen (I can?t because it is either in the glove box or my pocket so, if I need a visual check, I have to stop to do it). Having said that I do use the radio on long runs but, for the sake of testing, I did try it in and around town once. I also use the Bluetooth for Rider to Pillion conversation.
It took me some time to get used to the SRC-S System after the N-COM on the Nolan. It functions in a different way so there was a learning curve. Personally, I think the N-COM works better as there are some idiosyncrasies with the SRC-S (more later).
The SRC-S System is made by Cardo, so if you have the Scala Cardo it is probably very similar. So what does it do?
Just about everything. Bluetooth (A2DP & AVRCP), cable, Rider to Passenger, GPS, Phone, Bike to Bike, MP3 and even an RDS, FM Radio all in stereo. Oh, and it even connects via USB to your computer. The system is noise sensitive so increases the volume automatically as your speed increases (a nice touch). It also has voice prompts, though this isn?t as helpful as it sounds.
Because of the size of the microphone you need two hands to close the front (and you need to remove an Anti-Noise pad from the front of the helmet). This means you can?t close it when pulling away from stationary (it also states in the manual that you must not ride with the front open).
To switch the system on you press and hold down the Mobile Phone Button for a very long time (about 8 seconds), it says 3 seconds in the manual but it is at least over double that, Why? Switching it off is, thankfully, only about 3 seconds.
Although the manual says it will remember the items that it is paired with, this isn?t always the case with V3 of the software. I have to pair my GPS at least 3 times every time I switch it on before it reliably pairs. I think the problem is the voice confirmation in the SRC-S. On the Nolan N-COM it pairs first time, every time.
The Radio is RDS which, on the face of it, seems like a good idea but, in and around town it will suddenly start searching for a new channel (as the aerial is very small) and often just ends up hissing in your ear. With the RDS switched off everything seems to work well. The sound is stereo and the volume increases with speed. Also it cuts off my GPS (which the manual says it shouldn?t) so I can?t use it with GPS.
The computer interface works well and you can set the radio stations on it (probably it?s most useful feature).
I haven?t used any of the other features yet. When I do I?ll add to this review.
Oh, the buttons are totally useless when wearing anything other than very light summer gloves but this is the same on the N-COM as well.
Scores
In my opinion the helmet is excellent. The thought and the attention to detail is phenominal. For the Helmet I would give an A++. It would have got an A+++ if the Pinlock hadn?t been quite so visible and the registration system on their web site had been working properly. I still haven?t been able to register for their Mobility Program even after contacting their support a number of times.
For the SRC-S system I would give a C- as there are too many glitches and insufficient thought has gone into the system. OK, to be fair, Schuberth licenced the SRC-S system from Cardo. Having said that, for a helmet of the quality of the Schuberth C3, the Bluetooth and the sound system should be just as good and Cardo need to do a whole lot better.
The Helmet
What?s in the box? The helmet with a Pinlock Visor, a separate sun visor, a helmet cover and very comprehensive manual.
This helmet just oozes quality! The quality of the finish; the quality of the fittings; the thought behind how everything works. I thought the Nolan N103 was good but the Schuberth C3 is in a different league. The exterior is a Glass Fibre type material which, according to the manual, can be painted. The interior is some sort of foam and, I think, alcantara.
The fit is snug, very comfortable and very, very light. The lining is super soft which is why it is so comfortable. The chin strap has a Velcro pad to hold it together and the fastener is similar to that of the Nolan, but with a little tab to make it easier to remove (as I said before, a lot of thought has gone into this helmet). I wear glasses and putting the helmet on and taking it off is really easy no need to remove my glasses and, the helmet doesn?t pinch the frames.
The flip front is easy to use though, with the SRC-S system, it does require two hands to close it properly (more on this later). The ventilation is nothing short of fantastic. It cools when you want it and, when you don?t need the cooling, it still manages to ?vent? the visor without you getting cold.
The visor gives excellent visibility and the Pinlock works extremely well. A quibble is that the Pinlock inner visor isn?t as wide and tall as the one in the Nolan so you can ?see? the edges more easily. The various positions of the visor hold it where you want it until your speed reaches about 50mph then it closes. There is a lock to lock the visor down which takes some practise to master but, this really makes the helmet much quieter on the motorways (highways). The Sun Visor works very well and is easy to use (unlike the Nolan which sometimes sticks). There is a lock position in the fully up which is nice. The Sun Visor is made of a thinner material and is more flexible. I would prefer it to be less flexible.
The ventilation has been extremely well thought out. There are two vents: one on the front of the helmet below the visor and one of the top of the helmet.
The vent on the top of the helmet has 3 positions: Off, partially open, fully open. It also has an adjustable flap on the inside of the helmet which seals off the vent holes in the top for winter riding (did I mention a lot of thought has gone into this helmet?). The vent works extremely well, gives massive amounts of ventilation when open and fully sealing the top of helmet when closed. Oh, need to clean under the top vent? They thought about that as well! You can use easily remove the vent for cleaning by using the open/close button as a lever.
The front vent has two positions: Open and demist. In the Open position, copious amounts of air flow in giving you all the ventilation you need. On the Deauville, the front vent can be noisy when open. This has something to do with the flow of air off the screen because, on the Honda Crossrunner, there is little or no noise when it is open. When closed, it seems like there is no air entering the helmet but, this is not the case. A small amount of air is directed over the visor helping to keep it ?fog free?. Also, when closed, the noise on the Deauville disappears. All the air vents out through a gauze section in the collar.
The SRC-S System
The microphone is huge. That?s the first thing you notice. Apart from that, everything is hidden in the collar which is, in my opinion, excellent.
I?m not a fan of distractions on a bike and use the SRC-S system mainly for Bluetooth GPS so I don?t need to look at the GPS screen (I can?t because it is either in the glove box or my pocket so, if I need a visual check, I have to stop to do it). Having said that I do use the radio on long runs but, for the sake of testing, I did try it in and around town once. I also use the Bluetooth for Rider to Pillion conversation.
It took me some time to get used to the SRC-S System after the N-COM on the Nolan. It functions in a different way so there was a learning curve. Personally, I think the N-COM works better as there are some idiosyncrasies with the SRC-S (more later).
The SRC-S System is made by Cardo, so if you have the Scala Cardo it is probably very similar. So what does it do?
Just about everything. Bluetooth (A2DP & AVRCP), cable, Rider to Passenger, GPS, Phone, Bike to Bike, MP3 and even an RDS, FM Radio all in stereo. Oh, and it even connects via USB to your computer. The system is noise sensitive so increases the volume automatically as your speed increases (a nice touch). It also has voice prompts, though this isn?t as helpful as it sounds.
Because of the size of the microphone you need two hands to close the front (and you need to remove an Anti-Noise pad from the front of the helmet). This means you can?t close it when pulling away from stationary (it also states in the manual that you must not ride with the front open).
To switch the system on you press and hold down the Mobile Phone Button for a very long time (about 8 seconds), it says 3 seconds in the manual but it is at least over double that, Why? Switching it off is, thankfully, only about 3 seconds.
Although the manual says it will remember the items that it is paired with, this isn?t always the case with V3 of the software. I have to pair my GPS at least 3 times every time I switch it on before it reliably pairs. I think the problem is the voice confirmation in the SRC-S. On the Nolan N-COM it pairs first time, every time.
The Radio is RDS which, on the face of it, seems like a good idea but, in and around town it will suddenly start searching for a new channel (as the aerial is very small) and often just ends up hissing in your ear. With the RDS switched off everything seems to work well. The sound is stereo and the volume increases with speed. Also it cuts off my GPS (which the manual says it shouldn?t) so I can?t use it with GPS.
The computer interface works well and you can set the radio stations on it (probably it?s most useful feature).
I haven?t used any of the other features yet. When I do I?ll add to this review.
Oh, the buttons are totally useless when wearing anything other than very light summer gloves but this is the same on the N-COM as well.
Scores
In my opinion the helmet is excellent. The thought and the attention to detail is phenominal. For the Helmet I would give an A++. It would have got an A+++ if the Pinlock hadn?t been quite so visible and the registration system on their web site had been working properly. I still haven?t been able to register for their Mobility Program even after contacting their support a number of times.
For the SRC-S system I would give a C- as there are too many glitches and insufficient thought has gone into the system. OK, to be fair, Schuberth licenced the SRC-S system from Cardo. Having said that, for a helmet of the quality of the Schuberth C3, the Bluetooth and the sound system should be just as good and Cardo need to do a whole lot better.
Maybe I should send you my old visor and you could salvage the sealing thingy?