Schuberth C5 helmet review 

Glad you enjoyed it!

Comms are perfect so is the Sena

Happy new year! Much appreciated!

Not sure your experience with Schuberth is representative. The C3 is the best-selling flip helmet of all time, and it is well proven. Can’t comment on the specifics of your experience, but all helmet warranties are the same. They cover manufacturing faults and not wear and tear. As somebody who does this for a living, I would suggest that only Shoei and Arai make helmets that are demonstrably superior. Schuberth helmets are generally excellent, but they are not for everybody. CP

@@Motolegends I agree with you on many points, and in terms of comfort Schubert is probably best I ever had, however I have experience with Nolan, HJC and AGV besides C3 and C3pro none of the others had anything ever wrong them and they are being far more used than C3. My C3pro suffered interior being very quickly looking worn out after first season (compared to C3 which was two years old and looking like new), sun visor plastic knob snapped off as I was taking helmet out of its bag and all of the black plastic trim at the front cracked in few places including the little spoilers on both helmets , you might call it "wear and tear" I call it substandard materials!

We sell all the rest of the kit too so you don’t have to wait five years to come back!

Alan, can I ask which in-ear monitors you use please?

@@GS-xg4nz he can't hear you, speak up.

This is my preferred system now….use cheap Amazon earbuds…get ones that are advertised as good for sleeping as they go right in to your ears like silicone earplugs.

Optional pads not arrived yet. Soon, we hope.

@@Motolegends If I get another modular helmet, it probably won’t be this one. I was hoping the optional pads would make the helmet better fit a longer oval head, but I’m not going to wait forever. Here in the US, I’m still waiting for the release of the C5, so I don’t know how it fits with the standard pads. Previous models have not been kind to my head in the past.

I have tried the C5 and the Neotec 2 and found the C5 to fit my head better than the Neotec 2. I will try the pads for long oval because there is a little bit of space on the sides of my head. It isn’t bad, though.

Not seen anything like that yet and because the E1 is the same shell as the C3 Pro I can't see they will replace it until they move on from the C3 Pro. Both C3 Pro and E1 have been very popular styles so don't envisage a change for the time being.

Just turn up. CP.

No idea I’m afraid. Don’t know the Signet X. The Arai XL is 61-62cm and the C5 is 60-61cm. So not necessarily a good start!

Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. We all have differently shaped heads. One person with a 59 cm head might fit a large, but someone with a different shape might want an extra large. Conceivably, if you a thick neck or a fuller face, this helmet might not work for you at all. You’ve got to try a helmet on before buying. CP

Yep, there’s always a cheaper way. Problem is that you end up buying into a previous generation of technology. If you’re happy with that, go for it! CP

@@Motolegends The best and greatest from 3 years ago are suddenly rubbish, this spin reminds me of the new 'improved' washing powder adds, it's all a load of marketing bolox.

I do not disagree. At times it feels to me as though one is paying twice. You pay extra for the helmet, then have to stump up the cost of a standard comms. to plug in to the helmet. I reach the same conclusion as you. You are paying for convenience, although integrated systems certainly generate less wind noise. CC

@@Motolegends Agreed, I can't stand the trend of manufacturers to do this. As learned in the C4 the idea is novel, the execution not so much. Look on any touring or ADV forum and the complaints vs pro's of integrated comms is substantial. I bought a C4 pro but the first thing I did was snip the speakers and mic out and replace it with a Cardo Packtalk Bold JBL. Why would I want an outdated SC1 with no mesh or other features in a new helmet in 2020-2021, and that's the big downfall of this. By forcing a specific comm unit they kill the future proofness of their helmet. People will deliberately NOT buy their helmet as comms advance, I've read numerous people who refuse to buy the C4 because of the poor implementation of the SC1.

I also was quite disappointed that the comms are lacking DAB+ reception...

There is no separate battery. You will charge the unit when it's in the helmet. Should be more than enough for a day. This one doesn't have a spare battery.

Sorry Nathan, I don’t agree with your maths. The C5 is six steps forward. It’s going to be a better helmet in most respects. And don’t disregard 22-06. It’s going to be a safer helmet, and what price does one put on protecting one’s brain? CP

@@Motolegends We all have to make our choices but here's my take. It’s still heavy with only 2 shells sizes, they should have made it 3. It also has a smaller visor, there is a certain luxury to having a touring helmet with the vertical visibility of a dual sport helmet especially when you’re in it for 10 hours a day. The new rating is good but Schuberth has always exceeded standards and the ability to stay closed, they also have an excellent safety rating so I’m not super concerned. The C5 still shoehorns you into SENA system but unlike the C4 Pro which had small ports on the bottom the C5 has massive plastic panels which will make it harder to hide or mount a Cardo or to stay with latest gen comms. In other words this helmet is not future proof, I very much dislike the trend of helmet manufacturers forcing a buyer into a comm system and is the main reason I never bought a Neotec. Additionally Schuberths track record with module based plug and play comms has been less than stellar. They reused the flip/flop upper chin/nose vent from the E1, the vent was useless on the E1 no reason to believe this will be different. It is good they finally put rear exhaust vents in and are providing multiple pads for fitting. As an American I don't care about PJ. This new helmet could have been carbon, been lighter, incorporated MIPS or Koroyd, they didn't bother carpeting the foam like previous helmets. I don't feel they really innovated substantially especially given the amount of years they've had, especially at Schuberth price point. As we learned with previous releases just because something is new and shiny doesn't make it better.

@@Motolegends Perhaps Nathan was referring to the ‘dummy-spitting’ by Schubert being the backward steps…? Because ML always come across as professional and fair in their reviews, their actions smacks of sour grapes…and us customers don’t like our brands attempting to hide honest opinion on products.

Sometimes companies get better when they are sold. Fresh blood, more capital and so on. I admit that Schuberth has had a poor run recently, but I know they have a whole new team in place, and they seem determined to turn things round. Probably too soon to write them off! CP

Helmet companies are businesses. It’s simply not in their interest to allow cheaper Chinese makers access to their helmets. This is commerce. They want, obviously, for people to buy their comms., and they also wouldn’t want to have to pick up any problems that might arise from somebody else’s units being used in their helmets. So what you suggest is not going to happen. And it can’t happen also because these manufacturers own the intellectual property on the integration with their helmets. CP

I am prepared to remove a post where the comment is irrelevant, ridiculous or offensive. I’m also prepared to do the same where I feel our platform is being used to serve some other agenda. There are people, for example, who make comments solely to cause embarrassment for a brand or even us. There are more appropriate vehicles if somebody wants to air a grievance. But if somebody wants to make a comment that is fair, germain and proportional, go ahead. CP

@@Motolegends I understand. I will leave it there: Sharp (test) doesn't lie. Shoei (Neotec II) and Schuberth (C5>) both fail to deliver when it comes to safety vs value for money. I prefer (based upon the sharp test end results). Nolan.

Tiesemans I am not fully aware of the context for your comment, but in the motorcycle industry nobody takes SHARP seriously. When the ECE standard came in, the chaps in white coats who used to conduct the BSI tests used a European Commission report called COS 327 to convince the government to fund this independent test regime. But they cut corners, used cheap head forms, and basically invented their own test standard. The idea behind the test was ok, but the execution was poor. Indeed, the notion that you can use stars to say one helmet is better than another is laughably crude, although perhaps appealing to the kind of person who chooses where to eat on the basis of a Trip Advisor ranking. In their first ever test, SHARP gave a £60 helmet from Laser five stars and an Arai two stars. From that point on nobody has really taken SHARP seriously. In fact, Shark takes SHARP seriously but only because their soft shells score well on SHARP. But so do the cheapest polycarbonate helmets. It’s all a bit complex, and this is not the time or place. So whilst it may be true that SHARP doesn’t lie, it doesn’t mean anything either. If you’re choosing a helmet solely on the basis of SHARP, you will be making poor choices; of that one can be confident. Indeed I heard recently that even SHARP realised they needed to do something to regain credibility, and were proposing a new standard. Finally, not quite sure what your comments have to do with deleting posts, but if we did remove some nonsense about SHARP, then now you know why. CP

@@Motolegends I have ploughed through a ton of recent Sharp tests and agree that buying an helmet solely on the bases of the amount of stars seems somewhat naive and typical of the times we live in. But at the same time I noticed they have little respect for brand names and I think that is excellent. Looking at impact peak acceleration damage and if a flip up stays locked is very useful info and they give credit to who deserves it. So they might be the laughingstock in your eyes, I find them rather informative. For example a decent amount of the Arai, Shoei, (earlier) BMW and yes cheaper priced HJC and Caberg helmets receive high scores indeed. So no I didn't buy my Nolan based upon the amount of stars. I found the test results stating the flip up always stays shut important. Unlike with the Shoei Neo II the Nolan 100-5 plus scored 100 closed every single time. Both helmets have same impact zones protection score based upon peak acceleration, and thus scored equally good. People who take ECE scores more serious (among them Aldi helmet and moped helmets) then Sharp scores when it comes (especially) to flip up helmets staying closed, well ... I wish em all the best. Because one thing I learned: real life is not the safe and controlled static test environment these helmets get tested in. So if a 400+ gbp flip up helmets fail specific safety testing in a lab... Well you get my point ...

If you were actually to watch the review, you would see that I fully covered this off. I do not suggest that this is a definitive review of the helmet. How can it be? In fact, I state categorically that it isn’t. Rather this is a review of the features of the helmet. I did not specifically use the words ‘first look’, but I think the nature of this review is made abundantly clear. At no stage do I express any kind of opinion that suggests that I have a deeper knowledge of the helmet . I refer only to the features on the helmet, and pass comment on those features. I express opinions, but only on the basis of factual and undisputed elements that are fully in the public domain. It is therefore unfair to suggest that I have caused unwarranted damage to the manufacturer’s reputation. I have criticised the number of shell sizes. I have made observations about the cost of the comms. But these observations are based on known facts. Riding in an actual helmet would not have altered such opinions. If you want the right to criticise somebody, please have the courtesy to do do your homework first and to give them a proper hearing!

You have missed the point, presumably because you made up your mind before you listened to what I said. And if you had listened you would have learned that I did have the helmet; and for about a week. I made a video and was the asked to take it down by Schuberth for reasons I explained.. This video is the same one but without the helmet in front of me. So you need to think before throwing out words like ridiculous, in case you come across as foolish. CP

@@Motolegends you literally said that you are going to talk based on available videos and schubert's materials. And that you had only had a prototype. And that you haven't ridden in it yet. And that they weren't happy (which makes me think that maybe that's because it simply wasn't true). Good thing we're online, cause lecturing others about cautious use of words and calling them foolish is not the best idea and may just lead to a slap (in the cap).

Exactly that! You can't give a proper 'review' to a prototype product, only give a 'first look' or 'overview'.