What is it? Schuberth’s top of the range flip-front motorcycle helmet that’s ideal for summer tours. Where can I get it? Head over to www.bikerheadz.co.uk.
No, that’s not a typo. The Schuberth C5 Carbon will set you back a cool grand and, for that, you’d expect it to come with its own assistant on standby ready to wipe the flies from your visor.
But is it worth the dosh? We’ll get into that, but to begin with let me start by saying this is a very impressive piece of kit indeed.
Bryn puts the C5 Carbon to the test.
Range topping
So, what’s so special about the C5 Carbon that means it can command such a monstrous price tag? To start with, it has everything that makes the standard C5 such a good, range-topping flip-front helmet, and it builds on that by using a full carbon shell.
Hailed as a ‘game changer’ by Schuberth, the lid is produced with the same lamination and curing process of the company’s car racing helmets. And if that wasn’t enough, C5 Carbons are handmade by the same technicians who produce Max Verstappen’s F1 winning helmet.
The C5 Carbon is hand built in Italy.
Built by hand
But what does all of that mean? It means that each C5 Carbon is painstakingly built by hand from start to finish and the end result is an incredibly strong and lightweight (1,460g in a size large) construction.
But Schuberth hasn’t stopped there. The C5 Carbon is exceptionally well equipped, featuring everything you’d want to see in a flip-front helmet.
It’s dual homologated (meaning you can wear it in both the up and down positions), it features a well-designed and easy to operate internal sun visor, the flip front mechanism is easy to use and well placed, the interior padding is soft and luxurious, and the helmet features a well-designed ventilation system that provides good airflow.
The helmet is designed to work with Schuberth’s SC2 comms unit.
For me, one of the standout features of the C5 Carbon is the pre-installed speaker, cable harness and antenna system. The helmet is designed to work seamlessly with Schuberth’s SC2 comms unit, with neat and tidy plug and play attachment points for the device. The only downside? The SC2 comms kit will set you back a further £325 and it makes installing your own comms unit a bit trickier.
All in all, it’s hard to justify spending this much money on a helmet when there are such good alternatives for half the price, but the C5 Carbon is a special piece of kit and you get what you pay for. It’s a remarkably well constructed helmet, it’s lightweight, it’s comfortable, and the carbon shell looks damn good.
Lightweight, comfortable, and it looks damn good.
Schuberth C5 Carbon
It’s also worth me mentioning that, if you like the look of the C5 Carbon but the price is out of reach, the standard C5 could be right up your alley.
It’s half the price (£519.99) but it’s got everything that’s great about the Carbon version except, well, the carbon. This makes it 200g heavier and you lose the eye-catching patternwork, but you’ll still get an excellent lid.
