I’m giving this its own thread cuz I will likely revisit this thread often. Cuz I do love a long term update thread.
https://us.shark-helmets.com/collections/evo-one-2/products/evo-one-2-hi-visibility-modular-helmet?variant=15418984955994 - Manufacturers site.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5BrGbiz0qjQ - Revzilla breakdown.
This will basically serve as the unboxing, initial impressions, and initial ride review with updates and longer term reviews to follow. As previously stated, I had an Evoline 2 back in the day and initially loved its functionality but couldn’t come to terms with comfort. Pretty sure that was more about my fat head than the helmet. I gave it to my nephew and it’s still his primary lid.
Out of the box it feels like a 500 dollar anything should feel. Like care was taken in manufacturing and packaging. Lots of inserts with info on the helmet, it’s operation, care and feeding, and 5 year warranty. Never considered a warranty before so I don’t know if it’s good or not but I like it. Bag is nice too. Shield had protective cover like they all do. Helmet is pin lock compatible and comes with a clear insert. Nice touch I thought.
This new one is leaps and bounds better than an already good design. Shield works better, chinstrap is better, sun visor is better and the chin bar mechanics are dramatically better. I’m sure there other bits that are improved as well but I comment on what I notice. I first tried to put it on with the bar down in full face mode. I got a little scared because it was kinda painful and I was afraid I’d made a mistake. Once I realized that there would never be a need to do that I felt much better. In the jet position, getting the helmet on and off is quite easy and comfortable. I have a round head and this has a round fit so all is well there. Once on I noticed that the field of vision is amazing for the periphery but seemed oddly short. Not very short just odd that I noticed it. I will have to see what the other helmets are like in this regard. I didn’t think about that once today so maybe it’s not really a thing. I sat on the sofa last night with it on and cycling through all the parts and processes and I got a little giddy. Everything was just so. I’m rarely 100% satisfied with a product without reservation of some sort but things were looking up. One handed operation is the best. Easy to open and Move into jet position. Also easy to get chin bar back into place. Slightly more involved to get it latched with one hand but not difficult. Just need to clamp down on the left side and the right side for a positive engagement click on each side. Barring that, you could just slam it down with some force but that’s just not comfortable. Also, the switch from jet to full face does not require the face shield to be up. They addressed that and the shield moves up and out of the way as part of the process. Old one would crunch the shield. Like most these days, the d ring has a tab to pull to assist with removal. It has some mass to it so gloved operation is a go.
Today I wore it for my hour long commute to and from work. So far, I absolutely LOVE IT!!! I started in Jet mode and when I got to the big road, I put the bar down and engaged it without issue. The shield has tabs on both sides of center for ease of operation with either hand. It’s clear and quiet in its movement. The sun visor is operated by a sliding tab in the Mohawk position. Fore and aft are just so. On my scorpion it’s operated by a tab in the temple position and it’s engagement is counterintuitive. This one is slightly more involved to move but makes perfect sense every time. It’s also darker than my regular sunglasses and has amazing coverage. Like it almost covers my entire face in the Jet position. I dig that a lot. It also sits far enough forward that it doesn’t get close to touching cheeks or nose. Love. It basically stayed down from the moment the sun got in my face till I got home. This afternoon, I had sunglasses on and I still kept it down all the way home. I figured that I’d be popping the bar up every chance I got. Wrong. It’s comfortable enough that I didn’t think about that being necessary till I got home. Not even on the 30 mph country road that is the last 2 miles to my place. I took that as a very good sign. Riding at speed all remained well. Seemed much quieter than my other helmets. Honeymoon phase? Hope not. Really happy with that. Venting seemed good on the hot ride home tonight but I’m no expert. I wasn’t grossly hot. I kept the main shield cracked to the first detent and the sun visor down and felt my eyes were sufficiently protected. And the color....ah the color. I feel a palpable sense of safety with this thing on my head. I already wear a hi viz stich and this is just the icing on the hideously ugly cake. A lady that I work with passed me on the way to work this am. She said she saw me from nearly a half mile back on the straight part of the road. Sure people look at me when they go by. But they’re LOOKING AT ME.
Now, one of the primary catalysts for getting this helmet is the temp screening I go through to get onto campus every day. Today I pulled up, flipped into jet position and junior was able to take my temp with no fuss and no removal of gear or holding up of traffic. Mission accomplished.
Overall, as of day one with two whole hours of test time under my belt, I’m extremely happy with this purchase. I will likely update shortly.
