Motorcycle helmets have come a long way since the invention of the full-face in the late 1960s. In particular the artwork - to call it anything less would be an insult - on today's helmets beggars description.
One leading manufacturer lists 23 air-brushed designs for its top helmet, mostly replicas of those worn by leading Grand Prix riders, which is both a subtle form of advertising and a novel form of fan worship.
One helmet maker, however, puts its development resources into the wind tunnel rather than the airbrush. Schuberth of Magdeburg in Germany makes only four motorcycle helmets, each available in about half a dozen colours.
Its flagship sportbike helmet, the S1, is offered in three not-very-exciting graphic designs (Flame, Power and Nordic Dragon) and six plain colours including matt black and the red you see here.
Its shell has been shaped in a wind tunnel for zero lift, unlike most helmets which try to lift off your head at high speeds; it also presents the same frontal area when turned slightly to the side, so that you can turn your head to look across the inside of a long sweep at 200km/h with absolutely no buffeting.
It has one of the biggest visor openings on the market, giving an outstanding range of vision, and its visor comes with an anti-scratch coating on the outside and an anti-fog layer on the inside. It also has a very soft but extremely close-fitting layer of padding around its base that Schuberth calls an acoustic collar.
The S1 is a mission to get into and at first seems more than a little claustrophobic. But wait until the padding settles around your neck, then close the visor; you'll find you can no longer hear what people around you are saying - it's that effective.
The effect is just as marked out on the road; Schuberth claims the S1 is the quietest helmet on the European market with a noise level of only 85dB at 120km/h - that's about as loud as a hairdryer.
The test Schuberth was noticeably quieter than any other helmet I've worn, including industry leaders such as Arai and Shoei - even at speeds well in excess of 120km/h.
The complete absence of buffeting was also noticeable, even when I turned my head 45 degrees to the side, and there was no sensation of the helmet trying to lift off my head, which I have felt with several others.
So here we have a helmet that contributes materially to the stability of the bike/rider combination and to the clarity of your vision, both important safety factors. But wait, as they say, there's more
Bright sunshine
South Africa is a land of bright sunshine; a tinted visor is a must for those early morning rides - yet the same tinted visor is lethal coming back late in the evening. And only dorks carry spare visors in their rucksacks - right?
A large sliding lever on the left of the S1 (big enough to operate no matter how thick your gloves) flips down a deeply tinted inner shield from a slot in the lining, to ensure clear vision in the early-morning glare.
Not only does it look ultra-cool (just like Airwolf, Cyril!) but it works, too - I rode straight into the sun for nearly an hour one spring morning with no problems.
A triangular vent on the top of the S1 is operated by sliding it fore-and-aft (once again no problem no matter how thick your gloves) and a spring-loaded flap that looks like a miniature cheese grater in the centre of the chin-piece feeds air straight on to the inside of the visor.
Two rearward-facing vents let into shallow grooves cause a partial vacuum to ensure a constant flow of cool air across the rider's scalp. The inside of the S1 is finished in a mix of hypo-allergenic, absorbent fabric and Skintech, a material that looks and feels like leather.
The Schuberth S1 is a plain-looking helmet with several remarkable attributes - not least its astonishingly low noise level - that put it ahead of some well-known premium brands.
It costs R5995; call (011) 792-7691 or e-mail Craig Silver for your nearest stockist.