SportBiKeZ

The Shark Evoline is a new helmet
design that picks up where the ROOF Boxer left off. It's probably more
functional than a simple flip-up helmet, because the Evoline is designed to be
worn with the chin bar rotated all the way back, unlike most/all flip-up
helmets, which are not designed to be worn (and are not safe) with the rotating visor in the
raised position.

Lots of moving parts here though, and
the weight...well, we won't get into that now, will we?

Background

Probably one of the most anticipated helmets of 2008, the Shark Evoline has finally arrived. And the good news is that it has passed both ECE and DOT testing schemes, so this is one exotic flip-up helmet that will be sold in North America and Europe. In fact, it's currently going through the distribution process in the U.S. and should be on dealer shelves very soon.

The Evoline was just released in Europe -- after many retailers were taking orders for months, knowing full well that they couldn't deliver. But that's another story...

So what is it? Probably not as radical as some would hope actually. Some motorcyclists may not know that the rotating chin bar concept was pioneered by the still-radical-looking ROOF Boxer, a helmet we reviewed back about 5 years ago.

The Shark Evoline (is it "Evo-line", or "Evo-leen"?) takes it one step further, with a slick but complex system to rotate the chin bar all the way back, where it stays out of the way, nice and snug and nearly flush with the helmet shell.

The design of the Evoline allows it to be worn this way whilst riding, unlike all of the "normal" flip-up helmets I'm familiar with, which are not designed to be worn with the rotating visor in the raised position, although many riders do indeed wear them that way -- a dangerous proposition.

Now why a motorcycle rider would want or need a motorcycle helmet with the functionality of the Evoline is a question we can't answer -- we'll leave that up to you to decide.

Suffice it to say that there must be a defined need, or we doubt very much that Shark would have spent so much time, money and energy into designing the Evoline -- not to mention the cost involved in getting it to a point where it passed both the ECE and DOT testing regimens, finding a distributor, getting it into the distribution process, parts and accessories and all the rest.

So let's take a look and see what this interesting new helmet is all about!

Paint, Graphics and Overall Quality

The Shark Evoline shown here was purchased in Europe, thus it is ECE 22.05 approved only and was sourced using the European color palette, which is rather subdued.

This one is the gloss silver color, which is actually more like a graphite. The metalflake paint is nicely applied on the polycarbonate Lexan shell, with no obvious flaws. There's not much you can say about gloss silver or graphite; it is what it is.

It's unclear at this point whether the Evoline helmets sold in North America will have a different color palette or will be offered with a variety of graphic designs, but for the most part, flip-up helmets seem to have much more...dare we say boring?...colors than their full-face counterparts. Perhaps flip-up owners are a conservative breed?

But overall, the finish is about as good as it gets. The finish does "feel" thick and the clearcoat also seems thick and protective.

This helmet was apparently one of the first off the assembly line, and there are some quality issues here and there that we hope are resolved by time the distribution channels are filled.

The gasket around the bottom of the helmet has a few gaps and some glue is showing; the metal latches on the helmet shell are pitted and look unpolished; there's a bit of polish residue or wet sanding residue here and there; you can see in some of the photos that the screw heads and other metal bits are showing (a design, not a quality issue) and the Phillips head screws that hold the eccentric cam on the sides that rotate the visor are crooked.

This is a complex helmet, with more moving parts than many other "normal" flip-ups, and obviously more than a typical full-face helmet. All the parts add up to a bit of a creaky feeling -- the helmet isn't as solid as we'd like to see...but what flip-up is?

The liner looks more expensive and plush than what is usually found in flip-up helmets, and it's relatively comfortable, although not as comfy as the ultra-plush liner in the Shark RSX, for example.

The vents click open and shut with authority, but the clear visor feels flimsy and has some distortion at the top and bottom, which is surprising for Shark and probably due to the completely different visor design.

Score: Overall, give the Shark Evoline a "Very Good" rating for the paint and the finish, with a "Good" for the rest.