Burn Out Italy BurnOutItaly's Blog about Motorcycle helmets, riding gear, motorcycle accessories and parts
Roof Desmo—the French connection to high tech modular design
The Roof Desmo modular helmet looks high tech—because it is. So high-tech, in fact that it offers true open and full-face riding modes, one-hand operation in making the switch from one mode to the other, a slick retention buckle system that can be operated with gloves on and a visor hinge that is so smart, it opens the visor for you.
Let’s start with that last feature first. To lower the chin bar to the full-face position, the visor must be raised. To make one-hand operation easy, the Desmo has a clever hinge system that automatically raises the visor when the chin bar is rotated from the open face position down to the full-face position.
The next smart feature is the ability for the chin bar to swing to a position tucked in behind the helmet. Unlike most modular helmet designs that limit the movement of the chin bar to directly overhead, this feature keeps the chin bar from catching the wind as much as it would overhead and minimizes the turbulence effect of the wind while riding at highway speed. It makes it possible for the Desmo to work effectively in open face and full face mode while underway.
The vent in the chin bar has two shutter-style closures that provide generous air flow into the front of the helmet; twin venturi-style vents on top ventilate the crown of the helmet. A robust rubber gasket seals the lower edge of the visor to the top edge of the chin bar.
All that movement can be put to use single-handedly by using the “Desmolock” button under the front edge of the chin bar. Desmolock is activated by squeezing the button up, using the red button under the chin bar vent as a grasp point. That releases the chin bar from the metal locking pins on each side of the shell, allowing the chin bar to be raised. Returning the chin bar to the full-face position can be done by simply pulling the chin bar back down until it clicks into the locked position; using the Desmolock button is not necessary. Once the chin bar is locked in place, lowering the visor into position seats it into a rubber gasket on the top edge of the chin bar to seal the face piece.
The fit of the helmet as received is precise, using the roof helmet sizing chart on the site. With the chin bar down in full-face mode, the Desmo fits closer to the face than most other full-face or modular helmets I’ve tried. The visor comes with an anti-fog coating, which appears to work well, proven while riding in temperatures around 40 degrees.
The visor comes with an anti-fog and anti-scratch coating, which appeared to work well in a day of riding in temperatures around 40° F.
The fit of any helmet is affected by the chin strap. The Desmo has a “micrometric” buckle system on the retention strap, which clicks into position with ratchet-like precision. Insert the semi-rigid, stepped end of the retention strap into the buckle until the right fit is reached and you’re done. Pull on the red tab to release the buckle and it opens immediately. Opening and closing can be done even with gloves on.
The shell and chin bar are made of thermoplastic composite, which in this instance is finished to an excellent high-gloss black surface. The Desmo weighs in at a claimed weight of 1.9 kg (about 4.1 lb.). The Roof Desmo complies with ECE 22.05 standard J for open face helmets and P for full-face helmets.
See www.burnoutitaly.com/roof-desmo-helmets for more information.
Review and images by Gary Ilminen
