Five of the best flip-up helmets under £200

Sportsbikeshop customers have been impressed with the flip front HJC I90, praising its comfort, field of vision and room around the ears for glasses and speakers. Several reviewers also preferred the micro ratchet fastening over a more traditional double D ring. Despite the cheaper polycarbonate shell, several customers find this helmet to be relatively light. The HJC I90 is only available for under £200 if you opt for plain colours as graphics go over our price threshold.

Perhaps the most common flipfront helmet in Britain, the Caberg Duke II has a 4.7-star average from a massive 634 reviews. It has dual homologation, meaning it can legally be worn both flipped up and as a full-face, something which lots of Sportsbikeshop customers appreciate. It’s also rated to the maximum five stars by the UK Government’s SHARP safety scheme. Owners also say the lid is comfortable, well fitting, and that the sunvisor works great even if wearing glasses.

The MD200 has a pricetag to match the others in this guide and it carries the same features, but with the addition of a hygienically treated interior liner. The MD200 also benefits from two shell sizes and a four-star SHARP rating, plus a nifty roller and button mechanism to drop the sun-visor.  Out of its first 62 reviews from Sportbikeshop customers, it’s achieved an average of 4.6 stars.

It’s early days for HJC’s entry-level flipfront helmet, but the signs are good enough for it to make our list of best budget flips, with the first four customer reviews all giving it five stars. It has a plastic shell, a sun visor and the main visor has Pinlock pins for an optional insert. If you can live without the Pinlock it’s a £50 saving over HJC’s i90, which comes down to a £20 saving if you need to buy the Pinlock (if you’re riding in all weathers for example). The C91 is single-homologated, so it’s only legal to ride in it with the chinbar up.

Customers have been full of praise for the HJC V90 helmet, with a large percentage of them sold on the idea of a retro-style helmet with all the practicality of a modern flipfront. Many customers have been impressed with the wide field of vision from the old-school bubble visor, as well as the ease of use of the flip mechanism. Despite this being a flip-front helmet, which have a reputation for being noisy, several reviewers were impressed with just how quiet the helmet is during use.