HJC C80 adventure flip-up Review

There aren't many flip-up adventure helmets on the market, and the HJC C80 is the most recent edition. Some manufacturers take a flip front helmet from their existing range, add a peak and maybe redesign the chin bar to make it look more adventurous, and then you've got an adventure flip.

But the C80 appears to be all new rather than a jazzed-up version of something already existing.

Shell Construction

It runs an all polycarbonate shell, and if you're the sort of rider concerned by weight, then you can probably stop reading this review.

The size medium C80 weighs in on our scales at 1936 grams/4.2 lbs, making it the heaviest of the 79 helmet models we've weighed.

It's not even a close run, as this is 110 grams or so heavier than the next helmet down on the list.

Chin Bar

The chin bar has a single red button release which you will find just under the chin bar.

To release the chin bar, you press the button, which frees the chin bar to be lifted. The peak rotates back with the chin bar, which means it stays clear of the visor.

To stop it from getting scratched, you'll see there's a chin curtain. I'm mentioning this because I found it trickier to locate the release button when wearing winter gloves. You need to get between the chin curtain and the button to be able to operate it.

This helmet isn't dual homologated, so riding with the chin bar is not legal.

In addition, there's no lock to stop the chin bar from falling back over your eyes to block your view, and it doesn't stay up particularly firmly of its own accord.

The owner's manual for this lid says never to ride with the chin bar.

Ventilation

Ventilation comes in through a rocking switch on the front, allowing air to flow through the chin bar and inside the lid.

A sliding shutter on top opens up to let air come in through two holes inside the helmet.

It can then travel through deep channels in the EPS impact liner and escape through exhaust vents at the rear of the shell.

I found the venting to be reasonable when I wore this helmet. It's not something I'd necessarily write about, but it worked and allowed air to get inside the helmet and keep it fresh.

Visor

The visor offers a good view in terms of height and width and is protected against mist by a Pinlock insert that covers pretty much all visible areas.

Anti Fogging

It's pinlock 70, the middle of three grades of pinlock insert. A good thing to point out is that if you need to adjust the tension of your Pinlock for any reason, you can do it just using a small screwdriver by turning these screws here.

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You can make the pins closer to each other or further apart to increase or reduce the tension of the pin lock to try and get a better seal against the inner surface of the visor.

Some much more expensive lids than this one out there don't make it so easy to fine-tune your pin lock tension.

The visor lifts and lowers with handy twin tabs, but there aren't many stages to the visor operation.

For example, there are only two intermediate steps between open and closed.

I would have liked another step to have the visor slightly open and get in a bit of airflow.

But, unfortunately, the first step is the smallest gap you can have before it's sealed shut, and that's a bit too much of a step for me.

The visor is easy to remove and refit, but you need a screwdriver. Of course, you've got to remove the peak first.

The peak can be left off if you want, which might be handy if you're suffering quite a bit of turbulence from it.

There are spaces provided with the helmet that allows you to run the C80 peak less while retaining the visor.

Equally, you can ditch the visor and run with just the peak as there's room in the eye port for a pair of goggles.

Sun Visor

An internal sun visor backs the main visor and operates on a switch behind the left ear.

The final step of the lifting motion has a slight resistance to ensure the visor doesn't easily slip back into your eye line.

If you don't want it to, that sun visor is anti-fuel coated, so you know your vision will stay clear when it's sunny, and there's moisture in the air.

Interior

The liner is fully removable. It's made from a moisture-wicking material. There are recesses at the top of the cheek pads to make room for spectacle arms.

I wore a pair of glasses as part of this review, and they fit in there easily.

Bluetooth

Behind the cheek pads, there are also recesses for intercom speakers. This helmet is prepared for HJC's smart intercoms, so the battery stows away at the back, allowing the control module to be smaller. Those intercoms are made for HJC by Senna.

As for other intercoms, I fitted a Cena 20s Evo without any trouble using the clamp to attach it. The speakers easily fit in the recess.

I also tried a Cardo PACKTALK Bold, and the speakers fit into the recesses. However, I found I would have needed to use the glue mount to attach the unit itself because the clamp wouldn't go around the thick helmet rim.

A pair of Cardo 45mm speakers will sit neatly in the recesses, but they sit slightly proud, so you need to know how much room you've got between the helmet and your ears.

Finally, with the interior, the fastening strap for this helmet is a micrometric buckle type fastener which is all very normal for a lid like this.

Sizing

The C80 comes in sizes extra small through to double extra large. In addition, there are two shell sizes. The smaller shell covers lids up to and including large. In comparison, XL and 2XL share the bigger shell.

Safety Ratings

Regarding approvals, it's approved to ECE 2205 for the road. It's not ACY gold for track or racing use. It's not been tested by the UK government's sharp program as we write this review.

In Conclusion

HJC C80 is an adventure-style helmet that is lightweight and comfortable to wear. It's made from an advanced polycarbonate composite shell that provides superior fit and comfort.

The helmet features a dual-purpose (on and off-road) design, and it's equipped with the ACS, Pinlock Pinlock ready visor, and a super cool interior that provides enhanced moisture-wicking.