Right out of the box, there’s no doubt the craftsmanship and solid construction of the new RPHA MAX exceeds the SY-MAX III. HJC really went to town making sure the new triple composite (carbon fiber, aramid fiber and fiberglass) PIM shell technology, was up to snuff against the competition. The lightweight (1,600g or 3.5 lb), firm and beautifully molded exterior is finished off with a brilliant white pearl metallic paint. To add to the RPHA MAX’s safety and rigidity, they’ve incorporated a new 360 degree closing mechanism in the chin bar, as well as higher quality male locking posts near the cheeks, providing highly positive latching. Lifting the chin bar is an easy one hand “pinch and lift” job. The RPHA MAX’s new shape and construction tally up to the quietest modular helmet ever made by HJC and we’d say just as silent as higher priced units. Inside, the one piece removable liner’s quick dry fabrics feel silky smooth when sliding it over your noggin and remain comfortable regardless of how much sweating goes on inside the helmet—which is unfortunately a fair amount.

Unlike the Shoei Neotec and Schuberth C3, the MAX’s ventilation won’t give you the breezy feeling you might want at this price point. While it does use a similar top air scoop to the Shoei, the ports themselves are still covered in pop-up style covers which restrict intake airflow to the otherwise generously sized chimney vents. Inside the EPS liner, circulation channels are present but proved to be ineffective during our testing on warm and cool days. The front chin vent, while nicely designed and easy to operate also lacked the eyeball drying air flow we found on other top end modular, and we couldn’t figure out why. The internal opening below the center-latch primary visor is large enough, and the front port was tall (although a little narrow), but the visor took longer to clear on cool mornings. Fogging wasn’t a problem with the Pinlock insert installed. Although this sounds like an overwhelmingly negative summation of the MAX’s ventilation, it’s only fair to note the circulation is an improvement over the SY-MAX III, but falls short of its slightly higher priced competitors.

Drop down sun visors have become de rigeur in modulars and, while complicated to design, are extremely useful when properly executed. Like the SY-MAX III, the RPHA MAX actuates its sun visor by sliding a top track forward, and visor retraction is accomplished with a one touch release button. Our test unit proved to be noisy and stiff to actuate and, probably most disappointing, is the sun visor didn’t retract all the way up. When down, the sun visor provided excellent coverage but exhibited a fair amount of optical distortion, further adding to the “bargain bin” feeling which wasn’t consistent with the general high quality of the shell.

In summary, modular users demand more gizmos and accessories, but at the same time want it all to be weightless and affordable. With a class leading light weight, beautiful styling and quality shell construction, the RPHA MAX is a great first shot at entering the high end modular helmet category.

Despite the many clear improvements over HJC’s previous offerings, we felt the overall package was let down by using accessory parts from their lower end lids. Designing a good modular helmet is arguably the most difficult to accomplish and eagerly await HJC’s refinements. Looking ahead, the benefits of HJC’s new PIM shell technology mean gigantic payoffs in models which don’t require all the modular moving bits. ADVMoto is testing the RPHA X dirt helmet which has quickly become a favorite model of the office and is poised to shake up the market with superb ventilation, a strong shell, amazing light weight and an affordable price point. Look for the RPHA X review in the upcoming issue. MSRP: $419.99 HJChelmets.com