France has for a long time had a tradition of manufacturing quality motorcycle gear; companies such as Shark, Furygan, Segura and others are well-respected for their products throughout the world. Continuing in this tradition the French startup company Qwart, based in Saïx in southwest France, creates and manufactures a range of handcrafted designer crash helmets.
The range of Qwart helmets covers two models, the full-face Phoenix helmet and the open-face Hemi helmet. The Phoenix comes in two versions, the "Slick", which does not have a faceshield (Qwart make a bespoke pair of goggles that integrate seamlessly with this helmet); and the "STD" (for "standard"), which is equipped with a faceshield.
All of Qwart's helmets are manufactured in high-grade carbon fibre with a suede/leather interior lining. What sets them apart from other helmets is that they are produced in small batches, as well as the fact that they are designed to be fully customised by the owner. Thus the air vent surrounds, eyeport surround, chinbar cover and other parts can be removed and swapped around - these elements exist in various colours and finishes, allowing each Qwart owner to have a unique helmet. It can also come in handy if you want to give the helmet a thorough clean. This out-of-the-ordinary design is a bit of an engineering tour-de-force and must have represented quite a challenge for obtaining the ECE 22.05 standard approval.
One can't really put the Qwart helmets in the neo-retro pigeonhole like, say, a Ruby; for example the Phoenix STD wouldn't look out of place on somebody riding a Ducati Panigale or a Triumph Speed Triple RS. Yet despite their modern and aggressive design, they don't look out of place on a café racer such as the BMW R nineT Racer or a Scrambler styled bike such as the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled.
For the time being, availability of the Qwart helmets is pretty limited; if you want to find out whether it is stocked at a bike shop near you, your best bet is to check out the company's website. Prices are in the 600-700 Euro range; given their fabrication process, Qwart can make one-off designs, although in this case the price tag might be somewhat bigger.
Hopefully we will soon be able to get our hands on a Qwart Phoenix STD so that we can have a closer look at it and - more importantly - find out what it's like to wear. Stay tuned!
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