AGV Veloce S: AGV’s Street/Sportsbike composite fibre full face helmet

AGV Veloce S motorbike crash helmet review.

AGVs GT Veloce was a great helmet. Designed to be their entry-level sports helmet with a look of all those track-developed pointy AGVs like the Corsa R and top of the range Pista GP-R, it delivered supreme safety and lots of useful features all finished off with a great low price tag.

Now, the GT Veloce has been replaced by the Veloce S. Apart from a new range of graphics and a slightly fatter price tag, you’ll be hard-pressed to tell the two apart. But with new internals, EQRS and with a Pinlock in the box, the Veloce S promises to be a major step forward over the old helmet.

• Carbon/aramid/fibreglass shell
• Full face sports/street helmet
• SHARP 5 star safety rated (maximum)
• Class one optical visor
• Pinlock antifog in the box
• EQRS
• Double-D ring fastener
• 1.4Kg (3.1lbs)
• 5 Year warranty (*see ‘other stuff’ below)
• Expect to pay £379-£449

Best places to buy an AGV Veloce S?

Please click below to visit the AGV Veloce S helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Safety

The AGV Veloce S has a ton of safety features, backed by AGVs fantastic reputation for making safe crash helmets.

At the time of writing, AGV is our joint second placed top safest helmet brand. The Veloce S’ predecessor, the outgoing and excellent GT Veloce, scored top marks in the SHARP helmet test and because the Veloce S has the same helmet shell, we saw no reason that the Veloce S wouldn’t score just as well.

Well, after weeks in the SHARP testing labs, they’ve scored the Veloce S top marks again. Meaning, if you’re after a helmet that keeps you looking pretty as a priority (OK, it’s in the eye of the beholder, right?), then you can very much trust an AGV.

In fact, looking back over the years, you’ve gotta go back to an ancient AGV K-Series helmet to find one that scored less than four stars in SHARP testing.

Much of that will be down to those race-developed helmet shells. And while the Veloce S is more of a street/sports crossover helmet and not an out-and-out track helmet, the lessons learnt making helmets for the likes of Valentino, Pol Espargaro, Andrea Iannone and Jack Miller (actually, the list goes on and on) won’t have been put to waste on making helmets for the rest of us.

The shell’s a composite of carbon, aramid (i.e. kevlar) and fibreglass. It’s shaped in-line with many of their highly rated track helmets like the Corsa and Pista-GP and it’s backed by a multi-density shock absorbing lining. It also comes in four different shells sizes to make sure each fitment size is as close to optimal in terms of helmet size and lining. All these are GOOD THINGS.

There’s plenty of other features that will, hopefully, mean you make it round the track – or block – in one piece.

There’s a 3.3mm thick class 1 optically-correct visor for clear, distortion-free vision, backed by a Pinlock ready visor with Pinlock included to keep your vision fog-free from the get-go.

AGV also reckon they’ve redesigned to bottom of the helmet/neck roll to stop it hitting your collarbone in an impact (tbh, I kinda hoped all helmet makers would do this but now AGV’s raised it – maybe not!).

And should the worse happen and you do have a spill, the Veloce S is fitted with EQRS so paramedics can remove your helmet without upsetting your head and neck too much.

All in all, in terms of safety, that’s a stack of ways AGV has tried to make the Veloce S perform well. So in pure ‘check box’ terms, the Veloce should pretty well offer as much protection as you could hope for in a crash helmet.

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

Obviously, the Veloce S is a sportsbike helmet. And when it comes to designing a sportsbike helmet, quietness is usually very low on the list of priorities.

And that’s proven to be the case with the Veloce S. By far the majority of owners reckoned it’s a noisy blighter. It’s probably not helped by all those great ventilation holes letting in a stack of air (see below) but if you get towards motorway speeds, the noise really ramps up and never stops building.

Of course, stick in a great pair of ear plugs and you should be OK. But don’t buy a Veloce S expecting it to be quiet and cosseting, because it ain’t.

Ventilation

Like most of the latest range of AGVs, the Veloce S is fitted with their IVS or Integrated Ventilation System.

All that really means is the Veloce S uses a system similar to most other modern helmets – i.e. vents in the shell allow air to pass through the shell where channels in the EPS polystyrene lining direct hair around the head. Air is then removed from the helmet by the two exhaust vents at the back of the helmet.

The configuration of the vents on the Veloce S looks similar to that on the outgoing GT Veloce – twin chin vents and triple forehead vents. On the previous GT Veloce helmet, owners seemed to think ventilation was OK though the switches on the vents were a bit fiddly.

But on the Veloce S, ventilation’s rated as excellent with the redesigned internals doing a fantastic job at circulating air around the helmet.

So if you’re planning to use your Veloce S doing lots of sweaty track days – or if you spend most of your days in the sunshine – then you should find yourself riding in a happy (and cool) place.

Visor

Like the GT Veloce, the Veloce S has AGVs Race 2 visor – that’s a nice large and wide visor that’s 3.3mm thick for added safety, and is optically class 1 correct for distortion-free vision. It’s also Pinlock and tear-off ready and, unlike the GT Veloce before it, the Veloce S comes with the Pinlock anti-fog insert in the box so you’ll never have your visor steam up (hurrah!).

The visor on the Veloce S is quick release and it operates without a ratchet. Fully closed, there’s a central locking mechanism which you have to disengage before opening the helmet.

That’s a safety feature to stop the visor opening during an accident or while on the track. A couple of riders found it fiddly at first, but once you get the hang of it the visor lock works pretty well.

The opening tab is in the middle of the visor which is a decent place for it and means you can open your visor with your right hand when you’re stationary and pulling in the clutch.

Once you open the visor, it cracks open to allow some air in and help reduce misting. But the next point up is fully-open because the Veloce S’s visor doesn’t work on a ratchet.

You’ll have to decide if that’s OK for you – some of us prefer a ratchet to keep the visor open at different stages, others don’t – it’s very much down to personal preference.

One great thing about the visor on the Veloce S is that it’s mega wide and tall. A couple of riders said they’ve never had a helmet that’s so unobtrusive because you don’t see the sides at all. And because it’s so tall, forward vision in a tuck position is excellent.

Comfort & Sizing

The Veloce S – like most helmets on the market – is a slightly oval fitment. Most of us have heads that are longer than wider and that’s the head form the Veloce S works best with.

Inside, AGV have gone to lengths to make a comfortable liner, using a few technical fabrics to keep things dry and fresh.

The cheek pads use an antibacterial fabric that’s moisture wicking and with a microsense treatment (apparently this makes it more comfortable). The neck roll is hydrophobic-lined to stop it absorbing water in rain and both neckroll and skull pad are lined with moisture-wicking/antimicrobial Shalimar fabric.

As you’d expect, all the internals are removable and washable and all AGV Veloce S’s come with an emergency quick removal system (EQRS) cheek pads as standard fitment.

The Veloce S is available in sizes XS-XL.

Looks & Graphics

To date, there’s only matt black and pearl white options if you want solid, plain colours. If you want funky graphics, there’s the Prediatore, Freccia and Fulmine and you can find examples of these up and down the page. And like all AGV sports helmets, there’s a Valentino Rossi version – in this case it’s the Soleluna.

Best places to buy an AGV Veloce S helmet?

Please click below to visit the AGV Veloce S helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

AGV Veloce S Video

Here’s a pretty comprehensive 9m look around the Veloce S from the fast talking dude at Revzilla in the US.

Other stuff – fasteners, weight, chin curtain, warranty

The AGV Veloce comes with a tried-and-tested double-d ring fastener. They’re the fastener of choice among racing helmets – but they’re not strictly necessary to take on the track.

As for weight, the Veloce S has been lightened from the old Veloce and now weighs around 1.4Kg (3.1lbs). The average weight of a composite fibre helmet is 1.46Kg so the Veloce S is a smidge lighter. If you’re after something lighter still, you’re best looking at one of these helmets instead.

As you’d expect, the Veloce S comes with both breath guard and chin curtain pre-fitted.

*And finally, AGV helmets come with a standard 2 year warranty. However, that’s extendable by an extra 3 years if you register your helmet on their website (within 60 days of purchase).

Overall/Summary

AGV’s range of sports/track helmets have a legendary status, not least because they have the blessing of the big man himself (not that big man – Valentino!). They all tend to score top marks – or near top marks – in SHARP safety testing too; and the Veloce S is no exception scoring a maximum 5 stars in the SHARP testing labs.

The Veloce S is a great looking helmet like the rest of AGVs sports helmet range – but it’s a little less extreme than the rest of the family. Which should make it a more usable street helmet and, importantly, cheaper. It’s not the lightest helmet on the block, but it comes with great stuff like an optically-correct visor, Pinlock antifog in the box and EQRS should things go wrong.

It’s not the cheapest helmet for road riding either, but it’s got that all important AGV pedigree and build quality, and it looks cool – with or without the Rossi graphics.

And owners love their Veloce S’s. Yup it’s noisy, but that’s pretty much a given for sportsbike helmets. But it’s comfortable, has great ventilation and an immense visor system.

If you’re looking for a quality sportsbike helmet that’s just as at home on the track as it is on your Sunday blast, then the AGV Veloce S should definitely make it onto your shortlist.

Crash Helmet Buying Guides & Top 10s

For (hopefully!) other useful information to help you when buying your next helmet, check our various Motorcycle Helmet Buying Guides - or have a look at our Top 10 best helmet lists where we've got the top 10 best rated helmets overall along with Top 10 Best Budget/Top 10 Safest/Top 10 Best Full Face/Top 10 Best Modular/Flip-up/ Top 10 Best Sportsbike/Track helmets.

Good Alternatives to the AGV Veloce S?

If you’re quick, you’ll find some of the old GT Veloce’s on sale. They’re still a great helmet, cost less than the new Veloce S and they come with that maximum 5 star SHARP safety rating.

If you want something very sporty, that’s very light and has a maximum SHARP safety rating, then why not have a look at the Shark Race-R Pro.

For less money than both the AGV and the Shark, there’s the SHARP 4 star rated LS2 Arrow – that’s a sportsbike focused helmet that comes with both an optically correct visor and Pinlock antifog in the box. It’s light too.

Or for a helmet that’s more of an all-rounder, there’s the fibreglass HJC FG-ST. It’s SHARP 5 star safety rated, comes with a Pinlock Max Vision, has a drop down sun visor and is cheaper than the Veloce S too.

All these helmets are highly rated for safety and widely liked by their owners – and well worth checking out.

Other full face helmets?

We've got lots of other ways you can find your ideal full face helmet. You can check out our Top 10 full-face crash helmets list to see our best rated helmets or head over to our Smartish Filters pages and zoom in on helmets with your 'must have' features. You can browse through all our full face crash helmet reviews as well as our safest motorcycle helmets page where you'll only find helmets that are SHARP four or five star rated - so you'll know you're wearing the best protection out there. Finally, check out our helmet gallery to find a lid that takes your fancy.

Best places to buy an AGV Veloce S?

Please click below to visit the AGV Veloce S helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Star Ratings