What do owners think of the Nolan N91 Evo modular motorcycle helmet?

Nolan N91 Evo: A SHARP 4 star modular crash helmet at a low price

The Nolan N91 is a polycarbonate, flip-up/modular helmet that was introduced as an update to the popular and well-rated N90. Even though the N90 was well rated – especially at this lowish price point – there were a few reported issues with it. So now, Nolan have released the N91 Evo version. As the name suggests, it’s an evolution of the N91 with upgraded comfort lining being the main improvement.

Note: this helmet is now discontinued. Visit our main Nolan Helmets review page for current Nolan helmets.

Flip-up helmet
SHARP four star safety rated
DOT and ECE approved
Dual homologated (can use with chin guard up or down)
100% chin guard locked & closed during testing
Drop down sun visor
Average weight
Micrometric fastener
Expect to pay £150-£200

Looking to buy a Nolan?

We recommend checking out Nolan helmets at Amazon UK but make sure you only buy from the most reputable sellers. Please click the link and you'll drop straight onto their Nolan helmets pages (then use site search).

Nolan N91 v N91 Evo

Before we go any further, it’s worth mentioning that the N91 Evo is only a slight evolution over the N91 – so this review covers both helmets. Where we’re talking about a particular Evo version feature, we’ll say so.

The main difference is in the comfort lining of the N91 Evo that was changed in response to some owners comments about the old N91 being too tight around the ears and difficult to remove and refit.

See our section on comfort and sizing below for more information.

You’ll mostly find the Nolan N91 Evo for sale now as the old N91 is being phased out (which is not to say if you do find a non-Evo N91 on sale, it won’t make a great bargain buy!).

nolan n91 evo hi viz orange modular crash helmet side view — Hi Viz orange version of the N91. If you look closely, the black tab below the chrome metal pivot is the chin guard lock.

Safety

Nolan’s modular helmets have a great reputation for safety, and the N91 is no different. In fact, at the time of writing Nolan are our fourth safest crash helmet brand with all eleven of their tested helmets scoring 4/5 stars for safety in the SHARP test.

So it’s no surprise that the N91 scored four stars too. Importantly for a modular, the chin guard also stayed locked and closed in 100% of the tests which is fantastic – and just what you’d expect from your modular helmet. Unfortunately, you’d be surprised at how few flip up helmets manage it, so that’s a big tick in the safety box for the N91.

See our definitive guide to crash helmet safety for more information.

Part of the reason for this great score will lie in the solid construction of the chin guard and mechanism, but part will also like in Nolan’s dual-action chin guard system that needs two buttons to be pressed to open the chin guard – as opposed to many manufacturers that use just one.

It might sound like pressing in two buttons might become a pain but apparently not – owners have reported it becomes second nature very quickly.

nolan n91 evo modular crash helmet silver front view — Showing single chin and forehead vents and drop down sun visor

If you do like to ride around with your chin guard up, the last thing you want is for it to slam down when you’re riding. So usefully, the N91 has a chin guard locking slider (you can see it just below the left chin-guard pivot point) – slide it towards the ‘J’ setting and it’ll lock it open.

The ‘J’ stands for the fact that it’s been ECE 22.05 tested and approved (or homologated) to be used as a Jet style or open face helmet. It also has a ‘P’ position meaning that it’s also approved for use with the chin guard down like a full face helmet. You may be surprised to know that lots of modular helmets aren’t both J and P approved which really means they’re only designed to protect you as an open face helmet, not full face.

Of course, that’s only legally relevant for ECE 2205 countries – but I’m sure those outside of the Eurozone and Oz might well be interested too!

Look here for alternative dual-homologated modular helmets.

Ok, other stuff to note about the N91 in terms of safety and the helmet shell?

Well, it’s a polycarbonate shell – as most cheaper helmets are – which is a strong and durable material and many five star safety rated helmets are created from polycarbonates. Note that Nolan mentions the name Lexan a few times in its marketing bumf in relation to the N91’s visor and shell; but Lexan is just a tradename of one company (Sabic) who supplies polycarbonate to manufacturers. So, as far as we’re aware, that doesn’t actually have any relevance – a Lexan visor isn’t necessarily any better than any other polycarbonate visor.

The N91 is only manufactured in one helmet shell size to cover all fitment sizes, which isn’t ideal for looks or safety (here’s why). And finally, it comes with a microlock 2 fastener – which are fine and safe, as long as you check the strap adjustment from time to time and as the strap stretches slightly over time.

nolan n91 evo ammersee modular crash helmet red white side view — The N91 Evo Ammersee

Helmet Noise

As you may or may not know, modular helmets are generally noisier than full face.

Reports are that the N91 is one of the quieter modular helmets around though. It’s possibly down to the tighter fitting of the comfort lining and lack of ear cut outs, as well as the chin curtain which owners say is effective at stopping wind blast getting into the helmet.

Having said that, don’t expect the N91 to be really quiet and do expect to wear ear plugs (as we all should if we’re going any distance). Also, if you’re coming to the N91 from a quiet full face helmet, we’d expect you to find it quite loud – much of the perception of how noisy a helmet is comes from how quiet it is in relation to your last helmet, the type of bike you ride and your riding position, amongst lots of other variables.

Ventilation

The Nolan N91 has a single chin vent and single crown vent.

The chin vent has a panel that flips out when pressed and allows ventilation to the chin and back of the visor. The top vent is opened/closed by a slider right on the top of the helmet which allows air into the top of the helmet, through channels moulded in to the polystyrene shock absorbing liner then around the scalp, exiting through the single rear exhaust vent.

nolan n91 evo modular crash helmet silver rear view — You can see the rear spoiler and exhaust vent

The chin vent is easy to use in gloves while the top vent is a little fiddlier, sitting right on top of the helmet and being relatively small, so it’s trickier to find in gloves.

Owners seem to think that ventilation is average at best and poor at worst. There’s not much sensation of air around the scalp and while you can feel some air pushing on to the back of the visor, it’s not really enough and certainly not enough to keep it from fogging up.

If good ventilation is important to you, you might want to check out one of these helmets that are great for ventilation.

Visor

Visor fogging may not be an issue though as the Nolan N91 Evo comes Pinlock ready, though there isn’t a Pinlock included inside the box (in Europe) which is a shame – so you’ll have to pay the £30ish it costs for an insert on top.

The visor itself is reportedly OK – for most people.

It operates on a ratchet, seals well against rain and is quick-release. It looks like Nolan have given the quick release mechanism lots of attention because it operates on a separate pivot mechanism to the chin guard and it’s easy to use, unlike some other modulars.

nolan n91 evo modular crash helmet matt black side view — This one’s the plain matt black version

The only issue some folks report with the main visor is that the ratchet mechanism doesn’t always hold the visor open, with some owners saying it can slam down at any speed. It doesn’t seem to happen for everyone and Nolan don’t apparently acknowledge it as a problem – but if you buy an N91 and find it happens to you, you might want to swap it for another as it might be that you’ve bought a duff one.

Sun Visor

The sun visor’s operated by a slider on the left hand side of the helmet. Its analogue, meaning that you can partially slide the visor across and that’ll partly lower the sun visor. It’s a matter of personal preference if you like that sort or prefer the type that’s either fully lowered or fully retracted, usually by pressing a button to spring the visor out of the way.

A few owners have said that it’s not really tinted enough, though that’s a problem with pretty well all motorcycle helmet sun visors, as manufacturers try to ensure they’re legal in all territories and don’t interfere with vision levels too much.

Likewise, a couple wished that their sun visors dropped a little lower to stop that potentially annoying band of un-dimmed light along the bottom edge of your vision. Again, sun visors have to accommodate the wide range in variation of owners’ faces, so if that’s an issue for you, you’re probably going to have to hunt around A LOT – or read through quite a few of our crash helmets with sun visors reviews because if owners have mentioned that a particular sun visor drops down lower than average, we’ll mention it.

Chin Guard

As mentioned above, Nolan flip-up helmets seem to have particularly solid chin guards because not one of the chin guards on their modulars has ever come unlocked during safety testing when tested by SHARP. Which, obviously, is excellent and the best performance by any flip-up crash helmet manufacturer.

nolan n91 evo strip modular crash helmet side view — Nolan N91 Evo Strip

The Nolan N91 is also dual-homologated in the ECE testing zone (i.e. Europe), meaning it’s designed and tested to work as a full-face helmet as well as an open face. Again, lots of modulars aren’t.

Other than that, the chin guard is opened by pressing two red buttons; one on the front of the chin guard and the other tucked underneath it. That’s Nolan’s patented dual action system and is probably one of the reasons their system works so well under impact testing.

It’s apparently easy to use too – pressing two buttons rather than one becomes second nature pretty quickly and owners are happy with the way it operates. So no worries here.

Comfort & Sizing

The Nolan N91 and N91 Evo is available in sizes XS-XXL. However, quite a few owners said that they had to return their N91 for a size larger because it fits particularly snugly. It sounds like there’s a slight issue with the sizing of the N91 helmets which are a tad small, but also that the comfort lining is particularly generous meaning they can feel tighter than other helmets.

So we’d suggest if you’re going to buy a Nolan N91 and you’re between sizes (see how to measure your head here), it’s probably worth buying a size up (so if you’re between M and L for example, order the L).

On the internals, the N91 Evo has what Nolan call their Clima Comfort lining. It ticks all the right boxes as Nolan say it’s designed for comfort and is anti-microbial and hypoallergenic too. It’s also fully removable and washable.

nolan n91 evo modular crash helmet silver inside view — A look at the internals. Note second red chin guard release button inside the chin guard

The comfort lining is the major difference between the N91 and the N91 Evo.

With the N91, quite a few owners complained that the comfort lining was too tight, particularly around the ears. Unlike many helmets, the comfort lining of the N91 presses directly against the ears (many helmets have cut-aways meaning there’s space for the ears away from the liner) which some owners found very uncomfortable.

It seems like Nolan listened closely and have redesigned the N91 Evo to be more comfortable in this respect and to ‘incorporate the chin strap into the inner comfort padding.’

Unfortunately, we don’t have any feedback as to how much better the N91 Evo is over the older N91, so if you use an N91 Evo, please do let us know (thanks!).

Similarly, a couple of people commented that removing and reinstalling the comfort lining was a pain with the old N91. You can struggle and get it out, but it was double the trouble getting it back in again. Hopefully that’s sorted with the N91 Evo too.

nolan n91 evo ammersee modular crash helmet silver front view — Front view of the N91 Ammersee in black/white

Looks & Graphics

You’ll find most places only sell the N91 Evo (though you can find its predecessor the N91 on sale/clearance).

It’s available in the usual range of solid colours as well as a couple of hi-viz versions in yellow and orange. There’s also a classy plain silver version available too.

Otherwise, there aren’t too many designs to choose from, though Nolan are sure to launch others from time to time, so if you’re interested in buying an N91 Evo, we suggest you click a couple of the recommended retailer links you’ll find below to see the latest designs and prices.

At the time of writing, there’s the Ammersee design and the plain Outlaws available; you’ll find examples of those up and down the page.

Best place to buy this Nolan crash helmet?

You'll find this helmet at Amazon UK. Click the link to drop through to their Nolan Helmets page - but make sure you only buy from the most reputable sellers.

Other stuff – audio, weight, buffeting, build quality, chin curtain, warranty

The N91 and N91 Evo are designed to work with Nolan’s N-com communication system only. That’s not to say it won’t work with others because it will, just that you’ll have to adapt them to fit. Apparently, that can be tricky because of the thick rubber skirt on the N91 so reports are that it works best with communicators that’ll stick to the helmet shell.

nolan n91 evo hi viz yellow modular crash helmet side view — Here’s the hi viz yellow version

Like many flip-up helmets, the Nolan N91 isn’t the lightest. The medium version of the N91 weighs about 1.67Kg (3.7lbs) so it’s not lightweight, although it is about bang-on the average weight for a modular. So it’s not overly heavy like some reviews report.

There aren’t any reports that the N91 is particularly subject to buffeting which may be testament to the fact that Nolan paid quite a bit of attention to the aero on the N91. Build quality is said to be very good by many owners and it does come with a chin curtain in the box too – said to be very good for keeping the chill out and reducing noise.

Finally, Nolans come with a 5 year warranty (7 years from manufacturing date that you’ll find somewhere inside the helmet, though you may have to remove the lining to find it). So that’s as long as warranty’s come – so far.

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.

nolan n91 evo modular crash helmet silver flip up view — Chin guard opens just above eye line.

Alternatives to the Nolan N91 Evo

There’s lots of competition in the flip-up helmet market at this price point and some fabulous helmets to be found. The AGV Compact is a SHARP 4 star rated modular with sun visor and free Pinlock. Then there’s the very light 4 star Lazer Monaco – a bit more expensive but a great helmet with a photochromic visor as standard. You might also want to check out the excellent Cabergs – the Duke and the Tourmax – both 5 star rated and excellent buys.

Finally, if you’re considering a step up in build quality, there’s the Shoei Neotec – that’s a fibreglass flip-up that’s well rated in almost every area and is SHARP 4 star safety rated too. It’s about double the money from the N91 though.

For more alternatives, why not check out our Top 10 flip up crash helmets page?

Definitely want a Nolan?

Here you'll find all our Nolan crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.

Overall/Summary

The Nolan N91 was a bit of a slightly flawed gem. A great priced modular polycarbonate crash helmet that scored really well in the SHARP safety testing and is a well built, quality piece of kit. Owners say it’s pretty quiet (for a modular) and both the main visor and the sun visor generally work well.

It also seems that Nolan listened to first gen N91 owners and upgraded the internals with the N91 Evo to make it more comfortable and, hopefully, to remove the pressure points some owners felt around their ears. If that’s sorted (we’re quizzing Nolan for answers at the moment and if we hear back, we’ll let you know – as well as up the comfort star rating) then the Nolan N91 Evo is really worth considering – especially with its great safety rating and competitive price.

Looking to buy a Nolan?

We recommend checking out Nolan helmets at Amazon UK but make sure you only buy from the most reputable sellers. Please click the link and you'll drop straight onto their Nolan helmets pages (then use site search).

Star Ratings

Shoei VFX-W off-road/Motocross helmet review

The Shoei VFX-W motocross crash helmet: a classic design still going strong

The VFX-W is Shoei’s top of the range dirtbike crash helmet. It was designed to offer all the features you’d hope for in an off-road motorcycle helmet – safety, sun peak, lots of ventilation and all-day comfort. And it looks the part too – lots of mouldings in the shell and it comes in a massive range of funky graphics. Thing is, it’s been around a long time now with no significant updates; which got us thinking. Maybe that’s because Shoei got it so right in the first place?

Here’s the low-down on all the features and what buyers and owners around the web think of the VFX-W.

Fibreglass Motocross full face
Snell approved (not SHARP tested)
ECE & DOT certified
Double d-ring fastener
Emergency cheek pad removal
Wide aperture for goggles
5 year warranty
1.27Kg (2.8Lbs) size m (that’s light)
Sizes XS-XXL
Prices range from £400-£500

Note: the Shoei VFX-W has now been discontinued, replaced by the Shoei VFX-WR.

Safety

We reckon the Shoei VFX-W is gonna perform well in an accident.

Like all helmets on sale in Europe, it’s been ECE 2205 tested and approved (and it’s DOT certified in the US). And while it hasn’t been SHARP tested to verify quite how well it’ll perform in relation to other helmets, it has been Snell tested and certified M2015 in the US.

The shock absorbing liner is dual-density and the shell is a fibreglass composite using what Shoei calls it’s AIM+ or advanced integrated matrix process. Other Shoei helmets using this AIM+ construction include the old XR1100, the NXR, X-Sprit 2 and the Qwest – and three of those scored 5/5 stars and one 4/5 stars in the SHARP helmet test.

You’ll draw your own conclusions from that, but we think with a heritage like that, combined with ECE and Snell testing/approval, chances are the VFX-W is probably going to offer really good protection in an accident.

There’s some other features which will help with safety too. Shoei have designed that peak to easily snap off in an accident – so it doesn’t pull your head around and damage your neck. It’s also got a double-d ring fastener – which means you have to readjust your strap every time you put the helmet on – hopefully meaning you’ll have a nice tight fit every time you ride.

Shoei-vfx-w-motocross-crash-helmet-rear-view-taka — Rear of Shoei VFX-W in Taka design

There’s also EPS (polystyrene) shock absorbing lining backing the chin guard of the VFX-W too – which is a great touch and not something we often see in crash helmets. That’s a surprise because I know I’d like my jaw to remain intact if I faceplant terra firma and adding EPS to the inside of the chin guard is one way of helping achieve that. Nice one Shoei!

If you do have an off, the VFX-W also features emergency quick removal cheek pads – designed to help paramedics pull the cheek pads out of the bottom of the helmet before attempting to remove your helmet. There’s a sticker on the side of the helmet that tells them what to do too. Hopefully you’ll never need to test it but anything that gives you an edge in an accident is worth it – who knows, EQRS might be the difference between a full recovery and neck injuries?

One final thing to note on safety is that the VFX-W is produced in four shell sizes. We’ve only seen a couple of other helmets made in that many shell sizes so far, and it means you should have more or less the absolute optimal amount of shock-absorbing liner for each size of helmet and you’ll get a helmet that fits proportionately bang-on. Read more here about why more shell sizes is a good thing for safety and looks. Suffice to say, it’s a big thumbs up from us.

Overall then, evidence so far points to very good marks for safety.

Shoei-vfx-w-motocross-crash-helmet-Maelstrom-TC-8 — VFX-W Maelstrom design

Helmet Noise

Not many owners mentioned anything about helmet noise – I guess it’s not really a big concern when you’re off-roading. But those that did mention noise said words along the lines of ‘it’s not the quietest’. If noise is an issue for you when offroading, then we’d advise you to avoid the VFX-W – or buy one and stick in some ear plugs and you should be fine (alternatively, you could always just buy one of our quietest recommended helmets!).

Sizing

The Shoei VFX-W comes in sizes XS-XXL – that’s six fitment sizes covered by four helmet shell sizes.

Owners seem to be split between saying their fitment sizes are bang-on correct or they’re a bit tight. We suspect the feeling they’re a bit tight is linked to comments that the cheek pads can feel tight when you first get your new helmet, but that the helmet breaks in quickly after that (so perception may be that it’s tight).

Of course, if you do buy a VFX-W and find it’s a bit tight in the cheeks, like all Shoei’s, you can buy replacement cheek pads. Shoei make them in thin, standard and thick sizes so you should be able to swap them out and get the fitting just right.

However, if you measure your head and find you’re between sizes, the best advice seems to be to order the larger size (and if you order from one of our recommended retailers, you’ll be able to exchange it for a different size with no problems anyway).

Shoei vfx-w motocross crash helmet top view block pass design — Top view of the VFX-W block pass

Comfort

Inside the VFX-W you’ll find a removable/washable comfort liner. It’s made from the usual polyurethane foam and is what Shoei call a 3D Max liner, covered in a material that abosorbs/wicks sweat – and I’m quoting the Shoei website here – twice as fast as conventional nylon.

Now I may not be a materials scientist (actually, I was once but I’m not now!) but is nylon really known for it’s absorbancy!?

Doesn’t seem like much of a claim, however owners seem satisfied and say that, together with the great ventilation and reasonably light weight (see below) it works well and it’s a very comfortable helmet to wear.

Ventilation

Shoei have developed the VFX-W in cahoots with lots of pro motocross riders (Kevin Windham, Josh Grant, Josh Strang, Destry Abbott). The upshot is that they’ve said great ventilation is vital and Shoei seem to have listened because ventilation is reportedly top notch in the VFX-W.

There’s a single large chin vent, three brow vents above your goggles and a couple of forehead vents, all venting through five rear exhausts (including a massive rear, collar exhaust vent).

Overall, owners say the airflow is really great – couple that with Shoei’s 3D Max liner and it’s great at keeping your head cool and (relatively!) sweat free.

On that, it’s worth saying that none of the vents can be closed. Might not be an issue where you live, but then again… Oh and when folks have asked whether rain gets in, it’s not seemed to be an issue with a couple of guys saying they’ve ridden in rain without problems. Of course, there’s rain and there’s RAIN!!!

Finally, Shoei have added a nice foam filter to the rear of the chin vent – meaning you can take it out, wash out the s**t, dry it and slot it back in. Good feature that works well by all accounts.

Shoei vfx-w motocross crash helmet rear view turmoil — Rear view of VFX-W in turmoil design showing moulded rear designed to take goggles.

Goggles & neck braces

The front opening on the Shoei VFX-W was designed by Shoei to be nice and large so it would give good peripheral vision and accommodate pretty well all popular brands of goggles.

They seem to have done a good job as we couldn’t find anyone complaining they couldn’t fit their goggles. Oakley Airbrakes, Crowbars, 100% Racecraft, Dragon NFX – all reported to fit easily in there.

As you can see by the rear mouldings of the shell, there’s a nice groove designed-in too so when you’re wearing goggles the strap fits snugly around the back of the helmet and the moulding keeps it sitting nicely in place. Works well according to owners too.

There’s a few mentions from folks saying the VFX-W works fine with most neck braces as well. One guy who wears a Leatt support says it can tap on the jutty-out bit on the moulding at the back, but it’s nothing more than a niggle.

Looks & Graphics

The Shoei VFX-W has been around for a good while now and there’s lots of graphics options to be had. There’s quite a few plain, solid versions – including gloss/matt black, white – plus you might find the odd silver, orange and plain yellow versions around.

But most feature funky designs and we’ve thrown as many of the best ones as we can onto this page. As usual, for the latest and greatest ranges of designs, we recommend you click the links to our recommended retailers below (the links on this page will drop you on their Shoei helmets page) and have a browse around what’s on offer.

Shoei VFX-W Video

Here’s a sub-3 minute video giving you quick scan around the VFX-W.

Other stuff – warranty, weight, peak, build quality

The VFX-W comes with Shoei’s 5 year warranty (original buyer only). At 1.27Kgs (2.8Lbs) it’s nice and light weight with quite a few owners commenting how light it feels and how the lack of weight seems to help make comfy for a day’s offroading.

Shoei-vfx-w-motocross-crash-helmet-barcia-side-view — VFX-W Barca comes in two different schemes – this one’s the shy and retiring TC-3!

We’ve not mentioned the peak much so far. That’s probably because it does its job well. It’s adjustable and is secured by plastic screws – plastic so if you do take a tumble the screws will snap off to stop the peak digging in and wrenching your neck. It’ll also mean you can pick up your peak, get some new plastic screws (available from Shoei) and screw it back on again. Good design that. The VFX-W also comes with an anti-glare strip in the box, so you can stick it onto the underside of the peak if you suffer from sun glare.

Finally, lots also say how nicely finished the Shoei is – in line with pretty well all other Shoei’s with good build quality and high quality finish on paint and decals.

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.

Alternatives to the Shoei VFX-W

We’ve not reviewed a massive number of Motocross helmets so far (something we’ll look to improve) but you can find all our other motocross crash helmet reviews here.

Overall/Summary

The Shoei VFX-W is a great helmet that’s well liked – in fact we didn’t find a single person who moaned about their VFX-W which is saying something (we all love a good moan on the internet don’t we?!?).

Shoei’s design team seem to have listened to off road riders good and hard and that’s resulted in a helmet that’s got all the features dirt riders seem to need.

It hasn’t been SHARP tested for safety (though it has been ECE and Snell tested) but all the evidence so far points to the VFX-W being a really safe helmet too.

So, great features, well designed, superb build quality, safe. In a nutshell, if you’re in the market for a new motocross helmet, the Shoei VFX-W should really be at the top of your list to check out.

Star Ratings

Full review of the Nexx X.T1 composite fibre full face crash helmet

A full-face composite fibre touring crash helmet: Nexx X.T1 review

Portugese manufacturer Nexx (or Nexxpro as they’re officially known) has been focusing on developing composite helmets since their formation in 2001.

With the Nexx X.T1, they’ve produced a composite fibre touring helmet that’s designed to be light and offer a full range of features that touring riders look for – including sun visor, lots of ventilation, Nexx X-Com intercom integration and a wide, Pinlock-equipped visor.

So, here we take you through all the features of the X.T1 and find out what owners and riders think of their helmet.

Composite shell (Carbon version available)
Designed for touring
Not yet SHARP safety tested
ECE 22.05 and DOT certified
Comes with a Pinlock anti-fog
Drop down sun visor
1.4Kg
3 different shell sizes
Sizes XS-XXXL
Expect to pay around £240-£280 (composite)
£260-380 (carbon versions)

Nexx XT1 plain titanium graphite crash helmet front side view — A wide range of plain/solid colours are available.

Safety

You’d be forgiven for thinking that helmets made of composite fibre that include materials like carbon, aramid (kevlar) and fibreglass will always make for incredibly safe helmets. But that’s not always the case.

In our study of the safest helmets, we found that you get good and bad performing helmets whatever the material used for the shell. And while the safety level of composite-shelled helmets are second only to carbon fibre helmets in broad terms, that doesn’t necessarily mean each composite helmet will be a real performer.

So far, SHARP has tested only 3 Nexx helmets – including two composite helmets and one carbon. And so far, every one has scored 3 stars out of a possible 5. That’s OK but far from the best (and don’t forget that getting a helmet that fits just right is the number one consideration to get the best protection from your helmet).

The XT1 hasn’t been SHARP tested yet but previous scores obviously point to it scoring around three stars too – though we can’t be certain until it’s been tested.

Of course, like all helmets for sale in the EU, it’s been ECE 22-05 tested/approved which means it offers at least a decent, base-level of protection.

Nexx XT1 lotus motorcycle helmet rear view — Rear view of the XT1 Lotus

However, until it’s been SHARP tested, we won’t know for sure just how good it is.

Helmet Noise

Word is that the Nexx XT1 is a bit of a noisy blighter – on two levels.

First off, a few owners reckon it’s generally quite a noisy helmet when riding. It seems that because there’s a good amount of ventilation getting into the X.T1 (see below) it’s making for a helmet that doesn’t suppress noise very well – that’s despite Nexx saying the X.T1 comes with noise-suppressing cheek pads. Of course, ride with ear plugs in and you should be fine.

Secondly, a few owners said it seems like the sun visor slider catches the air and makes either a whistle or vibration noise which can get really annoying. It doesn’t happen for everyone but when it does, it’s the sort of noise that can drive you up the wall.

If you do decide to go for an X.T1, then make sure you buy from a retailer that’ll swap it without any fuss (like our recommended retailers) so if you get one that whistles, you can try another without any hassle.

Ventilation

Ventilation is via a dual top vent and a single chin vent (both open/closable) and there’s four rear exhaust vents to help the flow and remove warm air out the back.

Owners seem to reckon both vents are easy to use in gloves and overall rate the XT1 highly for ventilation. A couple of people said the chin vents are more effective than the top vents, but mostly folks rate it highly for ventilation. That doesn’t mean it’s not going to stop the visor fogging up when things get cold of course, but overall there’s no problems here.

Nexx-XT1-plain-hi-viz-crash-helmet-side-view — Plain hi-vis green version of the XT1. You can see the sun visor slider top right

Visor

The visor on the XT1 seems to be a bit hit and miss.

On the ‘hit’ side, it comes with a main clear visor which, Nexx claims, has a larger than normal opening size – what Nexx calls a Panoramic Eye Port. It has a quick-change visor too that’s Pinlock-ready and comes with a Pinlock anti-fog in the box. That’s a good thing, especially for most of us Northern Europeans!

The issue is that none of it works quite as well as Nexx intended. It’s OK, but there’s a few niggles.

First off, the visor is spring-loaded, designed to pull the visor tight to the gasket around the visor to keep it nice and watertight. That part works well but unfortunately, it seems there’s a bit too much tension as the ratchet for the visor is a bit stiff and requires quite a tug (which makes it a bit of a pain in the arse to use according to a few owners).

When closed, everything fits nice and tightly keeping water and air out. However, there’s also an auto-locking mechanism on the visor to keep it closed and locked. That’s not a problem as quite a few helmets do this – it’s just that the unlock mechanism on the X.T1 is far too fiddly for some riders.

The opening tab on the visor is at the bottom-centre of the visor, but so is the visor lock release button which is immediately below the visor tab and pretty small. A few owners have complained that it’s really hard to locate even without gloves and can be nearly impossible in gloves – it’s just too small and too close to the visor tab. Seems like it’s a bit of a design flaw.

Other than that, the visor’s nice and wide and has Nexx’s own take on a quick-release mechanism (called X-Swift). It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it but it does work once you do.

Sun Visor

Behind the main visor is a drop down sun visor. These can be really useful to have and I’d recommend getting a helmet with a sun visor – though unusually, the lever for dropping the sun visor is to the top left of the crown of the helmet (most are either central or below the left hand visor pivot).

What’s good about the X.T1’s sun visor is that it’s a bit darker than most and it covers more area than most – covering about 95%+ of the view. That’s very good. If you get complaints about sun visors it’s that they’re either too light or not big enough. Seems like Nexx has sorted both these problems, so top marks here.

Comfort and sizing

Inside the Nexx X.T1 you’ll find a good quality removable and washable lining that’s made from anti-allergenic materials with Coolmax panels (that’s a fabric designed to wick away moisture and so keep your head cool). Nexx also say there are anti-noise cheek pads inside – but given owners reckon it’s a noisy helmet, we’ll ignore that bit!

Nexx-XT1-pursuit-motorcycle-helmet-side-view — Striking Pursuit graphics.

The shape of the helmet will suit folks with longer rather than rounder heads – it’s not an extreme shape by any means but riders with very round heads should probably look elsewhere.

A useful feature that comes with the XT1 is a pouch of sticky pads that you can use to pad out the helmet a bit if you find it loose fitting. Having said that, a few owners reckon they come as a pretty tight fit – moreso than most other helmets – so you probably won’t need to use them. They do seem to break in quickly though, so if you buy one and it’s tight, don’t panic.

Finally, the X.T1 comes with an emergency cheek pad removal system (or EQRS) – pull the red bands at the bottom of the helmet and the cheek pads pull out helping get your helmet off more easily if you have an accident. Looks like Nexx have really thought-through the internals on the XT1 and covered lots of bases.

Looks and Graphics

The XT1 is a bit of a looker – and that’s the reason lots of owners fell in love with it in the first place and had to buy one. In fact, even though there’s a few niggles with it, most folks are prepared to overlook them because they love the look.

That’s helped by a great range of graphics and you can find most of the designs available at the time of writing up and down the page – but for the latest range of graphics and any deals, please check out the links to our recommended retailers – click the links below and you’ll be taken straight to their Nexx helmets pages.

Nexx X.T1 videos

Here’s a couple of videos – first a 9m video from a guy at competition accessories in the US. Secondly a 3m video of a guy looking round his unboxed white XT1.

Other stuff – weight, shell sizes, aero, fastener, breath guards, bluetooth, warranty

One of the best features of the Nexx X.T1 is its weight. The composite fibreglass, carbon and kevlar version weighs around 1.45Kgs in weight – that’s a smidge lighter than most full face lids and slightly lighter than most composites. The full carbon version is 500g lighter still – to the point lots of carbon XT1 owners commented on how super light it feels.

It’s made in 3 shell sizes – which is a good thing, especially at this medium price point (used to be that only the very top-of-the-range helmets would be made in 3 different shell sizes). Here’s more information on why it’s a good thing. Suffice to say, more shell sizes equals a better looking and better fitting helmet and arguably a safer one too. Each shell size covers these fitment sizes: XS-S, M-L, XL-XXXL.

All that detailing and moulding on the helmet shell seems to work well too. Several owners commented on how stable the XT1 is – with very little buffeting even when turning your head and little turbulence.

Nexx XT1 carbon zero motorcycle helmet top down view — Top view of the full carbon version of the X.T1 – the carbon zero

The helmet’s secured with a micrometric chin strap and there’s the usual removable breath guard and chin curtain included. It’s also compatible with the Nexx/Sena X-com bluetooth system, with a built-in slot on the side of the helmet to take it.

And finally, all Nexx helmets come with a 2 year warranty.

Overall/Summary

Looking over the Nexx X.T1 it seems like a good deal of design thought has been lavished on it – and it offers a high spec of helmet at a very attractive price.

It’s reasonably light weight (especially the full carbon version which falls into our lightest helmets category), cool looking and comes with a host of features lots of touring riders are looking for (sun visor, bluetooth, great aero, good interior, wide visor).

All that is spoilt for some owners because of a few niggles. There’s that iffy visor lock and stiff visor – and it’s a bit noisy with a few owners complaining of an intermittent whistling. You might be lucky and none of this troubles you – in which case you’ll get a great looking helmet with stacks of features. Or they might annoy the hell out of you and make you want to lob it.

If you do decide to go for one, just make sure you buy from a supplier who’ll swap it over without any messing.

Nexx-XT1-galaxy-motorcycle-helmet-side-view — Seven variants of the X.T1 Galaxy design are available.

Alternatives to the Nexx X.T1

There’s lots of options for around the same price as the Nexx X.T1. Take a look at AGVs K5, it’s a carbon/fibreglass composite sports-touring helmet with a drop down sun visor and that’s been tested and rated by SHARP at 4 stars.

You might also want to think about the Shark Skwal. OK it’s polycarbonate (but that’s not really a bad thing) but it scores 4 stars for safety by SHARP, has a Pinlock included in the box, and a drop down sun visor, and of course it’s got those novel/cool built-in LED lights too (oooh!).

Finally, there’s the Scorpion Exo 500 Air. That’s well rated overall, SHARP 4 star safety rated, wind-tunnel developed, sun visor, Pinlock Max Vision in the box – and has Scorpion’s air pump system to get the fitting just right.

All these helmets get good overall ratings and would make a great (and safety tested) alternative to the Nexx X.T1.

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.

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.

What’s Snell crash helmet testing and the Snell Foundation?

The Snell Memorial Foundation is a not for profit organisation based in the USA committed to improving the performance of crash helmets. It was established in 1957 in response to the tragic death of Peter Snell in a motorsport accident. Its goal? To ensure helmets offer an adequate level of safety performance to the user – and to help manufacturers make them safer.

Since then, it not only tests helmets that are on general sale but offers different certificates for motorsport, motorcycle and karting helmets (denoted by letter SA, M and K). It also works with manufacturers to help them develop helmets that will pass its standards and bring compliant helmets to market – which are then allowed to display the Snell certification sticker on them.

If you’re interested in buying a helmet that’s been Snell certified in the US, you can find all our Snell Certified helmet reviews here.

M2000, M2010, M2015, M2020D and M2020R?

M stands for motorcycle and the number’s simply the date the standard was introduced.

Most of the helmets that were certified under M2010 and before will have been consigned to history now, while the majority the certified helmets on this site that are marked as Snell will have passed the M2015 standard.

But for late 2019, Snell introduced the new M2020 standard. This time, they split their standards into D and R to try reflect the different standards you’ll find around the world – including the new FIM testing standard.

Now, there’s an M2020D and M2020R. The D stands for DOT and the R for ECE Regulation 22.05 – i.e. European helmets. M2020D is a continuation of the same 2015 standards used for testing DOT helmets.

M2020R is there so helmet manufacturers can now try and produce a helmet that’ll pass Snell testing but will also pass European ECE certification (and hopefully FIM certification) too. Which is harder than it sounds because at the time the new standard was launched, only one LS2 helmet managed to meet the new R standard.

Note: If a helmet’s been certified as M2020R, that doesn’t mean it’s ECE or legal to wear in Europe. It’s just that it’s passed Snell’s test.

So, from 2020 onwards, most US helmets submitted for Snell testing are likely to be M2020D certified. But one or two will become M2020R certified too.

There, hope that’s cleared that up!

So what does the Snell helmet test include?

The test has developed over the years and you can see which test each helmet passed by the date in the certification. The first standard for motorcycle helmets was M2000 (in the year 2000) and the latest is M2015. To find a full list of which helmets are Snell certified, visit their certification page. And where a helmet we’ve reviewed is Snell certified, we’ll also put it on our review page.

Below is what’s tested in the M2015 and M2020D certification test:

1. The first test is an impact test. A helmet is fitted with a suitable dummy ‘headform’ that includes an accelerometer (or should that be decelerometer?). The helmet is then dropped against a range of different surfaces to simulate different types of impacts. The helmet needs to absorb enough energy to ensure the accelerometer measures no more than around 300 Gs – there’s slight deviations depending on which standard is being tested (but that’s still an awful lot of decelleration!).

2. Next is a test designed to check whether the helmet is secure on the head and won’t come off during an accident. As an aside, independent research seems to indicate that helmets come off in around 5% of accidents – probably through badly fitting helmets or straps that are incorrectly adjusted (or not fastened at all). Snell affixes a cable to the rear of the helmet, tilts it to an angle of 135 degrees then drops a 4Kg weight to simulate a force trying to rip the helmet off the head. They then repeat the test to the front of the head. A helmet can move, but must remain on the head to pass the test.

3. The next test tests the performance of the retention strap. A 23Kg weight is attached to the strap for one minute. If that’s passed, the 23Kg weight is replaced by a 38Kg weight which is then dropped to stress the strap and closing mechanism to ensure it won’t break or stretch more than 30mm. If it does, it fails.

4. The fourth test is the chin bar test – where a helmet is fixed to a solid base with the chin bar facing upwards and a flat 5Kg weight is dropped onto it. The chin bar must not break or bend beyond a certain amount.

5. The penultimate test involves dropping a 3Kg spike onto the helmet to check it can resist penetration.

6. The final test checks the face shield is resistant to penetration by firing an air rifle pellet at it at a speed of around 500 kph.

When a helmet passes the tests, the manufacturer can then display the Snell logo on the helmet – as a sewn-in label an on the back of the helmet. However, that’s not the end of the process. Snell conducts random sample testing on the retail versions of each certified helmet by purchasing helmets throughout the manufacturing run of the helmet to ensure it continues to pass the tests. If samples fail, there are a number of steps Snell will take – from demanding the manufacturer remedies the product to full decertification of the helmet.

Potential issues with Snell helmet testing?

Like any helmet testing regime, there are a few detractors of the Snell testing regime.

Firstly, there’s a slight question mark over some of the science behind their tests and opponents suggest that it doesn’t reflect real-world motorcycle accident data enough. They also point out their testing can result in a helmet with a shell that’s simply too hard to effectively reduce the shock being passed through to the brain. Latest crash helmet design thought is that the helmet shell needs some flex in it to help it absorb the impact shock and stop it passing through to the skull and brain. Stopping shock passing through to the brain is very much one of the main objectives of an effective crash helmet. If a shell is too hard, it can’t help with absorbing shock and leaves only the EPS liner to do the job.

There’s also not much evidence that helmets are likely to suffer from penetration to the shell – one of the lab tests a Snell certified helmet has to undergo.

That said, there seems to be no doubt that Snell are entirely committed to improving crash helmet safety and are working hard to improve safety standards for helmet users in the US. We’ll therefore leave you to make your own mind up as to whether you want to buy a Snell certified helmet and will simply report where a helmet is Snell certified.

We’ll also report where a helmet is SHARP tested and when it’s either DOT certified or ECE 22-05 approved. Reporting on all these schemes, we hope to provide our readers with the fullest view of how well each crash helmet will perform.

Here’s more information on The Snell Foundation or here for our analysis of SHARP testing data to find out more about how protective different types of helmet are along with lots of other useful information.

Review of the AGV AX8 series of motorcycle helmets

AGV AX-8 series crash helmets (including Evo, Naked and Dual Evo)

The AGV AX8 series of helmets are all based on the same basic helmet shell but they’ve been reconfigured to change the base-level motorcross helmet into a dual-sports or adventure helmet by adding a combination of visor and sun peak. So we’ll cover the helmet components that are common across the range as well as assess the elements that make for these different models in the review below.

But for starters, here’s some main points covering the AX8 helmet range and a description of their differences at-a-glance.

Not SHARP or Snell safety tested
Composite shell (except pure carbon version)
Sizes XXS-XXXL
3 Shell sizes
Large visor aperture
Double-d ring fastener
1.3Kg size M (very light)
Expect to pay £249-£359 (depending on model)

Note: this helmet is now discontinued, replaced by the AGV AX-9 range.

The AGV AX-8 range – unravelled!

AGV AX8 – the basic motocross offroad helmet.

AGV-AX-8-dual-carbon-matt-crash-helmet-side-view — AX8 Dual Evo features both clear main visor and adjustable peak

AGV AX8 Evo – a slightly evolved version of the AX8 with different internal padding and slightly changed chin guard shape (designed to reduce interference with a neck protector and decrease the risk of impact traumas).

AGV AX8 Dual Evo (and Dual Carbon) – adventure helmet suitable for on or off road and touring. Note Dual Carbon is actually the same composite of carbon, aramid and fibreglass found across the range). The Dual Evo also has an extra top centre vent.

AGV AX8 Evo Naked (and Naked Carbon) – same as Dual Evo but without a sun peak, designed to work best on naked motorcycles. Again, Naked Carbon version exposes the carbon fibre weave but is actually still a composite shell.

Safety

All the AX-8 range share the same shell construction, namely a composite of fibreglass, aramid and carbon fibre – what AGV call CAAF.

All the range are both ECE approved for sale/use in Europe and DOT certified for US sale, but none have been independently tested by either SHARP or Snell, so it’s difficult to say how well they’ll perform in an accident in comparison to other helmets.

AGV-AX-8-Evo-Arma-crash-helmet-side-view — AX-8 Evo crosser helmet in Arma graphics

The shell of the AX8 is manufactured in 3 different sizes which is good in terms of fitting and, arguably, safety (read more here).

However, what we can say is that AGV have a great reputation for building safe crash helmets. They’re (at the time of writing) our 2nd safest crash helmet brand and of all their composite helmets tested by SHARP to date, all have scored either 4 or 5 stars for safety out of a maximum of 5, with the average score being 4.5.

It’s never entirely safe to second guess how well any helmet performs by looking at past performance, so we’ve erred on the side of caution and scored the AX-8 an average 3 star rating for safety. However, we’d expect all AX8s to perform well so if and when SHARP do test the AGV AX8, we’ll update this review as soon as the results are available.

Obviously, it’s not just the crash helmet shell that contributes to safety, but the overall design of the helmet does too – hopefully helping prevent an accident in the first place.

So other features which are great to see and should contribute to keeping you safe include: it has a wide aperture to give great all round vision; the visor’s coated in AGVs own anti-fog coating (with mixed reviews though); and there’s a double-d ring fastener which, as long as you tighten them up correctly, are about as safe as fasteners come.

Looking to buy this AGV?

We recommend SportsBikeShop (UK) for competitive prices, free delivery, 365 day returns backed by outstanding reviews. Or if you're happy to buy from Germany, Motoin are a quality operation with decent Euro prices and great review scores. You can also click through to the AGV helmets pages at Amazon if you prefer to buy from there or if you're in the US, Revzilla have amazing ratings, free delivery and a wide range of AGVs in stock. Please click any link to drop onto their AGV helmets pages or see here for info on our recommended stores.

AGV-AX-8-naked-mono-matt-black-motorcycle-helmet — The AX-8 Naked (no peak, with visor) in matt black

Helmet Noise

Helmet noise is massively subjective – one person’s noisy helmet is another’s whisper quiet helmet. Riding position, motorcycle type and previous helmet experience all contribute to your view of how quiet you’ll rate your new helmet.

Overall though, folks reckon it’s about average. If you’re riding with one of the dirt/motocross versions without a visor or chin curtain, you’ll broadly find it noisier than the dual sports or naked versions. But then, if you are wearing an AX-8 Evo, you’ll probably be motoring off road so either won’t notice it or might even want to hear sounds from outside the helmet, keeping a close ear on engine revs for instance.

The chin curtain does help knock a few dbs off the noise – although consensus seems to be that the curtain’s pretty poorly made and either falls off or disintegrates (one of the main complaints of the AX8). Both closing the vents and fitting the visor does help reduce noise though. But don’t expect the AGV AX-8 to be the quietest helmet you’ve ever owned, cos it probably ain’t gonna be.

One other thing to note if you’re thinking of using one of the visored versions to take on the road (the Naked or the Dual Evo). There’s quite a few folks reckon there’s an irritating whistling noise, especially at higher speeds and especially noticeable when doing shoulder checks/life savers. Not everyone complains of it so you might be lucky, but worth being aware of.

AGV-AX-8-evo-naked-multi-karakum-camo-motorcycle-helmet-side-view — The AX8 Naked in Karakum design

Either way, bung in some decent ear plugs and you should be fine – unless you’re the kind of person a niggly whistle might get to in which case you might want to look elsewhere.

Sizing

The AGV AX-8 range is available in sizes XXS-XXXL, so a wider range of sizes than most helmets we see.

In terms of look and safety, it’s best to have a helmet shell size that more closely matches your fitment size, so it’s good that the AX8 comes in 3 shell sizes, with the smaller shell fitting sizes XXS-S, middle shell fitting sizes M-L and the larger shell covering sizes XXL-XXXL.

A few buyers have noted that the fitting sizes for the AX8 can be a bit on the small side, so if you measure your head and find you’re between sizes (or just know you’re usually on the cusp) then we advise you to a)order the larger size and b)make sure you buy your lid from a retailer with a generous no quibble returns policy and ideally free returns, just in case.

AGV-AX-8-Evo-Arma-Energy-helmet-rear-view — Rear view of the AX8 Evo Arma

Ventilation

Nothing massively remarkable to mention in the ventilation department.

On most models, there’s a single chin vent with open/close slider and two forehead vents (ditto) in all versions of the AX8. The chin vent’s are easy to operate in gloves, the forehead vents less so. The Dual Evo version has an extra vent top-middle with a slightly fiddly open/close slider to the rear of the vent.

Air that’s pushed into the forehead area is channeled around the skull through channels in the EPS shock absorbing liner and exits the shell via 4 rear exhaust vents. So far so normal.

One interesting feature though, is that the whole chin vent gubbins on the Dual Evo and Naked models can be popped out and replaced by the motocross version which loses the plastic slider and replaces it with a metal mesh. Looks meaner (if mean’s what you’re after!) and much more practical for off-roading. Note, the dirt/motox version comes with the metal grill as standard while the visor versions (dual & naked) come with the plastic road version.

Overall, if you’re riding the off-road version of the AX8, you’ll probably have no issue with lack of ventilation (nss!) but owners reckon the visor versions are about average for ventilation.

AGV-AX-8-evo-mono-white-crash-helmet-side-view — Most models are available in solid versions, including this AX8 Dual Evo in white.

Visor & peak

According to users, the visor aperture on the AGV AX8 is nice and big, with lots of owners saying it’s the biggest they’ve worn.

Having said that, some serious dirt riders reckon it’s smaller than some other crosser helmets they’ve used, saying goggles that fit other helmets are a struggle in the AX8. So if you’ve some favourite goggles you like to use, it’ll be worth either trying before you buy – or same advice as in the sizing section above – find a retailer with a great returns policy (see our recommended retailers).

If you buy a version with a visor, note that it’s not a quick-change visor and you’ll need a flat head screwdriver to remove it. Otherwise it’s a large visor with an opening tab bottom left and a nice positive ratchet. It also comes with AGVs own anti-fog coating, although a few owners reckoned it’s not up to much and can wear off quickly.

But there’s also a couple of more serious problems reported.

AGV-AX-8-Evo-Multi-whip-dirt-bike-helmet-side-view — AGV AX8 Evo Whip. It’s a long helmet, front to back!

First off – either the visor doesn’t open as far visors found on most motorcycle helmets or the shape of the bottom edge of the visor means the bottom of the visor can interfere with rider vision. It’s not a problem reported by the majority of riders but if you’re riding a more lean-forward bike like a sportsbike, it’s possibly more likely to be a problem for you.

Secondly – and this is reported by quite a few owners – it seems the visor gasket that seals the visor against the helmet and stops rain getting in, can scratch the visor when you open it. If it does occur, the scratches seem to appear towards the top of the visor and in the peripheral vision. It sounds like this might be caused by the rubber gasket being a bit too hard – or possibly because of the quality of the visor (we’ve seen quality problems with Chinese-made AGV visors before). Either way, it’s another niggle some owners mentioned in their reviews of the helmet.

Onto the peak. All versions, except the Naked, come with a peak. It’s adjustable and removable (and comes with spare screws and blanking plates in the box).

AGV-AX-8-dual-evo-multi-grunge-crash-helmet-side-view — Grunge design on the Dual Evo.

Overall, owners think it’s well designed. It can catch the wind a little especially at speed and one or two owners reported it vibrating slightly, but generally it seems to work well.

Comfort

The AX-8 has a fully removable and washable internal lining and is made from what AGV call a Dri-Lex fabric that’s antibacterial and wicking.

Owners mostly say it’s very comfortable (though obviously that’s only going to be the case if you get a helmet that fits right in the first place) and the lining feels high quality. AGV say the dual sports version of the helmet is suitable for high mileage types and owners broadly seem to agree that it’s comfortable for using for long days in the saddle.

There are some who find it a little tight around the ears and, unusually, there isn’t a cut out to accommodate speakers like there is with most helmets. And this may accounts for some owner being aware of the lining touching their ears.

AX-8 Evo Naked carbon motorcycle helmet — Proper streetfighter style helmet in carbon – the AX-8 Naked Carbon

The AGV AX-8 comes with a breath guard and removable chin curtain (though many users reckon the chin curtain is poor quality and drops off in no time).

Looks & Graphics

Given the range of AX8 helmet models, there’s a massive range of designs and colour schemes around. Most are available in the usual solid colours, but if you want to see the latest designs, we recommend you click through our links to our recommended retailers further down the page where you’ll be dropped onto their AGV helmet pages and see the latest available designs and helmet prices too.

AGV AX-8 Videos

Here’s a couple of videos showing you around the AX-8. First, AGVs video showing the AX-8 carbon crosser helmet. Second, a look at the AX8 Dual Evo.

Other stuff – audio, weight

AX-8 Evo Klassik dirt motorcycle helmet — Klassic design of the AX8 Evo. This is the stripped down dirtbike helmet without visor.

We’ve touched on the audio before, but it’s worth mentioning that the AX8 isn’t really designed with communication systems in mind. Some owners have managed to fit them – including a Scala Rider Q2 – and found enough space behind the padding to fit the speakers. But if you need a helmet that’ll work with your bluetooth, either check out our communications-ready crash helmets pages or, if you really want an AX-8, it’s probably worth seeing the helmet in person before you buy.

The only thing we’ve not really mentioned is that the AGV AX8 is a very light helmet, with the medium version weighing in around 1.3Kg (2.87Lbs) which is really light. In fact, lightness is the one feature most mentioned by owners.

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.

Best place to buy this AGV crash helmet?

First off, we suggest you check out SportsBikeShop. They're based in the UK, offer free delivery with 365 day refunds, have really competitive prices (they'll price match too) and offer outstanding service (9.8/10 on Trustpilot at the time of writing).

If you like to buy from Amazon you can click the link to drop straight onto their AGV Helmets pages (just make sure you only buy from the most reputable sellers with the highest feedback).

Motoin are based in Germany, have decent Euro prices and get great feedback (4.7 out of 5 on eTrustedshops at the time of writing) though note, there's a delivery charge to ship outside of Germany, so factor that in (see here for details).

If you're looking for a quality US retailer, we recommend Revzilla (USA). They're based in Philadelphia, have amazing online reviews - at the time of writing 9.8/10 on Reseller Ratings - along with free US delivery for orders over $40.

Please click any picture/link to drop straight onto their AGV helmets pages. And if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you - a massive THANKS! (it's how we finance the site). Click here for more info on our recommended retailers.

Click above to drop onto their AGV helmets pages or *quick view retailer T&Cs here.

Alternatives to the AGV AX8?

We suggest you check out our pages covering all our MotoX helmets here or our adventure bike helmet reviews here.

Definitely want an AGV?

Here you'll find all our AGV crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.

Overall/Summary

There’s no denying the AGV AX8 is a great looking helmet. If it was on looks alone, we’d have to give it a five star rating.

And it was a great idea by AGV too – produce an off road helmet that really works, then add a visor to make a really durable adventure bike helmet that’s good for both on and off road. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, the basic off road version of the helmet is widely liked and performs well. Like all of the family, we can’t know quite how well they’ll perform in an accident because they haven’t been SHARP tested yet; though we’d expect them to do well.

But it seems that when AGV added the visor to make the Naked and Dual Evo versions that a few niggles crept into the picture. Which is not to say they’re not great helmets; most owners still seem to love their AX8s. But it’s the reported problems with the visor that seems to let it down.

We’d certainly say the AX-8 in all it’s forms is worth a look. But if you’re thinking about buying one (and with that fantastic mean and moody look who can blame you) go into it with your eyes open because it’s possible that one of the problems owners report may stop this great looking helmet becoming your perfect riding partner. If not, we’re sure you’ll be very happy together.

Star Ratings

Our experience of using FC-Moto

We were especially keen to test out buying a crash helmet from FC-Moto, mainly because we’re based in England and they’re in Germany so we were interested to see how long it’d take.

As usual, we were also going to test out their returns process to see how well they handle replacing the helmet with a different size and suss out the costs and turnaround times involved.

So, we went on their website and ordered one of our best rated modular helmets, the Caberg Duke, taking good note of their stated dispatch times which are much longer than most retailers (5-7 days is normal but can be up to 10 days in the height of riding season!)

Here’s what happened:

Helmet ordered 22nd April around 2pm.

Added helmet to basket – this immediately showed postage as £3.86 but that increased to £6.23 later on in the process when we chose the delivery method.

Note, it was tricky finding UK in the massive country drop down menu, but it’s there if you persist!

Total came to £126.80 or €160.89.

On checking out, it took me to 3rd party https payment site – Wirecard – to conduct the transaction – but it all went through smoothly.

By 27th April 3.50pm – my online ordering status still hadn’t changed (login to your FC-Moto account to see this) so I emailed them to ask about the order. They didn’t give me a direct reply but I then started getting emails saying my order had been dispatched. Looks like I prodded them into action though, to give them their due, I was still within their stated despatch time.

Note – their update emails are sent through with English text but most of the other standard text is in German which isn’t great.

FC-Moto-delivery — Unmarked plain box delivered with shiny new Caberg Duke inside.

The helmet was delivered Friday 29th Apr around midday – it came in a plain box with the helmet box moving around inside without packing materials to secure it – not ideal but the helmet was fine inside the branded helmet box.

That means it took 7 days from ordering to delivery; which is in-line with FC-Moto’s stated delivery times.

To return the helmet for an exchange with FC-Moto, you have 14 days to return without reason.

So I downloaded their pdf returns form to star the process. However, clicking the email link to let them know I’ll return the package didn’t work. Also, the PDF returns form is in dodgy English so not everything’s entirely clear. However, I emailed them through the contacts page on their website and printed out and filled out the form as best as I could and included it in the box.

With FC-Moto, you need to pay for return shipping.

Hermes quoted £11.34 incl vat – but I took out the optional insurance for a £130 helmet which was an additional £5.50.

The total came to £17.94 with VAT – if my maths is right – to return it via Hermes on 3rd May.

By 11th May, I hadn’t heard back to hear if they’d received it OK so I emailed them to find out the status of my order. They didn’t reply to that so I emailed again 13th May. This time I heard back quickly that they’ve now dispatched the replacement saying i should get a tracking code via email.

The return was delivered five days later by trackable DH, arriving on 18th May. The helmet was obviously new and came with all the expected accessories.

Overall

Even though the timescales were in line with those stated on the website, the return seemed to take quite a while. First delivery took 7 days which was acceptable but the 15 days round trip for returning the wrong helmet and receiving the new one felt a long time. If you want to get your helmet quickly, I’d try one of our other recommended retailers – but if you’re not in a massive rush and want a wide range of helmets to choose from, FC-Moto will deliver. It’s just you’ve gotta be the patient type!

Kabuto RT-33 full face crash helmet review

Kabuto RT-33 review – a SHARP 4 star composite fibre full-face helmet.

For those not familiar with the Kabuto name, they’re the new name of helmet maker OGK who’ve been making crash helmets since the 80’s (apparently a Kabuto is the name of the traditional Samurai headwear).

The Kabuto RT-33 is a composite-fibre full face helmet aimed at sports bike riders.

SHARP 4 star safety rated (out of 5)
ECE & DOT certified
FIM Homologated
Full face helmet
2 shell sizes
Sizes XS-XL
Quiet helmet
Pinlock anti-fog included
3 year warranty
Expect to pay £329-£359

Safety

The Kabuto RT33 is both EU ECE 2205 and US DOT certified – and it’s also been tested by SHARP and awarded 4 stars.

kabuto-RT-33-crash-helmet-gloss-white — Gloss white version of the RT-33

That SHARP score is important as it means the RT-33 should offer a good level of protection in an accident – as well as allowing us to compare the RT-33’s safety performance with other helmets. Follow the link to find reviews of other four and five star SHARP rated crash helmets.

Apart from the SHARP rating, several sizes of the RT-33 have been FIM tested/homologated for professional circuit racing, which is great to know if you’re after a helmet for the track.

Plus there’s a few other features on the RT 33 that add to safety:

The shell is made out of a fibreglass-based composite material and comes in two different shell sizes. Though no details are available from Kabuto, that usually means the smaller shell size covers XS-M with the larger shell size covering L-XL. Read why more shell sizes may contribute to safety here.

The RT-33 also comes with a Pinlock Max Vision in the box – having a fog-free visor is obviously important for safety – and it’s fastened with a good ole fashioned double-d ring fastener. They can be a bit fiddly at times but have worked well keeping helmets in place for decades.

Looking to buy a Kabuto helmet?

We recommend SportsBikeShop (UK) for outstanding service. Please click the link to see their full range of Kabuto helmets and latest prices.

kabuto-RT-33-crash-helmet-rapid-rear-view — Kabuto RT-33 Rapid rear view

Helmet Noise

Unusually for a more sports-biased crash helmet, the RT-33 is a pretty quiet helmet. Sports lids tend to prioritise things like better ventilation and lighter weight over noise-suppression. But the RT33 is widely regarded by owners as one of the quieter helmets around.

Opening the vents doesn’t seem to increase noise very much and while we always recommend riding with ear plugs in, the Kabuto RT-33s slippery shape and excellent internal padding seems to contribute to making a quiet helmet. I guess those development hours spent in the wind tunnel have paid off for Kabuto!

Size

The Kabuto RT-33 is made in two shell sizes and fitment sizes range from XS-XL.

Ventilation

kabuto-RT-33-crash-helmet-pear-white-top-down — Top view of the Pearl White RT33 showing top vent slider

Ventilation is another strong point for the RT33.

It has a single chin vent operated by a slider that’s easy to find and use, even in gloves. In fact all the vents are nice and simple to use and large enough to be found with gloved hands. The top vent is another easy-to-find slider and there’s a large single rear exhaust vent that can also be opened/closed. So as far as operation is concerned, things couldn’t be much simpler.

According to owners, all those vents do a decent job in pulling a good amount of air through the helmet too, taking air through the vents and into the channels in the shock absorbing internal liner and keeping the head cool in all but the hottest weather.

Couple the chin vent with the Pinlock MaxVision insert that’s included in the box and the front vent works well in keeping the visor clear too when things cool down or it gets rainy.

Visor

There’s not much fancy going on with the main visor – no sun visor or optically-correct visor here. But what it does do is cover all the basics very well.

kabuto-RT-33-crash-helmet-rapid-black-silver — RT-33 Rapid

The RT-33s visor has a decent aperture size, is Pinlock-ready (with a Pinlock in the box) has a nice positive ratchet system and one of the best quick-release mechanisms around.

In fully closed position, there’s a small snap-lock to the bottom left that’s designed to keep the visor locked closed (much like Arai’s system). Once you’ve got the hang of it, to open the visor, you simply push up on the snap lock and that disengages it and opens the visor. It becomes very easy and second nature so you eventually don’t even realise you’re unlocking at the same time as opening.

The Max Vision insert is good because when you’re using this helmet as it’s meant to be used – i.e. in a more sporty tuck position – the top of a standard Pinlock can sometimes get in your line of sight. With the Max Vision being much larger, you shouldn’t have a problem. It also offers 100% UV protection – so there’s an added benefit for using it not only when it’s cold and wet!

Comfort & weight

The liner of the Kabuto RT-33 is removable and washable and created from CoolMax material, designed to keep the head cool and wick away sweat.

kabuto-RT-33-crash-helmet-rapid-red-white-blue — RT33 Rapid red/white/blue

It’s also got a glasses groove in it. That means there’s a groove where the cheek pads meet the upper lining, which the stems of glasses sit in when riding, stopping them pressing into the side of your head. A glasses groove doesn’t always mean it’s easy to get your glasses on though. That’s usually more dependent on how straight or bent the ends are – but once they’re on, it helps making riding with glasses much more comfortable.

But arguably even more importantly than that – riders reckon the lining feels plush, insulates the ears well from noise and is very comfortable, even when riding for hours.

As always, that’s only if you get the fitment right in the first place – read our helmet fitting guide.

One other thing that can contribute to comfort is weight – and the RT33s composite fibre shell means not only is it strong, but composite fibre helmets tend to be lighter too – sitting somewhere between fibreglass and carbon helmets. The RT33 weighs in around 1.47Kg – putting it just 100g over the average weight of all composite fibre helmets and bang on the average weight of all SHARP tested full face crash helmets.

Looks & Graphics

The Kabuto RT33 is available in a range of solid colours – gloss white/black/red and matt black – as well as their very much more in-your-face Veloce and Rapid designs.

As usual, you’ll find pictures of most/all these around the page, but to check out the latest colours and designs (and prices) you’re probably best clicking through to our recommended retailers – and you can find out why you should use our recommended retailers here.

Video

Here’s Web Bike World’s 2 minute look around the RT-33

Other stuff – fasteners, build quality, buffeting, ACU gold, chin curtain & breath guard.

The RT-33 comes with a double-d fastener – they’re good solid fasteners though generally not as easy to use as the latest micrometric fasteners.

kabuto-RT-33-crash-helmet-veloce-green-orange-rear-view — RT-33 Veloce rear view showing exhaust slider

Build quality on the Kabuto RT-33 is very good with owners saying the paint finish and attention to detail is of high quality.

Kabuto designed the side of the helmet with what they call their Wake Stabilizer. This is designed to reduce buffeting and turbulence caused as the helmet cuts through the air. Owners thoughts seem to be that the RT33 is pretty good for buffeting though arguably no better than many helmets and buffeting certainly can occur in some circumstances (much like it can with most helmets!).

In the UK, your RT-33 should be delivered with an ACU gold sticker on the back meaning it’s suitable for track use. If that’s important to you, you might want to double check with the retailer first as it’s up to the distributor to add the sticker.

Finally, also in the box are a removable chin curtain and breath guard.

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.

Alternatives to the Kabuto RT-33?

One obvious alternative is AGVs great Corsa that can be had for just a little more than the Kabuto. The Corsa is a SHARP 5 star rated sports helmet that’s lighter than the RT-33 and comes with an optically-correct visor. Or for something a little different, how about Schuberth’s excellent sports-focused SR-1 – that’s another composite fibre four star helmet with good ventilation. Finally, you might want to look at the Shoei X-Spirit II – that was Shoei’s top of the range sports helmet until the X-Sprit III came along – meaning you can now get a discounted SHARP four star X-Spirit II for around the same money as the Kabuto. Worth a look?

Best place to buy a Kabuto crash helmet?

If you want excellent service and piece of mind when you buy, we recommend you buy from Sportsbikeshop. They're based in the UK and offer outstanding service (9.8/10 on Trustpilot) including 365 day refunds and free returns. They're not always the cheapest but are our recommended retailer for quality of service. Read more on why we recommend Sportsbikeshop.

Please click the picture below to visit the Kabuto helmets page at Sportsbikeshop where you can see all the latest colour schemes and prices. And if you buy from there, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you - a massive THANKS! (it's how we finance the site).

Click above to visit Kabuto at Sportsbikeshop

Overall/Summary

The Kabuto RT-33 is a very competent crash helmet. Although it might lack some of the latest features and bells and whistles of some alternatives, it has a solid SHARP 4 star safety rating, it’s very comfortable, has excellent ventilation and is one of the quietest full face helmets out there. It’s also well finished and while it’s not the cheapest helmet, if you’re looking for a more sports-focused great performing helmet, then the Kabuto shouldn’t disappoint.

Star Ratings

Review of the Arai Rebel full face crash helmet

Arai Rebel – a helmet designed for streetbikes and nakeds

As we’ve found many a time, the performance of a crash helmet can change massively depending on the type of motorbike you ride – ventilation, noise and buffeting are all altered depending on whether you’re in the airflow or out of it – or somewhere in between. So Arai decided to produce a helmet that works when you’re riding in the wind, one that’s designed to work best on naked bikes without fairings. The result is the Arai Rebel; a composite fibre, full face helmet with chin spoiler and slippery rounded shape to reduce buffeting.

Note: the Arai Rebel has now been replaced by the Renegade V. Which means there’s some great deals to be found on the Rebel – check our retailer links below.

SHARP 3 star safety rated
Snell 2015 certified
Full face helmet
Double-d Ring fastener
Amazing ventilation
Designed for naked bikes
Composite fibre shell
Pinlock Max Vision included
XXS – XXXL (see Sizing below)
Expect to pay £399-£470

Safety

Arai Rebel splash green crash helmet — Arai Rebel in Splash green

The Arai rebel has been ECE 22.05 tested so you know the basics should all work well. It’s also been SHARP safety tested and scored 3 stars there – which is only an average performance. Looking at the SHARP data, it scored lowest marks on both side impact tests which is a concern.

It has also been tested in the US and is Snell certified, which might be telling as some folks believe that Arai focus on passing the Snell test rather than SHARP, which may encourage helmet makers to produce a harder-shelled helmet, something that’s arguably not the best for absorbing shock during an accident.

Arai do say they design helmets to be more rounded to glance off surfaces during impact, and that external features like spoilers are designed to break off during an accident to lower potential rotational forces. These factors are taken into account in the SHARP test so while it’s sensible helmet design, it’s difficult to see how much effect they really have.

Overall then, and despite the price point and Arai’s great reputation, the Rebel can only be rated as average for safety.

Best places to buy an Arai Rebel?

It’s not widely available, but the Rebel is still available at Amazon UK the last time we checked. Please click the link below – and if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Helmet Noise

Owners of the Rebel tend to say it’s around average to quite noisy for a full face helmet.

Which is a shame because with its rounded, slippery shape and the inclusion of its innovative pull-out chin spoiler, Arai have obviously gone to some lengths to make a helmet that’s not too noisy.

Of course helmet noise is very subjective and depends on lots of things – including how quiet your previous helmet was and your riding style. But while some owners do say it’s a quiet helmet, overall owners say it’s somewhere in the range of average-noisy, with noise increasing with speed and whether the vents are open or not.

Ventilation

arai rebel gloss black front view — Front view of the gloss black showing all five front vents

Ventilation is one of the Arai Rebel’s strong points. In fact it’s probably the best vented helmet we’ve come across yet.

It features a chin vent, brow vent that actually vents through the top of the visor and scalp vent towards the top of the helmet.

There’s also two sets of rear exhaust vents with the pair situated underneath the rear spoiler having an open/close switch.

Overall then, owners of the Rebel say it’s amazingly well vented; open all the vents and from the moment you start off you can feel the air move around your scalp and blow onto your face.

Each vent has multiple positions to either restrict airflow or change which parts are ventilated.

The chin vent has a 3 position slider that either fully closes the vent; or opens just the top part to push air onto the visor and face; or opens the top and bottom to vent visor, face, mouth and chin.

Arai Rebel crash helmet heritage grey — Side/rear view of the Rebel sporting Heritage design

The brow vents are actually – and unusually – a part of the visor. If you look at the top of the visor, you’ll see two small black covers which cover vents. These have 3 positions too – closed/intermediate/open and channel air into the top of the helmet.

Finally, there’s the scalp vents. Again, these have a 3-way slider for closed/medium/fully open and direct air into the top of the helmet, around the channels in the shock-absorbing EPS liner and over the head, then out of the rear exhaust vents.

All these vents are said to work really well – so much so one rider who uses his helmet in cooler weather commented it’s almost too well vented. But if you tend to ride in warmer weather and want a helmet that keeps you cool, then the Rebel should be bang-on.

The only slight downside is that the chin vents don’t have much of a mesh in them, with a couple of owners saying bugs got in. Not ideal!

Visor

The visor on the Rebel is Pinlock MaxVision-ready (and comes with a Pinlock in the box), is quick(ish) release and uses friction to keep it open rather than a ratchet.

Starting with that last point, unlike lots of manufacturers who use a ratchet on their visors, Arai instead use friction which allows you to open your visor as much as you want and the visor stays there. Arai have been using this system for years and it works well so nothing to worry about here.

arai rebel frost white — Arai rebel in frost white

There’s a locking mechanism at the bottom of the visor to keep the visor closed and locked and and which pulls the visor tight towards the gasket – keeping it sealed and watertight. It’s easy to unlock and raise by pushing up on the locking tab – pretty much like you would with a non-locking visor and there’s no opening tab built into the visor.

Arai reckon the Rebel has been designed with a wide field of view – obviously lots of peripheral vision is important in a crash helmet – but owners don’t really feel they’ve succeeded. It sounds like the shape of the visor aperture cuts out some of the peripheral vision.

If having a helmet with really wide periphieral vision is a priority for you, check our reviews of crash helmets with wide visor apertures here.

Finally, the Rebel’s got a quick-change visor. Ish. Once you know how, it’s pretty easy though a little bit more fiddly than some other brands. To remove the visor, you open the visor up and push up a couple of levers near the visor pivot and pull out the visor. To put the visor back in, just push the ends of the visor into each pivot and close the visor. It sounds easy and once you’ve had a go a few times, owners reckon it is.

Arai Rebel street black red crash helmet — Street black/red design – there’s also a black/white available

Comfort & Sizing

The Arai Rebel is available in sizes XS-XXL in most European retailers – though Arai do say it’s made in sizes XXS-XXXL so if you struggle to find a Rebel in these extreme sizes, it’d be worth pressing a retailer to grab one from the importer – they do exist.

There’s a few nice touches Arai have included inside the Rebel to make it fit as well and comfortably as possible. But first, the basics.

Inside, you’ll find a removable and washable comfort lining made from an anti-microbial lining Arai call Eco-Pure. The bottom of the lining has something called Dri Max applied to it – a hydrophobic material designed to repel water and stop the bottom of the liner getting wet when it’s raining.

Owners reckon the lining is high quality and very comfortable. One reason for this may be that the Rebel’s got Arai’s FSC system – essentially springy cheek pads, there to gently push the pads against the face and make the fit just right. And if that doesn’t quite do it, included in the cheek pads is a 5 mm pull-off section that allows you to tailor the internals further still to get the fitting right.

Arai Rebel street crash helmet rear view — Arai Rebel rear view

And if it’s still not quite right, Arai have a range of different sized internal linings available, so you’ve almost no excuse to have a badly-fitting Rebel! I say almost because if the fundamental shape of the helmet isn’t right for your head, then no amount of tweaking is going to help – read our fitting guide for more info.

So, Arai have gone to great lengths to help you fine-tune the fit to your head. It’s surprising then that they’ve neglected the chin strap a little because a few owners comment that there should be more padding on the strap and it can get a little uncomfy over time.

Looks & Graphics

It’s probably fair to say that some folks reckon the Arai Rebel is a bit staid and retro. Arai don’t blow with the winds of fashion like some other makers and the Rebel’s definitely got the look of the Arai family. But maybe it’s more about buying into that classic Arai style as opposed to buying a helmet that panders to modern styling.

As for designs and colour schemes, there’s standard black and white solid versions and frost white and black versions (more of a silk/matt finish) as well as a load of more funky designs – including the Venturi (white or red) Street (ditto) Command and Heritage designs. As usual, we’ve tried to smatter the page with all of these.

Best places to buy an Arai Rebel helmet?

It’s not widely available, but the Rebel is still available at Amazon UK the last time we checked. Please click the link below – and if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Video

Here’s a quick 3m video of living for 18 months with an Arai Rebel. Spoiler: he really likes it!

Other stuff – chin spoiler & curtain, buffeting, fasteners, weight, glasses, build quality

Arai Rebel command black crash helmet — Arai Rebel in urban-inspired Command colours

The Rebel has a retractable chin curtain and front spoiler which are designed to work together to reduce wind getting inside the helmet, reduce buffeting and noise and increase helmet stability and downforce. Quite a few owners reckon they work well with a number commenting how stable the helmet is even at speed.

All Rebels come with a double-d ring fastener. There’s also a glasses groove making it easier to live with if you’re a glasses wearer. As to weight, it’s not the lightest full face helmet with a medium weighing in at 1.56Kg (average weight for a full face helmet we’ve found is 1.48Kg) though we didn’t find anyone who found weight a problem.

Finally, owners report that the build quality is excellent with Arai’s near-legendary attention to detail evident in finish and features.

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.

Alternatives to the Arai Rebel

If you’re after a more exclusive helmet that’s not sportsbike focused, we’d recommend you check out AGVs GT Veloce – a SHARP 5 star rated all-rounder that’s lighter than the Rebel and cheaper too. Of course, if you do want an Arai, the Quantum ST is worth looking at – SHARP 4 star rated and around the same price point as the Rebel. Finally there’s the Shoei GT Air – an excellent sports touring helmet that’s quieter than the Rebel and has a wide, optically correct Pinlock visor.

Definitely want an Arai?

Here you'll find all our Arai crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.

Overall/Summary

The Arai Rebel is a very competent crash helmet. It’s got amazing build quality, is extremely comfortable and has some of the best venting this side of an open face. There’s a few downsides – namely it’s not the quietest of helmets, it drops a couple of points for safety according to SHARP and it’s pretty expensive. But as a usable helmet that’s all day comfortable and a real hot-weather beater, the Arai Rebel is hard to beat.

Best places to buy an Arai Rebel?

It’s not widely available, but the Rebel is still available at Amazon UK the last time we checked. Please click the link below – and if you buy from them, 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

HJC Sy-Max III modular crash helmet review

The HJC Sy-Max III – HJCs mid-price fibreglass flip-up helmet

The Symax modular has been around in one form or another for many years now. The latest iteration is the Sy-Max III, the third generation, which mates a fibreglass shell with a polycarbonate chin guard to offer a flip-up at the lower price end of the market. Here’s some of its main features… and read on for a full review of what owners think about the Sy-Max III (or Symax as it’s widely known).

Fibreglass flip-up helmet
Polycarbonate chin guard
SHARP 3 star safety rated
Drop down sun visor
Optically clear, 95% UV protective main visor
Micrometric fastener
Available sizes XS-XXL
Expect to pay £149-220

Note: the HJC Sy-Max III has now been discontinued. For great alternatives, you might want to check out our Top 10 Modular Helmets page.

Safety

As usual, the Sy-Max III is both DOT and ECE 22.05 certified for sale in the US and Eu so it’s going to offer at least a reasonable level of protection.

However, it has also been independently tested by the SHARP labs which rated it 3 stars out of 5 – which is pretty good (though check out our safest motorcycle helmet reviews to find four and five star rated helmets reviews).

As you’ll probably know, we put a lot of emphasis on safety here at Billy’s Crash Helmets (if you’ve gotta wear a helmet, you might as wear a safe one!) so while the overall SHARP rating is OK, they also record the % of times the chin guard stays locked and closed during impact testing. And in the case of the Sy-Max III, the chin guard only stayed locked in 40% of the impacts.

Now that’s a concern. If you’re buying a system helmet, you need the chin bar to stay locked if you have an accident and from the data, you can’t rely on that happening with the Sy-Max III.

HJC-Sy-Max-III-modular-crash-helmet-gloss-white — Gloss white version

Other stuff that we’d consider contributes to improved safety (i.e. stopping you getting into an accident in the first place) are the optically-correct visor, the drop-down sun visor with it’s spring-loaded quick retraction mechanism and the Pinlock included in the box that’ll stop fogging on cold/rainy days. All good stuff.

Helmet Noise

As always, the amount of helmet noise is very subjective, depending on how loud your last helmet was, type of bike (naked or faired) and – last but not least – how good your hearing is!

That said, we always try and assess the overall level of noise in the lid as perceived by owners who actually use the helmet.

Overall then, owners seem to rate the HJC Sy-Max III as about average compared to all helmets and pretty quiet for a modular (remember modulars are generally lots noisier than full face helmets).

HJC-Sy-Max-III-modular-crash-helmet-shadow-matt-black-rear-view — Subtly highlighted matt black Shadow Symax III

So that’s good going.

I’ve gotta say though, that this ignores the fact that a couple of folks said they had to return the SyMax because they found it just too loud. And conversely there’s some people who said it was quieter than their full face and they could talk happily on the phone via their bluetooth sets at fast motorway speeds. See how individual it is?

Again though, generally the Symax seems pretty decent in suppressing noise compared to many flip-ups.

If a quiet helmet’s important to you, have a look at our quietest helmets page (you can see which helmets have this and lots of other features in our feature cloud in the right hand sidebar above).

Size

The Sy-Max III is created in two helmet sizes and available in fitment sizes XS to XXL. Read here why more crash helmet shell sizes are better than fewer.

If you’re looking to buy a Sy-Max III then, it’s worth noting that quite a few people said they can be slightly under-sized, which means if you usually find you’re half way between a large and extra large for example, go for the larger size and you’ll probably find it fits just right.

Do that after reading our helmet fitting guide of course, because getting a correctly fitting helmet is probably the single most important factor in getting a crash helmet that’ll protect you in an accident.

Ventilation

There’s three vents in the front of the Sy-Max III and a couple of exhaust vents in the rear.

HJC-Sy-Max-III-modular-crash-helmet-fluorescent-front-view — HJC Sy-Max III in fluorescent yellow

The front chin vent is operated by pressing the large v-shaped toggle in the centre; press the bottom to open and top to close. That’s nice and easy to find and to open/close with gloved hands.

The top visor isn’t. It’s a very small slider that opens two small vents to allow air into the top of the helmet. And while it works fine, it’s a bit too small to be easy to find and operate until you’ve got used to it.

Overall though, owners reckon the airflow is OK. There’s a reasonable amount of air pushed over the front of the face and rear of the visor; though as usual, it’s not enough to keep the visor fog-free in cold weather (see visor section below) while the top vents let in enough air to keep things moderately cool in all but the hottest weather. It’s far from the best ventilated helmet around but it’s OK in most conditions.

Visor

The HJC Sy-Max III has a good quality main clear visor and a spring-loaded drop down sun visor.

The main visor is not exactly class-one optically-correct (the de-facto standard in distortion-free visors) but it’s very good, with a number of owners reporting no distortion and a nice wide aperture. It’s a ratchet opening and that works well with a number of very positive ‘detents’ or positions that the visor will open and stay at, including a ‘cracked open’ position for a bit of ventilation and clearing fog on the visor. It also has the opening tab to the bottom left which is well placed.

HJC-Sy-Max-III-modular-crash-helmet-gloss-black-top-view — SyMax III in gloss black

It’s also Pinlock-ready and comes with a Pinlock anti-fog in the box. If you’ve never used a Pinlock, click the link above for more information on why they’re really handy. That’s a great selling point for the Sy-Max and worth around £30.

The main visor gives 95% UV protection too.

The integral sun visor is dropped-down by a slider on the top of the helmet with three positions – and it features a button allowing you to quickly retract the visor without having to move the slider.

Owners like the sun visor on the Symax. They particularly like the way it drops down further than many other helmets with a few commenting that it can completely cover your vision and removes the need for sunglasses altogether. They do say the retract button is set very far back which is a bit awkward, but overall the system works well.

Chin Guard

Sy-Max III owners say the chin guard works well; it can be opened and closed with one hand and has a solid feel about it.

However, as mentioned in the safety section, the chin guard only remained fully locked in 40% of impacts when tested by SHARP. Which isn’t good by anyone’s standards.

HJC-Sy-Max-III-modular-crash-helmet-fluro-side-view — Showing full extent of chin bar movement

If you buy a flip-front helmet, you only want it to flip open when you decide… and especially not during an accident.

SHARP doesn’t actually say it’ll flip open – each accident’s different so they can’t say whether it’ll put you in danger or not – but with the test impact causing it to become unlocked in 60% of test impacts, that’s gotta mean there’s more of a chance.

For some suggested safer modular helmets, check our suggested alternatives at the bottom of the review.

Comfort

The interior is what HJC call SilverCool. A few manufacturers have started using silver fibres weaved into their interiors as it has good anti-bacterial properties – though it’s usually reserved for helmets at the upper end of the price range. So having silver fabric inside the SyMax liner is pretty unusual in a lower priced helmet.

The Sy-Max III padding is also moisture wicking, designed to pull sweat away from the scalp and, ideally, into the air channels and out of the exhaust vents.

While the ventilation is about average (so don’t expect a totally dry head when things heat up), owners do rate the Sy-Max III as being very comfortable (again as long as you get the fitting right). A number of owners praised it as keeping them happy all day long on ten hour rides so the comfort lining seems to be doing its job nicely.

On fitting – if you haven’t already, check the size section above for info of which size to buy – but note there are replacement cheek pads available for the SyMax should you want to fine-tune the fit further.

One final thing to note in this section is that there’s a glasses groove in the internal lining which lets the stems of glasses sit inside the groove, stopping them pressing into the side of the head. That’s a great feature that many helmet makers have now adopted.

Looks & Graphics

The HJC Sy-Max III is available in a pretty standard range of solid colours. We’ve shown them all on this page, and it includes the usual matt & gloss black, solid white, a silver and a hi-viz yellow version. If you look around, you might also find the subtly-cool Sy-Max III Shadow that’s a matt-black version with grey piping.

Video

This guy gives you a quick-overview of the SyMax III.

Other stuff – fastener, build quality, bluetooth communicator

The Sy-Max III comes with a micrometric fastener (easy to use and quick-release). Build quality is pretty good although, according to a couple of owners, you might notice a few areas around the chin guard that aren’t quite up to scratch – if you look closely.

HJC-Sy-Max-III-modular-crash-helmet-silver — Classic silver version of the Sy-Max III

And finally, the SyMax is designed to accommodate HJCs Chatterbox bluetooth system – with a removable section on the left hand side. Of course, many folks will already have a bluetooth they want to use with the SyMax III and there’s reports of people fitting both the Sena SMH-10 and the Cardo Scala Rider G9 without too many problems (though one owner struggled to fit their Scala G4).

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.

Alternatives to the HJC Sy-Max III

There’s lots of competition in the flip-up helmet market at this price point and some fabulous helmets to be found.

The AGV Compact is a SHARP 4 star rated modular with sun visor and free Pinlock. Then there’s the very light 4 star Lazer Monaco – a bit more expensive but a great helmet with a photochromic visor as standard. Finally, the excellent Cabergs – the Duke and the Tourmax – both 5 star rated and excellent buys.

For more alternatives, why not check out our Top 10 flip up crash helmets page?

More HJC crash helmet reviews/info?

Visit our HJC page to quickly browse all our HJC helmet reviews including all the latest safety-rated full face and modular/flip up helmets.

Overall/Summary

Owners seem to like their SyMax IIIs. It’s pretty quiet (for a modular!) feels well-built, has a great pair of visors (with a free Pinlock in the box) and does everything pretty well. The only fly in the ointment is the SHARP safety score of 3 stars (out of 5) and the 40% rating for the chin bar. If you can live with that, in all other respects the SyMax is a well regarded helmet that’s easy to live with.

Star Ratings

Review of the Shark S600 full face crash helmet

Shark’s entry-level thermoplastic full face helmet – the Shark S600

The S600 is Shark’s current entry-level helmet. But even though it can be had for under £100, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to compromise. As we show in our cheapest crash helmets section, there’s plenty of choice and great performing helmets to be had for well under £150.

The S600 might look a bit plain in comparison to some of the latest top end releases, but with a quick release visor, removable lining – and a Pinlock anti-fog insert in the box – as well as very good SHARP safety rating, the Shark S600 is shaping up to be a real contender – and not just against other entry-level helmets.

Shark’s entry-level full face
Thermoplastic shell
SHARP 4 Star rated for safety
Pinlock anti-fog insert included
Sizes XS-XXL
5 year Shark warranty
Expect to pay £89-£99

Note: the S600 is no longer available. Check out our other Shark helmet reviews or visit our Top 10 helmets pages to find a cracking alternative.

Safety

Shark-S600-solid-gloss-white-crash-helmet-side — S600 in solid gloss white

Even though the S600 is the cheapest of Shark’s current range, it’s received four stars in the SHARP safety test which is a fantastic performance and only one star off the maximum five stars. It’s also been ECE 22/05 tested/approved so you can be confident the S600 will offer a good level of accident protection, should the worst happen.

Other features that contribute to overall safety levels are the fact that it comes with a Pinlock anti fog insert in the box (see visor section below) that means you shouldn’t be scrabbling around to see when things get misty, and it has the well-regarded micrometric locking mechanism to keep the strap locked closed.

Shark are our current joint second best rated crash helmet brand for safety and the S600 continues their trend for producing well made and safe helmets.

All in all, we reckon the Shark S600 is almost as safe as they come (though check our SHARP 5 star helmet section for the absolute safest helmets on sale).

Shark-S600-Exit-black-green-crash-helmet-front — Shark S600 in Exit graphics showing single chin and forehead vents

Helmet Noise

Of the feedback that’s available, owners say the Shark S600 is very quiet. That’s possibly down to a few factors.

Firstly, the S600 has limited inlet and exhaust vents cut into the shell. If you have lots of vents (and some helmets have six or more) then they can let quite a bit of noise into a helmet, along with the fresh air. Because the S600 only has a couple of vents and therefore holes cut into the shell, it could mean less noise can get in.

Secondly, the bottom of the liner is quite a snug fit. That could keep out a fair bit of noise from coming into the helmet from below.

Finally, many of the owners of the S600 are new to motorcycling and this is typically one of their first helmets. As we know, helmet noise is very subjective so if you don’t have many other helmets to compare it to, it could give a slightly false impression.

That said, most owners were adamant the S600 is quiet so we’ve reflected that in our ratings below.

Ventilation

The S600 has just two vents in the helmet – one chin and one forehead vent. Both are operated by a toggle switch that works a bit like a light switch; so to open, you press the switch one way, and the other to close. They’re simple to operate – even in gloves – and there’s no complaints from owners.

Shark-S600-volt-black-green-yellow-rear-view — Rear view. No spoilers or exhausts.

The forehead vent routes air through channels in the EPS polystyrene lining through to the scalp and the warm/stale air exits the helmet via the exhaust vent that’s around the rear collar area at the base of the helmet – so no rear vents cut into the helmet shell that you find in more expensive models.

However, according to some owners, it seems these two small vents can struggle to feed all the air needed into the helmet.

In cold weather, the visor steams up easily because the single chin vent can’t pull enough air into the front of the helmet. Of course, fit the included Pinlock anti-fog insert and that problem will disappear. And of course in cold weather you’re probably more interested in reducing air flow around your scalp to keep your head warm rather than getting ventilation into the helmet.

But, as we say, if you ride in colder weather, then get the Pinlock fitted and you should be fine.

However, the lack of ventilation can be a bit of an issue in hotter weather when plenty of cool air flowing around the helmet is more useful.

Visor

The Shark S600’s visor works well. It ticks all the important boxes and though there’s nothing massively fancy about it, it has some of the most important features – namely it’s quick release, reasonably optically correct and comes with a Pinlock in the box. Job done.

Shark-S600-play-black-yellow-blue-crash-helmet-front — Shark S600 in Play black/yellow/blue graphics

The ratchet on the visor is nice and firm and allows you to open it just a crack – something many of us like to do when we’re bimbling through town at low speeds.

It has one of the best quick-release visor removal mechanisms around – press in a button on each side and the visor slides off (check the video to see it in action).

The visor itself has an opening tab front and left – probably the best place for it. And it also comes with a Pinlock insert in the box. Pinlocks are great if you ride in cold weather where your visor can quickly fog-up. And for a helmet at this cheap price point, having a £30+ Pinlock in the box is a real bonus and will make living with the S600 that much easier.

To find other helmets that are either Pinlock-ready or come with a Pinlock in the box, check our Pinlock section (to see helmets with a range of important features, use our feature tags found above on the right sidebar).

Comfort

There’s no problems reported with the comfort of the S600. Like other Sharks, it features a sweat-wicking, fully removable and washable lining which owners say is very comfortable. As always, that’s dependent on getting the right fitting in the first place.

Looks & Graphics

Looks are pretty subjective but the S600 certainly doesn’t disgrace itself. It’s a reasonably basic, uncluttered design that’s available in the usual solid black & white, gloss and matt versions and Shark regularly update the range with other designs.

At the time of writing, the S600 is available in the Swag, Prime, Exit, Volt and Play graphics and you’ll find many of those dotted around this page. For the latest designs, you could visit the Shark website or visit our recommended retailers (see below) who’ll usually have a range that includes both recent and older graphics, often at reduced prices.

Video

A 5 minute look around the Shark S600 from this dude at Bikenation.

Shark-S600-solid-matt-black-helmet-side — Shark S600 looking moody in solid matt black

Other stuff – weight, fastener, build quality, ACU gold sticker

The S600 weighs in at about 1.45Kg for the medium size which is about average for a full face helmet.

It has a micrometric (ratchet) fastener which are really easy to use and incredibly quick to release.

Build quality is reported to be very good and in the UK it comes with a ACU gold sticker on it which means it’s suitable/approved for track use.

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.

Alternatives to the Shark S600

Even though the S600 represents great value for money, there’s tons of competition at this price point. Take a look at the Caberg Vox – that’s a SHARP 5 star rated helmet that you can pick up for around the same price as the S600 but has a drop down sun visor too. There’s also the 4 star rated Scorpion Exo 410 which features Scorpion’s innovative air pump system as well as an optically-correct visor. For a little more money, you could get an AGV K3 SV too – that’s another SHARP 4 star rated helmet with a drop down sun visor and great ventilation. All those are worthy alternatives to the S600.

Definitely want a Shark?

Here you'll find all our Shark crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.

Overall/Summary

The Shark S600 is a great helmet. Sure, it’s a bit basic and low on features, but for the price, you get a great performing helmet that does all the basics well and introduces you to Shark crash helmet ownership at a price that won’t break the bank. Plus it comes with a £30 Pinlock anti-fog which is amazing for a sub-£100 helmet!

It’ll probably appeal more to folks that are new to motorcycling – mainly because of that low price point – but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the rest of us checking out the S600 too because it’s a great helmet full stop.