Icon Airflite: funky all rounder helmet with innovative visor system.

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Icon Airflite motorbike crash helmet review.

Icon like to do things differently.

Take the Icon Airflite. It’s a polycarbonate all-rounder helmet that’s designed to work for pretty well any purpose going (except maybe the track). Which often means… well… a bit dull, right?

But not so with Icon. Not only is the Airflite available in lots of funky, borderline outrageous, graphics. But they’ve added a faintly bonkers visor setup to it that’s almost twice as deep as your average visor and clips onto the bottom of the chin guard.

I guess in the fully-up position it kinda acts like a sun peak/roost guard too (maybe that’s the point?).

Like I said, Icon like to do things a bit different.

Personally, I like different. But is it different for different’s sake or different and better?

So, here’s a look over the Icon Airflite and see what it offers for your money.

  • Polycarbonate all-rounder helmet

    icon-airflite-rubatone-motorcycle-helmet-rear-view
    Rear view of the Airflite Rubatone
  • Drop down sun visor
  • SHARP 3 star safety rated
  • Large, anti-fog main visor
  • Double-D ring fastener
  • Quick change visor
  • 1.7Kg (3.75lbs) – slightly heavier than avg
  • Sizes XS-XXXL
  • Expect to pay £200-£250

Looking to buy an Icon Airflite?

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

Buy from SportsBikeShop

Safety

 (more about helmet safety)

The Airflite’s got an injection moulded polycarbonate shell and there’s a good old double-d ring fastener to keep it secure on your head.

It’s been both ECE approved and DOT certified (for the US market), meaning you can be confident it’ll give you some decent protection if you ever (God forbid) hit the deck. And to make sure you get the right amount of EPS lining to helmet size, Icon produce it in 3 shell sizes. That’s good.

Icon Airflite 8ms sharp test result
Icon Airflite 8.5m/s sharp impact test courtesy of sharp.dft.gov.uk

To help keep you upright, there’s a wide visor for added peripheral vision and a drop down sun visor to keep you from getting dazzled.

That massive main visor isn’t Pinlock-ready (boo), but it does come with Icon’s own anti-fog treatment which I found surprisingly effective (more in visor section below).

We always look at SHARP safety test results too where possible. Icon helmets are fairly new to SHARP testing. In fact, before the Airflite was tested, they’ve only had three helmets tested so far with an average score of 3 stars.

So it’s probably no surprise that the Airflite scored 3 stars too. Looking at the 8.5m/s test, while it still scored slightly above average for side and front impact testing, it still dropped a few marks there.

Overall then, it’s about average for impact protection.

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Airflite Fayder black/white

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

There’s a decent amount of padding inside the Airflite but there’s also lots of ventilation channels and some decent sized vent holes too, all of which can let noise into a helmet.

I tried an Airflite and while I always ride wearing some of our recommended ear plugs, I found it to be very similar to something like the HJC IS 17 which is pretty good for noise suppression.

Overall though, there are a wide range of opinions out there – some owners saying it’s a nice quiet helmet while others say it’s noisy, especially at speed.

So it’s not really possible to say how noisy you’ll find the Airflite as it’s very subjective and depends on how fast you ride as well as your specific motorbike among other factors. Overall then, we’ll score it above average for helmet noise.

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

There’s a big, fat, central vent in the chin guard which directs air around the mouth and up onto the back of the visor.

It’s designed to mimic motocross helmets that have a large central vent with a cleanable filter in there but in the case of the Airflite, the main visor actually drops down to cover the chin guard vent, with the holes in the visor letting air through even when it’s fully closed.

You can’t see it in the pictures, but you actually close the vent using a slider on the inside of the guard which, despite being inside the helmet and meaning you’ve gotta navigate the non-removable chin curtain to get to it, it actually isn’t too difficult to access while riding.

Unusually for a helmet with a sun visor that retracts right where forehead vents go, Icon has managed to put a couple of forehead vents into the helmet and route the channels past the sun visor.

Those forehead vents are covered by large sliders that are very glove-friendly. And they’re fairly straight forward to use – though not as easy as single vents, until you get the hang of using your finger and thumb to open them both simultaneously.

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Gloss white Airflite showing large chin vent and sun visor slider behind visor pivot

These vents direct air through the helmet shell and into channels the run front-to-back across the crown of the head, drawing air out of the helmet through two, always-open, rear exhausts.

From my first test rides and looking at comments around the web, ventilation is overwhelmingly seen as a strong point.

Even when it’s mega hot in the US, many riders say there’s enough air flow to keep your head really cool.

Couple excellent venting with the (surprisingly effective) factory anti-fog coating and it takes a lot to steam up the visor too.

Visor

(more about visors)

The visor on the Icon Airflite is probably the most unusual part of the helmet.

It extends down really deep and has a grille set into it that semi-covers the chin vent when the visor’s closed. The bottom of the visor then locks into place on the bottom of the chin guard.

It’s an unusual setup that looks cool and works well too. It’s easy to close and lock the visor in place and it’s easy to push the bottom of the visor with your thumb to unlock it and open the visor back up.

It’s also a very quick release visor too. You prise off the side pods using a couple of fingers at the top and pull till they feel like they’re gonna break. And once they pull off, all you have to do is open the visor until it springs off its mounts. That’s it. Great bit of design and makes for a really easy way to pull off the visor for cleaning.

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Good Fortune graphics

Or for swapping out for the replacement smoked visor that comes free in the box.

The visor also has Icon’s own anti-fog treatment on it. We’re not usually a fan of factory anti-fog treatments and regularly extol the virtues of Pinlocks instead.

So we were really surprised at how effective the Icon fog-free FliteShield visor was at stopping fogging. In fact it seemed about as effective as a Pinlock on our test journeys, though admittedly it wasn’t particularly cold or humid when we tried it. But in the absence of a Pinlock, Icon’s treatment seems very good.

One of the best features of the Airflite according to owner feedback is the nice large view it gives of the road. The viewport is nice and wide giving great visibility all round – and that’s great for safety as well as for enjoying the ride.

Sun Visor

(more about sun visors)

The sun visor on the Airflite is operated by a slider right behind the left hand visor pivot and we found it drops down nice and low and was pretty easy to use. It’s a bit stiff to get the sun visor moving at first – part of the mechanism to stop the sun visor dropping down when you don’t want it to – but once you get the hang of it, it works a treat.

Like most sun visors, it’s not anti-fog so if it’s cold, don’t expect it to stay mist-free when you drop it down. But when we used it riding into the sun and things had warmed up a little, it was about average tint meaning it was dark enough to cut out most of the sun and let us ride along without distraction.

So all good with the sun visor we reckon.

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Icon Airflite Quick Silver

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

The Icon Airflite is made in 3 helmet shell sizes and in fitment sizes XS-XXXL.

Inside, there’s a removable/washable liner using Icon’s regular Hydradry material that’s moisture wicking and breathable.

I found it a tight squeeze to get the Airflite on (a couple of other owners complain about this too), but once there it was bang on in terms of fitment and comfort – giving my head a gentle squeeze without any pressure points.

It’s designed to fit people with medium oval head shapes – so if your head’s oval rather than a rounder shape, it should be good for you.

Several owners said their Airflite’s felt very tight at first, with some suggesting if you’re between sizes, to go for a larger size. If it’s just a little tight when you get it though, it should break in pretty quickly.

And if you do buy one but find the fitment not quite right or needs some customising, thicker and thinner cheek pads are available from Icon to tailor the internal fitment.

One notable feature if you ride in a suit with a back protector is that there’s a cutout in the rear of the Airflite that’ll accommodate a hump so it shouldn’t push your helmet forward.

Looks & Graphics

Icon ALWAYS paint their helmets in funky graphics and the Icon Airflite is no exception.

You can see the Airflite Fayder in the video below (also available in black/orange) and you’ll find the Krom Airflite further down this page in grey – again, there’s an orange version available too.

There’s also the delightfully bonkers Chinese Dragon inspired Airflite Good Fortune as well as a bunch of plainer but equally edgy graphics such as the Rubatone and Quicksilver. Oh, and of course there’s plain gloss white and black versions.

Click through to our recommended retailers to see the latest deals on all these designs as well as any others that’ve been released since we wrote the article.

Best places to buy an Icon Airflite?

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

Buy from SportsBikeShop

Icon Airflite video

A ten minute tour of the Icon Airflite Fayder.

Other stuff – fasteners, audio, weight, chin curtain, warranty

The Airflite comes with a double-d ring fastener (easy to use old-style fasteners).

It has speaker pockets inside and enough room in the chin guard for a microphone. While they’re not the most generous speaker pockets in the world, we’ve heard from people happily fitting their Sena and Cardo Freecom units in there. Reports are that sticky mounts work best with the bottom rim of the Airflite not being the easiest to mount a clamp mount on.

It weighs in about 1.7Kg which is a bit heavier than your average polycarbonate helmet, though not too heavy to cause any discomfort.

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Airflite Krom – also in orange/black

It comes with a removable chin curtain and non-removable breath guard fitted to the helmet.

Icon Airflites come with a standard 1 year warranty.

Overall/Summary

If you like the aggressive motocross-inspired looks and want a decent all rounder, then the Icon Airflite should fit the bill.

It feels well built, has a quality quick-release visor system with a factory anti-fog coating that actually seems to work.

It scored 3/5 stars by SHARP for safety so is slightly above average when it comes to impact protection.

It’s designed to work with medium oval heads and the removable/washable lining with spaces for comms unit speakers are all good quality. Couple that with an effective drop down sun visor and ventilation system and Icon seems to be onto a winner.

Crash Helmet Buying Guides & Top 10s

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

Good Alternatives to the Icon Airflite?

There’s some great full face helmets out there to suit a range of wallets.

The HJC FG-ST is a SHARP 5 star safety rated all rounder fibreglass full face with a drop down sun visor and Max Vision Pinlock anti-fog in the box. It’s around the same price as the Icon Airflite too.

Cheaper than the Icon is the Shark Ridill. That scored 4 stars for safety when tested by SHARP and its got a sun visor and Pinlock visor too. It’s also got a glasses groove for if you wear glasses/shades and comes with a 5 year warranty!

Or for a smidge more than the Icon, there’s the X-Lite X-702 GT. But for that extra, you get a SHARP 5 star safety rated composite fibre lid that’s rated as quiet and comfortable by owners.

Looking to buy an Icon Airflite?

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

Buy from SportsBikeShop

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.

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Safety
Comfort
Noise
Features
Value
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icon-airflite-motorcycle-crash-helmet-reviewThe Icon Airflite is a decent value polycarbonate helmet. It's a good all rounder that has excellent ventilation and visor system that's well liked by owners. It's very distinctive with that super deep visor and the usual range of wild Icon graphics. It's not going to give you the best protection out there (scoring SHARP 3 stars) but if you're in the market for something a little different but that'll be a reliable partner whether on the commute or touring holiday - and that doesn't cost too much - then the Icon Airflite might fit the bill.

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