Klim Krios Pro review: a hugely innovative Adventure Helmet.

Klim Krios Pro: Koroid dual sport adventure helmet review.

The Klim Krios Pro is an uprated version of the older Klim Krios dual sport adventure helmet. It’s advertised as being super light weight and including, well, pretty much every feature you could be looking for in an adventure helmet!

Klim Krios pro adventure helmet aresenal grey front view
Arsenal Grey Klim Krios Pro front view

That’s a full carbon fibre shell for strength and weight, a transitions photochromic visor that darkens in the sunlight and lightens when it’s not; and the flexibility to change the helmet from an adventure to a dirt or street lid.

Plus there’s an innovative strap closure in the form of their Fidlock fastener and a (potentially) game changing replacement to the old Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) liner in the form of a bunch of green plastic tubes called Koroyd.

Whew! That’s a lot of innovations and a lot to look at.

So, if you’re in the market for a new dual-sport helmet, here’s what the Klim Krios Pro offers and what owners think are the good and not so good points of living with it.

  • Adventure/Dual Sport helmet
  • Carbon fibre shell
  • Innovative Koroyd impact liner
  • Transitions visor included
  • Second clear visor also included
  • Aerodynamic peak
  • Easy to use Fidlock fastener
  • Pinlock antifog insert included
  • Sizes XS-XXXL
  • Expect to pay around £550

Looking to buy a Klim Krios Pro?

Please click below to visit the Klim Krios Pro helmets page at our recommended store. 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).

Buy from SportsBikeShop

Overall/Summary

The Klim Krios Pro is a well liked adventure helmet.

U.S. helmet makers, Klim, are in the market to produce premium helmets, and with its carbon fibre construction and the inclusion of a Koroyd shock absorbing lining and super-easy Fidlock fastener, they’re also about using innovation where possible too. And more power to them for that.

Klim Krios pro helmet Loko Vivid Sage side view
Side view of the Krios Pro in Lok vivid sage colourway

They’ve also used heaps of tried and tested tech in there as well – including a premium transitions photochromic visor in the box and a Pinlock antifog.

And with the flexibility you get with an adventure helmet – changing it from a dirt helmet to a street helmet and to anything in between in seconds – the vast majority of owners love their Krios Pros.

OK so it’s not the quietest helmet (that Koroyd liner might be the culprit here) and the sizing can be a bit ‘generous’, but it seems that’s about it for problems for most owners.

Because, while the Klim Klios Pro is an expensive helmet, most owners also say it’s a really good one and worth the money. It’s comfortable, very well ventilated and light weight. And while that Koroyd impact liner is unproven (hence our lower score for safety), you actually get an awful lot of performance helmet for your money.

Klim Krios Pro Helmet Configuration

Like many adventure helmets, there’s a variety of ways you can use the Klios Pro. Basically, it’ll transform from an adventure helmet into an off-road helmet (with/without visor/goggles) or a street helmet (peak removed). You can see the different modes below:

Krios-Pro-ADV-ride-modes

Safety

(more about helmet safety)

OK, helmet protection is one of the big points that Klim say they’ve improved.

Not only are all Klim Krios Pro helmet shells made from carbon fibre, but they also incorporate something called Koroyd into their construction. That’s a material made from lots of small plastic tubes joined together to form a mat which replaces much of the internal expanded polystyrene liner that you’ll find on traditional helmets.

Klim Krios pro dual sport helmet aresenal dune side view
The Klim Krios Pro in Arsenal Dune graphics

You’ll find more information on Koroyd in the section below.

Suffice to say while some of the figures and stats provided by Koroyd seem impressive, as far as we could find, there isn’t any independent testing data to show how well it performs in a motorbike helmet.

Yes, it’s passed the ECE European homologation tests so it must be OK (and by selling the Krios Pro in the US, Klim obviously reckon it’ll pass DOT specs too) but it’d be great to see some independent safety testing results. I mean, when buying the Krios Pro, you’ll be spending a ton of money and probably buying into Koroyd’s promises, so at the very least it’d be great to see some proof the protection works, right?

We contacted Koroyd directly who said they didn’t have any independent helmet testing results they could share with us. And we contacted Klim too but they replied saying they couldn’t share test data – which is a bit bizarre, especially if they HAVE got test data.

Actually, Klim doesn’t totally replace the EPS lining inside the Krios Pro. The Koroyd lines the helmet inside the shell but I guess it’s not appropriate to have the comfort liner press directly against the Koroyd tubes. Maybe it’d damage the tubes or be a bit too uncomfortable?

So instead, there’s another EPS liner between the Koroyd and comfort liner.

This does make for a slightly bulkier helmet and one or two owners have said that their helmet feels less compact than similar adventure helmets they’ve owned.

Klim Krios pro dual sport helmet matte black front view
Front view of the Matte black version

It doesn’t help that the helmet’s only made in two shell sizes either. Most premium helmets are made in many more shell sizes as that optimizes fit and safety, as well as generally making for a helmet that doesn’t look oversized or give you that bobble head look.

The fact the helmet’s made in lightweight carbon fibre does help safety though. A lighter helmet means there’s less energy to ‘control’ and absorb during an impact and the fact the Krios Pro typically weighs around 1.3-1.4Kg (3-3.1lbs) depending on shell, means it’s a nice lightweight helmet.

OK, that’s the shock absorbing liner and shell. But the Krios Pro has some other safety tricks up its sleeve too.

It comes with both a regular clear visor as well as a photochromic transitions visor in the box.

That transitions visor adjusts the visor tint according to sunlight. So when it’s bright sunshine, the visor darkens. It changes in just a few seconds and gives great protection to your vision when things brighten up.

See visor section below for more info of what’s great and not so great with the visor on the Krios Pro.

There’s also a Pinlock antifog insert included in the box which is really worth fitting to the back of the visor to keep your vision clear when it gets cold or rainy.

That visor is really big too, offering excellent all round vision and peripheral vision too – another good safety feature.

And finally, another innovation that’s been embraced by Klim. The Krios Pro comes fitted with a new type of fastener – called the Fidlock.

Fidlock helmet fastener 2
Closer view of the Fidlock

Fidlock Fastener

Fidlock are a German company who have produced an incredibly easy to use fastener. It’s essentially a metal clasp with a strong magnet in it.

To close the fastener, you basically move the two sides of the fastener together, at which point the magnets pull the fastener together and the lock auto-locks. That’s it!

To unlock, you pull the red tab and the fastener pulls open.

It’s incredibly easy to use and every reviewer we’ve come across seems to love it and think it’s pretty much a game-changer.

Is it as safe as a D-ring or micrometric? Not sure. It’s been ECE approved and DOT certified so it conforms to both their testing regimes. I guess because it’s sooo damn easy to use it kinda feels like it shouldn’t be as safe as the other fasteners. But of course, that doesn’t mean it isn’t.

Fidlock-helmet-fastener
Side view showing how it works (kinda)

And lots of life-long motorcyclists have endorsed it online, so kudos to Klim for taking a gamble and including it on their helmets. It seems like it’s a step forward in usability and – so far – seems to have comparable safety to D-ring or micrometric fasteners.

Overall then, the Klim Krios Pro should give decent protection. Without independent testing, we’re just not sure how good this innovative system is in comparison to the competition.

What is Koroyd?

It’s long been known that the cylinder is a shape that’s particularly resistant to compression. So Koroyd has made a ‘mat’ of small double-walled plastic tubes that are fused together to produce a material that absorbs energy by crushing the tubes, reducing the amount of energy passed beyond the Koroyd and thereby offering protection.

Koroyd-helmet-liner
Helmet liner made out of Koroyd, plus a section of Koroyd which has undergone 50% compression.

Koroyd say their material uses 78% of the thickness to absorb energy (in comparison to EPS’ 60%) and that it has less elasticity, so potentially reducing injury when the liner rebounds, passing energy back to the wearer.

Koroyd also says their material reduces helmet rotation during an impact as well as absorbing energy in a more controlled and consistent manner.

Whether it really works is, I guess, dependent on testing. And so far we haven’t seen any independent test results – just information provided by Koroyd and Klim. Which isn’t really good enough when we’re buying protective gear I’d say. We need real data.

Helmet Noise

(more about helmet noise)

While Koroyd may or may not be a game changer in terms of helmet safety, what we do know is that it’s made of tubes rather than a solid EPS liner. And hollow tubes let noise through.

Klim Krios pro helmet Loko Striking Gray side view
This one’s the Krios Pro in Loko Striking Grey colourway

Yes there’s some EPS lining in there and there is a comfort liner and chin curtain, all of which will help insulate you from noise. But there’s also lots of ventilation holes too which will let air and noise into the helmet.

Overall then, most riders reckon it’s a bit noisy – or at least noisier than most similar helmets they’ve tried. Not deafeningly loud by any stretch (like quite a few folks reckon the older non-pro Klim Krios is), but noisier than average.

Which you may find useful of course if you regularly take your bike on the trail with a group of mates and like to chat.

But not so good if you like to ride in peace (though you should always wear ear plugs too).

Ventilation

(more about helmet ventilation)

The Klim Kronis Pro has a fairly conventional layout of the vents.

That’s a single chin bar vent and a single forehead vent.

Klim Krios pro helmet Mekka Vivid Sage rear view
Rear view of a Krios Pro Mekka vivid sage showing two exhausts under spoiler and another pair bottom left and right

That’s actually good news because those vents only need a single slider each to cover them and means you can open and close them quickly and easily.

In fact, both the sliders are nice and large and, according to owners, are easy to find and operate in gloves, which is always welcome.

Both vents only have an open or closed setting which is fine as that’s all most of use use. And that chin bar vent has a handy grill in to stop the worst of the dirt getting inside the helmet when you go off-road.

And there’s actually a pair of side vents at the side of the chin bar to help pull more air around the chin.


A couple of useful links…

All our Adventure helmet reviews
Light weight helmets


One interesting secondary effect of having a Koroyd liner is that, because it’s made of hollow tubes, air that’s pulled into the helmet can more easily get through to the head.

Couple that with a comfort liner with lots of cut-away panels for venting and it’s all set to be a great venting helmet.

Klim Krios pro adventure helmet haptik white side view
Chin bar front and side vents are visible on this Haptik white Krios Pro

And that exactly what the vast majority of owners say – that the whole helmet vents very well, pulling lots of air onto the back of the visor as well as circulating it around the head.

And several owners who were after a helmet to keep them cool for long off-road rides in the summer say that the Klim Krios Pro really gives excellent venting, keeping their head cool where other helmets struggle.

For many of us visor fogging can be a big issue.

Not only is there plenty of ventilation onto the back of the visor with the Krios Pro, but if that’s not enough, fitting the supplied Pinlock antifog will stop the visor fogging 99% of the time.

Visor

(more about visors)

Klim look to have thrown everything they’ve got at the visor system on the Krios Pro.

It’s a wide and tall viewport with a toolless visor change system. It comes with both a clear and transitions visor in the box and they’re both prepared to fit the (included) Pinlock antifog insert.

Klim Krios pro dual sport helmet matte black side view
Side view of the matte black Krios Pro showing the sheer width of that visor

Of course, nothing’s perfect. And slight niggles with the visor include a lack of a city-riding or defogging ‘cracked open’ position and a couple owners saying the visor feels very flimsy or thin.

Some owners also find the visor/peak removal system a bit fiddly because you have to twist and remove plastic fasteners which can be lost – and they’re just plain trickier to operate than most regular quick-release visor systems.

Klim do provide replacement fasteners in the box though in case you lose one.

But in general, the visor seems to work very well.

The helmet comes with the transitions visor fitted. Photochromic visors change from clear to smoked in seconds and generally give excellent protection against the sun.

But note: Klim recommend only using the transitions lens when using the Krios in street helmet configuration. That’s because the sun peak can cast shadows across the transitions visor causing darker spots while riding, which can be distracting.

Also, if you raise your visor with the sun peak fitted, the peak will put the visor in shadow causing part of it to tint which, again, will be distracting when you close the visor.

Klim Krios pro helmet Mekka Kinetik Blue rear view
Rear of the Krios Pro Mekka in kinetik blue

Thankfully, there’s a replacement clear visor included in the box, so you’ll just need to swap them out and use that when the peak’s fitted.

And if you do ride in your Krios Pro in street helmet mode, there are a couple of plastic plates provided to hide the base plate and neaten up the look of the helmet.

Overall though, riders like the large size of the viewport – some say it feels like you’re riding in an open face helmet – and the provided visors are optically very clear.

All in all, the visor system is well liked and the fact the helmet’s supplied with a £100+ transitions visor and £30 Pinlock is a real bonus.

Peak/Goggles

The peak on the Klim Krios Pro is aerodynamically sculpted and adjustable/removable.

Some owners seem to think the aero is excellent – allowing them to ride and do head checks without being buffeted or pulled around by the wind. But not everyone agrees and others seem to think it does catch the wind. I guess it’s very much dependent on where you ride and/or type of motorcycle and riding style.

It is pretty simple to adjust and remove the peak though.

klim-krios-pro-matte-black-helmet-side-view
Klim Krios Pro matte black

To adjust, you loosen the top screw and slide the peak higher or lower. To remove, take out the top screw then turn the plastic thumb screws half a turn, pull them out, then pull off the peak.

If you’re looking to fit goggles, it should fit most well known brands. Just watch out for that integral breath guard as it does sit quite high.

One useful feature is that you can fit goggles while leaving the visor in place.

Comfort and Sizing

(more about comfort and sizing)

The Klim Krios Pro has a medium oval internal fitment. It’s produced in sizes XS-XXXL and made in 2 shell sizes, with the smaller shell fitting XS-M and the larger L-XXXL.

It uses Klim’s Klimatek comfort liner which uses an antimicrobial and moisture wicking material that feels plush and comfortable.

In fact Krios Pro owners almost universally praise the Krios for comfort – as long as you get the sizing right.

Many riders find the sizing about right, but others found it sizes small – anywhere from half a size to a full size small. So if you’re on the border between helmet sizes, order the smaller size. And if you do order the correct size but find it’s too large, make sure you’ve bought from somewhere who’ll do no-quibble swaps.

klim-krios-pro-mekka-kinetik-blue-adventure-helmet-side-view
Mekka Kinetik blue Krios Pro

Klim do sell a size up/down cheekpads though so that can help with tailoring the fit just right if you find it’s a bit tight or loose out of the box.

The liner’s fully removable and washable and while most of the liner’s held in by snaps, the cheekpads are held in by velcro. That’s fine but can mean they’re tricky to reposition once you’ve taken them out.

Looks & Graphics

The Klim Krios comes in a reasonable array of solids and graphics.

The Haptik white is a solid gloss white helmet whereas the Matt Black is actually a clear matt lacquer exposing the carbon weave beneath.

For graphics, there’s the Mekka, Arsenal and Loko – and you’ll find examples of all these up and down the pages – or click through to our recommended stores to find more examples and colourways.

Best places to buy a Klim Krios Pro helmet?

Please click below to visit the Klim Krios Pro helmets page at our recommended store. 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).

Buy from SportsBikeShop

Klim Krios Pro Video

Here’s a comprehensive 24m look around the Klim Krios from Chaparral Motorsports.

Other stuff – audio, glasses, weight, aero, build quality, chin curtain, warranty

Unusually, while there aren’t any speaker pockets in the fabric of the helmet (I guess it’s a bit tricky to make pockets set into Koroyd?) Klim does have a bluetooth helmet integration with the Sena 10u communicator. So buy one of those and it should work seamlessly with the Krios Pro.

klim-krios-pro-loko-orange-helmet-side-view
Loko Striking Grey/Orange Krios Pro

There are recesses for speakers in the cheek pad liner though and we have heard of people fitting other Sena units as well as a Cardo Packtalk Bold without any problems. So it sounds like as long as your speakers aren’t too deep, you can probably mount a variety of comms units onto the Krios Pro without too many problems.

Same goes for fitting glasses. There aren’t any glasses grooves inside the Krios Pro, but we’ve heard from several glasses wearers who say they don’t have a problem fitting them into their helmets and riding with them in place.

One of the most talked about features of the Klim Krios Pro is how light it is. Weighing around 1.3-1.4Kg (3-3.1lbs) it is light weight, and many owners love how less fatiguing it is to ride in a Krios Pro.

We’ve not come across many quality issues at all in our research. The only slight niggle is that the carbon fibre weave can look a bit mismatched where the sheets join – which is probably more a visual nit pick than anything else. Other that that, Krios Pro’s seem well made.

They’re sold with a removable chin curtain fitted (good for noise and wind reduction) and there’s a fixed breath guard in place.

Finally, all Klim helmets come with an excellent 5 year warranty against manufacturing defects. Plus there’s also Klim’s gear protection guarantee that if you’re involved in an accident and damage your Krios Pro within 5 years of purchasing it, they’ll replace it free of charge! Obviously you have to send in quite a bit of info to accompany the claim but that’s a fantastic offer and a real bro move from Klim. Well done.

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 Klim Krios Pro?

Arai XD4 hi viz

I guess one of the benchmark premium adventure helmets is the Arai Tour X4. That’s a Snell approved (US DOT helmet) fibreglass helmet that’s just as versatile as the Krios but with EQRS as well as excellent ventilation and comfort. Costs around the same as the Klim but it is heavier.

Shoei Hornet X2 Seeker TC8
Shoei Hornet X2 Seeker TC8 colours

Shoei’s Hornet ADV is also Snell certified (again, that’s for the US DOT helmet), quieter than the Klim and has EQRS. It’s made in 4 shell sizes, is reasonably quiet, has an optically correct visor and is well vented. Owners love it.

N70-2 X

Italian Nolan N70-2 X and GT helmets are arguably even more versatile adventure helmets. It’s modular too so you can wear it as a 3/4 helmet, plus there’s a drop down sun visor and Pinlock included. It’s half the price of the Klim too.

Schuberth E1

Finally, if you’re looking for a quiet ADV helmet that’s got great ventilation, a Pinlock and optically correct visor – then how about the Schuberth E1? It’s got a fibreglass shell too. The only fly in the ointment is that it dropped a couple of stars for safety when it was tested by SHARP.

Looking to buy a Klim Krios Pro?

Please click below to visit the Klim Krios Pro helmets page at our recommended store. 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).

Buy from SportsBikeShop

Other Adventure/Dual-Sports helmets?

There are lots of other Adventure/Dual Sports crash helmets out there, so please check out our Adventure motorcycle helmets page to see all our other reviews and previews. Or, if you're looking for the safest tested helmets on the market, you might want to take a look at our safest motorcycle helmets pages 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.

Star Ratings

MCN Rating: Quality 5/5, Value 5/5

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Safety
Comfort
Noise
Features
Value
Previous articleMT Rapide and Rapide Pro: budget sportsbike and track helmets.
Next articleHJC C70: Great value SHARP 5 star all-rounder full face helmet.
klim-krios-pro-koroid-dual-sport-adventure-helmet-reviewThe Klim Krios Pro is a well liked adventure helmet. It's light weight, very well vented and all day comfortable. It's well built too and has an excellent visor system that's tall and large as well as using a photochromic transitions visor and coming with a Pinlock antifog in the box. OK, we're not 100% sure how well that new Koroyd impact liner will perform as there's a lack of data out there. But that question mark aside, the Krios Pro is a hugely flexible adventure helmet that owners seem to love.

1 COMMENT

  1. They still haven’t 22.06 tested it, so will be interesting to see how light it is and what other changes they have to make to comply with that standard.
    The visor is also road legal, meaning it doesn’t darken very much in the sun, unlike the Shoei and Nexx visors (and we all know the road legality nonsense makes no sense in the sunlight).

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