Review of the MT Ventus open faced crash helmet

mt-ventus-discontinued-featured

The MT Ventus is a helmet that’s designed with one thing in mind – convenience. That’s because MT created it to be as lightweight and unobtrusive as possible when you’re wearing it and to be as small as possible so it’s easy to stow away – probably under the seat of your scooter. They also made it so they could sell it as cheaply as possible. So can it be any good too?

  • Polycarbonate shell
  • Small helmet shell size
  • Micrometric fastener
  • Anti scratch visor
  • Very low price
  • Great entry-level open face helmet
  • Price range – £30-£45

Safety

The Ventus is an open face helmet (technically it’s a jet-style helmet because it has a visor – but I digress) and so it’s never going to be massively safe. It has been ECE 22-05 safety tested/approved for sale in the EU but, as with all open-face helmets, if you’re in an accident, you risk face-planting the floor so it’s impossible to give the Ventus a particularly high score for safety. We usually like to refer you to the SHARP safety rating too, but again, because it’s an open face helmet, SHARP won’t test them because if you want safe, you buy a full-face helmet.

Having said all that, and you really need the convenience of an open helmet – and you manage to avoid hitting your face/chin during an accident – then we’d expect the MT to perform reasonably well. It’s a polycarbonate helmet and comes only in one helmet shell size, but MT helmets that have been SHARP safety tested score an average of 4/5 stars making MT our 9th safest crash helmet brand at the time of writing. So we’d expect the shell of the Ventus to stand up reasonably well to an impact. It’s secured to your head using a trusty micrometric strap – which are tried, tested and very easy to use.

Overall though, because the Ventus doesn’t protect the face and chin, you’ll see in our star rating at the bottom of the article, we’ve had to score it a single star for safety.

MT-Ventus-open-face-crash-helmet-gloss-white-side-view
The MT Ventus in gloss white

Helmet Size

The helmet shell of the Venus is produced in only one shell-size. MT’s reasoning for this is that their goal was to keep the Ventus as small as possible so it can be stowed away under the seat. And indeed they’ve succeeded in that because several owners have reported that the Ventus is practically the only helmet they’ve found that’s small enough to fit under the seat of their scooter (obviously, that’s dependent on the model of your bike).

While producing a helmet in a range of shell sizes (that’s different from a fitment size) is generally a good thing, it’s arguably less of an issue for an open or jet style helmet because the helmet doesn’t totally envelop the head. However, for those of you with very a small head, it may make the helmet look really big on you – the so called lollipop effect. The rest of us should be fine though.

Looking to buy this MT helmet?

We recommend SportsBikeShop (UK) for competitive prices, outstanding service and free UK delivery/returns. Or you can click through to the MT helmets pages at Amazon if you prefer to buy from them. Please see here for more info on our recommended stores or click the links to go straight to their MT helmets pages where you'll find the latest designs and deals.

Ventilation

Ventilation isn’t such an issue on an open faced helmet for obvious reasons. That’s not to say you can’t buy open faced helmets with ventilation because they do exist (such as the Scorpion Exo 100 Padova). And while the Ventus does have a couple of exhaust vents on either side of the helmet, there’s no integral ventilation to the skull. If you ride in hot places, this may be a drawback for you.

Visor

The Ventus has an anti-scratch pull down visor which users find very convenient. It’s very handy to have a visor there to stop rain or dust and because it’s anti-scratch, it should stay nice and clear even after repeated cleaning.

MT-Ventus-open-face-crash-helmet-matt-black-side-view
Gloss black version of the MT Ventus showing rear sculpting and side vent

Comfort

One thing that most owners of the MT Ventus praise is the helmet’s comfort. It is a cheap helmet so many owners didn’t expect much from it in the first place, but most are very happy with the comfort. The occasional owner mentioned that MT had skimped a little on the liner and that it was a bit thinner than they were used to. And of course, most users of the Ventus probbly won’t wear it for very long because it’ll appeal mostly to commuters. But if you buy a Ventus and get the initial fitting right, you should find it a comfortable helmet to live with.

Looks & Graphics

The Ventus isn’t available in may designs or colours. The main colours available are the gloss and matt black ones pictured, though on MTs website, they do show a white and a stripy version (various coloured stripes) though these don’t appear to be available in all countries.

Ventus video

There don’t seem to be many videos showing the Ventus – but here’s a non-English one we found that’ll give you a feel for the helmet – and features some of the most inappropriate music overdubbing a crash helmet video we’ve heard so far!

Other stuff – weight, glasses, noise

Some owners reported that it’s a great helmet for glasses-wearers; you can take the helmet on and off without removing your glasses and it’s fine for riding with them on. Most also think it’s light to wear and like the fact you can hear quite a bit around you – which can be a bonus provided you don’t go too fast.

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.

Overall

If you’re after an open face helmet for your daily commute and that’s going to fit under your seat when you get there, the MT Ventus is a great bet. It’s not got the best build quality, but with such a low price, you can forgive the fact that MT have cut one or two corners. Overall, a very useful helmet with a nice and easy to use visor that’ll keep the worst of the road muck and rain off your face and that’s comfortable for your daily commute and more.

Best place to buy this MT crash helmet?

Please click below to visit the MT helmets pages at our recommended stores or Amazon UK. And if you buy from either, 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 MT from SportsbikeshopShop for MT helmets at Amazon

*Quick view retailer T&Cs here.

Alternatives

We’ve not looked at many open face helmets because, well, they’re not the safest helmets around. But you might want to check out the Scorpion EXO 100 Padova, a well-built helmet with an in-built sun visor as well as a clear visor too – that’s highly rated by owners.

Definitely want an MT?

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

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Safety
Comfort
Noise
Features
Value
Previous articleReview of the AGV GT Veloce full face motorcycle crash helmet
Next articleHJC TR-1 full face crash helmet
review-of-the-mt-ventus-open-faced-crash-helmetThe MT Ventus is a budget open face (jet) helmet. But it still manages to be comfy and, importantly, it's small enough to fit under most scooters' seats. It'll never give you the protection of a full face helmet, but if it's convenience you're after at a low price, then the MT Ventus should be fine.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here