The X-661, X-Lite’s entry-level touring motorcycle helmet

The X-Lite X-661 is X-lite’s entry-level touring full face helmet.

That means it’s designed to work best in a more upright riding position and should be suitable for long distances in all conditions – as well as working well with your bluetooth. Nolan’s also said it’s made to be simple and versatile to use – so don’t expect too many bells and whistles or advanced features to come with the X-661.

With that in mind, here’s a ton of information about the X-Lite X-661 including what owners think of theirs, all to help you decide if it’s worth adding one to your shortlist of helmets when you’re in the market for a new helmet.

• Full face touring helmet
• Composite fibre helmet
• Integral sun visor
• Double-d ring fastener
• SHARP 4 star safety rated
• 1.43Kg (slightly lighter than average)
• Pinlock anti-fog insert included
• Bluetooth communicator-ready
• 3 shell sizes
• Fitment size XXS-XXL
• 5 year warranty
• Expect to pay £199-£330

Best places to buy an X-Lite X-661?

Please click below to visit the X-Lite X-661 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).

The X-Lite X-661 has been tested by the helmet testing labs at SHARP and scored an impressive 4 stars (out of 5). Which means it should give you excellent protection if you have an off. Read how SHARP tests its helmets here.

It’s got a composite fibre shell, which should mean it’s reasonably light yet strong – and indeed it is a smidge lighter than your typical full face helmet, weighing in at around 1.4Kg. It should also come with an ACU sticker in the UK meaning you can happily take it on the track.

It’s secured to your head using an old-style double-d ring fastener. They’re not as simple to use as a micrometric fastener until you get used to them, but they’re safe as houses and if done up correctly, should keep the helmet secure on your head whatever happens on the road.

The X-Lite X-661 also has a drop down sun visor and the visor itself is Pinlock-ready and comes with a Pinlock insert in the box – which is great because it’s one of the best ways to keep your visor mist-free and your vision clear.

That composite helmet shell is manufactured in three different shell sizes too. That’s great for both fitment and for safety (click the link to find out more).

All in all, while it’s not the absolute best in terms of safety (go for a SHARP 5 star helmet if you want to be sure of that) the X-Lite X-661 has a stack of features that mean it’ll should give you great protection on the road – all backed by the comfort of knowing you’re wearing a helmet that’s done well in the SHARP helmet test.

Making a motorcycle helmet that’s quiet seems to be a bit of a black art – read the link above to find out why.

Stuff like quality aero, well designed vents and comfort liner all contribute to making a helmet that’s quiet.

All of which are something the X-Lite seemingly does well, because all the reviewers we came across said the X-Lite X-661 is a pretty quiet helmet.

The X-661 has a single chin vent in the chin bar and two separate vents up on top of the helmet. They’re all closeable with sliders/switches and reportedly easy to use in gloves.

At the back of the helmet, there’s a small spoiler with exhaust vents underneath to extract air out of the back of the helmet.

It’s a reasonably standard configuration of vents that you’ll find on most helmets these days and it works pretty well by all accounts.

Visor

The visor on the X-661 is what X-Lite calls its dual-action visor.

This simply means that rather than the visor just moving up and down, the closing mechanism pulls the visor back towards the visor seal at the same time, making a tight seal at the gasket and stopping water/air ingress.

It’s also a quick-release visor and is wider than the average visor to help improve peripheral vision. That quick release system is reportedly one of the best – just open the visor, press the button in the centre of the pivot and out pops the visor. A quick release visor is a must on a helmet these days to let you whip it off quickly for cleaning or swapping out.

And to keep it from misting, X-Lite has also made it Pinlock anti-fog ready and include a Pinlock insert in the box. That’s £20-£30’s worth of Pinlock free in the box which is great and something I look for in any helmet I buy these days.

The X-661 also has a drop down internal sun visor – operated from a slider on the left hand side of the helmet. It’s a friction-based system which means you can lower the sun visor to any point you like – not just fully up or fully down like some systems. Nolan claim it’s UV400 too (that’s the best UV protection standard) and it’s also scratch/fog resistant.

Comfort & Sizing

The X-Lite X-661 is available in fitment sizes XXS – XXL with the three different helmet shell sizes covering XXS-S, M-L, then XL-XXL. That should give you just the right size helmet and correct proportion of padding to make the helmet fit right, look right and work right. Word is that the sizing of the X-661 is about right, so follow our helmet fitting guide then order the correct size.

Inside, there’s a removable/washable interior with removable pockets in the polystyrene lining for bluetooth speakers.

Like most X-Lite helmets, comfort is supposed to be excellent with lots of owners saying it’s fine to do a full day’s tour wearing an X-661 (obviously providing you get the right fit in the first place).

Looks & Graphics

There’s a range of graphics available for the X-Lite X-661.

Apart from the usual plain solid designs which X-Lite calls its Start range that comes in gloss black or metal white (white gloss) or Flat black (matt black version) there’s a super cool weave/titanium version called the Extreme Titantech (see top image). That’s the usual composite helmet with a layer of carbon fibre which has then been treated to a titanium coat to make what I’m sure you’ll agree is a pretty eye-catching helmet.

If you like that titanium effect, there’s four options to choose from.

Other than that, there’s the Slipstream (in blue, grey, red or green) the Honeycomb (in white, pink or or yellow).

And as always, makers are always bringing out new designs so to check them out and to see their latest X-Lite deals, please click through the links below to our recommended retailers (the links will take you to their X-Lite helmets pages). Nice one.

Best places to buy an X-Lite X-661 helmet?

Please click below to visit the X-Lite X-661 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).

X-Lite X-661 helmet video

MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci showing you round the X-661.

Other stuff – audio, build quality, warranty

All X-661s are X-Lite N-Com bluetooth communicator ready (you’ll notice when you’re looking at X-Lite helmets in stores that they’re sometimes called N-Com which simply denotes that they’re N-Com system-ready). That means there’s space to take all the N-Com gubbins – speakers, mic and electronics – and fit it neatly onto the helmet. Having said that, the helmet also works pretty well with 3rd party communicators with owners of a Sena SMH10 and a Sena 20S both saying it fitted just fine.

Build quality of the X-661 is reported to be very good and the helmet comes with a full 5 years warranty (which is about as good as they come at the moment).

Overall/Summary

X-Lite bill the X-661 as their entry-level touring helmet. That means you shouldn’t expect too many of the latest bells and whistles if you buy one. But what it does manage to do is cover all the essentials very well.

The visor system has everything you’ll need; including a Pinlock, a quick-release mechanism – and it’s nice and wide which is great for improved peripheral vision. There’s also a drop down sun visor (that’s a must for many of us these days) – the ventilation’s good and the internals are comfy. It’s even regarded as pretty quiet and has a very good SHARP 4 star safety rating (it’s made by X-Lite (part of the Nolan Group) who are our 3rd safest helmet brand at the time of writing so it’s kinda what we’d expect).

So, if you ride a more upright sort of bike (it’ll work with anything bar sportsbikes really as the visor opening won’t be tall enough) then the X-Lite X-661 is well trying out.

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 X-Lite X-661?

First off, take a look at the excellent HJC FG-ST. That’s a SHARP 5 star safety rated fibreglass full face lid with sun visor and Pinlock in the box, just like the X-Lite. It’s cheaper than the X-661 too.

If you’re on a (very) tight budget, then the LS2 Rookie is an amazing buy – a SHARP 4 star safety rated thermoplastic-shelled full face helmet with an optically-correct visor, all for less than a quarter of the X-Lite’s price.

Back towards the same price point as the X-661 is the AGV K5S – that’s a 4 star safety rated helmet made from a carbon/fibreglass composite, with a drop down sun visor. It’s loved for its great ventilation and comfort.

Finally, there’s another HJC – the good ole HJC IS-17. It might have been around a while but it’s a lovely SHARP 5 star rated polycarbonate helmet with Pinlock included that owners say packs a real punch in terms of features – all for much less than the X-661.

Definitely want an X-Lite?

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

Other full face helmets?

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

Best places to buy an X-Lite X-661?

Please click below to visit the X-Lite X-661 helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Star Ratings