Hello! I’m RyanF9 and these are the best helmets for oval heads.
Those with narrow heads and narrow minds will run to Arai. See Japan’s A-Team is the cliché choice when it comes to shaped helmets.
That’s why my round head video also starts with an Arai – the Quantum-X. Which happens to be identical to their oval offering – the Signet-X – in every way except head shape. So forgive me because I’m about to plagiarize my own video.
The Signet-X’s padding has 5mm of peel-away foam, allowing you to make this egg even more oval if need be. The crown is adjustable too, which is an extremely rare level of customization.
But of course Arai provides that … their bread and butter is wealthy motorcyclists with weird heads, so why not?
Touching on the wealthy part – this Signet is 800 dollars in boring colours and 1000 dollars in graphics. Because 200 bucks is pocket change to Arai buyers, because paint is more expensive in Japan, because Arai has no shame… choose whichever excuse you like.
The shell is PB-SCLC, for peripherally-belted super-complex laminate construction . Nothing says bullshit like the term “super complex,” so let’s bring Arai back down to earth. Basically PB-SCLC means this is fibreglass with a stronger belt around the top of the eye port. That lets me have less EPS foam here, allowing for a thinner shell, allowing for a higher field of vision in that full tuck.
Ventilation is good and bad. The good is that the vents close with these flaps that maintain aerodynamics and therefore quietness . Also good is the visor ducts, which run cool air to the blood at your temples. The bad is that you have no hope of finding these vent controls with gloves on.
Speaking of bad, this chin curtain makes the helmet stuffy. So rip it out and put it someplace you’ll never find it again, because it’s better that you can see the emergency pad releases anyway. Plus you still have the retractable chin curtain for chilly rides.
Arai’s shield latch is also pointless. Push it down, push it up – either way you need to get in there with a finger to unlock the visor . This is so badly-designed that I’m not even sure how it was supposed to work.
But the Signet-X is still the most comfortable helmet for oval heads. It’s also one of the safest with 5 EPS densities and one of the lightest at 1605 grams. Your Signet enjoys long rides to the ocean, daily outings and the occasional spirited romp. You could coax it to the track with its Snell sticker, but probably better to leave that job to the mistress.
And here she is – the Scorpion EXO-R2000 … 450 dollars of naughty fun.
There are fast helmets, and then there are fast helmets. This is the latter, as evidenced by the enormous reflector on the bottom of the neck roll. Only way this is visible is if you’re going full missile.
The EXO-R2000 was developed by nobody’s favourite MotoGP rider – Alvaro Bautista. So maybe it doesn’t come with a note from The Doctor or a dead Seagull from Maniac Joe… but it’s still a bona fide MotoGP helmet and that’s cool.
Even cooler is that it comes with a regular visor, and a badass visor.
Now there are websites that will tell you this is an intermediate head shape. Don’t listen to them . I have an intermediate head and the EXO-R2000 is definitely tight on the sides and roomy front to back. Plus with the AirFit system I can pump up the cheekpads to sit even narrower. I don’t care what anyone says – this thing is as oval as Trump’s office.
Of course the R2000 is Snell rated with emergency-release cheekpads. It sucks that the paramedic instructions are written on the chin curtain, as you’ll probably remove it for the hotter track days. But I do enjoy the fun font… it seems to say howdy doody sir, please don’t break my neck.
Ventilation is powerful – I can actually feel torrents of wind against my skin. Also because the cowls close at the openings, I don’t trap any whistling vortices of air in here – much quieter that way. However , good luck finding the vent toggles with gloves on. This is the kind of helmet you set up in the pits, before your ride, not during.
Stats! The shell is TCT, a blend of fibreglass, aramids and organic fibres. Must be decently strong, as it’s good enough to slim this helmet down to 1645g. It’s also heavily molded… one of few helmets that looks better from the back than the front, in my opinion.
Now , what if I like the laid-back, everyday comfort of the Signet-X, but I prefer the value of the Scorpion?
Well here’s their love child – it’s the Icon Alliance GT .
The bastard actually outdoes its parents, having a comfier liner than papa Arai and a smaller pricetag than mamma Scorpion – under 300 dollars eh.
I think the Icon’s oval fit is as comprehensive as the Signet too. The difference is that Arai’s helmet is way more adjustable , whereas this is a one-size-might-fit-all standard oval.
Keeping with the theme of everyday functionality, we have a gilded sun visor. Bling bling. Ventilation and quietness are both fine, nothing interesting to say there. But the shield annoys me. It opens and closes with a peg and a hole, which is a bit inelegant and takes a lot of force to open. At least it works though… Arai.
Only thing left to say is that the shell is polycarbonate and it weighs 1675g. Also no speaker cutouts in here, so if you have a passion for music… lose it.
Modular option! This is the LS2 FF325 … or if you prefer your helmets not to be named after fax machines – the Strobe. Of all the modulars I’ve tested in 2017, this is perhaps the most impressive.
Shield mechanism – tight, slick, quick releasing.
Chin bar mechanism – easy to find, smooth, herculean top détente.
Sun shield – properly low.
Neck roll – reflective, ratchet strap, really comprehensive seal.
That last bit makes the Strobe quiet, which is rare for cheap modulars. Even rarer is its featherweight 1630 grams. I have no idea how LS2 managed to put out a thermoplastic, sun-visored modular within that weight class.
And all this for a humble 200 bucks, while comparable helmets charge north of 500.
But , cheap roses have their thorns. The tight neck roll makes the Strobe hard to put on – thorn. The shield is pinlock ready but doesn’t come with an anti-fog pinlock lens – thorn. Plus ventilation is stuffy with absolutely no exhaust ports, so fogging is frequently an issue – double thorn.
Then the safety ratings are excellent everywhere, except the left side , where it sucks so bad that the whole helmet lost two stars from SHARP. Plus LS2 is really good at writing “glasses” on the inside of their helmets, but not very good at actually carving eyeglass channels .
I know that sounds like a lot of flaws. But some core stuff – the smooth flip-up, the big sun shield, the quiet padding and the light weight – are amazing. I don’t think I’ve seen those things done this well for 200 dollars. And yes, the Strobe is a long oval head shape. I haven’t forgotten the point of our video just yet.
Now , if I’m an oval-headed adventurer the options are few. Foremost we have the LS2 MX436 Pioneer and the Icon Variant .
The Variant is a solid helmet – comfy, refined and very aerodynamic. But it’s not much of an adventurer since it’s stuffy on the trails and hates playing with goggles. I say a lot more in the review linked below, but for now let me say, nope.
That leaves the LS2 Pionner, which is very strange .
The shell is KPA – a pretty chunky blend of polycarb and thermoplastic. Plus there’s a sun visor in here – a good one too – and a peak. So I’d expect this thing to weigh as much as a small cow but it’s only 1520 grams. How do they do that?
Probably the same way they can sell it for 170 bucks. Mass-production magic.
Visually, I see the profile of an MX helmet. I see a bright orange interior, also reminiscent of a motocrosser’s immature sense of fun. I see eyeglass badges, but with LS2 we all know that doesn’t mean shit . I see vents on the flanks of the chin bar – very batman. I see a hideously tacky main vent that looks like it was made by Fisher-Price – not very batman. And I see emergency pad releases, which are still rare on ADV lids for unfathomable reasons.
Functionally, the shield takes the strength of a Greek God to open. Then it only stops moving when it hits the sun peak, which is a bit crude. Also the distortion from this bottom ridge is noticeable. At least you can fit goggles in here, though. Moving up, the forehead vents are permanently open to the rain. Then the peak adjusters are thumb screws on top and regular screws on the sides… just because it’s more annoying that way.
Fitment-wise, this helmet is long and low – definitely a narrow oval and definitely not very tall. The pressure point on the top of my head reminds me of the AGV AX-8 in that sense… not a good choice for coneheads. Also I’m pretty sure the LS2’s sunpeak has never seen the inside of a wind tunnel.
Very briefly , choose the LS2 Bobber if you want an oval open face.
It’s a fibreglass helmet, which sounds impressive for 150 dollars but the thing still weighs a very average 1115 grams.
It is slim though. And nicely made – apparently the trim is real leather and the liner is synthetic suede… I can’t really tell where one ends and the other begins, which is a good thing. Also the snap-on sun peak is removable and adjustable .
The bobber comes with these vintage goggles, which is kinda like getting a toy in your happy meal. Yes they feel cheap and sucky, but who’s going to complain about a free toy?
And that’s all folks! Thanks for watching.