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If you're looking for a good winter motorcycle helmet to keep the cold at bay this year, we've got some bad news. Winter-specific riding helmets don't really exist.
Sure, there are a few lids out there that sport heated visors or dual-lens shields. Unfortunately, both of these features are designed to prevent fogging and don't actually do anything you can't achieve with a basic Pinlock shield.
The good news is that if you know what to look for, there are a few lids out there that make great winter motorcycle helmets for other reasons.
Below, we'll dive into a few of our favorites, but first, let's discuss what to look for in any good cold-weather helmet.
Quick List of Winter Motorcycle Helmets:
| Helmet: | Summary: | Price |
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AGV K6 S
|
Light, quiet, and stacked with winter-friendly features. Excellent value. | CHECK PRICE |
|
Shoei Hornet X2
|
Quiet, comfortable ADV-style lid that works great year-round. | CHECK PRICE |
|
Sedici Strada 3 Helmet
|
Outstanding cold-weather helmet on a budget that still checks all the right boxes. | CHECK PRICE |
What Makes A Helmet Good For Cold Weather?
If you want a helmet that keeps the cold out, there are three specific features we recommend looking for. These are the specs we look for when we know we might be seeing some snow in places like Patagonia or Nepal.
It Starts at the Neck
"Contoured padding around the neck roll helps seal out cold air from below."
Rather than dropping cash on a glorified snowmobile helmet, our approach is about sealing out the elements through conventional methods.
Your first line of defense is the place most cold air makes its way in, which is through the bottom opening of your helmet.
A good winter motorcycle helmet will have a plush neck roll that's contoured to wrap down and around the base of your skull. Ideally, that contour will continue uninterrupted around the full circumference of the helmet up until it reaches the chin bar.
The best cold-weather helmets will then fill the remaining gap with a generous chin spoiler, thus creating as close to a full 360-degree seal as possible. If you can find one with a chin spoiler made from solid fabric rather than mesh, even better.
Airtight Visor
"The AGV K6's thick, continuous, compressible visor gasket is the benchmark for how to build a cold-weather helmet."
Once you've got the neck thing sorted, it's time to move up to the second largest contributor, your visor. We want two things from a good visor: a high-quality, compressible visor gasket and well-made hardware to hold it in place.
We've had better luck with hollow "tube-style" visor gaskets than their solid rubber alternatives, no matter how flexible they may be. A tube-style gasket compresses more when the shield is closed, which provides a stronger seal with more surface area.
As for the hardware, this one is tough to judge without physically trying a helmet yourself.
Read as many owner/customer reviews as possible, and keep an eye out for any complaints about weak detents or faulty seals.
Adjustable Ventilation
"Ideally, all of the forward-facing ventilation of a cold-weather helmet will be adjustable."
Your third and final line of defense against the cold is the adjustable vents on the outside of your helmet. A good winter motorcycle helmet won't have any significant forward-facing vents that can't be closed.
This will allow you to fine-tune how much (if any) cold outside air makes its way into your helmet. Non-adjustable rear vents aren't an issue, as warm, moist air needs to be able to escape to help prevent fogging anyway.
The Best Winter Motorcycle Helmets We've Tested
Our team rides thousands upon thousands of miles in the cold every year. These are the three helmets we've tested this year that we'd recommend to anyone based on the criteria above.
AGV K6 S
No single helmet we've used over the years exemplifies the fundamentals of a good cold-weather motorcycle lid quite like AGV's latest K6 S. If you're looking for the benchmark, this is the one.
The key feature that makes the K6 S so good in cold weather is its unique neck roll. By combining the cheek pads, rear pad, and neck roll into a single continuous, contoured piece, the K6 effectively seals out cold air better than anything else we've worn.
"A closer look at the AGV K6's single-piece neck roll and full-coverage chin curtain. Works wonders in the cold."
The face shield is also textbook for cold weather. It's incredibly solid, backed with a continuous tube-type gasket, and Pinlock-ready. AGV even throws in a Pinlock insert for no extra charge, so it's ready to go right out of the box.
The price is also outstanding for such a lightweight, great-fitting, and quiet helmet, slotting in almost $200 below Shoei's popular RF1400. In fact, our only complaint is that if you want anything other than a clear visor, you'll have to spend another $120+.
PROS |
CONS |
|
|
CHECK PRICE:
AGV K6 S
REVZILLA | AMAZON
Shoei Hornet X2
If you're looking for an adventure-style motorcycle helmet that's great in cold weather, the Shoei Hornet X2 is our weapon of choice. We've probably logged more miles on this lid than any other, and thousands of them have been in the snow.
The Hornet X2 excels in the cold because it's built to be a great touring helmet as well as an off-roader. It's well-sealed, well-insulated, well-ventilated, and has an exceptionally solid Pinlock-ready visor to boot.
"Shoei's Hornet X2 remains our favorite adventure lid for cold, wet conditions."
We give the Hornet bonus points because all of its ventilation is adjustable to help dial in the right airflow to prevent fogging. That being said, fogging shouldn't be an issue assuming you use the Pinlock insert Shoei includes with the Hornet at no extra charge.
Our biggest complaint here is the price, which is $700 for the most basic colors. We'll also note that at nearly 4 pounds, the Hornet X2 is heavy for a premium lid, although we've always found its excellent aerodynamics more than compensate for the weight.
PROS |
CONS |
|
|
CHECK PRICE:
Shoei Hornet X2
SHOP RIDE ADVENTURES
REVZILLA | AMAZON
Sedici Strada 3
If you've got sticker shock from our first two favorites, we've got good news. Sedici's Strada 3 all-purpose street helmet checks all our cold-weather motorcycle helmet essentials, and does it for pennies on the dollar.
Contoured neck roll with a generous chin curtain? Check. Pinlock-ready faceshield with a full-coverage, tube-style gasket? Check. Quality shield detents that are built to last? You betcha.
"The neck roll and chin spoiler are one of many places that the Strada 3 punches above its price point." photo: Comoto
Sedici also nails the winter-friendly ventilation here with adjustable vents up front and ample exhaust routing out back to kept keep fogging down. There's even a high-quality drop-down sunvisor included despite this helmet's $300 asking price.
The biggest bummer for the Strada 3 is that the price doesn't include a Pinlock insert. It'll only set you back about $30, but it's often out of stock due to the popularity of the Strada 3. It also looks a bit budget-built, but that doesn't hamper performance.
PROS |
CONS |
|
|
CHECK PRICE:
Sedici Strada 3
REVZILLA
RIDE Team here, first of all thank you for your support! We hope you found the perfect helmet for those less-than-favorable conditions. These articles are human-made, and we are a bunch of riders fanatics that collectively put these products to the test so you don't have to. If you would like to support us, we offer tours, training, gear, and much more. We also have a rewards program here that gives back 5% on tours, training, rentals, or gear you purchase through RIDE. Thanks again for the support, and hopefully, see you on one of our tours!
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