Hello, everyone! I’ve not done many blog entries on LS2 helmets so what I saw this one pop up on my potential to do list, I got quite excited. Its also a chance for me to cover a flip-front helmet, another thing I don’t often take a look at. But this one is an exception as the mechanism and way that the front of the helmet flips up is quite cool and it actually works, compared to other models that have similar flip methods but failed horribly. The LS2 FF399 Valiant Single Mono Flip Front Motorcycle Helmet may very well become quite popular among the tour bikers and flip-fans so I’ve decided to take a closer look at it and see if I could help that status along.
The shell of the helmet is made from a KPA- a Kinetic Polymer Alloy. Just like you can make an alloy by mixing different metals to make something stronger, the same can be done for Polymers. This particular blend of Polymers is designed to give the best protection for a helmet that it can with it’s excellent properties in force dispersion. In an impact the nature of the shell material is to spread the force over a wider area to lessen the damage in any one area instead of cracking. It’s the first line of defense in an impact, so this shell is made of some pretty cool and advanced stuff.
With it being a flip-front with all the features that it has- this helmet weighs around 1700g which really isn’t bad considering everything in this helmet. The flip mechanism allows the chin bar to flip right the way over, 180 degrees to provide tour bikers and open-face fans with a comfortable lid with the best possible visibility. It even looks cool in both full-face and flip mode. There have been other helmets that have used the same idea like the Shark Evo One but the mechanism for getting the chin bar back over the face was tricky and would have been almost impossible to work quickly or safely while riding. It was more “Choose how you want the helmet for this ride.” and you were stuck with it that way until you could stop and change it. But the mechanism for the Valiant is far faster and much more thought-out.
Many people are like me when it comes to flip front helmets- put off by the weaker protection in the chin bar and would rather go for a full-face lid for the safety. Well, this helmet may actually be the exception for me from even that standpoint because the LS2 Valiant has been certified as both an open face and a full face helmet. That makes me feel a whole lot safer and like I can trust the chin-bar to hold up and protect the lower half of my face if it comes to it.
Aside from these features, the rest is nothing uncommon but it still has a lot of cool little extras. The Valiant has an easy to operate internal sun visor for quick transitions from sunny outdoors to dark tunnels and such. The visor its self is scratch, UV and fog resistant to keep your vision clear and look after your eyes and is even Pinlock ready, so just install it and have yourself the ultimate fog-free ride.
Inside the helmet is a multi-density EPS liner to absorb impact forces inside the helmet and look after your noggin and it also has a removable comfort padding so that its easily washable. The Valiant has some space around the ears for aftermarket speakers and is compatible with the Linkin Ride Pal 3 Bluetooth system, another plus for tour bikers.
Really, this helmet was designed for tour bikers. The flip front option makes filling the bike up with more juice easier [because some places don’t like us leaving our lids on]. The comms compatibility for keeping in touch with your pillion or family. The washable padding because it’s going to be worn for long periods of time at once. Sun visor for the bright days, fog resistance and Pinlock for the cold days and well ventilated for the hot days. LS2 really did think of everything a biker could need and tour bikers demand the best and most out of what they need from a helmet. And rightly so. If you’re riding on long journey you need safety, you need comfort and versatility. You need the best and that’s what LS2 have delivered many times over. But while it’s my personal favourite flip front helmet so far, Ghostbikes.com has plenty of other flip front helmets to choose from. So if the Valiant isn’t for you, we’re sure to have something else that’s more your style.
Thanks for reading, everyone! Until next time!
-MattW at Ghostbikes.com
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