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Top Ten Motorcycle Helmets under £200
Tony W · June 09, 2021
Hopefully, you’ve already read our guide to ‘Buying a Motorcycle Helmet’ and know what style you’d like and what features you need? If not you can read it here. All that's left to do now is to make your choice. To help you, the RideTo staff have put their heads together and selected our Top Ten Motorcycle Helmets under £200.
Open Face
Let’s start with a couple of open face options. They are great for urban riding and nothing beats that wind in your face feeling!
MT LeMans 2 - £69.99 An entry point helmet that offers that traditional classic retro shape, with the addition of a pull-down sun visor. The thermoplastic shell keeps the cost down, but the CE rated MT still offers nice features such as a multi-density EPS liner and a quick release micrometric chin strap. A good budget choice for urban or occasional use.
AGV X70 Mono - £149.99 Another traditional ‘jet’ helmet from the Italian premium helmet manufacturer. The X70 is as retro as an open face can get and the Mono comes in just gloss black or white colour choices. The fibreglass shell is light and strong with an ECE 22.05 rating, and the internal lining is removable for washing or replacing with alternative size pads. A quality choice for those riders wanting an open face helmet.
Although still technically open face helmets, the next picks on our list come with an integral full lift up visor amongst other features found in modern helmet designs. They are a favourite with scooter and cruiser riders and offer more face coverage and comfort when riding.
HJC I30 - £139.99 A fully-featured open face that boasts a full-length hinged visor, complete with a pinlock to prevent it from fogging in use. The drop-down sun shield is incredibly useful as is the very effective 3 intake ventilation system to help get cool air into the helmet. This polycarbonate shelled helmet is also set up to take either of two accessory Bluetooth communication devices. A really good choice of helmet at this price point.
Shark City Cruiser - £169.99 A longer cheek profile and neat side pods not only make the City Cruiser a very futuristic looking helmet but also more protective than some other open face models on the market. The thermoplastic shell and multi-density eps liner help it gain its ECE22.05 safety rating and like the HJC it features a drop-down sun visor. The Shark is a great choice for both city riding and longer journeys.
Shark Street Drak- £199.99 If you are looking for something a bit different in an open face helmet, then the Street Drak could be up your street! This Sci-Fi looking helmet features a clever integrated goggle and face guard system. It might look like it will get a bit hot in the summer months, but it has very clever ventilation set up to keep the air flowing where it's needed most, which includes a massive vent on the top of the shell. A really popular choice if you want to stand out from the crowd.
Full Face
Full face helmets are far and away the most popular style as they offer the highest level of protection and comfort. Prices can vary wildly depending on the materials used and the quality of construction. Given that an ECE safety rating is a legal requirement for helmets, all our choices meet that requirement. Generally, the more money you spend the more chance there is that the helmet will exceed the standard, but it will also offer more adjustability, comfort and longevity.
LS2 Rapid - £49.99 The Rapid is a no-frills, entry-level full-face helmet from LS2. Ventilation is provided by a single opening chin vent and two further intakes on the top. A breath deflector and chin curtain are supplied in the box and the quick release chin strap is easy to open with gloved hands. A very solid, wallet-friendly choice.
HJC CS-15 - £89.99 A jump up in price brings a little more quality in the shape of the new CS-15. This may be HJC’s entry-level full-face helmet, but it offers some great features for all riders. The polycarbonate composite shell is light and strong, the large visor offers great vision and the Nylax interior is fully removable and machine washable. It's a very simple looking helmet that offers good performance and ventilation at an entry-level price.
AGV K1 - £139.99 If you are looking for something a little more sporty then the K1 from AGV will certainly hit the mark. Looking like it’s just come from the race track with its aggressive chin profile and rear diffuser the K1 offers a lot for its low price. Two vents on the chin and a further three on top offer lots of ventilation. At this price, we start to see features like emergency quick-release cheek pads, multi-fabric interiors and easy release visors. The sporty K1 is a superb value helmet.
HJC I70 - £159.99 Looking further up the HJC range brings us to the I70. Although suitable for all types of riders it is predominantly aimed at the sport-touring market. The compact shell keeps it lightweight and less prone to wind noise on long journeys. A drop-down sun shield and pinlock antifog insert feature and the five vent system with air channels in the EPS liner offer great airflow to keep you cool and fresh. There are speaker pockets to accommodate a communications unit and the wide angle of view from the visor is suitable for upright motorcycles as well as sports bikes.
AGV K3 SV-S - £189.99 A step up from the K1 we looked at earlier, the K3 has all the same excellent features but steps up in a number of key areas. There's a drop-down sun shield for starters as well as a micro ratchet chin strap. One feature that may be important is the ACU Gold accreditation, which means the helmet is approved for track use! Again the plush interior is removable and machine washable, and the quick-release visor makes for very speedy changes when needed. A brilliant sports biased helmet in the sub £200 category.
As you can see, there is a wide choice of great helmets under the £200 price point. Obviously, the more you pay, the more feature-packed and well built the helmet will be, but all of the helmets in the RideTo store meet the required ECE safety standards. Follow our ‘Beginners guide to buying a motorcycle helmet’ to find out how to measure your head for the best fit, and we have an easy returns process should you need to exchange the helmet for another size