Here's the good-news matchup: both of these carbon adventure flagships carry genuine US DOT + ECE 22.06, so the usual certification trap doesn't decide it. The Klim Krios Pro and the AGV AX9 are both light, both convertible, both excellent — and the choice between them is about configuration, fit shape and what your riding actually looks like.
Certification: a genuine tie
Both hold genuine US DOT + ECE 22.06— the current rotational-test standard, confirmed on the US units. Neither is SHARP-tested, so there's no independent star score to break the tie, but the homologation is identical and current on both. On the axis this site cares about most, they're level.
Weight and view: the AX9's edge
The AGV AX9 is the lighter helmet at around 1,510 gversus the Krios Pro's ~1,450 g claim in size L — actually very close, and both are class-leading light. Where the AX9 pulls ahead is field of view: derived from AGV's racing helmets, it's one of the widest in adventure. If a big, open view and a sporty feel appeal, the AX9 delivers them.
Convertibility and quiet: the Krios Pro's edge
The Krios Pro is the more genuinely convertible helmet — peak, visor and goggle configurations all in one, with Koroyd in the shell — and it's a touch quieter with the visor fitted than the AX9 in full peak-and-goggles mode. It's the more touring-friendly of the two when you want to knock the peak off and cover highway miles in relative calm.
Fit shape decides comfort
This is the practical tiebreaker. The AX9 suits intermediate-oval heads and runs sporty and snug; round-oval riders often find it tight. The Krios Pro fits a slightly broader range comfortably. As always, fit shape trumps every spec — a helmet one shape wrong is miserable by hour two regardless of how good its certification is.
Configurations and touring manners
Both are three-configuration convertibles — peak-and-visor, street, or goggles — so on paper they cover the same ground. In practice the Krios Pro leans a touch more touring and the AX9 a touch more sport. Klim built the Krios Pro around going quiet and composed on the highway once you drop the peak, and its Koroyd-and-carbon construction is aimed at the long-haul rider who wants one premium lid for pavement and dirt. The AX9's huge eyeport and racing-derived shell make it feel sharper and airier, more at home being ridden hard than cosseting you across a thousand-mile week. Neither is wrong; they're tuned for slightly different riders, and knowing which you are makes the choice clearer than any spec.
On price, the two are close enough that cost rarely decides it — both are carbon flagships, and you're choosing on fit and character rather than saving money by picking one. That's actually the healthiest way to buy at this level: neither is a compromise, so the right answer is simply the one whose shape fits your head and whose bias — touring calm or sporting edge — matches your riding. If you can try both, do; if you can't, let head shape be the tiebreaker.
The verdict
Want the widest view and a light, sporty feel, and AGV's shape fits you? The AGV AX9. Want the most convertible, slightly quieter touring-leaning carbon lid, or you have a rounder head? The Klim Krios Pro. Both are genuine 22.06 flagships you won't regret — read the Krios Pro review and AX9 review for the detail, or see where they land in the ADV touring roundup.
