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VISOR & VENT

HUB 03 · FULL-FACE

The Best Full-Face Helmets

Sport-touring full-face helmets ranked by the mark on the shell — the lightest, the quietest, and the ones with the independent SHARP data to back the badge.

The full-face is the safest helmet shape you can buy, and the category where certification data is richest — several of these have been independently SHARP-tested, so you're not taking the manufacturer's word for it. The decision here comes down to three axes: weight, whether you want a built-in sun visor, and which certification philosophy you trust.

The AGV K6 S is the standout on paper: ~1,255 g of carbon-aramid, genuine US DOT + ECE 22.06, and a perfect 5/5 SHARP score. The Shoei RF-1400 is the sport-touring default — light, quiet, DOT + Snell M2025, and its European twin (the NXR2) is also a 5/5 SHARP helmet. Neither has a sun visor. If you commute and want one, the Shoei GT-Air 3 is the touring answer — but note its US build is DOT, while the European GT-Air 3 is ECE 22.06 and 5/5 SHARP. And the Arai Contour-X (the US Quantic) is the pick for round-oval heads that every other brand pinches.

The recurring theme is unavoidable in this category: the Japanese flagships' US builds lean DOT or DOT + Snell, while the European versions carry ECE 22.06. That doesn't make the US helmets unsafe — Snell is a demanding standard and DOT is the legal floor these exceed. It means you should buy with your eyes open about which mark is on the shell, which is the entire point of this site.

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Rider in a full-face motorcycle helmet on a sport-touring motorcycle

The short answer

Quick picks, by the mark on the shell

#HelmetCertificationScorePrice
01
AGV AGV K6 S
AGV K6 S

Featherweight carbon-aramid, genuine ECE 22.06, and a perfect 5/5 SHARP score — the safety data leader of this list.

DOT certifiedECE 22.06 certifiedSHARP ★★★★★
9.1
$599.00Amazon
02
Shoei Shoei RF-1400
Shoei RF-1400

The sport-touring default for a reason: light, quiet, Snell-certified, and its European twin scored a perfect 5/5 SHARP.

DOT certifiedECE 22.06not heldSnell M2025 certified
8.7
$549.99Amazon
03
Shoei Shoei GT-Air 3
Shoei GT-Air 3

The full-face for people who wish it had a sun visor: a genuinely great touring lid, DOT in the US, with slick comms integration.

DOT certifiedECE 22.06not held
8.3
$779.99Amazon
04
Arai Arai Contour-X (Quantic)
Arai Contour-X (Quantic)

Arai's smooth-shell philosophy in an all-day sport-touring lid — a Snell build in the US, with the roundest fit here.

DOT certifiedECE 22.06not heldSnell M2025 certified
8.6
$799.95Amazon

#ad · Live prices from the Amazon Product API, as of Jul 21, 2026. Certifications reflect the US-market build and are cited in Sources. Where a live price has rotted, we show none.

In detail

The picks, in full

01
AGV AGV K6 S

Lightest full-face with top safety data

AGV K6 S

DOT certifiedECE 22.06 certifiedSHARP ★★★★★
Carbon-aramid~1,255 gDOT + ECE 22.06SHARP 5/5
9.1/10

Featherweight carbon-aramid, genuine ECE 22.06, and a perfect 5/5 SHARP score — the safety data leader of this list.

Certification
9.5
Safety data
9.5
Weight
9.5
Field of view
9
Value
8

Pros

  • ~1,255 g — one of the lightest full-face helmets on the market
  • Genuine DOT + ECE 22.06 and a perfect 5/5 SHARP score
  • Huge field of view derived from AGV's racing helmets

Cons

  • No internal sun visor
  • Sport-oriented fit is snug for round heads

Don't buy this if…

…you tour long days and want a sun visor and maximum quiet — a touring full-face or modular fits better.

$599.00View on Amazon

$639.006% off

Price as of Jul 21, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to AGV K6 S

02
Shoei Shoei RF-1400

All-round sport-touring

Shoei RF-1400

DOT certifiedECE 22.06not heldSnell M2025 certified
Multi-ply AIM+~1,385 g (M)DOT + Snell M20255/5 SHARP (EU NXR2)
8.7/10

The sport-touring default for a reason: light, quiet, Snell-certified, and its European twin scored a perfect 5/5 SHARP.

Certification
9
Weight
9
Quiet
8.5
Finish
9
Value
8

Pros

  • Light for a fiberglass-composite full-face at ~1,385 g
  • DOT + Snell M2025, and the EU NXR2 twin is a 5/5 SHARP helmet
  • Quiet, with a superb shield seal and easy shield swaps

Cons

  • No internal sun visor — you commit to a tint or carry a spare shield
  • US build is Snell, not ECE 22.06, if 22.06 is your priority

Don't buy this if…

…you want a drop-down sun visor for commuting — look at the GT-Air 3 instead.

$549.99View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 21, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Shoei RF-1400

03
Shoei Shoei GT-Air 3

Touring full-face with a sun visor

Shoei GT-Air 3

DOT certifiedECE 22.06not held
AIM composite~1,774 gDOT (US build)Sun visor + comms-ready
8.3/10

The full-face for people who wish it had a sun visor: a genuinely great touring lid, DOT in the US, with slick comms integration.

Certification
7
Sun visor
9.5
Quiet
8.5
Comms integration
9
Value
7.5

Pros

  • Excellent drop-down internal sun visor — the RF-1400's biggest omission, solved
  • Purpose-built for the Sena SRL comms with no external bolt-on
  • Quiet and refined for daily touring

Cons

  • US version is DOT only — no ECE 22.06 on the box you buy here
  • Heavier than the RF-1400

Don't buy this if…

…you want the lightest, most track-ready lid — the RF-1400 or K6 S is lighter and Snell/ECE certified.

$779.99View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 21, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Shoei GT-Air 3

04
Arai Arai Contour-X (Quantic)

Round-oval heads, all-day comfort

Arai Contour-X (Quantic)

DOT certifiedECE 22.06not heldSnell M2025 certified
PB e-cLc laminate~1,530 gDOT + Snell M2025Glancing-off shell
8.6/10

Arai's smooth-shell philosophy in an all-day sport-touring lid — a Snell build in the US, with the roundest fit here.

Certification
8.5
Fit comfort
9.5
Weight
8.5
Finish
9
Value
7.5

Pros

  • Arai's smooth, continuous shell is designed to glance off rather than catch
  • The roundest interior shape here — a relief for round-oval heads
  • DOT + Snell M2025 in the US market

Cons

  • Premium price and no internal sun visor
  • US build is Snell, not the ECE 22.06 of the EU Quantic

Don't buy this if…

…you want a sun visor or you have a long-oval head — Arai's round shape won't suit you.

$799.95View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 21, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's at checkout is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Arai Contour-X (Quantic)

How to choose a full-face helmet

If you never commute in glare, skip the sun visor entirely — it adds weight and a second shell penetration, and a dedicated tinted shield is optically better. The RF-1400 and K6 S are lighter and, to many riders, safer-feeling for exactly that reason. If you do commute, the GT-Air 3's internal sun visor is genuinely excellent and worth the grams.

Fit shape decides comfort more than any spec. Arai runs rounder, Shoei intermediate-oval, AGV sportier and snug. A helmet one shape wrong will be miserable by hour two regardless of how good its certification is — try before you buy, or buy from somewhere with easy returns. Then let certification break the tie between the ones that fit.

How we picked

We do not crash-test helmets

We compiled each helmet's published specifications, its certification (DOT, ECE 22.06, Snell, SHARP) from the standards body or manufacturer homologation, and aggregated owner reports, then scored them against a published method. The scores are judgments from documented research — not measurements we took, because we do not run a crash lab and we are not going to pretend we do. Certifications reflect the US-market build; where it differs from the European version, we say so and cite it.

The differentiator

Not sure what the marks mean?

Every ranking on this page leads with certification. If DOT, ECE 22.06, Snell and SHARP are a blur, start with the plain-English pillar — it's the one guide that makes every buy decision on the site easier.

DOT vs ECE vs Snell, explained →

Go deeper

Everything in full-face helmets

Questions

Frequently asked

Do I need a sun visor in a full-face helmet?
Only if you commute into low sun regularly. A drop-down sun visor is convenient but adds weight and a shell penetration; a dedicated tinted shield is optically clearer. The RF-1400 and K6 S omit it to stay light; the GT-Air 3 includes an excellent one for touring.
Which full-face here has the best independent safety data?
The AGV K6 S — genuine US DOT + ECE 22.06 and a perfect 5/5 SHARP score at ~1,255 g. The Shoei RF-1400's European twin (the NXR2) is also 5/5 SHARP. See our K6 S review.
Is a lighter helmet safer?
Not directly — the certification tests set the protection floor. But a lighter helmet reduces neck load in a crash and fatigue on a long ride, and riders wear a comfortable helmet more consistently. Weight is a real factor, just not the safety spec itself.