I started my review of this helmet in December − and what a mistake that was!
I could feel Baltic fresh air bursting through the wide-open vents and could have covered only three miles of my 13-mile commute before I had to pull over to close them. Good news for riders who want maximum airflow as, in my opinion, AGV’s K1 must be one of the best ventilated full-face helmets on the market.
Trouble was, closing the vents wasn’t so easy while wearing thick winter gloves as the vent closures don’t have much of a lip on them. If I’m wearing summer gloves I have no trouble with opening and closing the vents, but it’s a different story in winter ones.
The chin vent is a bit trickier still as the lever is located inside the chinbar and you have a small slit in the chin curtain to stick a finger in and locate it, which isn’t easy in either summer gloves or winter gloves.
The other discovery on that first ride was that the wind can catch the chinbar and push my head to one side, which happened at around 40mph. It wasn’t violent, but it was enough to notice. Once I knew it could happen, I was careful on future rides and didn’t notice the problem again.
As well as top-line ventilation, the K1’s peripheral vision is very noticeable. My daily helmet is a Scorpion Exo 2000 Air Evo race helmet and in comparison K1’s peripheral vision is amazing − I felt like I could see 360°.
It’s not quite the same for depth of vision though. The top part of the helmet, which is meant to sit in line with your eyebrows, sits right in my gaze and if I’m in ‘Rossi race mode’ it’s difficult to see in front.
The visor is ready to take a Pinlock insert but is not supplied with one, unlike most helmets. I rode with and without a Pinlock and unless you enjoy guessing where you’re going I’d highly recommend getting a Pinlock as otherwise the visor quickly fogs up.
On the plus side, the visor has five steps as it’s raised or lowered − completely up, slightly down, halfway, slightly up and fully shut. It also comes with a micro opening which allows the visor to let in a small amount of air − very handy if the visor is misting up slightly.
All in all, I feel the K1 is a great entry-level helmet and a first-time rider will struggle to find another helmet for the same price that’s as good or better.
Vision
The peripheral vision to each side is excellent, but the brow of the helmet sits right in my eyeline and affects my forward vision if my head is tilted forward while tucked in on my sports bike.
Ventilation
The airflow is great and I’m confident you won’t overheat in this helmet.
Fit & Comfort
The fit is nice, but the narrow opening at the bottom means it can be a bit of a squeeze to put it on.
Build quality
Quality overall is good, but I found the chinstrap fiddly to fasten and the retaining clip for the loose end didn’t always click securely in place at the first try.
Features
The fact the Pinlock isn’t included is a shame – there’s also no sun visor, emergency cheekpads or locking tab. But for an entry-level helmet it has the features we’d expect.