Review Summary
- The AGV K6 is the brand’s premium sport touring helmet
- The K6 is very light, super comfortable, and impressively quiet
- This helmet takes dead aim at helmets like the Shoei RF-1400 and Arai Regent-X, but offers a lower price and lower weight. It also comes with a 5 Star SHARP test rating.
- You get a lot here for a helmet with a mid-range price point. Recommended for sport touring riders who want tons of features and reliability without breaking the bank.
Introducing the AGV K6 Helmet
Trying to imagine only having one helmet. A helmet that is good for use across a wide range of riding positions and bike styles, seemed like a clickbait marketing choice from AGV. I knew that with the wide range of bikes in my garage I would be able to really test the K6 and this claim. I have found that a helmet that really performs on one bike can be a total failure on another.
Looking over the AGV lineup of full-face helmets, the K6 occupies a unique spot. Above it is the Corsa R, which is a top end sports bike lid fully at home on the track, and the 3 other K series helmets sit below it according to price. The closest other helmet in the AGV lineup which the K6 should be compared to is the K5-S. The K6 has very intentional differences aimed at reducing weight and increasing safety, and we will take a deep dive into all of them.
First Impressions
When the helmet arrived and I pulled it out of the box, I was hit right away with a moment of recognition. The AGV K6 just feels like it is way more than a $500 helmet. With the crazy low weight, stellar finish, feel of the liner, and the action of the visor, each element was already jumping out at me as very very nice. Oh I cannot wait to drop this helmet on my head and hit the road.
See Also: The Best Full Face Motorcycle Helmets for 2022
AGV K6 Helmet Fit
The AGV K6 is listed as an intermediate oval shape, and I found that to be accurate. Using the AGV size guide my head is 62cm and the XL I ordered fit perfectly. I recommend you check the size guide because AGV has unique medium-small and medium-large options, but with sizing only up to a 2XL the largest heads might not fit the K6.
Neck Roll
The neck roll is substantial but the design is quite smart and I found little issue getting my head through it. Once on the neck seal felt great.
Cheek Pads
As with most new helmets that are properly fitted, there will be some pressure on the cheeks. The cheek pads will conform to your face with use and make what already feels great on my head a bit better.
Weight
I know this will begin to get repetitive, but wow is this helmet light. I definitely feel it, and I really like it. Turning my head side to side feels very easy. The shape of the lower edge of the K6 is not catching on my jacket and overall the K6 is making me very happy to wear.
AGV K6 Helmet Features
Visor
The 4mm thick pinlock-ready visor has detents and a locking mechanism that is released by a centrally located inset button on the chin-bar. The helmet comes with a Pinlock 120 insert. The small metal visor system is similar to those found on other AGV helmets and is easy to use when changing visors.
The field of view is substantial at 190°, and visor changes are extremely easy. AGV has shrunk the entire pivot mechanism and the spring-held release is one of the best I have used. This is an important feature when there is no internal sun visor. Changes from a tinted to a clear visor become much more frequent.
It took some adjustment getting used to the visor release button, but overall I found I appreciated what AGV incorporated. A single push of AGV’s Micro-Lock system provides a perfect visor crack. Popping it up just enough to allow airflow but still staying locked. A second push or holding of the button will allow full visor release. This is a bit fiddly, but with a bit of use, I got good at making this a single-handed affair.
The gasket that AGV uses on the K6 is a single large roll and seals wonderfully. By making it as large and flexible as they did, there were no wind leaks or water ingress. I wish other helmet manufacturers tried this style of gasket.
Ventilation
The K6 has 5 intake vents all with simple open/closed regulators. Just below the visor are 2 intakes controlled by a single level on the front of the chin bar. Across the forehead are 3 vents and these sliders feel solid and work well, my only gripe is they were a bit of a challenge to feel with a gloved hand. Once I got accustomed to the location I had no real issue.
Across the back of the helmet and formed into a slight spoiler is a large passive vent. This worked well clearing any trapped air from inside the K6.
Interior Lining
The liner material is very nice. AGV refers to it as “Shalimar fabric” and I like the feel. It is soft but feels like it will hold up well. High-friction sports use Ritmo fabric and synthetic leather with high abrasion resistance, they also have a nice overall feel to them. While maybe not as plush as the liner in my Schuberth helmet, they are really nice and I found my comfort when wearing the helmet to be quite high.
Removing the interior liner is dead simple and is just 2 pieces. The neckroll and cheek pads make up one section and the remaining head cover is held with 4 clips.
Adding Communications
AGV formed speaker pockets and wiring channels into the EPS core. Designed for easy fitment of the AGV Ark Intercom system, it also makes it very straightforward to add most popular Bluetooth comms systems.
Construction of the AGV K6 Helmet
The Shell
The K6 shell is made from carbon-aramid fiber. What does that mean? AGV has gone with just Carbon fiber and Aramid fiber (commonly known as Kevlar). While it isn’t radical to find these components in shell construction, it is very unusual to not see them listed with something else, like fiberglass.
AGV impressively uses 4 shell sizes to cover the XS through the 2XL size range. Divided at XS-SM, MS, ML-LG, XL-2XL, this ensures that the engineered level of protection between your skull and the street is maintained regardless of helmet size. Multiple shell sizes also mean the least amount of mass for each given size, keeping weight as low as possible.
Finally, what may be perceived as a small detail is the profiling along the lower edge of the helmet. AGV designed this relief to minimize the chances of impact on the collarbone.
The EPS
AGV lists the K6 as having a core with five EPS densities which provide the same protection that professional MotoGP™ riders are guaranteed. The technical data for the K6 also makes a special note regarding the Visor Hinge mechanism. Reducing the physical size of the metal hinge allows increased EPS coverage for the sides of the head and therefore a small improvement in side protection.
The Visor
The visor fitted to the K6 is a substantial 4.3mm thick and provides an optical class 1 rating. Listed with 190° peripheral vision and 85° vertical vision, this isn’t the largest eyeport but the sightlines are very good. The visor is pinlock compatible and comes with inserts.
The gasket seal between the visor and shell is much larger than I am used to finding. Rather than a single or double rubber flap to press into the visor, AGV uses a large round gasket that offers greater spread when the visor closes against it. The seal in my opinion is one of the best I have found with the many helmets I have ridden.
The visor lock seems to be the most common point of discussion with the K6. The AGV Micro-lock system is an automatic lock when the visor closes, designed so you can press a release and push open the shield in one fluid movement with one hand. On the plus side it is quite secure and a single push will provide a city crack, allowing the coveted cracked-open riding position. The most common complaint is that it is not as easy as it sounds, and not always a single-handed affair with gloves on. It took a few miles but I got used to it.
The hinge mechanism is all metal, which contributed to AGV being able to make it so small. The spring-loaded quick release is excellent and very easy to use. The 5 opening levels all have a good detent and are held well at each stop, I never had any wind-induced snapping shut at legal speeds.
The Weight
This helmet is light, I mean really light for a full-face helmet. My review helmet is an XL and weighs in at 3lbs 1.0 oz, or 1374 grams. That is the lightest of all the full-face helmets I have tested.
The closest helmet I can recall is the Scorpion R1 Air Carbon, which weighed in at 1360 grams when a similar size was measured. AGV claims the K6 is 1220 grams or 2 lbs 11 oz (I assume in the smallest size), but that seems suspect to me. Still, no matter how you slice it, this is a very light helmet.
Safety Certifications
The K6 comes bearing ECE 22.05 and DOT stickers. SHARP testing shows a 5-star rating for the AGV K6. That is the highest level for this well-regarded testing certification. I have not been able to find any information on meeting ECE 22.06 certification yet.
Riding with the AGV K6 Helmet
With the fat neck roll, I expected a bit of a battle sliding the K6 down on my head, and there was no issue—nice. I am in agreement with others I have heard describing the K6: it feels great inside this helmet.
I find myself rolling my head around enjoying the lightness I feel, as I prepare to pull out of the garage on my Super Duke GT. I tend to choose this bike first with full-face helmets because I find it will always quickly reveal how well a helmet can deal with turbulent air and if the neck roll actually has a good seal.
My riding position on the KTM combined with the small fairing creates a huge amount of turbulent air right at my sternum when over 70km/h. If a helmet is going to struggle with noise, this quickly reveals it.
Loudness
Wow AGV, this K6 is surprising me with its ability to muffle the noise. I rode with and without the chin curtain, and there is a noticeable difference. This is a very quiet helmet.
I rode this helmet behind the huge fairing of my Honda Goldwing, and with all that protection the K6 was quiet. On my Sportster with no fairing, the K6 again stayed very quiet. In the clean air, the helmet shape and neckroll design eliminated any whistling and air leaks, leaving just the sound of the exhaust and the street.
Most impressive was how well the noises were kept down on the Super Duke. Without the chin curtain I would get air driving in around my chin and causing whistles as my cheeks moved. With it in place, I came to really like the K6’s peaceful nature.
Airflow
I was skeptical looking at the vent design of the K6. 3 forehead vents, 2 chin vents, and a big rear exhaust vent. It wasn’t the quantity that had me concerned it was just the size and the lack of regulation, they are either open or closed.
Well AGV knows best, and overall I liked the air I was able to have underway. Usually, I would only adjust the top center vent if my head got cool, and I like the single chin control for controlling the air in front of my face. I would prefer if the chin vent had a 50% detent, but this is a small gripe.
The ability to have a city setting on the visor was also something I loved because I do this all the time. It adds the perfect amount of extra air when traveling in town between stop lights at slower speeds.
Visor Optics & Performance
The view out is great. Nothing blocking my peripheral, and the AGV shield has zero distortion. I am a fan of internal sun visors, and at times I found myself wishing for one, but the channeling for glasses worked well. So with sunglasses on, I went back to enjoying the lightweight feeling on my head.
I get what others dislike about the visor latch, it can be annoying. But after a few rides, that began to go away as the muscle memory kicked in. It isn’t perfect and I had more than a few times of struggle trying to get it open with just one gloved hand.
The visor itself being 4.3mm thick adds to the smooth action of the hinge. I like how solid the 5 visor positions felt, and how little flex the visor had when I pushed up off center with my thumb when opening.
Final Verdict on the AGV K6 Helmet
I found the AGV shape worked great on my head and was very comfortable even after 6-hour rides in high heat. It is quiet, comfortable, with good airflow, and delivered more than I expected for a $500 helmet that didn’t have a drop-down sun visor. I was shocked at how much I noticed the weight difference. At speed, the K6’s aero tuning helps it be a very neutral and stable helmet on the rider’s head.
You can feel the quality of the construction just holding the K6 in your hands, the fact that all the test data shows it also is an above-average performer on crash tests just adds another reason to love this helmet.
I ordered my review helmet in matte black, but AGV offers the K6 in 4 solid color choices plus a great selection of stunning graphics.
The AGV K6 easily won as my favorite full-face helmet for my 2022 riding season.
Room for Improvement
- The visor lock can be better
- I don’t like D-ring chin strap closures
- At this price level give us a better helmet bag
Favorite Aspects
Overall: 93%
Specs
- Manufacturer: AGV
- Price (When Tested): $495.00
- Alternative models & colors: Black/Red or Black/Gold
- Sizes: XS to 2XL
- Review Date: Sept 2022
Important Links/Where to Buy