Icon manufactures helmets for everyday performance riders. The company was founded in 2002 by motorcycle enthusiasts, and it makes gears and helmets for motorcycle riders.
The manufacturer makes one of the best quality helmets with a lot of focus on safety and performance. Icon has successfully introduced high-end helmet features in the low price helmet category. If you are not willing to spend greater than $500 but want a solid helmet, you can always find the best Icon helmet satisfying your needs.
The Icon Airmada helmet review explores the features that make it one of the best low-priced helmets.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Benefits
There are not many expectations from helmets that cost less than $200. As long as it offers decent protection, motorcycle riders will accept it with satisfaction.
Icon has however changed the game of sub-$200 helmets. The new Airmada helmet from Icon is priced at just $180, and it brings new innovations that are not even seen in some high-end helmets. If you want comfort, quality, ventilation, and performance, the Airmada helmet is the best choice.
Features
The Icon Airmada helmet is a full-face helmet that weighs 3.71 pounds. It is not the most lightweight helmet in the market, but it is not heavy either. It can be worn without any problems while on the road.
The polycarbonate shell construction is very common in helmets less than $200. It is not exotic, but it provides optimal protection, and it doesn’t weigh heavily on your head. The improved aerodynamic properties of the helmet allow you to wear this helmet during long riding hours without any discomfort.
Shell Construction
The Icon Airmada helmet has a long oval fit, which is the most comfortable fit for many American riders. Unless you have a really round face, you can wear this helmet without any problem.
The shell comes in 4 different sizes to provide the most comfortable fit. The EPS liner is also available in 5 liner sizes, allowing you to customize the fit of your helmet. Strength and durability of the helmet are guaranteed and enhanced by the injection molded polycarbonate shell.
The helmet fits snugly on your head, but once you start riding, you won’t feel it at all.
Interior
The Airmada helmet has comfortable interior liner even though it is not very luxurious. When you pay less than $200 for a helmet, you won’t get the option to enjoy luxurious liners.
The Hydra dry moisture wicking liner keeps you sweat-free even when you ride in hot weather conditions for 10 or more hours. It is fully removable and washable so that your helmet will be stink-free for its lifetime. All you need is a quick rinse in water to keep the sweaty smell away.
The EPS liner has excellent vent channels to allow the air to flow freely inside the helmet. It is also available in different sizes for a more custom fit.
Face Shield
The Airmada helmet comes with a clear fog free Icon Optics face shield. It provides a 5-degree enhanced peripheral vision, which is not available in helmets in the same price range.
The face shield is extremely good at keeping the fog away. The removable molded breath deflector ensures that your face shield is never fogged even when you ride for long hours in cold weather. This is one of the most impressive aspects of the Airmada helmet.
The prolock shield locking system seals the visor against the gasket, keeping natural elements like wind and rain away from your face. The face shield supposedly comes with a quick release mechanism, but it is not as easy as you want it to be.
You don’t need tools to swap the face shields, but you have to push harder to get the shield out.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Ventilation
One of the biggest features of the Airmada helmet is the ventilation. This helmet features one of the best ventilation systems, and even several premium helmets don’t have such good ventilation. If you live in hot areas, you need a helmet that keeps you cool all day long, and this is the best choice.
On the front, the helmet features several controllable inlets and six exhaust vents at the back. These vents are 10 mm vents which are highly uncommon in helmet design. Many premium helmets feature some 10mm vents, but Airmada is truly a leader in this aspect.
You can literally feel the cool air blowing inside the helmet through the brow vent at speeds greater than 30 mph. The chin vents have three position switches that allow you to customize airflow within the helmet. Using the vent switches, you can customize the cooling system inside the helmet by opening and closing top, brow and chin vents.
Helmet Designs:
There are a LOT of awesome designs out of the gate for this helmet, no airbrushing required.
The new 2017 Spring collection from Rideicon is here. Check it out!
Safety
The Icon Airmada helmet is certainly one of the best safety helmets, as it is both DOT and ECE approved. It also has SG Japan approval and SAI AS1698 approval. Of course, you can get these certification stickers only from local dealers in those countries.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Other Factors for Consideration
The downside of an excellent ventilation system is the noise. The snug fit of the neck roller keeps some wind noise away. However, when you start riding at highway speeds for a few hours, your ears may become numb with all the wind noise.
It can be easily solved with the use of earplugs. The helmet doesn’t feature ear pockets for intercom devices, but you can’t expect every premium feature in a sub-$200 helmet. Overall, it’s a great budget helmet that gives you all the basic functions for a comfortable and safe ride.
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