Best Adventure Bike Helmets 2026 – This updated guide covers the top adventure motorcycle helmets with key features, pros, cons, and direct links to the best models. You’ll also find our expert advice on choosing the right helmet for your trip.
Mad or Nomad guides are built on our round‑the‑world travel experience and professionally testing adventure bikes and motorcycle gear. We’re independent, not sponsored and all opinions are our own.
Contents
Adventure Bike Helmets
By Andy Davidson
Mad or Nomad: Round the World Motorcycle Traveller
You know the drill… your helmet is the most important bit of protective motorcycle gear you can buy because your brain is priceless. So, picking the right helmet for the job, making sure it fits, is comfortable and safe are incredibly important.
We’ll explain the different types of lids you can go for, offer further reading, discuss adventure bike helmets and then get to our top ten. This article will be updated yearly to reflect the best helmets on the market. Let’s get to it!
Here’s what you’ll find in our guide:
- Adv bike helmets explained
- Buyer’s guide
- The Best helmets on the market
- Our current winners
The different types of motorcycle helmets
You don’t have to go for an adventure bike helmet, you can use whatever type of motorcycle helmet for adventure bike travelling you like. Popular options include road helmets, touring helmets, enduro helmets, open face and flip-front modular helmets.
If you’re interested in any of the above and want to know more about their pros and cons, then check out the helmet section in our comprehensive guide Choosing your adventure bike riding gear – it also includes our top tips for buying a motorcycle helmet. And if you’re looking for a more road focused helmet, then take a look at our touring helmets guide too.
READ MORE:
Why adventure bike helmets?
But for this article, we’re specifically looking at the best adventure bike helmets on the market today. We’re concentrating on adventure motorcycle helmets because they’re an excellent blend of road and off-road helmets with wider view openings, peaks, more ventilation and extra features all geared towards dual-purpose riding.
They’re the best of both worlds, perfect for long distance motorcycle travel and adventure riders. To help you narrow down your choices, we’ll explain what to look out for when choosing an adventure bike helmet and our selection of the 10 best adventure bike helmets on the market today followed by our winners.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose an Adventure Bike Helmet
Fit and comfort
First and foremost, fit and comfort are right at the top of list. It doesn’t matter what style or type of lid you want, if it doesn’t fit your head shape then don’t buy it. It needs to feel snug, secure, without any pressure points and shouldn’t move when you shake your head about. Make sure you try on as many helmets as you can. Different manufacturers fit different head shapes.
Safety
Next up is safety. Don’t buy a cheap £10 helmet from some dodgy website. Look for the safety standard certifications required in your home country. For example, is it DOT stamped for the US, does it have ECE certs for Europe, does it have a SHARP stamp for the UK, is it Snell tested (stricter than DOT and ECE).
Ventilation
Adventure bike helmets are made for a variety of conditions. But more likely than not, it’s going to be primarily needed for warm weather and off-roading where you’ll get hot and sweaty. That makes ventilation very important to look out for. Your lid needs to have decent vents that are easy to open and close. Look for multiple adjustable vents on the chin, forehead and the all-important and often forgotten exhaust vents.
Weight
Weight is also usually overlooked because we’re talking in grams. But a little here and there can make a huge difference. The more touring focused it is (like a modular adventure lid) the heavier it will be. Originally, adventure lids were basically posh motocross helmets, which are ultra lightweight. You need that lightness to help reduce neck strain and fatigue – especially if you’re riding off-road.
Visors, goggles and peaks
You’ve got a few options here. As you’ve gathered by now, adventure helmets are a balance between touring and enduro lids. One of the major differences here are the use of visors versus goggles. Adv helmets are made to accommodate either or option and both. Meaning, you can go for an adv helmet that uses a visor, or one that can use goggles or one that can interchange between the two. Which you choose will depend on your use.
I will add, if you’re riding primarily off-road and in hot, dusty conditions – goggles will be very important for you.
And if you’re riding primarily road then a visor only helmet is fine. Make sure it comes pinlock ready though to prevent fogging.
A peak is another staple of the adventure bike helmet. They’re used to protect your face from debris and your eyes from the sun and rain while off-roading and riding.
Peaks and visors should be removable and if you’re going to be configuring your set-up often then the mechanisms need to be robust too.
Noise
An adventure helmet is a big step up from a pure off-road, enduro and motocross helmet, and so it should be quieter than any of those lids. Unless you’re buying a premium adventure lid, we can’t expect it to be as silent as a high tier touring lid, but you still want it relatively quiet to help with fatigue. Of course, you can’t test before you buy, so you’ll need to read up on your helmet of choice. But things to look out for are a good aerodynamic design, well sealed visors and neck rolls to help reduce wind noise.
Flip ups
You can get brilliant flip-up adventure motorcycle helmets. They sit slightly more on the touring side of the scale, but are perfect for long-distance motorcycle travellers. We use them and that’s why I mentioned them in this section. Being able to stop at a remote village in Tajikistan or pulling up at a yurt in Mongolia with your helmet up makes a difference. Being able to lift the lid while stuck in heavy traffic in Mexico City, chat to people, swig water etc. We list a few in this guide that might tickle your fancy.
Additional features
There’s loads of extras you can go for when choosing an adventure motorcycle helmet. Here’s a few important ones.
Integrated sun visor: This is a must if you’re using a helmet that can’t accommodate goggles.
Bluetooth compatibility: Important for a lot of people who ride with a pillion, in groups or with a partner or friend.
Removable liners: All bike helmets should have removable liners, but you’ll want to check how easy the liners are to remove and wash. Keep on top of your hygiene especially when riding off-road and sweating lots.
Chin strap: Do you prefer a D-Ring or ratchet style strap? If you have a specific preference, then don’t overlook this one.
PREMIUM
Klim Krios Karbon Adventure Helmet
The Klim Krios is a full face, peaked adventure helmet with a visor. It’s made from carbon fibre and Klim claim that the Krios is the lightest adventure helmet ever made. You can switch the Krios between street (remove the peak), adventure (use the peak and the visor) and off-road (leave the peak, remove the visor and use goggles instead).
- Under 1500g
- Large view opening
- Ventilation ports on the chin, forehead and back of helmet
- Design emphasis on making it quiet
- Includes pinlock insert and two visors (clear and tinted)
- Posh and removable interior liner
- Double D chin strap
- Super lightweight
- Removable peak
- Able to take goggles
- Good ventilation
- Wide opening
- Comfortable
- No internal sun visor
- Hi-Viz, Orange, Grey, Black, White, Red, Yellow, Carbon, Blue, Camo, Silver
Price: from £299 – £540 dependent on colour options
Leatt 8.5 and 9.5 Helmet
Leatt are relatively new to the motorcycle gear world. The South African company started out making neck braces in the early 2000s and have branched out into riding gear and helmets since.
And their kit has proved very popular. We’ve added both the Leatt 8.5 Stealth and 9.5 Carbon helmets.
Both the 8.5 and 9.5 have been designed as serious adventure bike helmets. The lids come with photochromic and clear visors as well as goggles and the peaks are fully removable.
The 8.5 has a three-layer composite construction while the 9.5 has a six-layer carbon construction. Both helmets are intercom compatible, have extra-wide eye visor ports, include tool-less visor removal, emergency cheek pad system and double d-ring fasteners.
- Weighs 1520g (8.5) and 1350g (9.5)
- Double D lock (8.5) and Magnetic Fidlock chin strap buckle (9.5)
- Pinlock visor insert included
- Emergency tab to release the cheek pads
- Fully washable and removable liner
- Photochromic and clear visor included
- Comes with goggles
- Excellent quality with a focus on safety
- Proper adventure helmets that can be used with both a visor or goggles
- Comes packed with features
- Includes two visors and interchangeable goggles
- Ultra lightweight helmets
- Excellent ventilation systems
- These helmets are proving really popular amongst fellow adventure bike riders. The only drawback we’ve had reported back to us so far is limited colour options.
- Leatt 8.5 Stealth comes in black, white, high vis and a white, red and blue option.
- Leatt 9.5 Carbon comes in carbon/black only.
- Leatt 8.5 Stealth – £479
- Leatt 9.5 Carbon – £639
Schuberth E2 Helmet (RTW helmets)
The flip front Schuberth E2 is the upgrade from its popular E1 predecessor. The E1 previously held this top spot and was a helmet I used for nearly 100,000 miles over 8 years. Needless to say, it’s a fantastic helmet – and now the E2 is even better. We swapped our E1s for E2s on our round the world trip at the start of the Americas section and used them for 30,000 miles over two years from Canada to Argentina.
They’re more comfortable with better ventilation, a sleek integrated comms system, better ventilation and geared more towards off-roading than the previous E1 which tipped more in the favour of touring.
In mid-2025, we switched from the E2s to the Scorpion 900 to ride through Africa and the Middle East. In 2026 we switched back to the E2 for Turkey and Europe. It is current helmet of choice.
READ MORE:
- Weighs 1675- 1860g
- Easily removable peak and visor
- Integrated comms system
- Flip front
- Sun visor
- Can be ridden with jaw bar up
- Comfortable with excellent ventilation
- Quiet
- Integrated comms system
- Easy to use flip-front
- Plush interior
- Heavy
- Pricey
- Black, orange, white, black, red and blue.
- From £423
Shoei Hornet ADV Helmet
The Shoei Hornet comes with three vents (chin, forehead and rear exhausts). The visor and peak are both removable (although not as quickly removable as its competitors), however, the peak is not adjustable but still works brilliantly regardless. The helmet’s interior is plush and all day comfortable and the helmet sits on the lighter end of this list.
- Weighs 1610g
- Very wide visor opening
- Shoei Emergency Quick Release System (EQRS) system allows the cheek pads to be safely removed in case of a crash.
- Plush ineterior liner
- Double D ring fastner
- Goggle friendly
- Fixed but excellent peak
- Comfortable liner
- Small chin vent
- Must remove the peak to take the visor out
- No internal sun visor
- White, black, red white and blue, black and white
- £449 – £539 dependent on colour options
Arai Tour X5 Helmet
The Arai Tour X5 is the successor to the hugely popular Arai Tour X4 (listed above). However, the X5 isn’t just a reshaped peak and new colours – it’s a completely new helmet.
The Arai Tour X5 comes with a new VAS-A visor system, you can now easily (and without tools) switch between a peak and no visor, visor and no peak or peak and visor. There’s a completely new ventilation system, new chin and forehead vents, wider chin bar for improved comfort and a flat-spot on the side of the helmet to make it easy to install an intercom.
There’s loads of additional little extras too, like new inserts for comfort and it’s now easier to use goggles with the lid. The Arai Tour X5 has proved extremely popular already and is no doubt a worthy successor to the much loved X4.
Note for readers from the USA: the Arai XD-5 and Tour-X5 are the same helmets. They are just called different names (XD for the US and X5 for UK/EU). The only difference is the US version is certified to DOT and Snell and the UK/EU version is certified to ECE 22.06.
- Weighs 1700g
- Variable Axis System-A (VAS-A) visor system
- Redesigned ventilation system
- Double D lock
- Fully washable and removable
- Premium quality
- High level of comfort
- Excellent redesigned ventilation system
- New visor system
- Peak and visor can be removed without tools
- It’s predecessor (the X4) was tricky to remove the visor and peak, but the X5 doesn’t require tools and is easy to do.
- There are 11 different colour options available.
- £599-£699 dependent on colours
MID-RANGE
Scorpion ADF-9000 Air (Our RTW helmets)
Scorpion are making headway into the adventure bike helmet scene. Their lids have been steadily improving over the years and they’re now offering far more premium and well-made options. This is where the new Scorpion ADF-9000 Air comes in.
It’s made with an ultralight composite shell construction, wide visor section (includes pinlock and insert), three different shell sizes, quick release cheek pads in case of emergency, plenty of well placed vents and a removable peak. Scorpion has also treated it to extra features like a drop down sun visor, customisable inserts, a plush interior, quick release strap and action camera mounting points. Scorpion are ticking all the boxes and that makes the ADF a worthy contender.
In July 2025, we made the switch from Schuberth E2 helmets to the Scorpion ADF 900 to ride through Africa and the Middle East due to the temperatures. Since leaving the Middle East in 2026 and entering Turkey, we switched back to the E2 for our ride through Europe.
READ MORE: Scorpion ADF-9000 Review
- Weighs 1300-1500g
- Micrometric chin strap
- Internal drop down sun visor
- Fitted with pinlock visor
- Action camera and Exo-Com compatible
- Removable peak
- Prepared for Scorpion’s intercom system
- Vents, wide visor, sun visor
- Action camera ready
- Removable and customisable pads for extra comfort
- Stylish
- Pricier than usual for Scorpion but this is a far more premium lid
- Matt black and silver, white/blue/red, matt black, white, red, black and yellow.
From £339 dependent on colour options
AGV AX-9 (replaced AGV AX-8) Helmet
The AGV AX-9, which replaced the AX-8 Dual Evo, is a carbon fibreglass lid with a super wide visor opening. It comes with a pin-lock anti-fog insert included and both the visor and peak can be removed. As with most of the helmets in this list, the AGV has a removable and washable interior. The AX-9, like the Klim Krios, is also an extremely light helmet and feels more like a motocross lid when compared to its competition. The chin bar is far more pronounced too allowing for way more air circulation.
- Weighs 1540g
- Grooves for glasses
- Bluetooth communication system grooves
- Double D strap
- Removable front chin vent
- Comfortable design and soft cheek pads
- Extra wide opening
- One of the lightest of the bunch
- Solid peak isn’t as aerodynamic as competition.
- The visor and peak are removed by undoing plastic screws with either a coin or flat head. This can wear way the screw head grooves away over time.
- No internal sun visor.
- Fluo, black and white, carbon, blue, white, blue white and red, orange,
- £332 – £439 based on colours
NEXX X.WED 2 Helmet
The X.WED helmet from Nexx is a mid-range adventure motorcycle helmet. It has a three-position upper vent, dual side intakes and a large chin intake. The Nexx is packed with features for a middle-weight lid. The peak and visor are removable and while the visor opening can take goggles, it’s not as wide a fit as some of the competition.
- Weighs 1500g
- Double D ring chin strap
- Internal sun visor
- Nexx X-COM comms system ready
- Action camera supports and straps
- Emergency straps to remove cheek pads
- Adjustable peak
- Action cam supports
- Quiet helmet
- Excellent ventilation
- Loads of features
- Emergency cheek pads
- Visor opening isn’t as wide as competition
- Vents are tricky to operate with a gloved hand
- Pinlock not included
- White, black, white and blue, blue and red, sand, titanium, desert, white and orange, white and red, black and red, grey, orange, fluo
- £284 – £379 dependent on colours
Nolan N70-2 X Helmet
The Nolan N70-2 is the latest addition to this list. We decided to add this new lid in because of its versatility. The chin bar can be completely removed to make it a jet helmet. You can also remove the peak and visor so it can be worn as an everyday helmet without the peak or as an off-road helmet with the peak and a pair of goggles. So, it can be worn in multiple configurations. It’s a stylish lid and comes in nine different colour options and is also prepared for Nolan’s N-com intercom system.
- Weighs 1723g
- Micrometric chin strap
- Internal drop down sun visor
- Fitted with pinlock visor
- Removable chin bar
- Removable chin bar, peak and visor make this an incredibly versatile helmet
- Prepared for Nolan’s intercom system
- Large vents
- Extra wide visor
The interior padding is only semi-removable
White and blue, white/blue/red, black and orange, white and black, blue, white/black/red, grey and yellow, black, grey
From £249-299 dependent on colour options
Arai Tour X4 Helmet
The Arai Tour X4 is the daddy of adventure bike helmets. It’s well known, has been around for a long time and is hugely popular. The Tour X4 comes with a new, tougher outer shell, a five-year warranty and Arai premium quality.
The peak and visor are both removable (although time consuming and not as easy as the competition) and the X4 is goggle friendly. There are three vents in the chin, two for the forehead and two scoops on the top and exhausts at the rear.
Note, the Arai Tour X4 has now been replaced by the Arai Tour X5 – listed in the premium section above. But, we have decided to keep this helmet here because they’re very different helmets, the X4 is still being sold and is still a much loved adventure motorcycle helmet.
- Weighs 1620g
- Double D lock
- Pinlock visor insert included
- Emergency tab to release the cheek pads
- Fully washable and removable
- Premium quality
- High level of comfort
- Very good ventilation
- Excellent fit with removable 5mm surface foam liners
- Probably the trickiest of the bunch to remove the visor and peak as it still requires screws.
- White, black, yellow, Africa Twin colours, blue, orange, red, UK, gun,
- £399-£579 dependent on colours
BUDGET
LS2 Pioneer Helmet
LS2 say that their Pioneer helmet was originally made for professional enduro and off-roading and this version is for road users. The visor can be removed and it is also goggle friendly with the visor left on if needed. The LS2 Pioneer comes with plenty of vents and exhausts but only the chinbar can be closed. Overall, the LS2 is a fantastic entry level adventure motorcycle helmet.
- Weighs 1300g
- Internal sun visor
- Ratchet chin strap
- Fully removable and washable liner
- Quick release cheek pads
- Internal sun visor
- Very affordable price tag
- Extremely light
- Not known to be a quiet helmet
- Non removable peak and only small adjustments
- Can only close chin vent so can get cold/ let water in
- Yellow, white, black, blue, white and black, orange
- £79 – £94 based on colour options
LS2 Explorer Helmet
While the LS2 Pioneer helmet listed above is a lightweight enduro styled lid, the Explorer variant is more geared towards adventure bike riders looking for more features and extra comfort on long rides.
It comes with added protection, a more comfortable shape, drop down sun visor, emergency cheek pad release and extra large vents.
- Weighs 1380g
- Internal sun visor
- Removable and washable liner
- Quick release cheek pads
- Larger vents
- Internal sun visor
- Lightweight considering its features
- Great airflow
- Not known to be a quiet helmet
- Non removable peak and only small adjustments
- Pricey
- Huge range of colour options
- From £219. Prices vary dramatically dependent on colour options.
Bell MX-9 Adventure Helmet
The Bell MX-9 is an entry level adventure bike helmet that comes with a five-year warranty. The peak and visor are both removable, which makes for street, adventure or off-road use. It has what you’d expect: a moisture wicking, removable washable liner and chin, forehead and rear vents.
- Weighs 1450g
- Double D ring chin strap
- Fully removable and washable liner
- 3 shell sizes
- Can easily take goggles
- Very affordable price tag
- Five-year warranty
- Only two peak positions and not quick and easy to adjust
- Visor isn’t quick to remove either
- Noisey
- Can only close the chin vent
Yellow, black, white blue and yellow, red white and black, black and orange, red, grey, orange, blue and pink.
- £74 – £149 dependent on colour options
The Best Adventure Bike Helmet Winners
The Best Budget Adventure Motorcycle Helmet:
Bell MX-9
The Bell MX-9 is one of the cheapest helmets in this list, but it still packs a punch. It has a five-year warranty, removable peak and visor, moisture wicking material, removable and washable liner, decent vents and it comes in three shell sizes for a good fit. That’s very good value for money.
The Best Touring/Adventure Hybrid Motorcycle Helmet:
Schuberth E2
The Schuberth E2 takes the win here because it’s a brilliant modular helmet which takes its roots from the super comfortable C5 touring lid. The E2 is built ready for intercom and Bluetooth, has an internal visor, plush interior padding, very easy to remove and wash pinlock visor and can be worn easily in multiple configurations. When travelling long-distance and in foreign lands, a flip-up makes a world of difference too.
The Best Off-Road Focused Adventure Helmet:
Klim Krios
Made from carbon fibre, ultra light weight, packed with ventilation and specifically geared towards the more hard core adventure bike rider – no wonder the Klim Krios takes this win. The only thing letting this helmet down is the lack of an internal drop down sun visor, but to make up for it, it does come with both a clear and tinted visor.
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Read more on adventure bike helmets and gear
Thanks for checking out our 10 Best Adventure Bike Helmet Guide Guide. We hope you enjoyed it! Here’s a few more articles on adventure bike kit that we recommend you read next.
Try these next…
If you found this 10 Best Adventure Bike Helmets Guide helpful, or if you have any questions, please post your comments below. We’d love to hear from you.
Where is the AIROH Commander?
Hey Alex, will look into it!
But in the meantime, why do you think it should be added to this list?
Cheers,
Andy
Hi Andy,
I‘m currently in the process of researching, to replace all my old ADV.-Enduro gear and I discovered online, that the AIROH Commander is probably one of the best new mid-range ADV helmets out there, packed with features. I haven‘t try it out myself yet, I plan to do so within the week.
It‘s not just this one though, I discovered a few more helmets that should be in this list, to be considered being some of the best.
Cheers,
Alex
Hi Alex,
Interesting! We are due an update on this page as we update all the gear articles once a year as new kit comes out. So will look into the Airohi and all the new contenders on the market.
We’ve just upgraded our helmets as well to the Schuberth E2.
Good luck with your helmet and gear search.
Cheers,
Andy
Klim Krios Karbon is so overpriced. Its big a bubble for size L
Its light and comfy, but build quality is disappointing. Parts are not aligning, looks cheap. Padding is disintegrating after a year of use.
Lock mechanism for shield is just plain bad. This should not be in this category of a helmet. When its dusty or whet you have to have baby fingers with climbers strength to open it. Its so easy to loose those small fidgety parts while you out.
Careful if you’re buying a NEXX from revzilla /others. The market’s been flooded w NEXX helmets made in 2021[FIVE YRS OLD] being sold as “New”. One dealer told me they bought over a hundred of these and did not realize they were Older stock.
Hi David,
Thanks for adding this info – very interesting to hear!
Cheers
I bought the Leatt ADV 7.5, and I was disappointed. It’s comfortable at speeds up to about 120 km/h and in calm weather. However, above that speed, it becomes extremely noisy, and I start getting pain in my left ear.
I tried using motorcycle earplugs, but they didn’t help as much as I had hoped.
I think the ADV 8.5 and ADV 9.5 probably have the same issue since they share the same shell and aerodynamic design.
Which helmet has been the quietest for you guys?
Hi Stepan, thanks for reading and posting your comment.
Oh! That is very interesting to read. We have not heard that complaint from any readers or users of the 8.5 or 9.5.
However, the Leatt is designed for dual purpose on and off-road use – so wider openings and chin bar for air and breathability – and adventure lids aren’t necessarily designed for high-speed motorway work at 120kph / 74mph.
It would be interesting to hear what Leatt say about this. Have you tried contacting them?
If so, please do report back on here with your findings!
We are currently using the Schuberth E2, probably one of the quietest flip front helmets you can get.
Cheers,
Andy