Gear Review: AGV Corsa R Helmet

New for 2017, the AGV Corsa R is the Italian company’s update to its top-of-line sport bike helmet offering. Building off the success of the Corsa that proceeded it, the Corsa R makes a number of modifications to the already robust helmet package, thankfully listening to the feedback of customers.

As such, it is evolution not revolution for the AGV Corsa R, but we think that riders will enjoy the bevy of changes made to the Corsa R. Standout improvements include a liner that is more plush, improved air ventilation, and a more stout visor package.

For this review, we took the AGV Corsa R helmet for a spin at the race track (Buttonwillow Raceway), and the street (PDX), to see how the Corsa R compares to its predecessor, and we came away pleased with the result.

The AGV Corsa R should be on your short-list – that is, if you are in the market for a near-$1,000 sport-focused helmet.

Improvements

The big pluses for the AGV Corsa R come in the form of its improvements over the outgoing AGV Corsa model.

That extra “R” to the name includes changes that were key gripes with the AGV Corsa, which quite frankly help make the AGV Corsa R a much better offering to those rider who are willing to spend $999.95 on a helmet.

The first big improvement comes in the form of a new liner, which is much more plush, and thus is much more pleasing to the touch. It also has more features.

Not only does the new liner help impart a more premium feel to the helmet, but AGV has cleverly engineered it to be reversible, with one side being the warmer “winter” side and the other water-wicking side for “summer” riding.

For bonus points, the liner system is the same as the new Pista GP R helmet, meaning riders can also opt for the “rabbit ear” liner style found in the track-focused sister helmet, for a total of three liner options.

The cheek pads now have visible red tabs for emergency removable – a feature we believe should be on every helmet, so it is good to see AGV adopting that mindset as well.

The second improvement is a big one for me, though maybe not as much for other riders, as AGV has improved the venting on the Corsa R. When coupled with the new visor, this means it is extremely difficult to fog up the AGV Corsa R, not only in cold weather, but also when working hard on the race track.

What I am trying to say here, is that as someone who is at the peak of evolution when it comes to personal heat management, the AGV Corsa R is up to the task of handling my homeothermic propensities. Yeah, I sweat a lot…and it’s hard to find a helmet that can handle that perspiration.

The changes that make this world of difference are subtle though. There isn’t a perceivable increase in wind flow through the helmet, if anything these is less. Interestingly, AGV claims a reduction in noise for the Corsa R – something that is almost always inversely related to internal airflow and cooling.

The third big change comes from the visor system, which is probably the true reason why the AGV Corsa R is so good at keeping the fog away. The new visor shield is a whopping 5mm thick, and incorporates a Max Vision Pinlock 120 insert as standard.

This is Pinlock’s top-of-the line anti-fog insert, and on the Corsa R its boundaries are pushed all the way to the edge of the visor’s edge.

This means that there isn’t a double boundary at the edge of where the lens ends, but the visor continues. Instead, the Pinlock screen ends where the visor ends, which adds to the clarity of the overall package.

The Pinlock lens does still create some double-vision though, especially when lights are involved – a reality that comes with all of Pinlock’s visor systems, in my experience.

Still, the visor is relatively pure with its optics, and more importantly it is much more resistant to fogging from breath and sweat.

Even on a freezing-cold ride in Portland’s winter weather, it was incredibly difficult to get the AGV Corsa R to fog-up, at which point you must consider if you should be riding a motorcycle in the first place.

Construction

AGV is building the Corsa R in four different shell sizes, and with four different EPS sizes (each helmet uses five EPS densities). The shell is constructed from CAAF, which is blend of carbon fiber, aramidic fibers (think: Kevlar), and fiberglass.

The shell construction is the main difference between the Corsa R and the Pista GP R, the latter of course being made entirely of carbon fiber.

Both the Corsa R and Pista GP R have a noticeable arch to their base, when placed on a flat surface. This is to reduce the chances of the energy from a crash being transmitted to a riders collarbone (the next time you have your helmet on, see how far you have to lean your head before an edge touches your shoulder).

Similarly, the rear of the helmet, including the spoiler, has been designed so it doesn’t interfere with the back the rider’s leather suit. The spoiler is designed to break off in the event of a crash.

The AGV Corsa R uses seven vents to circulate air into the helmet, five in the front (two in the chin, three at the crown) and two in the rear. AGV says that the chin vents have been designed to push air up along the visor, something which can be felt when riding.

Less noticeable is how the crown inlets have been designed to capture air at the highest air pressure point on the helmet.

Also of note is the new latch design for the visor, which has a “double-click” operation. The first click locks the visor into the shell, but cracks the visor enough to let in air. The second click fully seals the visor to the shell, stopping air from flowing into the helmet.

I have already gushed about the new liner system, though it should be noted for the sake of thoroughness that the neck roll is made of Shalimar and Nabuk fabric with a waterproof treatment, while the cheek pads are made from a Ritmo fabric and have anti-bacterial properties. The “warm” side of the head liner is made from Shalimar, while the “cool” side of the reversible liner is made from Ritmo.

Lastly, I should say that the cheek pads from the Pista GP R too can be used on the Corsa R, which means the Pista GP R’s hydration system can be retro-fitted to work on the Corsa R, if that is something that intrigues you.

Fit

The AGV Corsa R would best be classified as having an intermediate oval shape, so out of the box it fits my head quite well. Mileage will vary here, of course, with some riders needing different cheek pads for maximum comfort.

I took a large in the AGV Corsa R, which is what I typically wear in an AGV helmets, as I do in most other helmet brands, so sizing is consistent for the brand and overall in the industry.

On our scale, a size large Corsa R weighs in at 1,649 grams (1,424g shell, 225g visor). This is heavier than the outgoing model, which tipped our scale at 1,528 grams (1,474g shell, 176g visor).

Obviously, the thicker visor construction, along with the Pinlock insert, are adding weight to the AGV Corsa R, and we would hazard a guess that the increase in shell weight comes from the more robust liner design.

Still one of the lightest helmets on the market, we think the added creature comfort that comes from the AGV Corsa R are worth it in terms of a modest weight increase. It should be noted though, that the 1,558 gram Pista GP R is noticeably lighter, when worn.

From an aerodynamic perspective, the AGV Corsa R is quite neutral, even when doing track laps exposed on my tall and un-faired Ducati Hypermotard SP.

Like with the previous Corsa model, the AGV Corsa R has excellent field-of-view properties, which is especially important when riding on the track, and trying to look through the turns and down the course. The periphery vision is quite good, as well.

My only real criticism of the AGV Corsa R concerns its venting switchgear. Under the right circumstances, the vents when open can create a slight and brief whistle, but it really takes moving your head into just the right spot to make it happen. Highway cruising creates no noise, and closing the vents removes the issue, which is interesting.

The operation of the vents can be cumbersome though, especially with gloves on. The crown vents have only tiny tabs for your fingers to grip onto, and require some force to make adjustments.

The chin vents are pretty much impossible to move once you are wearing the helmet and on the bike – the small hole in the chin curtain makes it too hard to reach the latch.

Lastly, just the look and feel of the venting latches displeases me. It is the only thing on the AGV Corsa R that betrays its $999.95 price tag.

When you look around at other helmet offerings, vent systems like these are found on cheap $200 helmets, with better-designed options showing up on helmets costing $500 or more.

I suspect, the issue on last point comes down to weight, with complex venting systems likely adding more weight to this sport-focused helmet. Perhaps that is why the AGV Pista GP R does away with vents entirely, with only rubber stoppers to seal the helmet from the wind.

Conclusion

The AGV Corsa was already on my short list of helmets for riders to consider, and now with AGV making smart improvements to their design for the AGV Corsa R, it will likely move to the front of my helmet riding rotation.

At $999.95 MSRP, the price is going to be a bit crippling for some, as there are strong helmet options at half that price.

But, those options won’t likely be as light though, and with the changes made to the liner (now one of the best in the industry, in my opinion) you at least can feel why you are paying more for the AGV Corsa R – in addition of course to the quality and engineering that AGV puts into all of its helmet designs.

I still think there is room for improvement with the AGV Corsa R’s switchgear and creature comforts, especially when a $999.95 price tag is involved, but weight was clearly a high priority here for AGV, even with the featherweight Pista GP R in the company’s lineup.

As such, while AGV might position the noticeably lighter Pista GP R as its track-focused helmet, I truthfully think track riders who aren’t into spending $1,600 for a Pista GP R will gravitate towards the AGV Corsa R.

Though certainly more refined, this is a “street” helmet with a very strong racing pedigree. As such, it compares very well to other helmets that are competing at the $1,000 price point.