hose two words don’t sound like they should go together–highend and affordable. This season they do. AGV’s S4 helmet, just
released, puts genuine composite construction, a Carbon/Kevlar shell, in a price range that’s just unbeatable. $259 buys the S4, and there’s a boatload of other top-end features here, too. Plenty of experienced riders–guys who always wanted a no-compromise AGV but couldn’t swing the price are going to take a good, long look at the S4. Knowledgeable riders, riders who have been into this sport for a while, know all about high-end composite helmets. That’s the premium stuff. But the sticker shock has always hurt them. Not everyone can afford the $500 or $600 buy-in these helmets generally command. This season, with the S4, AGV has solved that dilemma. AGV has figured out how to deliver that top-end product to theguy who wants it. There’s no need to settle for a $200 plastic-shell helmet anymore.
     The S4 is made with the same materials as the top-of-the-line AGV Ti- Tech. That’s saying something. It’s the same Carbon/Kevlar composite, the materials and construction that are so far beyond any D.O.T. or Snell requirement that those standards don’t even apply. In fact, every AGV helmet, the new S4 included, is built to a much tougher European standard, the BSI. The BSI rating system is a consistent evaluation of helmets and it’s on an ongoing basis. A certain percentage of every production batch of helmets is tested, not simply the first helmet made with the assumption that every one thereafter will be exactly the same. The BSI testing procedures are based on upto- date, realistic data, too. The standards are consistent with the real world of motorcycling. BSI certification isn’t easy, but AGV has it. And, of course, meeting BSI the helmets are automatically D.O.T approved–and then some.
     Back to the S4. That high-tech Carbon Fiber and Kevlar is used here exactly as it is in the AGV Ti-Tech, the helmet World Champ Valentino Rossi wears. Carbon Fiber goes in the high-impact areas and Kevlar is used to protect against abrasion. Along with that the new S4 incorporates lots of other high-end features lifted straight from the Ti-Tech. The venting, for one. An Integrated Ventilation System (IVS) uses air vents set in channels hollowed directly into the shell and the liner. First developed for the Ti-Tech, the chin vents in the S4 are actually double in size. The result is a ventilation system that brings more fresh air into the helmet, channels it across both the top of the rider’s head and across the interior surfaces of the shell and exits out the back of the helmet.
     There’s a constant flow of air, plenty comfortable. The S4 liners and cheek pads are removable, too. Removable and washable, they’re “Dry Comfort” covered and allow a perfect, easy-fit every time. And there’s more. The S4 also accepts the same face shields as used on the Ti-Tech and XR2. All of those cool, top-end options are here, the race shields, the clears, the mirrors, the radiants–
all the cool stuff. The shields mount with AGV’s XQRS (Extra Quick Release System), too. The shields go on and off in seconds, all without tools. There are a lot of features here, all high-end stuff. They’re the features experienced riders look for but couldn’t afford. Until now with the S4.
     And of course the S4 looks great. There are four colors offered, all in a flat, matte finish with one graphic design. There’s a Black and Silver, a Silver and Black, a Black and Silver with red trim (which just happens to match the look of a lot of bikes and is destined to be a best seller), and there’s a Blue and White. With two shell sizes available and those removable liners and cheek pads the S4 offers a great fit from X-Small right through XX-Large. All this adds up to make the move from those generic plastic-shell helmets into a true composite construction helmet easier to take. For way less than $100 more a rider can finally step up and get that composite construction helmet he’s wanted all along. This is the first composite construction helmet AGV has ever offered in this price range, and it’s available now.
     More good news. This season AGV has lowered the price on the popular Stealth helmet. The helmet that used to sell for $389 is now $349. The Stealth, of course, comes loaded. There’s genuine AGV features and construction. The shell is Carbon Fiber/Kevlar, the ventilation system is AGV’s “Dynamic Design” with those multiple-adjustable air intakes and extractors, the liner and cheek pads are removable and washable and the XQRS (Extra Quick Release System) is here, too, allowing shield replacement in seconds. And the look is genuine AGV, this season offered in more colors and graphic options than ever. Already available in five colors and one graphic, there’s a new graphic added this year along with three new colors and a Flat Black. That’s two graphic styles and eight color choices. And all for $349.
     There’s a whole new group of riders looking to AGV helmets now. It isn’t just the purist sportbike guys anymore. Guys riding those naked/traditional bikes are taking a look at AGV, too, and liking what they see. They’re all going to like it even more when they see the price tags. Topquality features at affordable prices will swing the deal. AGV helmets, including that new S4 and the price-reduced
Stealth, are all available through Parts Unlimited.