hen Amisano Gino began making leather seats and bicycle saddles in Valenza, Italy (Amisano Gino of Valenza is where the ‘AGV’ name comes from) he never dreamed his small company would go on to produce some of the finest motorcycle helmets in the world, helmets worn by the most important, most successful and certainly most famous riders of all time.      Seven-time World Champion Valentino Rossi is the current AGV torchbearer, but he’s just the latest champion to choose AGV. Right from the start AGV has been directly linked to riders making motorcycle history. Giacomo Agostini wore AGV. So did Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts, Johnny Cecotto, Angel Nieto, Marco Lucchinelli, Franco Uncini, Fausto Gresini, Randy Mamola, and Luca Cadalora. Formula 1 stars Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi wore AGV. The list of AGV riders and race drivers reads like a “Who’s Who” of champions; well it should, AGV helmets have been worn by more than 130 World Championship title-holders. From those most modest beginnings AGV went on to become a brand name on a global scale.
     And it’s only getting bigger and better. A recent acquisition by Dainese Leathers, one of the more innovative companies in the aftermarket, has AGV now poised to continue its own stellar record of innovation. The list of AGV firsts is impressive. Just one year after beginning production of motorcycle helmets, in 1948 AGV introduced the first open-face helmet with a leather shell. In 1953 AGV developed and produced its first fiberglass vulcanized helmet and in 1954 followed that with a 100-percent fiberglass open-face helmet. A few years later AGV released its first fiberglass full-face helmet and in 1985 introduced the Kevlar/Dupont fiberglass composite helmet, setting a technological and quality standard for the world.
     And now, with the recent merger with Dainese, AGV is once again a 100-percent Italian company. Production is moving back into Italy where it all started. With some interesting and exciting results.

Giacomo Agostini is considered perhaps the greatest Grand Prix rider of all time. Over the course of a remarkable career of 17 years, the peerless Agostini won 15 World Grand Prix titles (8 in 500cc and 7 in 350cc), 12 Isle of Man TT crowns, and an astonishing 122 Grand Prix victories, the most ever by any competitor. In America, “Ago” won the Daytona 200 in 1974. Dave Friedman photo / Don Emde Collection.

Italian Walter Villa won 24 of the 72 Grand Prix events that he competed in. He was a four-time Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, winning the 1974, 1975 and 1976 250cc world championship, and the 350cc in 1976. Dave Friedman photo / Don Emde Collection.

Kenny Roberts will certainly go down in history as one of the all-time racing greats in motorcycling -- not just in America, but the world over. Roberts won the AMA Grand National Championship in 1973 and 1974. In 1978 he became the first American to win a World 500 Grand Prix title. In the following years Roberts dominated the World Grand Prix circuit, and by 1980, had captured three consecutive World 500 Grand Prix titles. Photo: Don Emde Collection.

Steve Baker had a successful racing career on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1977 he won the Formula 750 World Championship and among his numerous accomplishments in road racing was winning the Daytona 200 in 1977. Dave Friedman photo / Don Emde Collection.

Renzo Pasolini was a popular Grand Prix motorcycle road racer in the 1960s. While he never won a world title, Pasolini’s uncalculated style of racing and rivalry with Giacomo Agostini earned him a place in the affections of many Italian fans. Dave Friedman photo / Don Emde Collection.

MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi, one of the most popular and widely recognized racers in history, has chosen AGV as his helmet of choice for years. The "Rossi Replica" helmet series are some of AGV's top sellers. Photo by Kinney Jones

ontinuing that history of firsts AGV has just introduced two new helmets for two entirely different segments of the two-wheel world. Upping the ante of its championship racing heritage, AGV now has the GP Tech, computer designed and the next step beyond the legendary Ti-Tech, the helmet that, until now, was AGV’s top-of-the-line. Developed on the computer and with significant on-track input from Valentino Rossi himself, the GP Tech offers a fit, finish and comfort level that’s unsurpassed in the industry. Most significantly, the GP Tech is offered in three shell sizes. This assures a perfect fit every time. There’s a new face shield mechanism, too. The GP Tech’s shield is easier than ever to operate and change. AGV has revamped the helmet’s overall shape and its ventilation system, as well. The GP Tech cuts through the air easier than ever while also keeping a rider’s head cooler than ever. The new GP Tech, a fully composite helmet, can compete with anything in the market, besting most in its features, fit, construction and quality.
     Then there’s the Blade. This second new helmet from AGV is destined to fly off the showroom shelves. The Blade is a hybrid helmet with broad appeal. Everyone on a two-wheeler, scooter riders to sportbike enthusiasts to cruisers, will applaud this one. It’s a total re-think of the traditional half-helmet, what you might call a 2/3-shell helmet. It’s unique in the market. While most helmet styles have undergone drastic design changes over the years, mostly for the better, the one style that’s remained stagnant is the half-helmet. Not anymore, not with the AGV Blade now available.
     The Blade resulted from AGV’s belief that it was high time that the traditional half-helmet, a cruiser’s favorite, find a new and more modern direction. The Blade fits that bill. During development it quickly became apparent that this helmet has a much broader appeal. The motorcycle market itself has gotten broader, now encompassing everyone from V-twin cruisers to the naked sportbike crowd to the standard sportbike riders and even the growing number of scooter enthusiasts. The Blade’s hybrid design has appeal to all of those riders–with a price that’s equally appealing. The Blade is set to retail for $125.
     The Blade’s 2/3-style shell feels like a full helmet. It wraps around your head much further than a traditional half-helmet, with a much improved safety factor. A perfect commuter’s everyday helmet, the Blade is both DOT and European safety rated. It’s an open face design, obviously, and it comes with a flip-up visor but that’s just the beginning. AGV has included much of the same ventilation technology in the Blade that’s used in its best race helmets; the ventilating air actually flows through this helmet, exiting out a pair of side extractors. There’s a removable cheek pad and liner system, too, and a brand new buckle/latch chinstrap makes this helmet easy on, easy to adjust and easy off. And there are options. There’s a short visor peak and a long visor peak that can replace the face shield and there are zip-on neck curtains, both short and long. Dealer response to all of this has been nothing short of phenomenal. Everyone immediately understands the appeal and the sales possibilities. There isn’t a rider of anything–from scooter to sportbike to cruiser to commuter–who won’t want a Blade. Especially at its $125 price.
     AGV has been an innovator, a race- and sales winner for 60 years. And there’s no end in sight, not with helmets like the GP Tech and Blade coming on line. They’re both available through Parts Unlimited.