THE AGV AX-8 Evo is the most extreme off-road motorcycle helmet from Italian legends AGV. It’s similar in some respects to the AX9 adventure touring helmet, although features a more focused design and no ability to run a visor.
AGV AX-8 Evo review
The helmet was originally ordered as I had the launch of the then-new KTM 890 Adventure R coming up at Sweetlamb in Wales. With a day of heard riding on tough trails and few road miles on the cards, I was worried my Shoei Hornet ADV would become a little stuffy.
Specs features and price
Price (RRP) | Weight (grams) | Sun visor (Y/N) | Strap type | Sharp Rating |
£349.99 | From 1,150g | No | Double-D ring | Not yet rated |
Starting at £349.99 (in its smallest shell size), the AX-8 Evo is a bit cheaper than Shoei’s VFX-WR – a lid it is directly competing with. And with Arai seemingly no longer stocking the MX-V in the UK, if you want a motocross/green-lane lid from one of the ‘big names’, these two are your choice!
The AX-8 Evo comes in eight sizes from XXS through to XXXL, with three shell sizes covering the lot. In the UK you can have any colour, as long as it’s gloss white!
Weight and construction
Going by quoted weights, the AX-8 Evo is a sizable 500g lighter than the VFX-WR, and you notice just how light it is when taking it out of the box. And it’s not some fancy full carbon-fibre shell that is responsible for the weight saving either, as the AX-8 Evo relies on a carbon and fibreglass mixture for the outer protection. Beneath that is a 5-layer expanded polystyrene (EPS) liner covering four sizes.
Comfort
The interior of the AX-8 is one of the plushest I’ve come across in the adventure touring and off-road segment. The lining material that sits against your face is very soft, while the areas away from your face are a more breathable, quick-drying material. The mix of materials inside the lid really works well, and the AGV dries out noticeably quicker than my Shoei Hornet ADV and quicker than most of my road and track lids.
Away from the trails and on the road, the AGV is, understandably, quite a noisy lid. The front aperture is vast, and that combined with the aggressively styled peak do create some whistles -although that is nothing a set of earplugs won’t fix.
Other than that, the comfort of it is good. The peak is adjustable, and I find it best to lower it for periods of road riding and raise it for the off-road stuff. That way I minimize the amount of buffeting I get on longer, more high-speed road sections, and get all the visibility I need when I hit the trails. To adjust the peak, you simply slacken off the wingnut on the exterior of the lid and you get about an inch of movement to play with. It doesn’t sound much but provides you with a good amount of variation with the peak.
Vents
As keeping cool and well-ventilated while riding off-road is pivotal, the AX-8 Evo is a very airy lid. You have one exceptionally large chin vent, complete with a dust filter, that is always open, two closable vents above the aperture, two top-mounted rear exhaust vents, and two air-scoops mounted on each side. There are also some smaller inlets, two at the top of the aperture, and four at the lower edge of the lid.
The front chin vent works really well, and the dust filter is a nice touch meaning you can at least keep some of the dirt out of your mouth. The vents on the top of the lid are less effective, although they are hidden away beneath the peak, limiting their effectiveness. I haven’t really noticed the other vents doing anything if I’m honest, although, with its overall airy design, I’ve never found the helmet to feel stuffy or stifling.
Verdict
For a lid with such aggressive styling and features, it’s surprising to actually use it and realise it’s a very forgiving and comfortable helmet for off-road riding. To ineffective top vents are really the only issue that I’ve found after a year of use, and its featherlight weight and the supremely plush and quick-drying interior more than make up for that.
Some riders would inevitably long for some more colourful, graphic options, although its plain white, gloss finish does mean you could get it painted up with your own custom design or replica.
More information on the AX-8 Evo can be found here.
You may also want to check out our best motorcycle helmets article here.
