Toad has been using the AGV Pista GP-RR for a year now and while there is still plenty of life in it yet - he thought it was time for a review
THE AGV Pista GP-RR is one of the most recognisable motorcycle helmets on the planet, with racers in MotoGP, WorldSBK and BSB trusting their heads with it.
Another slightly less well known (or talented) rider has also been putting in the miles with flagship lid in the AGV range – our very own Toad. He’s been testing it out on road and track for a year now, and covered tens of thousands of miles in it – here is his definitive verdict.
AGV Pista GP-RR review
Worn by the best riders, racing in the best world championships, the Pista GP-RR is designed, developed, and tested on the track, although that isn’t to say it doesn’t work well in other scenarios too.
This lid is my go-to track riding lid, and has spun laps at circuits like Mugello, Jerez, Monteblanco, and Misano to name but a few. But I haven’t just subjected this lid to on-track testing. It’s been used on road rides, press launches, tests and even commuting to and from the office. All with a view to bringing you the most complete and thorough review that I can.
AGV Pista GP-RR review | specs features and price
Price (RRP) | Weight (grams) | Sun visor (Y/N) | Strap type | Sharp Rating |
£999.99 | From 1,450g | No | Double D ring |
AGV Pista GP-RR review | price
Look, there is no getting around it, at £1,039 the AGV Pista GP-RR in its glossy black finish is a significant investment to your motorcycling wardrobe. That said, there is a lot of sense in buying the best motorcycle helmet you can afford, and if you live by that mantra – this is one of the best lids out there! For a less expensive take on the Pista ethos, you could look at the AGV Corsa R review here. It looks very much like the Pista GP, although at nearly half the cost it’s a slightly less expensive proposition.
AGV Pista GP-RR review | weight
Starting at 1,450g for the smaller shell sizes, the Pista GP-RR is one of the lightest track-focused motorcycle helmets on the market. It’s around 100g lighter than the Arai RX-7V, and just a little bit heavier than the Shoei X-Spirit III. It also comes equipped with a drinks delivery system as standard – something its two main rivals are lacking.
AGV Pista GP-RR review | visor
One of the first things you notice about the Pista GP-RR is just how chunky the visor of it is. It’s around 2mm thick across the entire visor and flexes very little in your hands. My lid came pre-installed with a smoked visor from AGV UK, although in standard trim a clear visor is provided.
A few first impressions from when I popped the lid on for the first time – the visor aperture is extremely wide, much wider than it appears when you aren’t wearing the lid. The visor (if you keep it clean) is also perfectly crystal clear with no distortion anywhere you look. Both points are important here, given this is a track-focused lid. A wide, clear field of view is a must when riding on a circuit, helping you pick your apexes in slower corners and avoid in-coming trouble.
Another point that caught my attention was that there was no friction or ratchet on the visor mechanism. On the track, I totally see why this is the right way to go. When you are racing or riding in a track day, it’s either visor up when you are stationary, or (you guessed it) visordown when you are moving. No half measures – unless you’ve won inters at the trackday and want to wave to your fans! In that instance, it’s not an issue, and if you do pull off down the pitlane with the visor open, it’ll slam shut once you reach around 40mph.
Out on the road though, it’s not quite so simple. There are times on a ride when you want the visor open, get some air, talk to your pillion, pick your nose, and so on. It’s at these times that the AGV Pista GP-RR’s race-bred dynamics start to become a pain.
Although that isn’t to say you can run with the visor slightly cracked open. The centrally-mounted visor latch has a secondary setting that allows you to lock the visor but maintains a 3mm gap around the bottom edge. Not quite enough to pick your nose through, helpful on a hot and humid day though.
The Pista GP-RR comes equipped with racy tear-off strips and a Pinlock in the box. The tear-offs are handy for serious club racers and trackday riders although are a fiddle to install cleanly. The Pinlock works okay in most scenarios, although on a recent humid track day at Cadwell Park I did get some fogging in my peripheral vision that meant cracking the visor open a little.
AGV Pista GP-RR review | vents
AGV claims that the Pista GP-RR is ‘modelled by the air, to take in the air’, basically cut through it with as little resistance as possible while providing the rider with as much cooling airflow as possible. It’s for this reason that the lid comes with vents that are always open. You do get natty rubber inserts for wet weather rides - although I managed to lose most of those within about a week of owning the helmet!
Rubber bungs aside, the vents on the Pista are very well placed and slightly larger than those found on most other lids. Even on the hottest of track riding sessions (like at Parcmotor when temps hit 34 degrees) the airflow through the Pista was enough to keep me comfortable, if not cool!
AGV Pista GP-RR review | comfort
With its MotoGP DNA, the Pista is not the comfiest AGV in the range. That’s not to say it’s uncomfortable, and I have managed long days in the saddle, like our recent tour of Wales on the Energica Experia review for instance. After a few hours of riding, I’d begin to feel like I needed to take the lid off for a bit, to let my ears and forehead have some time to breath.
AGV Pista GP-RR review | verdict
The AGV Pista GP-RR is a stunning piece of kit, and it really is my go-to helmet for fast road and track riding. The fact that it also works while out and about riding more relaxed motorcycles for me is a massive bonus. More than that though, with its FIM homologation (it is basically the exact same lid used by the riders in MotoGP) you are owning one of the most high-tech and heavily tested pieces of headwear planet earth has to offer.
It's not the quietest lid I’ve worn, and a free-falling visor is a bit of a pain when riding on the road. Can I forgive those two small niggles? Yes, and I know the next time I head out on the road or track, it’ll be the first thing I reach for from my kit bag.
More information on the AGV Pista GP-RR can be found here.
