The AGV Corsa R is now the company’s leading road sportbike helmet
Inexorably linked to Valentino Rossi, Barry Sheene, Guy Martin and Giacomo Agostini — the name AGV is synonymous with speed. The company has been building helmets for some of the world’s fastest men and women since 1947, and to celebrate 70 years since those first models rolled off the Italian production line, they’re bringing out the brand new AGV Corsa R sportbike helmet.
The carbon-aramidic-fiberglass shell Corsa R replaces the previous-generation Corsa that’s been around for a few years. It brings a host of improvements to the table like a new liner, chin guard channels, a new neck roll and rear crown pad, visor lock system and the new Race 3 Max Pinlock, which allows for a wider field of vision without the edges of your peripheral getting chopped off.
Feeling the difference
The biggest difference between this Corsa R and the old helmet, in my opinion, comes down to the new liner. The old Corsa had a liner that created hot spots (on my head) and I could never get a comfortable fit. And that was no matter how much I screwed around with it. I’d also get a nice big mark across my forehead, like someone had smacked a ruler across my face. That meant the old helmet and I had about a half hour window where we’d be comfortable together—not really long enough for a decent day’s riding, including stops.
After a full day blasting around Buttonwillow Raceway in California in the new Corsa R, I was more surprised than anyone to realize I hadn’t needed to mess with the fit all day. The Corsa R’s liner now covers the whole inside of the helmet—before on the old model it only covered the sides of the crown, and I think this was half my problem. Another cool thing about the liner is it’s reversible for warm or cold weather. Being a track day, I only rode with the cool interior fitted and life was good, but it’s a nice feature to have.
The visor system is all new with a wider latch in the helmet body, making it a bit easier to open and close with race gloves on. And the 5mm visor itself comes with the Race 3 Max Pinlock system—something I think every helmet should—so the field of vision is wide and uninterrupted.
I’ve never been a fan of AGV’s stepless visor system, and this is still something not fixed. Instead of locking into one of say, six pre-defined points of opening, the visor has to stay open using only the tension in the helmet’s eccentrics, and usually results in the visor slamming down at anything other higher than 5mph. I get this is a track-focused helmet but street riders could find this annoying, just as I do.
On the other side, the ventilation is certainly improved on the Corsa R. Get moving and you’ll feel the air blasting through the revised chin and crown vents, keeping your head on the cool (or cold, depending on where you’re riding), side.
The Corsa R’s fit is super race focused and I’ve always felt a little wary of the way the back of the helmet leaves my neck exposed if I’m not in anything other than a race tuck with a hump on my leather to fill in the gap. This is a trademark of the current AGV range (I had an AGV T-2 way back in 2010 and I think I preferred how that sat on my head). It’s something I’ve become used to, but it still feels a little strange.
Is the new AGV Corsa R the right one for you?
Helmets are the most personal piece of gear you will buy and it primarily comes down to your head shape. I wasn’t a massive fan of the old Corsa but I have friends that swear by them. The new Corsa R is definitely an all-round improvement in fit, feel, cooling, vision and looks, and on the track I quite enjoyed it at Buttonwillow. But I’ve got a naturally round (read: fat) head so I’m more suited to an Arai Corsair X. I think if you have a slightly skinner dome than I, the AGV will be a great fit.
This is a premium helmet at $999.95, competing with the Arai, Shoei’s X-Fourteen and the Shark Race R Pro Carbon. The best advice I can give is to try it on first, because buying a helmet sight unseen is fraught with dangers. The AGV Corsa R is indeed a fantastic helmet for the right head, it just depends on whether that head is yours, or not.
Check out this video on just how to make sure your helmet fits you just right.
