Airoh Helmet Review

Airoh Commander Progress

Out of the box…

I was after a dual-purpose helmet, designed for on and off-road while riding my adventure bike, as my road helmet isn’t suitable for off-road; dust being a major problem. My requirements were:

Keep dust and water out
Provide wide vision
Sun protection
Bluetooth friendly.

The Airoh Commander Progress helmet offer those features, with stylish graphics in gloss or matt finish. Included in the box:

One fluoro orange and black matt helmet
Removable scratch-resistant outer visor, Pinlock® ready
Sunscreen inner visor
GoPro® mounting kit
Stop-wind chin guard
Helmet bag
Extra accessories for various configuration.

Easy to remove lining

The instructions are in teensy print so without bionic eyesight, save yourself the squinting and seek them online and/or watch video tutorials.

Airoh claim construction is full carbon 3K composite which is very light; a major plus for those with dodgy necks like me. It has the standard aluminium double-D shackle fastener and press stud. My head with a 57cm diameter, fits the small. Removing it the first few times was tight but loosened after further use.

Chin guard, removable visor, great front opening for clear vision

The outer shell has plenty of venting and is the latest ergonomically design including a spoiler at the nape of the neck. Off-road goggles fit snuggly after removing both visors. The sun-peak is removed by tweaking a few bolts; plugs provided seal the holes.

Inner lining and chin straps are easily removable for cleaning, including all accessory filters.

Bluetooth fitting was easy as everything detaches from the shell. No fighting with linings that wouldn’t separate! My Bluetooth plug didn’t fit through the ready-made hole however, so I ran it underneath the lining to the connection point. The speakers weren’t recessed where my ears are and although sound wasn’t compromised, there was noticeable pressure on the tips of my earlobes; this being an individual thing.

It is light to wear, comfortable across the forehead and provides excellent peripheral vision. The outer visor opens incrementally, great for preventing steamy-breath fog. The sun visor pulls down without impeding vision; initially the lever was stiff and difficult to operate one-handed but improved with use and familiarity. I found when looking down for my side stand, there was slight distortion toward the corners, which wasn’t present when riding, so just thought I’d had one too many ciders.

The chin guard is easily attached providing excellent wind protection. It was so good I rode with the chin vent open for more airflow. Off-road, this guard and the foam filter did a great job filtering out dust particles and with the visor down prevented dust coming inside. No more dirt-beard riding dusty tracks!

Without the dirt filter pad

This helmet is brilliant in rain, the best I’ve worn. The rear spoiler design prevented water trickling down my neck and the outer visor sealed tight. The tinted sun visor adequately cut down on the glare, but I still added sunscreen to be on the safe side for UV protection. It was awkward sliding on spectacles as there’s no specific groove for glasses; it was especially difficult with soft-sided glasses and it took a few goes to get them comfortable. However, sliding on metal-framed glasses was easier.

I enjoyed the sense of space with the extra wide-open front and such easy conversions for road and off-road requirements.

I tested this helmet with my adventure and sports bike to test its overall versatility. There was no obvious whistling noise at speed and was brilliant with the upright seating position of my adventure bike, but due to the leaning-forward seating position of my sports bike, my chin was at a different angle and with high speeds, acted like a rudder forcing my head left and right. Whilst not suited for my sports riding, I’ve just completed 10 days in Tasmania, riding my adventure bike wearing this for long periods and it was comfy as.

With matt finish and fluorescent graphics; manufacturer instructions advise no polishes or chemicals which could compromise the exterior; water and microfibre cloth only.

Airoh is an acronym meaning Ambition, Innovation, Resilience, On-off, Heritage.

It is an Italian company and I purchased mine online through AMA Warehouse which offered Afterpay; forking out RRP $625.00 easier to manage; definitely money well spent.

Mary Knightsriders