LS2 FF320 Stream Evo helmet review
When selecting the first helmet, a beginner’s eyes are wide-eyed from the choice, and the lack of experience and advice like “How to buy a full set for 3 rubles” makes the result of this choice not always adequate. In addition, many young people, having purchased their first motorcycle, are left without a penny in their pocket and have no money left to minimize the consequences of a possible accident. So, leafing through catalogs with motorcycle equipment, the bar first slides down to inexpensive models, or may even fall into the Chinese no-name, in comparison with which even a tin foil hat will be more reliable.
LS2 FF320 Stream Evo Tacho Blue HV Yellow
But, cheap and reliable helmets do exist. Naturally, they will not be distinguished by comfort and service life, but they at least provide a normal level of protection. One of the representatives of such helmets is the LS2 FF320 Stream Evo. This refers specifically to the modification with the Evo prefix, which is significantly better than the previous version FF320.
For a little more than $100 you can get a helmet with a monolithic “shell”, with a total weight of about 1500-1600 grams. Polycarbonate visor with the ability to install a pinlock. Despite the price, the LS2 FF320 Stream Evo is certified to ECE 22.05, but more interestingly, received 4 stars on SHARP, which is more than just good for such an inexpensive product.
LS2 FF320 Stream Evo Hype Black White Titanium
There is a separate sun visor. The control lever is located on the left, immediately behind the main visor mount. Many owners of the LS2 FF320 Stream Evo helmet complain that the sun protection element, being completely lowered, does not completely block the view, but this is most likely due to anatomical features. More questions are raised by the fact that the sun visor distorts along the periphery in some specimens, which you need to pay attention to when trying it on.
A few words need to be said about the ventilation system of the LS2 FF320 Stream Evo helmet. Well, first of all, it exists, and it works. Secondly, questions are raised by a strange implementation, when the ventilation channels on the right and left sides open separately. The ability to “fine tune” is, of course, wonderful, but people whose one side of the head is cold and the other hot are rare. Ventilation of the visor is provided separately. "Exhaust" at the back of the head. Everything works quite tightly, until the new one; subsequently, the movement of the parts will become freer, which will add noise when moving. But, talking about sound insulation, if there is a ventilation system, you can start with a price tag 3-4 times higher.
LS2 FF320 Stream Evo Solid Matt Black
Nothing supernatural inside. Hypoallergenic materials, everything is detachable and washable if necessary. The entire interior is secured with plastic buttons.
The LS2 FF320 Stream Evo helmet is fastened using the now fashionable “ratchet”. It seems that a fastener made of two D-rings is much cheaper and more reliable, but at least everything is made of iron and not plastic or aluminum.
It should be noted the number of colors available. There is absolutely everything, from matte black, to suffer on a sunny day, to white with a pink flower. There are bright color options for those who want to be seen on the road.
It is recommended to purchase a helmet in official stores, the addresses of which can be found on the LS2 website. Of course, you can place an order on Chinese trading platforms, but with such a purchase you will not be able to try it on, and most importantly, no one guarantees that they will send you an LS2 FF320 Stream Evo helmet, and not something similar to it.
LS2 FF320 Stream Evo Lux Matt Black Pink
What is the dry residue? And it turns out the following. The LS2 FF320 Stream Evo helmet is a very good option for a piece of maximum budget motorcycle equipment. Good protection confirmed by SHARP, the presence of a sun visor and even some hint of aerodynamics set the LS2 FF320 Stream Evo helmet apart from other inexpensive models, while its cost is slightly higher than the Chinese no-name. The helmet is far from perfect, has a lot of shortcomings and a short service life. Loose ventilation latches, a peeling seal along the contour - all this will happen, but it won’t happen right away and will last 1-2 seasons.
Photos used: ls2helmets.com
Universal Soldier: LS2 Motorcycle Gear Review
What do we expect from travel equipment? First of all, reliability. Lightning that strikes in the middle of a two-week trip can ruin everything in the same way as a set of documents that fell out on a long stretch after a drowned mobile phone. Scary? Against the background of these nightmares, comfort, which seems to be the main criterion, fades into the background. But there are still a good dozen points necessary for the tourist crew.
We need both safety and visibility, it would be nice if the equipment looked good and was easy to clean, it’s great to have a lot of pockets... The list can be continued endlessly, or rather, until the cost of a set exceeds one hundred thousand rubles for some BMW Rally suit. And having returned from heaven to earth, you understand that this year there are planned at best two long-range fighters, and every extra thousand rubles spent on a suit will be bitten off from the fuel budget, in short, you have to look for compromises.
For me it was the LS2 touring kit. Everyone has probably heard about helmets from this brand, but the equipment appeared on our market only this year. I decided to test it by assembling a suitable textile kit.
Video review of LS 2 touring motorcycle equipment:
Helmet LS2 FF324 Metro Rapid
The budget modular was chosen primarily for traveling and out-of-town outings: driving with your jaw raised is a special kind of pleasure, especially when you are leisurely enjoying the Crimean serpentines or in a hurry, handing over some Iron Butt, sucking on a bottle of water without taking off helmet Comfortable!
Model FF324 Metro Rapid will cost 13,200 rubles in Bike Land
And let people, as a rule, who do not have decent experience, frighten you with their torn jaws, do not believe it. And even if any hinge mechanism is a priori less reliable than a monolithic structure, it tolerates contact with asphalt stoically. Tested by personal experience. At the same time, the ability to raise the “jaw”, especially in the heat, often becomes a necessity.
A removable dust cover is installed at the bottom of the visor
The LS2 modules are already a little familiar to me from the snowmobile helmet, in which over the winter I managed to cover Lake Baikal, ride a snowbike and do several tests of snowmobiles, so a certain trust in the brand has developed. Now the choice has fallen on the LS2 FF324 Metro Rapid - a budget version of the modular with good functionality.
Metro Rapid is designed to lock the visor in the open position
But first, about ventilation - it is well developed here. True, switches with finger grooves, although convenient, look specific. But the ventilation channels are quite large, the central one on the chin is complemented by four more on the sides, two on the top of the helmet, which are also complemented by a pair of holes on the back of the head - in the summer it should not be hot in it.
A distinctive feature of the LS2 FF324 Metro Rapid is its developed ventilation system
The lining looks simple and without frills, but the perforations for better head ventilation are the same as in top models, and the helmet filling has recesses for headphones, thanks to which installation of the headset will not take much time. The lining is attached with traditional buttons and, if necessary, for example for washing, can be removed in a minute.
Hypoallergenic lining secured with traditional snaps
The LS2 FF324 Metro Rapid helmet is available in three colors, including senior black and white, black and yellow and white and red. I chose the latter, although I hesitated - the acid yellow one also looks catchy and is clearly visible on the road. In any case, the helmet looks elegant, just what we need for our filming.
From the outside, the helmet looks bright and elegant
I came across the ability to fix the “jaw” in a raised position using a special slider for the first time on a modular, and as an active user of such helmets, I can say that the function can be useful. Especially when you are driving through gullies. The visor, which, as befits a tourist helmet, has a pinlock, is also conveniently removable. By the way, along with the helmet, I would advise you to immediately buy a spare visor - when traveling it is useful to have a spare one, fortunately the price tag is not too high; for glass in Bike Land they charge about a thousand rubles.
The kit includes a pinlock that prevents the visor from fogging
In addition, the helmet also has retractable dark glasses, also necessary when traveling, and a traditional reflective insert on the collar bolster. The clasp is the usual and probably the most common “ratchet” on civilian helmets. Convenient, practical and reliable. By the way, only the buckle on this helmet is steel, while the ratchet itself is plastic, so there are no concerns about corrosion.
The clasp is a classic ratchet with a steel buckle.
The only thing we can criticize the LS2 FF324 Metro Rapid for is its weight. The shell, made of a “super-strong kinetic polymer alloy” or, in simple terms, plastic, emphasizes the large functionality of the helmet – 1650 grams. The indicator is low, modulars can be heavier, however, if you spend 17 hours a day driving, the extra 150 grams can take a toll, especially on the neck muscles.
The LS2 FF324 Metro Rapid helmet weighs 1650g.
However, the engineers took care of this separately - the nose of the helmet is slightly extended forward, which, theoretically, should improve aerodynamics and, as a result, slightly reduce the load on the rider. One thing is certain - drops of water will fly away from the visor faster, that’s a fact.
LS2 Gallant Man Jacket
The debate about choosing textile or leather equipment revolves only around city driving; you will hardly be able to find textile overalls for the track, just as it will not be easy to buy leather equipment for traveling. In these segments, everything is clear, which means you only need to choose between models.
The universal tourist jacket LS2 Gallant Jacket will cost exactly 11,000 rubles
For long-distance combat this season, I chose the LS2 Gallant Jacket, a jacket from a brand famous for its helmets, which appeared on our market only this year, which makes it all the more interesting to be the first to test it in action. And don’t let the modest tag with the Celestial Empire as your place of birth confuse you - 11 thousand rubles seemed to me a completely justified price.
On the outside there are two types of fabric made of 100% polyester, one, gray, is thinner, the second, black, located on the shoulders and elbows, is thicker, clearly taking into account the likelihood of contact of these areas with asphalt. Inside, according to the manufacturer, there is a waterproof membrane, but its durability has not yet been tested.
The abundance of adjustments and pockets cannot but please the experienced tourist
But the adjustments, one on the sleeves and two on the waist, can be assessed as excellent - I specifically chose a larger size, because I plan to ride in it until late autumn and wear a bunch of warm clothes under the jacket.
Of course, a warm lining is included in the kit; it is attached to the jacket with a zipper in the middle and special small loops to the sleeves. Among the chips is a funny soft ornament under the shoulder blades, with a schematic image of a world map. The lining does not have its own pockets; instead, it is attached to the jacket pockets, so regardless of whether it is fastened or not, you will always use the pockets located in the jacket.
The jacket boasts an abundance of reflective elements
There are as many as three of them inside - for documents, keys and a phone, the latter is even marked with a separate icon and is protected from moisture. On the outside there are four more pockets with zippers, a pair on the chest and a pair at the bottom - a classic of tourist jackets, expanded by ventilation holes. The front ones are especially interesting - the pockets are locked with a pair of zippers and are fixed with magnets in the open position. My experience of riding with a similar solution, albeit on trousers of a different brand, showed that humanity has not yet come up with anything better.
The ventilation on the cuffs is also interesting - in addition to Velcro, there are also zippers at the end of the sleeves that can be unfastened in both directions. In other words, it’s convenient to put on the jacket even with boxing gloves, and with the cuffs tightened, you get a flow of cool air into the sleeves, if, of course, you need it.
The equipment successfully passed the test in the harsh Moscow spring
The rest is within the genre: reliable and fairly large inserts on the shoulders and elbows, as well as “foam” in the back, which must be replaced with something heavier and certified. At the top there are reflective inserts and an interesting collar adjustment system, at the bottom there is a zipper that allows you to fasten the jacket to the trousers. In other words - decent functionality, which we have already tested in the test of the new Honda Gold Wing.
Trousers LS2 Chart Men Pants
CHART MEN PANTS are the quintessence of motorcycle pants: nothing superfluous in the design, while all the necessary functionality is in place. They are sewn from 100 percent polyester of different densities, taking into account motorcycle features - the fabric is noticeably thicker on the hips and knees. The cut is nice, and they fit me right away, so I didn’t even go further to choose.
The cost of motorized trousers LS2 Chart Men Pants is 6,180 rubles
Judge for yourself - comfortable Velcro at the waist, allowing you to adjust the trousers to suit any pilot, a zipper for connecting with a jacket, Velcro and zippers at the ends of the legs, on the one hand, allowing you to ride in any motorcycle boots, on the other hand, with a slight movement of your hand they turn into flares, mmm...
The trousers are summer, but inside there is a removable warm lining, which makes it comfortable to drive even at five degrees outside. Alas, the waterproof membrane gave up after 30 minutes of a good downpour during the Husqvarna Vitpilen test, however, it gives you enough time to get to the stop and get into the raincoat if you get caught in the rain.
The removable lining helps out at temperatures up to +5,
The downside of waterproofness and insulation is poor ventilation. In the heat you can cope in the same way as in a room without air conditioning. Alas, miracles do not happen - as soon as there is at least some ventilation on the pants, you will have to forget about warmth and resistance to precipitation.
Protection is at a high level - rather thick foam inserts on the hips and powerful foam knee pads, the mounting height of which can be changed in two positions. The manufacturer did not forget about the reflective elements. What else is needed? I would like more pockets: two, even with zippers, are not enough! Otherwise, these are smart trousers, and only time will tell how long they will last in active mode.
Pants legs can be adjusted to suit shoes for any purpose
We have extensive plans for the described kit, stay tuned for updates and our tests, we will definitely tell you about all the new holes and discovered qualities, including in our videos!
Equipment provided by the Bike Land motorcycle dealership
Accreditation and organization of test drives – Denis Sokolov | | +7 (999) 851-49-71
