AGV GP-Tech Year Update
Well well well.
Yet again this post has nothing to do with my GSR as I had promised, again…
The reason is that it broke again just before the weekend there, so that’s being added in to the mix. Anyway, in the meantime I thought I would update you all on how the GP-Tech is performing after a year of every day use. The polls are in and it is as thus….
Not so fresh as a daisy, more like a stale egg...
White helmets are good for a few reasons. Firstly they are bright, allowing traffic around a small glimpse of a white ball moving around in their mirror, thus attracting attention to yourself. Secondly white makes for a really smart looking helmet, although I would extend this no further than the GP-Tech and perhaps 1 or 2 other helmets. Lastly white shows up the dirt easy to it’s a cinch to clean. However this last point is also a negative, as the dirt on this helmet is easy to see. It’s ok once you clean it off the easy parts, but all the grooves and holes trap the dirt and make it nigh on impossible to get to. This means that you have a constantly dirty looking helmet which can be annoying.
Dirt in the grooves means annoyance...
Comfort levels on this helmet are still fantastic, even more so now that the interior has moulded itself perfectly to my head. The addition of the foam strip under the roof of the helmet is still the original and it’s still making the helmet sit perfectly on my head, as if you remember I mentioned that the GP-Tech sits naturally low on the head.
Finish on this helmet is a bit of a downfall to be honest. I will say again that I got one of the first batch of these so perhaps the finishes have improved now but if I had spent £400 on this helmet I would not be impressed. So far the front vents have fell off, the buckle pull has ripped off, the visor latch is not snug meaning rattly visors when up, the badges fell off the neck curtains and now the materials are separating from each other at the back of the helmet.
The build quality is tearing me apart. That was shit, sorry.
It’s a shame as this helmet in my opinion is the best helmet around at the minute in terms of comfort, ventilation, safety and looks. It’s the best, end of. But the niggling build quality issues take some points from what is a 10/10 helmet.
Don’t get the wrong idea though as I wont ever be going back to my Shoei XR-1000. The build quality of the GP may be falling apart, but in terms of finish, the GP is streaks ahead of Shoei. The blend of velvet, perforated and smooth materials are sublime and the attention to detail is superb.
So that’s that. But I have one more thing to say and it’s the same old problem. The visor. I have gone over the reasons that it’s crap, mainly fogging/misting issues, and I stand by that if AGV were to get Pinlock or Fog City involved in their helmets they would sweep the floor…thoroughly. It’s crying out for it, and although I have been informed that AGV think their “Anti-Fog” coatings work fine, I don’t believe they are testing them in the conditions that cause the issues. Yeah in Italy they have rain, but it’s a damn sight different in Fife than it is at AGV HQ in Valenza, weather tunnel or not.
What they need to do is send their designers over here for a few weeks in December/January and I guarantee they’ll get far more information that they can utilise in their helmet designs.
Anyway after all that is said and done, I still love this helmet and it’s gave me nothing but a reliable, comfortable safe environment for my head. Once this helmet falls apart to the point of non-use, I will definitely seek another one immediately.
I love my AGV and there's no denying it, it's still feckin smart.
The GSR yearly update will commence very soon, after I have resolved the issues that happened at the weekend. It’s not looking any better I can tell you that.
Thanks for the visits all and sorry about the lack of images over the past few months. My camera has been out of commission (my small pocket one.)
Cheers
Gordon
EDIT:
Just a quick image to show what it looks like on my head.
Quick Update: AGV GP-Tech Helmet
Quick update here folks.
I have had a lot of emails about my GP-Tech and my experiences with it. I have been asked if it’s worth it, is it a nice helmet, what size should I get?
I think it’s time that I gave an update of how I feel about the whole thing.
AGV GP-Tech: Aye or Nae
Well lets start off with the most obvious question: Would I buy one again?
The answer is yes and the reasons are thus. I didn’t buy this helmet, it was given to me just as the GP-Tech version was released. This leads me to believe that I have one of the first batch of GP-Techs and therfore the problems that I have had with it are surely down to teething problems. So on that basis, hell yeah I would buy one.
This helmet is the best of what a helmet should be; comfortable, good fitting, well constructed, well detailed, great ventilation, good sound proofing. It’s a smart ass helmet as well, which counts for a lot.
It costs an arm and a leg to purchase this helmet, so on the financial basis, no I wouldn’t buy it because I couldn’t!
Next, What is the ventilation like? Is it better than a Shoei X-Spirit?
I dont know because I have never tried an X-Spirit or any other top bang helmet. This is the one and only time for a long time that I will own a top speccer.
I own a Shark S800, a Shoei XR-1000 and this AGV GP-Tech. Blair has a Schuberth S1. Out of all these helmets the GP has by far the best ventilation and that’s surpassing the “open face” feeling of the Shoei. It is a great ventilated helmet.
HOWEVER
The one failing of this helmet/brand is the visors. I absolutely love being able to see where I am going, and I am sure you do too. So when the visor steams up, you may have some issues with it.
The GP-Tech’s visor has a “mist free” coating on it. Now that’s great, but it’s not true. Aye for summer riding it’s ace, no steaming up whatsoever!
At the minute it’s the peak of Scottish rain fall and I tell you what, I don’t half miss my Shoei and it’s pinlock visor insert.
If you refer to my previous post, you will see what an ordeal I had going to work, this is a real deal breaker for me. If AGV incorporate pinlock in to their visors, they will be perfect to go with the excellent helmet. As it stands, it’s a total let down.
Ok, so what size should I get, I am a size x in a Brand Y helmet?
Again, I dont know because helmet manufacturers vary wildly with sizes. An XL in a Shoei might be a L in an AGV or Shark. A Large Caberg might be an XL Arai. Not only that but it doesn’t matter if you are large anything because if the helmet doesn’t fit your head shape, it’s over anyway.
To add another filter in to the mix, within brands like AGV or Shoei, the size of shell/interior varies also.
The best piece of advice I can offer anyone is to go and try the helmets that you fancy on at your local bike shop. The reasons are;
The boys at the bike shop know what they are talking about. They also have the power to discount the price of anything.
I once had my heart set on the AGV Ti-Tech Rossi Gothic and was ready with my credit card to buy it online. I papped out of it and headed to Scott Murray, where I tried on a Ti-Tech and it didn’t fit me. Infact it was borderline torture. Imagine if I had bought that helmet online and with all the online no returns policy for helmets, I would have been stuck with a £400 helmet that didn’t fit me.
The good thing about going to a bike shop is that they also have other brands sitting there. So if you get down and find that the AGV GP-Tech is the wrong shape or it’s too expensive, they will probably have something there that will capture your heart/wallet soon enough.
Another plan of attack is to get the size and helmet you want at a shop, then come home and buy it off the net for muchos cheaperness.
Now I have done enough miles in this helmet to know how it will fair over time and it shows excellent potential as a rock steady piece of gear for the next 3-4 years.
If you do opt for the GP-Tech can I offer you one really important piece of advice: DO NOT GET WHITE. It is the worst to keep clean, it’s the worst for stone chips and although it makes you stand out like a sore thumb, it’s also the one that makes people go, “Eugh, look at all that road kill, do you never clean your gear?” when you screetch up trying to look menacing, having cleaned it just before you left.
I like my helmet and its good enough for me to not want to get my Shoei out of storage. The comfort and safety feeling is just too good to revert back from. Unless I get some new cheek pads for my Shoei….
Thanks for looking guys,
Gordon
Update: AGV GP-Tech Helmet
So after resting and getting back in to the working way, I have finally updated the site with the Scotland Tour. It was a slog but worth it, as evertime I was writing something a glorious memory would appear and I was transported back to when it was actually happening. Lovely.
Over the course of the 7 days of intensive riding my gear was subjected to a lot of use. This kind of endurance type riding would show me all the good and bad points of my gear. I will update all the gear I used to show you the results. The first of which is the AGV GP-Tech helmet…start from the top down.
You can read the initial review here.
The new AGV GP-Tech helmet.
So how is the £375 top of the line helmet fairing then? Well not too bad I suppose. I have been wearing it ever since I got it in early April, and wore it on the Scotland Tour as well and so far its been superb for comfort. The interior is superbly furnished and fits with a secure yet comfortable clamp. However after over 3000 miles of use, a lot of things have started to fall apart.
The first thing to go was the neck curtain.
The AGV logo used to be a red velvet thingy…still looks kind of cool though.
This is a known problem and if you purchased your helmet you can contact AGV and they’ll send you out a replacement neck curtain.
After that it was the chin strap that ripped off on day 2 of the tour.
The DD retention system had a leather tab on it to assist with adjustment. Not any more…
As you can see it seems to be the stitching joint that has given up the ghost.
I can still fasten the strap no problems, but it’s pretty disappointing to have a neat design touch come away after 2 months useage.
The next problems appeared on the trip, 2 of which were to do with the visor. The visor starts rattling when it’s open, however that’s if it stays open long enough because of the weak visor ratchet. (see initial review for more info)
The next problem was when I went to change visors. The red tab you can see in the photo below gets pulled down which allows enough space to get the visor in. Then you release this tab and it springs back up to secure the visor in the channel and ratchet. However my red tab sticks when you pull it down.
The visor ratchet system and replacement mechanism.
Notice how the bottom red bit is all the way down and the spring is compressed.
There is 2 ways to fix this problem. The first is you get a sharp implement and go about it. The second is you give the mechanism a firm tap and it springs back. Both of these remedies aren’t the best and I don’t like doing either.
Along the way on the tour there were many single track roads, many freshly laid roads and a couple of “in progress” roads. There were stones being flug up whenever Blair was in front but I never really noticed any big stones hitting me. However upon inspection above the visor seal there is a small chip out of the paint and another one about an inch to the right of it.
Now again, for a helmet that costs a lot of money surely AGV can put some decent, hard shell paint on it. I may be being a bit harsh here because to be honest it’s enevitable if a stone hits a painted surface it will chip, but it’s just frustrating. I think even more so because it shows up so much more with a white helmet and that I have had black helmets previously so perhaps didn’t notice it quite so much…
Stone chip blues.
One last point, the helmet sat quite low on my head and after I added the bit of foam I found at work, the helmet has sat perfect every time.
So in summary then,
The AGV GP-Tech helmet that retails for £375 is a brilliant helmet. However it falls down on some important areas and also leaves questions about the build quality. And for a helmet that costs nearly £400, I expect more in the way of solid build quality and tolerances.
Pros:
- Beautifully snug and comfortable interior
- Luxury choice of fabrics on the interior which help the above point
- Ventilation is superb, so much fresh air it makes your face cold
- Great visibility
- Superb design flairs and the design of the helmet in general is top notch
- Looks the dogs danglies
Cons:
- Neck skirt logos have now completely fell off
- DD adjustment tab ripped off
- Visor rattles in the mechanism
- Visor mechanism sticks
- Helmet whistles depending on how fast you go/how windy it is.
I will continue to update you with this helmet should anything else happen.
Thanks for reading!
Gordon
Review: AGV GP-Tech Helmet
Hello,
What do you get when you cross ultimate comfort, with ultimate technology and ultimate materials? You get the Ultimate Warrior….but apart from him, you also get the brand spanking new AGV GP-Tech. Retailing at £379.99, it most certainly is expensive, but what price do you put on your head?
The brand new AGV GP-Tech, the top of the line job
Well put whatever price you want on it, because until the SHARP tests come out (see below/here) I really don’t know how good it is, but from wearing it now for over 1500 miles in 4 weeks, I can certainly attest to certain things.
So, how does it feel knowing that I have the best money can buy on my face every day? It feels great. My Shoei XR-1000 is a nice helmet, but it’s nothing compared to this.
The first thing that struck me was that it actually fitted my head. I have tried on a lot of helmets and in the long list of ones that don’t fit me, the AGV is at the top. It was a shame because when I first started biking I was on the verge of buying an AGV Ti-Tech Rossi Gothic, the one he used from the 2007 motogp season. Even worse was that I was going to buy it off the net, but instead I headed to Scott Murrays to try some on and it didn’t fit me.
How smart is that! The two air channels on the crown
So it fitted me and even better, it fitted like a glove. The helmet is plush to say the least. The materials and fabrics used in this helmet are top notch and the interior of the helmet is a dream. The roof of the helmet is the perforated type of material, letting in some ventilation from the crown vents. The cheek pads and aperture surround are covered in a suede type material, which feels snug. There is CoolMax material used in the whole lining which wicks moisture away leaving the interior fresh.
The shell is made from a mix of Kevlar and carbon, which is really light. The design of the helmet is very aerodynamic, with 2 distinctive channels running over the crown for ventilation. The rear is quite pointy compared to other helmets and has another 4 10 vents to exhaust the remaining heat away from the inside.
Mega vent. Brilliant ventilation system and looks the business as well.
The ventilation on this helmet is fantastic. I have never felt fresh air on my face like this before. The Shoei was quite airy but that was mainly due to the chin being open completely. The AGV feeds a continuous flow of air in and around the face and keeps things nice inside, but also benefits from an enclosed feeling with the chin and neck skirts. However I can imagine in winter it may be a bit chilly. We’ll have to wait and see.
The visor on this helmet is both genius and disappointing. The visor doesn’t have pinlock, the famous anti fog double glazing that my Shoei had. Instead it has an anti-fog coating on it. Now from previous experience with both the Shoei and the Shark, I have always had fogging with anti-fog visors, but the AGV is something else. It is the start of summer at the minute so the real capabilities will again have to wait till winter, but there is no sign of misting at all with this visor. It’s amazing. UPDATE: Today I was riding along and suddenly I could see my breath, inside my helmet! It was amazing, I had seen it before, but the visor had misted up as well, however the AGV didn’t. It was great being able to see all this mist but also be able to instantly see out the visor when the air clearerd. Weird….However the disappointment lies with the visor mechanism.
The weak visor mechanism. It’s a bit difficult to change visors as well.
It doesn’t have enough friction. Compare the AGV with my Shoei and there is a distinct difference in ratchet strengths. The Shoei had a lovely firm ratchet, holding the visor wherever you wanted it to be, and if you wanted to close it completely, it would take that extra push to create the snap seal. With the AGV, it feels like the visor isn’t even on a ratchet sometimes. The visor has actually closed itself on a number of occasions, which has both startled me and annoyed me. Sometimes I like to go along with my visor open, but the AGV it’s impossible. Apart from that the visor is ace, especially the dark visor. I found with the Shoei dark visor that it was quite cloudy to look through, as if it was dirty. The AGV is crystal clear which is brilliant, and also without the pinlock insert, the viewing field appears larger.
The anti-fog visor. Note how easily it picks up finger prints. Annoying to say the least.
The stock GP-Tech rides quite low on my head. Its not just my head either which is weird. The aperture roof sits too low and forces me to look slightly up, which when you are going at faster speeds, is quite uncomfortable. However the way around this is a thin slice of foam, which I have put inside the crown of the helmet. This has allowed the helmet to sit more naturally on my head without compromising anything. (Thanks Chris)
On a final note, the helmet is really quiet, however not as quiet as Blair’s Schuberth, but a hell of a lot quieter than my Shoei, I think this is due to the small helmet opening and chin skirt, which were both available for the Shoei as the whisper strip kit, something which I was going to buy for a long time but never got round to it. I think I may have to invest in it after hearing the difference.
You squeeze your head through that tiny space, and it’s instant comfort.
My helmet is white, which shows up every splat of road kill, something which I hadn’t really noticed until now. My Shoei managed to cover most of it up and even though I cleaned it regularly, never really appreciated how many bugs have splatted. It’s both good and bad I suppose, it’s easy to clean my AGV and looks amazing when it is, but when I am out and about, its not very nice seeing bugs all over the place. I may look in to getting it painted, I don’t know.
So yeah, the AGV GP-Tech, top of the line helmet and an absolute dream. For nigh on £400, it’s a BIG price to pay for comfort/cutting edge tech. However if you want the pinnacle of helmet tech and comfort, look no-where else.
Fingers crossed it comes out top on the SHARP tests, which I have a feeling it will.
Thanks for looking folks!
More updates very shortly, including my RST GP-Pilot gloves, Furygan Orona Jacket, Puma Desmo 800 Boots and my Hardas jeans.
Gordon
p.s. remember you can see all of the photos here and from every single review/post on the photo gallery. Click the menu at the top to go there.
