LS2 Advant X review | Flip-front helmet tested

Date reviewed: March 2025 | Tested by: Jon Mansfield, BikeSocial member| Price: From £299.99 | ls2helmets.com

The LS2 Advant X on review here is the company’s premium modular flip-over motorcycle helmet. As a riding instructor I’ve torture-tested it by covering at least 20,000 miles, but – more tellingly for any piece of bike kit – by wearing it for many thousands of hours for almost two years.

I wear out my kit much far faster than a ‘normal’ rider, which gives a great chance to see what it’s really capable of… 

Outer Shell

The Advant X is available with a composite fibre shell from £299.99, rising to £329.99 for graphics. On test is the Advant X Carbon in gloss, which costs £399.99, with graphics again coming in at £30 more.

The finish is excellent, and it’s great to see that the chin guard – which flips all the way over to the back of the helmet – is also carbon fibre.

Operating the chin section is easy, with no problems accessing the release button with gloves on. When you open the front section or close it, if the visor is closed it’ll open automatically, though doesn’t it close itself down again when you complete the movement like some can. However, unlike some others I’ve had no problems with the chin section jamming, so I’ve no difficulty flipping the visor down after opening the front.

Given the amount of use this helmet has had, I’m very impressed that the visor mechanism has stayed so reliable.

The Advant X has two outer shell sizes, covering XS, S, M, L with one, and XL, 2XL, 3XL with the other.

Weight

Despite the carbon fibre construction, this LS2 Advant X in size large weighs 1,650g on my scales (without the camera and comms kit). That might be considered a little weighty by some, but it’s in the same ball-park as other ECE 22.06 lids.

Importantly, despite suffering from arthritis in my neck, this doesn’t feel like a heavy helmet. And of course, when riding with the chin bar open, there’s much, much less drag than with a normal flip-front, which acts like a sail when open. If you like to ride with the helmet in the open or ‘Jet’ position regularly, this is the style to go for.

Ventilation

The Advant X’s chin vent is open or closed with no middle stages, and while a little stiff to operate, it works fine. I have a large screen on my bike, so don’t tend to notice it moving much air around, but the top vent picks up a lot more on my bike, and feels good. Also with a simple open or closed setting, it moves air across my head and out of the exhaust on the rear. This can be closed too, though I always leave it open, even in deep winter.

Visor

The LS2 Advant X’s visor has a single thumb tab in the middle, but at the top of the visor. This feels very unnatural at first, but you soon get used to it and it works fine.

There’s no ratchet system, which means you can set it to be open where you want from just cracked open, half-way or fully up, but it has squeaked when operating pretty much from new. It’s not a one-off either – some of the other instructors where I work have these helmets and they’re the same.

The visor is incredibly easy to remove – just slide the tabs and pop it out for easy cleaning. It also comes with a top-spec Pinlock MaxVision 120 anti-fog shield, and the integrated drop-down sunshield works great in the sun, proving superb when riding in the summer with the visor up and the chin-bar open.

The chin bar presses on the back of the helmet when open, which compresses the visor seal

It’s not all perfect though… the visor seal at the nose doesn’t work anymore, letting water and wind in, which is due to it pressing hard against the ridge at the back of the helmet when fully open. As I have it in this position for so long, it’s flattened the seal and ruined it at this point. It took a while to get like this, so maybe the average user wouldn’t find a problem, but it it’s regularly used open, the seal will compress.

Lining

The lining has always felt great, but it’s got quite compressed now, and after a LOT of times taking it out to wash and putting it back in, it’s knackered.

I’d say the level of wear has been as expected given the hard life this helmet’s had.

Fastening

The LS2 Advant X uses a micrometric ratchet with four stages. It’s ideal for me as I can easily do it up and take it off with gloves on, and there’s plenty of adjustment in it. The magnet that keeps the pull tab down eventually fell out while riding due to wear, but it’s still stuck to my bike’s tank where it landed.

Fit

Fit is of course very subjective, but the Advant X has proven to be very comfortable for all day use on my head.

One important point though is that it can feel very tight at the cheeks at first. I nearly went up to an XL, but I’m glad I didn’t as after about 10 hours of use it was perfect. There were no pressure points when I first put it on, but the hamster cheeks were in full force. Expect some tightness here at first, but if in doubt, always ask for help instore.

The Advant X comes with a dark visor, inflatable cushion for maintenance and a rucksack carry bag, though the zip broke on mine the first time I used it

LS2 Advant X - Noise

The amount of noise you hear in a helmet depends on so many factors that it can be very hard to give advice – the size and shape of your bike’s fairing and screen, your height and riding position, and of course how the helmet fits you all make a difference. However, besides the visor squeak, I’ve had no issues with excessive wind noise, and no buffeting. As with all lids though, you must wear earplugs over about 40mph.

For more information on why earplugs are vital with any helmet, and advice on which are the best, click here.

Can I fit my own intercom to the LS2 Advant X

There’s not a huge amount of space on the side for an intercom, but I did get my camera on there. There are cutouts for speakers, so you should be able to get comms in – just check the sizes suit what you have before buying.

As with other brands, if you buy an intercom at the same time as the helmet from most stores, you’ll not pay VAT on the comms system, saving 16.66%.

Three alternatives to the LS2 Advant X

Flip-over helmets can be a great option if you’re riding with the helmet open a lot, but here are some others to consider…

• Nexx X.Lifetour, from £359.99 | A full review will be coming soon, but first impressions are of an excellent flip-up.

• AGV Street Modular, from £239.99 | It's not without its faults, but the AGV is good for the money, mainly let down by an annoying chin bar release catch. Read the full review of the AGV Street Modular here.

• Schuberth C5, from £519.99 | A revision of the visor mechanism means we love the Schuberth C5 again, and while fit is the most important thing, this is now one of our favourite flip-front helmets. Read the full review of the Schuberth C5 here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the helmets we’ve tested here  and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the motorcycle helmets we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership

LS2 Advant X - Verdict

Flip-over helmets like the LS2 Advant X are superb for people like me that want to ride with the chin bar open a lot as they’re far more aerodynamic that the traditional flip-up modular lids.

Don’t be quick to judge the bits that have worn out on my lid – it’s had a VERY tough life – so while it’s starting to fall to pieces, I’ve no qualms about recommending it. There is one caveat though… that damaged visor seal at the nose isn’t a problem for me as my bike has a tall screen, but it could be more of an issue for others.

Overall, this is an expensive helmet, but it’s been worth it. And of course, the non-carbon fibre models are cheaper.

If you’d like to chat about this article or anything else biking related, join us and thousands of other riders at bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk and the Bennetts BikeSocial Facebook page.