Purple and green is the most unlikely pairing in the whole LS2 catalogue, and it is the reason to buy this one: there is no chance of seeing another Rapid III like it at a fuel stop.

1350 grams, and why that is the headline

The weight comes from the shell material. HPTT is a thermoplastic formulation, injection-moulded rather than laid up by hand, and it lets LS2 build a light shell at a price a composite could not reach.

🔵 Carbon would be lighter again and roughly four times the price of this helmet.

HPTT shell, three shell sizes and ECE 22.06

ECE 22.06 is the current schedule, mandatory for new helmets sold in the EU since January 2024. It tests more impact points than 22.05 did, adds a second lower speed, and introduced an oblique test measuring rotational acceleration.

🔵 Everything fitted to the helmet is tested as fitted, including the vent covers and visor.

No independent safety rating — and the trap that goes with it

🔵 SHARP's LS2 brand page was checked directly rather than searched. There is no FF820, no Rapid III and no Rapid 3 on it.

The only Rapid there is the previous-generation FF353, at 2 stars, and that result stays with that helmet.

About the Lycant purple and green graphic

Purple is an interesting pigment on safety equipment. It sits at the short-wavelength end of the visible spectrum where the human eye is least sensitive in bright daylight, which sounds like a drawback and mostly is not, because the property that actually matters at a junction is difference rather than brightness — and there is no purple anywhere in a normal road scene. Combined with a green that has no equivalent in vehicle paint either, the result is a helmet that separates from its background by being categorically unlike it. That is a real conspicuity mechanism, not a consolation. 🔵 Two things to know. Purple pigments are among the more UV-sensitive in use, so store the helmet out of direct sun rather than on a windowsill. And this is the least conventional finish here by some way — if you want a helmet nobody comments on, choose a different one. A practical footnote: unusual colours are worth more on a helmet than on a jacket, because the helmet is the part of you that sits at windscreen height and moves independently of the bike. Whatever you think of purple and green together — and it is not a combination that will suit everyone — it is doing real work up there, and it is the only finish in nineteen that nobody will mistake for another rider's.

What this helmet does not have: an internal sun visor

🔵 The specification list for this helmet is unusually complete for the price — three shell sizes, channelled ventilation, a washable liner, a chin curtain. The one substantial thing missing is the internal sun visor.

It is worth checking that against how you actually ride before deciding.

Chin and top intakes, channelled EPS

🔵 The vent covers are part of the ECE 22.06 approval, because the current standard tests a helmet with everything fitted that will be sold on it. They open and close by hand and work in gloves.

Beyond that, no independent airflow figure exists for this model.

Anti-fog — prepared for, not supplied

Fitting the lens later takes about two minutes and no tools: drop it in, close the visor onto it, and adjust the tension by rotating the eccentric pins.

🔵 The pins are already fitted. Only the lens is missing, and it is a separate purchase.

Lining, closure and everyday comfort

The whole interior comes out — crown pad, cheek pads and neck roll — and goes back in without a fight, which is not true of every helmet at this price.

🔵 Never put it through a machine on a hot cycle; cool water by hand, dried away from heat.

Where it sits in LS2's range

Against rivals at the same money, the Rapid III's argument is weight and shell sizing. Many full-faces at this price use a single shell across every size and weigh 250 g more.

🔵 Its weakness against the same rivals is the absent sun visor, which several of them do fit.

Care and replacement parts

Wash the lining a few times a season in cool water and dry it away from direct heat. Sweat degrades foam, and the foam is what holds the helmet in position on your head.

🔵 The whole interior comes out by hand in about two minutes.

In the box

• LS2 FF820 Rapid III helmet — Lycant, Purple and green (HPTT shell)
• Clear outer visor, fitted
• Chin curtain, fitted and removable
• Breath deflector, fitted and removable
• 🔵 No internal sun visor — this model does not have one
• 🔵 No Pinlock insert — the visor is prepared for a Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™, which is sold separately
• 🔵 No second visor and no intercom — both are separate purchases

Size guide

Measure at the widest part of the skull — usually just above the eyebrows at the front and around the bulge at the back, not around the forehead alone.

🔵 Compare against the chart below and start there.

Specification

• Model — LS2 FF820 Rapid III
• Part number — 168200561
• Colour — Lycant — Purple and green
• Homologation — ECE 22.06
• 🔴 Safety rating — none. SHARP has no entry for the FF820, Rapid III or Rapid 3 (brand list checked directly). The 2-star result under „FF353 Rapid" belongs to the previous-generation helmet — different shell, different standard — and is deliberately not carried over. No ADAC or Certimoov result either
• Shell — HPTT injection-moulded thermoplastic; three shell sizes (2XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL)
• Weight — approx. 1350 g (±50 g), mid-size shell without accessories
• Sizes — 2XS to 3XL (eight sizes)
• 🔴 Sun visor — none. This helmet has no drop-down internal shield — unlike LS2's FF808 Stream II, FF811 Vector II and FF817 Challenger II. It is most of the reason it weighs 1350 g
• Visor — clear outer visor, scratch-resistant, tool-free change
• 🔴 Anti-fog — prepared for Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ — the insert is NOT included. The pins are fitted; the lens is a separate purchase
• Ventilation — chin and top intakes feeding channelled EPS, with rear exhausts — two intake paths, one more than the FF817. 🔵 Assessed from the published construction; no independent airflow measurement exists
• 🔴 Wind noise — left unrated — no independent measurement is published for this model
• Retention — ratchet buckle
• Interior — hypoallergenic, antibacterial, fully removable and washable. 🔵 No branded wicking fabric (no COOLMAX or X-Static) and no magnetic wind deflector — both appear further up LS2's range
• Included — chin curtain and breath deflector, both fitted and removable
• 🔴 FIM homologation — none — a road helmet, not eligible for FIM-sanctioned competition
• Serviceability — visors, cheek pads in several thicknesses, complete lining, chin curtain, breath deflector and vent covers all available separately
• Replacement guidance — after about five years regardless of condition, and immediately after any impact

• 1× helmet
• Carrying bag
• Reflective stickers