Red on a streetfighter helmet is the most conventional choice here and the one that most people picture when they picture this category. It is also, measurably, among the more visible options against grey tarmac.

A streetfighter shell with a spoiler that works

Made in Portugal, at Nexx's own factory, which is worth knowing on a helmet at this price — the majority of composite helmets in this bracket are built under contract in Asia. It does not make the helmet better by itself; it does mean the shell and the design come from the same place.

🔵 Approvals: ECE 22-06, DOT FMVSS 218, CCC GB811:2022 and NBR7471:2015.

About the B-Side Red Black graphic

Red is a high-saturation colour that holds up well against the grey and black of a road environment, which puts it among the more conspicuous versions in this range without going fluorescent. On a helmet used mostly in traffic that is a real argument rather than a styling one. Against a black ground it also stays contained enough that the shell's shape still reads first. The known weakness is ultraviolet: red pigment fades faster than most, and a helmet left on a bike in summer sun will lose depth within a couple of seasons. 🔵 Keep it in the supplied bag when parked, and never dry-wipe the gloss areas.

The X-Matrix2 shell

Three outer shell sizes across eight helmet sizes is what keeps the smallest X.WST3 from looking oversized — which on a helmet with this much visual presence matters more than on a plain one. XXS–S, M–L and XL–XXXL each get their own shell.

The construction is X-Matrix2 multiaxial fibreglass multi-composite, weighed independently at 1673 g in size M.

Anti-Vibration EPS — two shells and a rubber layer

Two systems on this helmet address high-speed stability from opposite directions. The rear spoiler manages the airflow before it reaches you; the Anti-Vibration EPS damps what gets through.

🔵 Together they are the reason the measured noise figure is 100 dB on a shell this shape — quieter than the design suggests.

Recoil visor, sun visor and the spare in the bag

Three optical layers rather than two: the Recoil outer visor with its fitted Pinlock 70 MaxVision lens, and the internal sun visor behind them. Between them they handle rain, fog and glare without carrying a second visor in your luggage.

🔵 A spare clear visor and a visor bag are supplied all the same.

Six intakes, two chambers — and a 4/5 measurement

🔵 A caution about vent counts generally: manufacturers count differently and openings are not equal. Six intakes here outperformed seven on Nexx's own adventure helmet in the same reviewer's testing, which tells you the count is not the specification that matters.

The X.WST3's measured ventilation score was 4 out of 5.

How quiet it actually is

The rear spoiler is the part most responsible for this result and the one most people assume is decorative. Nexx describes it as a performance part — improving airflow, cutting drag and adding high-speed stability — and the measured noise figure supports that.

100 dB, scored 4/5.

Interior, retention and fit

The dark reflective inserts in the interior are a small detail with a real function: they catch light when the helmet is off and being carried, which on a helmet frequently set down in a car park at night is more useful than it sounds.

Around them: faux leather, ventilation-mesh panels, visible stitching, and an X-Mart Dry liner that comes out entirely for washing.

1675 grams claimed, 1673 measured

Weight is the one specification this helmet loses on and the one it cannot fix, because the features that make it distinctive are the features that make it heavy — the two-part Anti-Vibration EPS above all.

🔵 1675 g claimed, 1673 g measured, scored 2 out of 5. Everything else in the same test scored 4/5.

Comms, camera and spare parts

🔵 A word on visor care, because it prevents most of the visor sales we make. Never wipe a dry visor — road dust is abrasive and dragging it across the surface leaves permanent fine scratches that flare against oncoming headlights at night.

Wet it first, every time. A second clear visor and a visor bag are supplied with the helmet.

In the box

• Nexx X.WST3 helmet — B-Side Red Black (X-Matrix2 shell)
• Clear visor with Pinlock® 70 MaxVision anti-fog lens fitted
• Second clear visor and a visor bag
• Removable breath guard, fitted
• 🔵 No X-COM3 comms system and no action camera — the helmet is built for both; both are separate purchases

Size guide

Specification

• Model — Nexx X.WST3
• Part number — 01XS304477036
• Colour — B-Side Red Black — B-Side graphic on X-Matrix2, red
• Homologation — ECE 22-06 (UN) · DOT FMVSS 218 · CCC GB811:2022 · NBR7471:2015
• Safety rating — 🔴 none — SHARP has no entry for the X.WST3; no ADAC or Snell result either
• Independent verdict — scored road test 3.9/5 overall — noise 4/5, ventilation 4/5, comfort 4/5, weight 2/5 · MOTORCYCLE NEWS 4/5
• Helmet type — Full-face, streetfighter — road use; no peak, no goggle provision
• Shell — X-Matrix2 multiaxial fibreglass multi-composite; three outer shell sizes (XXS–S / M–L / XL–XXXL); made in Portugal
• Weight — 1675 g claimed — independently weighed at 1673 g in size M
• Sizes — XXS to XXXL (eight sizes)
• Impact protection — two-part EPS with a rubber Anti-Vibration interlayer, plus an X-Foam EPP bumper at the chin
• Aerodynamics — functional rear spoiler — improves airflow, cuts drag and adds high-speed stability
• Visor — Visor Recoil System — spring-loaded base side-plates tensioning against twin-lip beads
• Supplied optics — Pinlock® 70 MaxVision fitted, plus a second clear visor and a visor bag
• Anti-fog replacements — Pinlock EVO DKS553 — specific to this helmet
• Sun visor — internal, 18 % larger than the previous generation, drops to just above the bridge of the nose
• Ventilation — six intakes / two exhausts, cheek-pad ventilation, patent-pending Mid Airflow Chamber between the EPS shells, Air Cumbs alveolar-mesh crown pad
• Noise, measured — 100 dB average, scored 4/5
• Emergency release — F.R.S.® Fast Release System — both cheek pads release together, tool-free
• Retention — metal micrometric ratchet with X-LOCK magnetic catch (not a double-D ring)
• Interior — faux leather with ventilation-mesh inserts, dark reflective inserts, X-Mart Dry liner, removable chin-strap covers, removable breath guard
• Head shape — intermediate-to-round oval — independently found glasses-friendly
• Communication — X-COM3 ready, Bluetooth 5.2 — Standard and PRO (2.0 Mesh, Harman Kardon); sold separately
• Camera — side action-camera mount — camera sold separately
• Other — moulded night-vision reflectors

• 1x helmet (X-Matrix2, three shell sizes)
• 1x Pinlock 70 MaxVision anti-fog lens (fitted)
• 1x clear visor + 1x second (clear) visor + visor bag
• Rear spoiler; side action-camera mount; wind deflector / breath guard