LS2 FF820 Rapid III Helmet – Zombie II Black/Red/Blue

Zombie II is the graphic with a story in it — torn, splintered shapes in two blues and red, laid over black as if something had gone through the shell.

1350 grams, and why that is the headline

The scales say 1350 g (±50), taken on a mid-size shell with nothing added to it. Weight is the specification riders under-rate at the counter and over-rate after a long day — a helmet is a mass on the end of a lever, and the lever is your neck. Wind load at motorway speed compounds it.

Placed against the rest of our LS2 range, the FF805 Thunder is the only lighter option, at a considerably higher price.

The range spans XXS to 3XL across 3 shells. That split is what keeps proportion sane — a small size sits close to the head instead of ballooning, and a large one is not wrapped around a shell that was never sized for it.

About the Zombie II Black/Red/Blue finish

Light and dark blue run against each other along the sides with red used sparingly as an accent, and the gloss lacquer is what gives the torn edges their depth — each fragment throws its own highlight, so the pattern appears to sit above the shell rather than on it. Like most three-colour LS2 decors it is asymmetric, meaning the two sides of the helmet do not match. Worth knowing if you have a preferred side for photographs.

Air in at the chin and the crown

Air comes in at both ends. A chin intake feeds the visor and your face; a crown intake feeds channels moulded through the polystyrene itself, so the flow reaches your scalp instead of stalling under the shell. Rear extractors pull the warm air out, and a breath deflector behind the chin bar keeps exhaled air off the screen.

Seeing out

You look out through a hardcoated, UV-resistant screen with a twin-injection seal running round its edge. Seven replacement visors are available for this shell, from clear through to iridium, and changing one takes about a minute at the roadside.

The visor comes Pinlock-ready rather than Pinlock-equipped. That is a real cost saving and a real omission, depending on where you ride — the insert is part DKS521 and sits in the accessories below.

What the ECE 22.06 plaque actually means

The ECE 22.06 plaque riveted to the chin strap is the physical proof of a test regime that changed substantially in 2021. Impact points went from five to as many as eighteen. Testing gained a second, lower speed, because a helmet that performs at 8 m/s does not automatically perform at 6. And an oblique test was added: the shell is dropped onto an angled abrasive anvil while instruments measure rotational acceleration against the Brain Injury Criterion.

Everything fitted to the helmet is tested as fitted — visor, sun visor, vent covers. Since January 2024, no helmet without 22.06 may be sold new in the EU, which is also why 22.05 stock disappeared from shelves so abruptly.

Holding on

The chin strap closes with a ratchet buckle on a reinforced strap: set the length once, and every ride after that is one click in and one pull out, gloves on. A metal certification plaque is riveted to the strap — the homologation in physical form, and what gets asked for at a border.

The bit you actually touch

Inside sits a removable, washable interior treated to be antibacterial and hypoallergenic. Take it out a few times a season — a liner that has absorbed a summer of sweat is what makes a helmet start to smell and, more importantly, start to feel loose.

On noise

Nobody publishes a decibel figure for this helmet and we are not going to invent one. What can be said is where the noise comes from: turbulence at the base of the shell, air entering under the chin bar, and open vents. A chin curtain is fitted as standard, and it is the single most effective piece of quiet in the box — provided it stays in the helmet after you clean it. The Rapid III is a compact, plainly shaped shell with no sun-visor housing bulking out the sides, which helps — but it is a 99-euro helmet and it does not pretend to be a quiet one.

The rest is not the helmet's doing. A tall screen that pushes dirty air straight at your head will make any lid loud, and a naked bike at 130 km/h will beat the best-sealed helmet on the market. Earplugs remain the cheapest upgrade in motorcycling.

What it is, and what it is not

The honest summary: no sun visor, no Pinlock in the box. That is how a full-face helmet reaches this price without cutting into the shell or the homologation. If those two omissions are dealbreakers, the FF818 Storm III has both. If they are not, the Rapid III is the lighter helmet by 250 grams.

Where it sits in our LS2 range

Eight LS2 full-face models are listed here, and they form a clear ladder rather than a wall of choices. The Rapid III is the bottom rung and the lightest of the lot bar one.

When something wears out

A helmet is not a sealed unit and the parts that wear are not the shell. Interiors compress, visors scratch, vent covers snap off in a car park. We stock the Rapid III liner in every size, seven replacement visors from clear to iridium, plus the ratchet closure, chin curtain, chin strap cover, nose guard and all three vent covers.

That matters for how long the helmet lasts you. A liner that has taken a summer of sweat is the usual reason a helmet that once fitted starts to move on your head — and replacing it costs a fraction of replacing the helmet. The full parts list for this helmet is in the FF820 Rapid III Kit.

In the box

• LS2 FF820 Rapid III helmet — Zombie II Black/Red/Blue
• Carrying bag
• Reflective stickers

Specification

• Shell — HPTT high-pressure thermoplastic, three shell sizes (2XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL)
• Weight — 1350 g (±50 g)
• Sizes — XXS to 3XL (eight sizes)
• Homologation — ECE 22.06
• Retention — ratchet buckle, reinforced chin strap, metal safety plaque
• Visor — wide field of view, scratch-resistant, UV-stable, double-injection seal, quick-release system
• Anti-fog — prepared for Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ (insert not supplied, part DKS521)
• Sun visor — none on this model
• Ventilation — chin intake, top intake, rear exhausts, channelled EPS, breath deflector
• Liner — maximum-comfort interior, antibacterial, hypoallergenic, breathable, removable and washable
• Chin curtain — included
• Intercom — prepared for the LS2 communication system
• Finish — Zombie II graphic, gloss