Gloss grey is the most practical solid in the range and the one that needs the least attention over a few years of daily use. It hides road film better than black or white and sits meaningfully above black in flat light.

What this helmet is — honestly

🔵 A first helmet does not have to feel like a compromise, but it does involve trade-offs, and pretending otherwise helps nobody. The Stinger 2's are weight, the absence of a sun visor, and an anti-fog lens you buy separately.

Against that: current certification, tool-free visor changes, a machine-washable interior and a universal intercom slot — at entry-level money.

About the gloss grey finish

Value rather than colour decides both how dirty a helmet looks and how easily it is seen, and a mid grey sits at the useful point on that scale for both at once. Road film, dust and dried rain marks all show least here — they read as haze on black and as obvious marks on white. And a driver's eye resolves a mid-value object against dark tarmac appreciably faster than a dark one. 🔵 On the cheapest full-face MT makes, choosing the finish that asks the least of you is a reasonable way to spend the decision.

HIRP and ECE 22.06

The structure is conventional and appropriate: an injection-moulded HIRP shell to spread the load and resist penetration, over a polystyrene liner that absorbs energy by permanently crushing.

🔵 A crushed liner does not recover. After a real impact the helmet is finished, whatever it looks like from outside.

The sun visor this helmet does not have

🔵 A tinted visor is not road-legal at night or in poor visibility in most European countries, and the rules differ between them. On a helmet with no internal shield that matters more than usual — you cannot simply retract it.

The clear MT-V-28B visor is supplied as standard; a smoked one is an optional extra.

MT-V-28B, MT-QVSS and the Pinlock you buy separately

Fogging is decided at low speed — junctions, traffic, waiting — where there is no airflow to clear a visor. Without an anti-fog insert a cold commute will mist the visor at every stop.

🔵 The Stinger 2 is Pinlock DKS435 ready but the lens is not supplied. On a year-round helmet it is the first accessory to buy.

The MT-MDTC closure

🔵 Practise fastening it once with the gloves you actually ride in. A micrometric ratchet is the easiest closure to operate in gloves, but the strap length has to be set correctly first — and that is done bare-handed, once.

Correct tension: one finger under the strap with the helmet on, and no more.

Interior, fit and washing

Fit is the specification that matters most and the one no description settles for you. A loose helmet moves under braking and rotates in a crash; a tight one produces a headache at forty minutes.

🔵 Try it on and keep it on for ten minutes. Measure around the widest part of your head, about 1–2 cm above the eyebrows.

Universal UCS intercom slot

🔵 Check speaker depth before buying any intercom, not just diameter. A speaker that is too deep presses even in a recess, and on a helmet at this price the padding has less spare depth to give than on a premium one.

The pockets here are sized for standard universal audio sets.

Where it sits in MT's range

🔵 MT's range is unusually consistent: almost everything is built on the HIRP platform, with the carbon KRE+ S as the single exception. What changes between models is the body type and the equipment rather than the construction.

The Stinger 2 is the most stripped-back full-face in that range.

When something wears out

🔵 Replacement cheek pads are the most useful spare part on any helmet and the least often bought. They correct a fit that has loosened with wear and solve a hot spot that would otherwise mean a different helmet entirely.

Genuine MT pads for the Stinger 2 are available, as are complete linings.

In the box

• MT Stinger 2 helmet — Pure A12 (HIRP shell)
• Clear MT-V-28B visor, fitted
• 🔵 No Pinlock insert — the visor is DKS435-ready; the lens is a separate purchase
• 🔵 No sun visor — an optional smoked visor is available separately
• 🔵 No intercom — the helmet has a universal UCS slot and speaker pockets; the system is a separate purchase

Size guide

Specification

• Model — MT-Helmets Stinger 2
• Part number — 133400PA12102
• Colour — Pure A12 — Gloss grey
• Homologation — ECE 22.06 — MT states the helmet exceeds the standard
• 🔴 Safety rating — none — SHARP has never listed the Stinger 2; no ADAC or Snell result, and no independent road test has been published
• Helmet type — Full-face, entry-level / commuting
• Shell — HIRP (High Impact Resistant Polymer)
• Weight — approx. 1.6 kg — heavier than MT's dearer models and than any composite shell
• Sizes — XXS to XXL (seven sizes)
• Visor — MT-V-28B polycarbonate, sealed against the shell, with MT-QVSS tool-free quick swap
• 🔴 Anti-fog — Pinlock® DKS435 ready — insert sold separately, not supplied
• 🔴 Sun visor — none. An optional smoked visor is available; a drop-down shield is not fitted to this model
• Retention — MT-MDTC — Micrometric Double Teeth Closure
• Interior — hypoallergenic, fully removable and machine-washable
• Communication — universal UCS intercom slot with dedicated speaker pockets — no system supplied
• Impact liner — expanded polystyrene — crushes once and does not recover; replace the helmet after any real impact
• Serviceability — visor, Pinlock lens, cheek pads and complete lining all available separately
• Made for — commuting, city and short-distance riding — not a long-distance touring helmet
• Manufacturer — MT-Helmets (MT Helmets, Spain)
• Sizing note — measure around the widest part of your head, about 1–2 cm above the eyebrows, and try the size the chart gives you. A helmet that can be rolled forward off your head with the strap fastened is too large
• Care — the lining is machine-washable; never wipe the visor dry, as road dust scratches it permanently
• Replacement guidance — after around five years of use regardless of condition, and immediately after any impact
• 🔴 Ventilation — MT publishes no detailed ventilation specification for the Stinger 2, and no independent test has measured it. We are not going to describe a system we cannot document — treat airflow as the open question on this helmet
• Head protection — full-face — unlike a jet, the chin and jaw are covered, which is the single largest protective difference between helmet types
• Worth budgeting — a Pinlock DKS435 insert for winter and an optional smoked visor for summer — neither is supplied, and together they add roughly 50–60 € to the helmet
• Compared with the Thunder 4 R SV — that helmet adds an integrated sun visor, a supplied Pinlock lens and roughly 100 g less weight, for nearly twice the price. Both are HIRP shells homologated to ECE 22.06 — the difference is equipment, not protection standard

• 1x MT Stinger 2 helmet
• 1x MT-V-28B clear visor (fitted)
• User manual and MT Helmets stickers