Navy is the quiet alternative to black, and on a matt finish it reads as very nearly black until the light hits it directly — at which point it turns unmistakably blue. It is the only solid colour in this range that changes with the weather.

What SHARP measured, and where this helmet sits

Four stars from SHARP (August 2026, ECE 22.06). One honest footnote before the table: SHARP records the shell as „Composite Fibre“ where LS2 specifies KPA. We checked that carefully rather than glossing over it, because it is exactly how a rating gets attached to the wrong helmet.

It does not here. LS2 builds the Strobe II in one shell material only — there is no composite or carbon variant for the stars to belong to instead — and SHARP's recorded weight of 1.7 kg matches the declared 1700 g exactly, where a composite version of the same helmet would be lighter. SHARP's own material categories are not always precise: the FF808 Stream II, also KPA, appears in their database as „Thermoplast“.

About the matt navy blue finish

Deep blue is a difficult pigment to get right in matt, because blue is the colour that goes flat and chalky fastest when a lacquer has no gloss to give it depth. LS2 has taken it dark enough that it holds together: under an overcast sky it sits close to charcoal, and in direct sun it opens up into a proper navy. That behaviour is the whole reason to choose it over black — you get the same understatement most of the time and a genuine colour when the light is good. Practically it behaves like the other matt finishes: forgiving of scuffs, unforgiving of baked-on insects, and it shows road film less than black because a mid-dark blue and grey dust are closer in tone than black and grey are. It is also the one solid here that will not be mistaken for anyone else's helmet in a café car park, which sounds trivial until you have picked up the wrong matt black lid.

Three shells, and what KPA actually is

Three shells for seven sizes is the specification this price should not buy, and it is worth understanding why. Each shell size needs its own injection tool, its own EPS moulds and its own homologation testing — which is exactly why one- and two-shell helmets are the norm at this end of the market. The Strobe II carries three at a hundred and thirty-nine, in a KPA shell that is the same material family LS2 uses across its rated volume models.

Ninety degrees, and how the chin bar locks

ECE 22.06 tests a modular chin bar far harder than the standard it replaced, which is why the mechanism on a 22.06 flip-up is not simply carried over from a 22.05 one. The latch has to do two contradictory things: open with one gloved thumb, and stay shut under an impact that would tear a weak catch off its mounting. LS2 redesigned it for this generation, and the redesigned helmet rated a star higher than its predecessor.

What ECE 22.06 and the P/J label mean

Since January 2024 no helmet without ECE 22.06 may be sold new in the EU, which is why 22.05 stock vanished from shelves so abruptly. The substantive changes were more impact points, more than one impact speed, an oblique rotational test, and accessories tested as fitted rather than removed for the exam. That last point is why a drop-down sun visor cannot simply be added to a helmet after approval.

Twin Visor, sun visor — and the Pinlock that is not in the box

The outer screen comes off in about a minute with no tools, which matters more than it sounds. A visor is a consumable — it loses its argument with insects, grit and petrol-station paper towel, and a scratched screen scatters oncoming headlights into a starburst that is a safety problem rather than a cosmetic one. Seven replacements are stocked for this helmet, from clear through iridium to a rainbow mirror.

Air, the breath deflector and the elastic-band liner

The chin vent is the one to open when the visor mists, and it is worth knowing why the top vents will not help. Fog forms when the inside face of the visor drops below the dew point of your breath. Blowing outside air onto that face raises its temperature and moves the moisture on; cooling your scalp does nothing for it. Between the chin vent and the breath deflector, this helmet handles fogging better than its price suggests.

1700 grams, no emergency release, and the rest of the honest list

The four-star rating is on this page and so is the rest of what SHARP found, which is the honest way to present a test result. The chin bar remained fully locked in 37 % of impacts. Read alongside the P/J homologation that is less alarming than it sounds — the helmet is approved and tested with the bar up — but it is not nothing, and anyone choosing a modular for chin protection specifically should weigh it.

Also: no emergency release system, no Pinlock lens in the box, 1700 grams, and no measured noise figure for this model.

When something wears out

Three vent covers are available individually rather than as a set — chin, top and rear. They are the parts that actually go missing rather than break, because they sit where a top box lid, a pillion's sleeve or a tank bag strap passes when a helmet is being moved. All three clip in from the outside without disturbing the liner.

In the box

• LS2 FF908 Strobe II helmet — Matt Navy Blue
• Carrying bag
• Reflective stickers
• 🔵 No Pinlock® insert — the visor is prepared for one (DKS520), sold separately

Specification

• Model — LS2 FF908 Strobe II
• Part number — 569081023
• Colour — Matt Navy Blue — Matt navy blue
• Homologation — ECE 22.06, dual P/J (protective and jet)
• Safety rating — SHARP 4 of 5 stars (tested August 2026, ECE 22.06); chin bar fully locked in 37 % of impacts
• Helmet type — Flip-up / modular, chin bar raising 90° with locking system
• Shell — KPA (Kinetic Polymer Alloy), three shell sizes (XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL)
• Weight — 1700 g (±50 g)
• Sizes — XS to 3XL (seven sizes)
• Anti-fog — prepared for Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ (DKS520) — insert NOT supplied
• Visor — Twin Visor System, scratch-resistant, UV-stable, quick-release
• Sun visor — integrated, tinted, drop-down
• Impact liner — multi-density EPS with moulded ventilation channels
• Retention — micrometric ratchet buckle, reinforced chin strap, chin bar lock
• Emergency release — not fitted on this model
• Ventilation — chin intake, top intake, rear exhaust port, breath deflector
• Liner — 3D laser-cut, elastic-band crown, hypoallergenic, breathable, removable and washable
• Intercom — prepared for the current LS2 Bluetooth system
• Serviceability — complete chin bar available as a spare part in every one of the twelve colourways