Canvas is the fourth graphic on this shell and C5 pairs grey with red under a matt finish — the most conventional-looking of the four families, and the best of them at surviving a wet winter.

What this helmet is — and what changed for the R

An honest summary of the proposition: current-standard certification, a feature list from a higher price bracket, and a shell whose independent evidence is a 4/5 road test of the model it replaces.

🔵 No SHARP rating exists for the Thunder 4 R SV, and the four-star „MT Thunder" entries belong to earlier helmets.

About the Canvas C5 graphic

Red against a mid grey ground is the pairing that survives dirt best in this range: road film and insect strike read as a haze on pale grounds and largely disappear on mid ones, so this version still looks presentable at the end of a wet week. Red is also a high-saturation colour that holds up well against grey tarmac, which puts it among the more conspicuous options here without going fluorescent. 🔵 Red pigment fades faster than most under sustained ultraviolet, and matt clear coat is washed rather than polished — there is nothing to buff a mark out of.

The SHARP stars that belong to a different Thunder

🔵 Worth stating plainly on a helmet at this price, where riders reasonably look for reassurance: the Thunder 4 R SV has no SHARP rating. The four stars circulating under the Thunder name belong to the earlier MT Thunder and Thunder 3.

The certification it does hold — ECE 22.06 — is current and genuine.

HIRP, two shells and ECE 22.06

What you are buying structurally: a HIRP thermoplastic shell in two outer sizes, a polystyrene impact liner, and full ECE 22.06 homologation to the current European standard.

🔵 What you are not buying is a composite shell — and that is most of why the helmet costs what it does.

MT-QVSS, the visor lock and the Pinlock in the box

The visor mechanism was one of the specific improvements over the previous Thunder 4 SV: MT reworked the opening action for this generation, alongside the intakes and the spoiler.

🔵 It runs the same MT-QVSS tool-free system, with a visor lock and a supplied Pinlock DKS435 anti-fog insert.

The integrated sun visor

Two screens sit in front of your eyes on this helmet and they do different jobs. The MT-V-28C is the outer visor: sealing, lockable, Pinlock-equipped. The drop-down shield behind it handles glare.

🔵 Between them there is no light condition on a European road that needs a visor change.

Enlarged intakes and a revised spoiler

The changes MT made for the 4 R are specific and short: enlarged air intakes, a revised spoiler and an improved visor-opening action.

🔵 The first two are aimed squarely at the ventilation criticism levelled at the Thunder 4 SV. Whether they resolved it is not yet independently established.

Interior, fit and retention

🔵 The ear area carries dedicated speaker pockets for the intercom, which means the lining is shaped around them rather than being pressed out of the way by a speaker. That is a genuine difference from helmets where an intercom is merely possible.

All of it removes and washes; retention is a micrometric ratchet.

Intercom preparation and speaker pockets

The most common reason riders abandon an intercom is a speaker pressing on the ear over a long day, and it is almost always a depth or a positioning problem rather than a fault of the system.

🔵 This helmet has pockets sized for the job and is prepared for MT-B01. The system is bought separately.

Where it sits in MT's range

🔵 At 157 € this is not the cheapest helmet MT makes — the Street S jet starts at 47 € and the Stinger 2 full-face at 85 €. What the extra buys is the sun visor, the tool-free visor system and the Pinlock lens.

Those are the features worth paying for on a helmet worn daily.

When something wears out

🔵 Keep a spare Pinlock lens if you ride year-round. It is the part most likely to fail on a winter commute, it is inexpensive, and a clouded one is genuinely dangerous in the dark.

The code is DKS435, and one comes with the helmet.

In the box

• MT Thunder 4 R SV helmet — Canvas C5 (HIRP shell)
• Clear MT-V-28C visor, fitted
• Pinlock® DKS435 MaxVision anti-fog insert
• Nose deflector
• 🔵 No intercom — the helmet is prepared for the MT-B01 Rider Sync system; the system is a separate purchase

Size guide

Specification

• Model — MT-Helmets Thunder 4 R SV
• Part number — 1375D53C5203
• Colour — Canvas C5 — Matt, grey and red
• Homologation — ECE 22.06 — the current European standard
• 🔴 Safety rating — none. SHARP's four-star „MT Thunder" and „MT Thunder 3" are different, earlier models; the Thunder 4, 4 SV and 4 R have not been tested. No ADAC or Snell result either
• Independent verdict — MOTORCYCLE NEWS 4/5 — 🔴 for the predecessor Thunder 4 SV („surprisingly good for less than £120"), which named ventilation as its main weakness. No test of the 4 R exists yet
• Helmet type — Full-face, everyday / commuting
• Shell — HIRP (High Impact Resistant Polymer); two outer shell sizes
• Weight — approx. 1500 g ±50 — 🔴 MT publishes no separate figure for the 4 R; this is the documented Thunder 4 SV / HIRP-platform weight
• Sizes — XS to 3XL (seven sizes)
• Visor — MT-V-28C on the MT-M-28X mechanism, with MT-QVSS tool-free quick swap and a lock against unintended opening
• Anti-fog — Pinlock® DKS435 MaxVision included as standard
• Sun visor — integrated drop-down, single slider, retracts fully into the shell
• Ventilation — enlarged intakes and a revised spoiler for this generation — MT's answer to the criticism levelled at the Thunder 4 SV
• Retention — micrometric ratchet buckle
• Interior — fully removable and washable, with dedicated speaker pockets
• Communication — prepared for MT-B01 (MT Rider Sync) — system sold separately
• Also supplied — nose deflector
• Impact liner — expanded polystyrene — crushes once and does not recover; replace the helmet after any real impact
• Serviceability — visor, Pinlock lens, lining, cheek pads, sun visor and nose deflector all available separately
• Replacement guidance — after around five years of use regardless of condition, and immediately after any impact
• Manufacturer — MT-Helmets (MT Helmets, Spain)
• Sizing note — measure around the widest part of your head, about 1–2 cm above the eyebrows. With two outer shell sizes, try the size the chart gives you rather than ordering by tape alone — the fit at the shell boundary is less precise than on a three-shell helmet
• Made for — commuting, everyday riding and country roads at ordinary speeds — not a long-distance touring or track helmet
• Care — wash the lining by hand a few times a season; never wipe the visor or the sun visor dry, as road dust scratches both permanently

• 1x MT Thunder 4 R SV helmet
• 1x MT-V-28C clear visor (Pinlock Max Vision ready)
• 1x Pinlock DKS435 anti-fog insert
• 1x nose deflector
• Integrated drop-down sun visor (built in)