The matt Pure A1 is the same helmet with the shine taken out, and on a commuting lid that is a practical choice rather than a stylistic one. Flat finishes absorb the handling a daily helmet gets.

What this helmet is — and what changed for the R

The most useful comparison is not against premium helmets but against other 157-euro ones. At this price most supply no anti-fog lens, no sun visor and a visor that needs a screwdriver.

🔵 The Thunder 4 R SV supplies all three, on a shell homologated to the current ECE 22.06 standard rather than the superseded 22.05.

About the matt black finish

A commuting helmet is handled more than any other kind — on and off twice a day, carried by the chin bar, set down on desks, in lockers and on pillion seats. That handling is exactly what a flat finish absorbs best: there is no gloss layer for a scuff to catch in, so the low-level marking simply does not read. Matt also suits the Thunder's rather angular shell, showing the outline instead of drawing highlights across it. 🔵 The trade is conspicuity, and matt holds dry dust more visibly than gloss. It is washed rather than polished — there is nothing to buff a mark out of.

The SHARP stars that belong to a different Thunder

The naming here is genuinely misleading and worth spelling out. MT Thunder and MT Thunder 3 are SHARP-rated at four stars. MT Thunder 4 R SV is the helmet you are looking at, and SHARP has never tested it or its immediate predecessor.

🔵 Anyone quoting four stars for a Thunder 4 has read an entry for a different helmet.

HIRP, two shells and ECE 22.06

Two outer shell sizes is the specification that keeps the proportions right across a seven-size range. A single shell fitted to every head leaves the smallest sizes inside a helmet that is visibly too large for them.

The material is HIRP thermoplastic at roughly 1500 g ±50, certified to ECE 22.06.

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

A visor lock is the detail riders notice on the second wet ride rather than the first. It holds the visor positively closed rather than relying on detent friction, which is what stops it lifting at motorway speed and in heavy rain.

🔵 The MT-QVSS mechanism still removes the visor in seconds without tools — no screws to drop, nothing to align.

The integrated sun visor

Sunset on a westbound commute is the condition that decides whether a sun visor was worth having, and it is precisely the condition a fixed tinted visor handles worst — because half an hour later it is dark and you cannot see through it.

🔵 A drop-down shield retracts in a second and costs you nothing when it is up.

Enlarged intakes and a revised spoiler

What ventilation actually manages is humidity as much as heat: sweat that cannot evaporate stays in the liner, and a saturated liner is what makes a ride uncomfortable long before temperature does.

🔵 The intakes were enlarged for this generation; the previous one was independently criticised on exactly this point.

Interior, fit and retention

Washing the interior is the single most effective maintenance you can do. Sweat breaks down foam over time, and a lining washed a few times a season lasts appreciably longer than one that never is.

🔵 On this helmet all of it comes out by hand, including the cheek pads and the chin-strap area.

Intercom preparation and speaker pockets

An intercom on a commuting helmet earns its keep in traffic rather than on the open road: navigation prompts without looking at a screen, and a call answered without stopping.

🔵 This helmet has speaker pockets built into the lining and is prepared for the MT-B01 system. Nothing is supplied with the helmet.

Where it sits in MT's range

Within this model the price ladder is entirely paint. The Pure solids at 157 € and the graphic versions at 170 € share the same shell, the same visor system, the same sun visor and the same supplied Pinlock lens.

🔵 The cheapest Thunder 4 R SV protects exactly as well as the most expensive.

When something wears out

Everything on this helmet that wears is available separately: the MT-V-28C visor, DKS435 Pinlock lenses, the lining, cheek pads, the sun visor and the nose deflector.

🔵 On a helmet at this price that matters more than usual — a repairable inexpensive helmet is better value than a disposable one.

In the box

• MT Thunder 4 R SV helmet — Pure A1 matt (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 — 137500PA1203
• Colour — Pure A1 matt — Matt black
• 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)