Matt black is the plainest Vector II and one of the four at the lower price. Everything about it works except one thing, and that thing belongs at the top rather than in a footnote.

A four-star shell in six sizes

🔵 The shell and the liner do different jobs. The HPFC composite resists penetration and spreads impact load across a wide area; the multi-density EPS beneath absorbs the energy by crushing.

Only the shell survives. The liner crushes once and does not recover — and composite hides that damage better than thermoplastic.

Two independent results — including the criticisms

🔵 The criticisms, stated plainly. Certimoov found the Vector II awkward to put on and singled out the sun visor mechanism as a point LS2 could improve.

🟢 The first is a direct consequence of the compact six-shell design that everyone praises — a close-fitting helmet is a harder helmet to pull over your ears.

Airflow that reaches your head

Airflow only happens if the air has somewhere lower in pressure to go, which is why the rear exhaust matters as much as the intakes at the chin and crown.

🔵 The chin intake is the one that matters in winter, because it feeds the visor as well as your face.

About the solid matt black finish

🔵 Black is the hardest helmet colour for a driver to separate from dark tarmac in poor light, and poor light is exactly when the separation matters. On a compact helmet the effect compounds slightly, because there is less of it to see in the first place — six shell sizes make the Vector II smaller than most full-faces at any given head size, which is excellent for weight and aerodynamics and does nothing for conspicuity. That does not make black a bad choice; plenty of riders weigh it and take it anyway. It means the choice should be deliberate rather than a default. Everything else is well judged. A flat finish shows the shape of a helmet rather than the reflections on it, and it absorbs the handling marks a daily helmet collects because there is no clear coat for them to catch in. 🔵 Matt is washed, never polished — abrasive compound leaves a permanent shiny scar on a flat coat. One consolation: because it hides marks so completely, matt black stays looking new longest with the least attention. If you want most of that benefit without the visibility penalty, the Concrete Matt at the same 220 € hides dirt just as well and is noticeably easier for a driver to see in poor light.

Two visors in the box, a third inside the shell

🔵 The tinted visor is a daylight accessory. Across most European jurisdictions a tinted visor may not be used at night or in poor visibility — carry the clear one if the day might outlast the light.

🟢 The internal shield covers the changing-light case that a tinted visor cannot, and retracts in a second.

Holding on, and letting go

🟢 The emergency release is the feature you hope never matters. It lets responders withdraw the cheek pads before the helmet is moved, which is the moment most likely to disturb a damaged neck.

🔵 It is not a quick-release for you — it is designed to be operated by someone else, on you, at a roadside.

The part you actually touch

🔵 Washing the lining is the most effective maintenance there is and the one most often skipped. Sweat degrades foam, and the foam is what holds the helmet in position on your head.

Cool water, a few times a season, dried away from direct heat.

Where it sits in LS2's range

What this helmet is good at: fit, weight, equipment and evidence. What it is not: easy to pull on, and its sun visor mechanism drew a specific criticism from Certimoov.

🔵 Both are stated in full elsewhere on this page rather than left to be discovered.

Care and replacement parts

Look after the visors above everything else. Never wipe either dry — grit dragged across a hardcoat leaves fine scratches, and scratches flare into a starburst against oncoming headlights.

🔵 Wet, wash, dry with something clean and soft.

In the box

• LS2 FF811 Vector II helmet — Solid, Matt black (HPFC composite shell)
• Clear hardcoated visor, fitted, with tool-free change
• Pinlock® 120 MaxVision™ anti-fog insert
• A complete tinted visor — 🔵 daylight use only in most European jurisdictions
• Integrated drop-down sun visor, fitted
• Carrying backpack
• Reflective stickers
• 🔵 No intercom — the lining has pre-moulded pockets for LS2's Bluetooth system; the system itself is a separate purchase

Size guide

🔵 Try this one on before buying if you can. Certimoov's one significant criticism was how awkward the Vector II is to pull over your ears — a direct consequence of how closely it fits once on.

The closeness is the point; the way on is the cost.

Specification

• Model — LS2 FF811 Vector II
• Part number — 168111011
• Colour — Solid — Matt black
• Homologation — ECE 22.06
• 🟢 Safety rating — SHARP 4 stars of 5, tested February 2025. SHARP records composite fibre, 1.5 kg — this HPFC version, not the Vector II Carbon at 1.4 kg, which carries no rating
• 🟢 Second opinion — Certimoov (University of Strasbourg): 3.5 of 5, on an FF811 Splitter in fibreglass. Praised: compactness („6 shell sizes!"), field of vision, equipment, road performance, price. 🔵 Criticised: getting the helmet on, and the sun visor mechanism
• Shell — HPFC high-performance fibreglass composite; six shell sizes (2XS–XS / S / M / L / XL / 2XL–3XL–4XL)
• Impact liner — multi-density EPS with ducted ventilation channels
• Weight — approx. 1500 g (±50 g)
• Sizes — XXS to 4XL (nine sizes)
• Visor — wide, hardcoated, UV-stable, tool-free change
• Sun visor — integrated drop-down shield, stowing fully inside the shell. 🔵 Certimoov named the mechanism as a point LS2 could improve
• 🟢 Included — Pinlock® 120 MaxVision™ insert, a complete tinted visor, a carrying backpack and reflective stickers
• 🔴 Tinted visor — daylight only — most European jurisdictions bar tinted visors at night
• 🔴 Ventilation — chin and top intakes, ducted EPS, rear exhaust. Left unrated — neither SHARP nor Certimoov measures airflow and no independent road test publishes figures
• 🔴 Wind noise — left unrated — no independent measurement is published for this model
• Retention — micrometric metal buckle on a reinforced strap, with emergency release
• Interior — washable, removable and hypoallergenic, with pre-moulded intercom pockets for LS2's Bluetooth system. 🔵 The fit is deliberately close — good for stability, awkward on the way on
• 🔴 FIM homologation — none — a road helmet, not eligible for FIM-sanctioned competition
• Serviceability — both visors, sun visor, Pinlock insert, cheek pads (several thicknesses), lining and vent covers
• Replacement guidance — after about five years, and immediately after any impact — composite can look undamaged over crushed EPS

• 1× helmet
• Carrying backpack
• Tinted visor
• Pinlock 120XLT MaxVision anti-fog insert
• Reflective stickers