Fluorescent yellow worked into the Viper geometry over grey rather than over black — which makes this the version that gets the conspicuity benefit without the maintenance penalty of a pale shell.

An HPFC composite shell in three sizes

Shell: HPFC fibreglass composite, three sizes. Liner: EPS with moulded ventilation channels. Approval: ECE 22.06 with a metal plaque. Weight: about 1500 g.

🔵 That is the whole structural specification and there is nothing concealed in it.

No independent safety rating — and nothing to borrow

🔵 Stated once plainly because it matters: no SHARP, no ADAC, no Certimoov result exists for the FF817 Challenger II.

It is homologated to ECE 22.06, and that is the whole of the independent evidence available for it.

Airflow from the top down — and no chin intake

Crown intake, channels through the liner, rear exhausts. A complete if deliberately simple ventilation path, with no chin feed.

🔵 No independent test of its performance has been published for this helmet, and we are not going to estimate one.

About the Viper grey and hi-vis yellow graphic

The interesting thing about this pairing is that the two colours solve different problems and neither undermines the other. Fluorescent yellow works by absorbing ultraviolet and re-emitting it as visible light, so it returns more visible light than falls on it — which is why it appears to glow in overcast, rain and dusk, when there is plenty of UV in the sky and almost no contrast on the road. Grey, meanwhile, is the value at which dirt shows least, so the parts of the helmet not doing conspicuity work are the parts that stay looking clean. A white base would have given a little more brightness and a great deal more washing. 🔵 Compared with the Dravix hi-vis version at the same price, this is the more restrained of the two fluorescent options. Both fade under sustained UV over years, so store either in a garage rather than a window. Of the thirteen finishes here, this and the Dravix hi-vis are the only two we would recommend specifically on safety grounds rather than on appearance. If you ride a lot in autumn and winter light, either is worth choosing over any of the others — and this is the one that will still look presentable after a season of it.

Seeing out: visor, sun shield and the Pinlock in the box

🟢 The optical package is the strongest part of this helmet's specification: a wide hardcoated visor with a proper seal and a button lock, a removable internal sun shield, and the top-grade Pinlock 120 XLT in the box.

🔵 Given there is no chin vent, all three are doing necessary work rather than decorative work.

Holding on, and letting go

🟢 What the emergency release does, precisely: it does not release the strap. It releases the cheek pads, so the helmet can be drawn off with far less pressure against the jaw and neck.

🔵 Leave it alone otherwise — the buckle is what you use every day.

The part you actually touch

Interior: COOLMAX, breathable, quick-drying, antibacterial, hypoallergenic, fully removable. Chin curtain: magnetic, removable.

🔵 Everything that touches your head comes out for washing, and everything that comes out is available as a replacement part.

Where it sits in LS2's range

🔵 Buying for someone else? The four solid finishes are the safe choice and the cheapest, and they are equipped identically to the graphics.

Size matters far more than colour — measure rather than guessing.

Care and replacement parts

🔵 The maintenance routine is short: wash the shell with warm water and a soft cloth, wash the lining in cool water a few times a season, never dry-wipe either screen.

Do those three and the only things that will end this helmet are age and impact.

In the box

• LS2 FF817 Challenger II helmet — Viper, Grey and hi-vis yellow (HPFC composite shell)
• Wide hardcoated visor, fitted, with double-injection seal and button lock
• Pinlock® 120 XLT MaxVision™ anti-fog insert — included, not a separate purchase
• Integrated tinted sun visor, fitted and removable for cleaning without tools
• Magnetic chin curtain, fitted and removable
• 🔵 No second visor and no intercom — both are separate purchases

Size guide

Eight sizes across three shells, from 2XS at 51–52 cm to 3XL at 65–66 cm. Measure once, carefully, with a soft tape.

🔵 A stiff tape, or string measured afterwards, both read short.

Specification

• Model — LS2 FF817 Challenger II
• Part number — 168170754
• Colour — Viper — Grey and hi-vis yellow
• Homologation — ECE 22.06, recorded on a metal plaque fitted to the shell
• 🔴 Safety rating — none. SHARP has no Challenger or Challenger II entry and Certimoov has not tested it. Unlike the FF811 Vector II, where SHARP rates the composite version, there is nothing here that could be transferred — not even from a sibling shell
• Shell — HPFC high-performance fibreglass composite; three shell sizes (2XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL)
• Weight — approx. 1500 g (±50 g) — light for a touring full-face carrying a drop-down sun visor
• Sizes — 2XS to 3XL (eight sizes)
• Visor — wide and hardcoated, with a double-injection seal and a button lock
• Sun visor — integrated tinted shield on a slider, stowing fully inside the shell; removable for cleaning without tools
• 🟢 Anti-fog — Pinlock® 120 XLT MaxVision™ insert included — not a separate purchase
• 🔴 Ventilation — crown intake feeding channelled EPS, with rear exhausts. No chin intake — a deliberate touring compromise: less draught and less noise, with fog management running through the Pinlock rather than through airflow. 🔵 Assessed from construction; no independent measurement exists
• 🔴 Wind noise — left unrated — no independent measurement is published for this model
• Retention — reinforced chin strap with a micrometric metal buckle
• Emergency access — emergency cheek-pad release — tabs let responders withdraw the pads before the helmet is moved
• Interior — COOLMAX® — breathable, quick-drying, antibacterial and hypoallergenic; fully removable and washable
• Chin curtain — magnetic — refits with one gloved hand; fully removable
• 🔴 FIM homologation — none — a road helmet, not eligible for FIM-sanctioned competition
• Serviceability — visor, internal sun visor, Pinlock insert, cheek pads (several thicknesses), lining, magnetic chin curtain and vent covers
• Replacement guidance — after about five years, and immediately after any impact — composite can look undamaged over crushed EPS

• 1× helmet
• Elastic carrying bag
• Pinlock 120XLT MaxVision anti-fog insert
• Reflective stickers