MT-Helmets KRE 2 Pure A1 Full-Face Helmet – Matt Black

The KRE 2 is the helmet MT built to sit between the two halves of its own range — below the composite KRE 2 PLUS, above everything with a thermoplastic shell. Pure A1 is the version with nothing painted on it, in matt black, and it makes that argument most plainly.

What the KRE 2 is — and what it is not

MT's new KRE generation arrived in three tiers, and they are genuinely different helmets rather than trim levels. This one is the KRE 2: an FRC — fibre reinforced composite — shell, declared 1,380 g, ECE 22.06.

Above it sit the KRE 2 PLUS (MT's TRIC tricomposite shell on the MT-ULCS process, 1,300 g) and the KRE 2 PLUS FIM Racing #2 (full carbon, 1,250 g, FIM homologated). Neither of those is this helmet. Three shells, three price points — FRC here, tricomposite above, carbon at the top — and we will not let those numbers drift onto this page because the model names sit close together.

About the matt black finish

A1 matt black is the plainest thing MT makes on this shell — no graphic to date, no colourway to regret in two seasons.

Matt hides the fine scratching and swirl marks that gloss black shows under every streetlight. The trade is cleaning — matt lacquer holds insect residue more stubbornly and must never be polished. It is also the least conspicuous helmet in this listing; if you ride mostly in traffic and poor light, the A0 gloss white or the fluo-yellow Fussion C2 do measurably more for you.

FRC, and the 120 g it saves

Every MT full-face below this one — Stinger 2, Braker SV, Targo S, Jarama SV, Thunder 4 R SV — uses HIRP, a high-strength thermoplastic. The KRE 2 uses FRC: fibre laid up in a resin matrix rather than injection-moulded polymer. A composite layup reaches a given stiffness at less mass, which is why this helmet is roughly 120 g lighter than the Thunder 4 R SV and stiffer in torsion — the property that keeps a helmet from moving on your head at motorway speed.

Over a riding day that mass stops being abstract: every shoulder check and every apex accelerates it, and your neck pays hundreds of times. One caveat — 1,380 g is a declared figure for a helmet that has only just reached the market. We have not put one on a scale, and manufacturers differ on which size they quote and whether the visor is fitted.

MT-ESLS — the visor lock that does two jobs

The MT-ESLS (Evo Screen Lock System) carries a double lock against the visor being pushed open by airflow or a glancing impact, plus a quick-open button that releases it in one movement.

The detail worth knowing: that button drops the visor into a defined anti-fog position automatically — a first crack rather than a full lift. In stop-start traffic on a cold morning that is the difference between clearing the visor and losing sight of the junction.

MT-QVSS, and the metal where it wears

Visor changes run on MT-QVSS, MT's patented Quick Visor Swap System — off and on without tools, in seconds. On the KRE 2 the mechanism carries a metal insert instead of running polymer on polymer.

That is a wear part being addressed rather than a spec-sheet line. Quick-change mechanisms fail at the pivot, and they fail after the hundredth change, not the first.

MT-EVA, Pinlock® 70 and the sealed trim

The MT-EVA (Extended Vision Area) aperture is cut wider than MT's road helmets — which matters at the shoulder check, and when you tuck and need the corner over the top of the aperture rather than through the middle of it. Around it runs an advanced-material trim sealing against water and dust; sealing is also the cheapest real noise reduction there is, because most of what you hear at speed enters at the visor edge and the neck roll, not through the shell.

The visor is Pinlock® 70 prepared. MT has not published the box contents for the KRE 2, so we cannot confirm whether a Pinlock lens is supplied — budget for one if you ride in the cold. We are not printing a decibel figure either: none has been measured for this helmet, and wind noise depends on your screen and riding position more than on the shell.

Ventilation and the compact spoiler

Airflow runs from a chin intake and three upper intakes through internal channels to rear outlets — a through-flow layout rather than vents that only feed the space behind them. The compact rear spoiler is sized for road and urban speeds rather than the tall race wing of the PLUS models, and it earns its keep in dirty air: behind a lorry, past a truck, on a windy bridge.

What this helmet does not have

• No integrated sun visor. The cheaper Braker SV, Jarama SV and Thunder 4 R SV all have one. Here you carry a tinted visor or sunglasses — the single biggest thing you give up moving up to this helmet.
• No FIM homologation. That belongs to the KRE 2 PLUS FIM Racing #2. If an organiser demands FIM, this is not the helmet.
• Double-D ring retention — more secure, and slower in gloves than the ratchet on MT's road helmets. On a helmet fastened twice a day that is a real daily cost, and it is the choice a sport helmet makes.

The SHARP stars that belong to a different KRE

SHARP, the UK scheme, lists an "MT KRE SV" at three stars. That is a different, earlier helmet on a different shell. The KRE 2 has not been SHARP-tested — nor has the KRE+ or the KRE+ S.

Ratings do not travel between generations. This helmet is untested rather than poorly rated, and we would rather say so than borrow a predecessor's number.

Where it sits in our MT range

The €115 over the Thunder 4 R SV buys a composite shell, 120 g, the metal-inserted visor mechanism and the double-D ring — and costs you the sun visor. That is the whole trade.

When something wears out

Visor, interior padding and cheek pads are replaceable; a helmet at this price should outlive its first lining. The KRE 2 launched in 2026, so its aftermarket is still filling in — visor tints and interior sizes will appear over the coming season rather than all at once. What cannot be replaced is a crushed EPS liner: after a real impact the helmet is finished, however intact it looks.

In the box

• MT KRE 2 helmet — Pure A1, matt black, FRC shell
• Clear visor, fitted — MT-QVSS quick-change, Pinlock® 70 prepared
• MT has not published the full box contents. A Pinlock lens, a tinted visor and a helmet bag are not confirmed as included — assume they are not until MT states otherwise.

Size guide

Specification

• Model — MT-Helmets KRE 2 · Part number — 138000P032 (XS–XXL: …03 to …08)
• Colour / finish — Pure A1 — matt black
• Homologation — ECE 22.06; MT additionally lists DOT and NBR (Brazil) among others
• Safety rating — none. SHARP's three-star "MT KRE SV" is a different, earlier helmet. No SHARP, ADAC or Snell result exists for the KRE 2
• FIM — not FIM homologated; FIM Racing #2 belongs to the separate KRE 2 PLUS FIM Racing #2
• Helmet type — full-face, sport and road
• Shell — FRC (fibre reinforced composite). MT does not publish the number of outer shell sizes
• Weight — 1,380 g declared — manufacturer figure, not weighed by us
• Sizes — XS to XXL (six)
• Visor — MT-QVSS tool-free quick swap with metal insert; MT-ESLS double lock, quick-open, automatic anti-fog position
• Field of view — MT-EVA extended vision area · Visor seal — advanced-material trim against water and dust
• Anti-fog — Pinlock® 70 prepared — lens not confirmed as supplied
• Sun visor — none
• Ventilation — chin intake, three upper intakes, internal channels, rear outlets · Aerodynamics — compact rear spoiler
• Retention — double-D ring · Interior — removable · Communication — intercom-ready, no system supplied
• Impact liner — expanded polystyrene; crushes once and does not recover
• Manufacturer — MT Helmets, Spain
• Sizing note — measure the widest part of the head, 1–2 cm above the brow. Cheeks firm when new; crown must not press
• Made for — fast road riding, sport touring and occasional track days — not a long-haul touring helmet, and not a homologated race helmet
• Care — never polish matt lacquer, and never wipe the visor dry; road dust scratches it permanently
• Replacement guidance — after around five years regardless of condition, and immediately after any impact