Of the sixteen finishes here, this is the only one chosen for a measurable reason rather than a visual one — and on a helmet built for long days in every kind of light, that argument is stronger than usual.

Everything that is usually an extra

🔵 The magnetic chin deflector deserves its own mention. Most chin curtains push into a groove and are a nuisance to refit with cold hands; a magnetic one goes back with one gloved hand in the dark.

It is a small thing that you will use several hundred times.

1600 grams — the heaviest in the range, and why

Weight comes from the shell material and from what is fitted inside it. The shell here is KPA, an injection-moulded thermoplastic, which is heavier than a composite of equal strength and very much cheaper.

🔵 Carbon would save perhaps 200 g and roughly double the price. LS2's FF807 Dragon is the carbon option.

KPA shell, three shell sizes and ECE 22.06

The shell splits 2XS–S, M–L and XL–3XL. If you take a size at either end of that range, this is the specification that most affects how the helmet looks and fits.

🔵 The EPS inside carries moulded ventilation channels, which is covered further down.

No independent safety rating — and nothing borrowed from a sibling

🔵 Roughly one helmet in ten on sale in Europe carries a SHARP rating. The Storm III is one of the nine that does not, despite LS2 having several rated models in the same catalogue.

Its approval is ECE 22.06, which every legally sold helmet holds.

About the Dynamo hi-vis yellow graphic

Ordinary paint reflects a fraction of the light that reaches it. Fluorescent pigment does something categorically different: it absorbs ultraviolet, which your eye cannot detect at all, and re-emits that energy at a visible wavelength. The surface therefore returns more visible light than lands on it, which is why fluorescent yellow appears to glow rather than merely to be bright. It works hardest in exactly the conditions that supply plenty of ultraviolet and very little contrast — heavy overcast, rain, dusk, the flat grey afternoons that European autumn produces for weeks at a time. Those are also the conditions a touring rider cannot avoid, because a long day does not stop when the light turns. The colour sits close to the wavelength the human eye is most sensitive to in daylight as well, which is why fire services and highway crews across the continent converged on it independently rather than by agreement. 🔵 Two honest costs. It is unquestionably the loudest thing in this range and not to every taste. And fluorescent pigment does fade under prolonged UV over years, so keep it in a garage rather than a window.

Sun visor and the Pinlock in the box

The outer visor is scratch-resistant and changes without tools, so a tinted spare is a roadside job of about a minute if you want one.

🔵 Most riders with an integrated shield never bother, which is rather the point of having one.

Crown and chin intakes, channelled EPS

In summer the crown intake does the work; in winter you close everything and rely on the magnetic chin deflector and the supplied Pinlock insert.

🔵 Both are in the box rather than on an accessory list, which is the Storm III's whole argument in one line.

Emergency release, closure and comfort

🔵 The interior is fully removable and washable, which on a distance helmet matters more than on any other kind — long days produce more sweat and the padding 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

🔵 The Storm III replaced the earlier Storm and is a different helmet on a different standard — ECE 22.06 rather than 22.05, with a different equipment list.

Reviews of the older model do not describe this one, and no rating attaches to either.

Care and replacement parts

🔵 The Pinlock insert is a consumable too. It is a soft-coated lens and it scratches more easily than the visor it sits behind; when it starts to haze, replace it rather than living with it.

Replacement 70 MaxVision inserts are available separately.

In the box

• LS2 FF818 Storm III helmet — Dynamo, Black, grey and hi-vis yellow (KPA shell)
• Clear outer visor, fitted
• Integrated drop-down sun visor, fitted
• Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ anti-fog insert — supplied, not a separate purchase
• Magnetic chin wind deflector, fitted and removable
• Breath deflector, fitted
• 🔵 No intercom — the helmet is prepared for a Bluetooth system, which is a separate purchase

Size guide

🔵 Sizes at the extremes benefit most from three shells. A 3XL built on a shell sized for it is proportioned correctly; one built on an XL shell with thin padding is neither comfortable nor properly protective.

This helmet splits 2XS–S, M–L and XL–3XL.

Specification

• Model — LS2 FF818 Storm III
• Part number — 168180511
• Colour — Dynamo — Black, grey and hi-vis yellow
• Homologation — ECE 22.06
• 🔴 Safety rating — none. SHARP's LS2 brand list carries the Strobe2, FF325 Strobe, Stream 2 and FF320 Stream but no Storm or Storm III; Certimoov has no entry either. Nothing is transferred from a sibling model — a rating belongs to the helmet that was crashed
• Shell — KPA injection-moulded thermoplastic; three shell sizes (2XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL)
• 🔴 Weight — approx. 1600 g (±50 g) — the heaviest helmet in LS2's road range. The sun visor mechanism, the emergency release and the second screen are what it is spent on
• Sizes — 2XS to 3XL (eight sizes)
• Sun visor — integrated drop-down shield, retracting fully into the shell
• 🟢 Anti-fog — Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ insert SUPPLIED in the box — not a separate purchase, unlike LS2's FF820 Rapid III and FF808 Stream II
• Ventilation — large crown intake plus chin intake feeding channelled EPS, with rear exhausts (transparent elements in the covers) and a breath deflector. 🔵 Assessed from the published construction; no independent airflow measurement exists
• 🔴 Wind noise — left unrated — no independent measurement is published for this model
• Retention — ratchet buckle with emergency release — tabs allowing responders to withdraw the cheek pads before the helmet is moved
• Chin curtain — magnetic — refits with one gloved hand; fully removable
• Interior — fully removable and washable; cheek pads available in several thicknesses
• Communication — prepared for Bluetooth intercom — no system supplied
• 🔴 FIM homologation — none — a road helmet, not eligible for FIM-sanctioned competition
• Serviceability — both visors, sun visor mechanism, cheek pads, complete lining, magnetic chin deflector, breath deflector and vent covers all available separately
• Replacement guidance — after about five years regardless of condition, and immediately after any impact

• 1× helmet
• Carrying bag
• Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ anti-fog insert
• Reflective stickers