The Sporty layout in grey, purple and pink — the same geometry as the tricolour version rendered in a palette that has no equivalent anywhere in the traffic environment.

Everything that is usually an extra

For touring, the equipment list matters more than it does on a commuter helmet, because you cannot solve a problem at 400 km from home by ordering a part.

🔵 The Storm III arrives complete: Pinlock supplied, sun visor fitted, magnetic chin deflector, emergency release, breath deflector.

1600 grams — the heaviest in the range, and why

🔵 Where the weight is worst is not on the motorway but in town — repeated head movement at junctions, over the shoulder and back, at low speed where there is no airflow to unload it.

Where it matters least is on a steady distance ride, which is what this helmet is designed for.

KPA shell, three shell sizes and ECE 22.06

🔵 The oblique impact test added in 22.06 is the most consequential change to European helmet approval in three decades. Rotation is behind a large share of serious head injuries and 22.05 had no equivalent test at all.

The Storm III is homologated to the current standard.

No independent safety rating — and nothing borrowed from a sibling

🔵 A helmet with a low rating and a helmet with no rating are not the same thing. One has been measured and found wanting; the other has not been measured.

The Storm III is in the second category, with ECE 22.06 approval and no independent test of any kind.

About the Sporty grey and purple graphic

Purple is an unusual pigment on safety equipment and an interesting one. It sits at the short-wavelength end of the visible spectrum, where the eye is least sensitive in bright daylight — which sounds like a fatal objection and largely is not, because the property that decides whether a driver picks you out at a junction is difference rather than brightness. There is no purple in vehicle paint, no purple in signage, no purple at the roadside. Combined with pink, which is equally absent, the result is a helmet that separates from its background by being categorically unlike it. That is a real conspicuity mechanism rather than a consolation for choosing an unusual colour, and the grey base gives both of them something neutral to sit against. It is also, by a wide margin, the least likely finish here to be parked next to its twin. 🔵 Two things to know. Purple and pink pigments are both more UV-sensitive than the inorganic colours, so store the helmet out of direct sunlight rather than on a windowsill. And printed artwork of this complexity cannot be touched in after damage.

Sun visor and the Pinlock in the box

🔵 Both screens are inside the ECE 22.06 approval rather than accessories added afterwards, because the current standard tests a helmet with everything fitted that will be sold on it.

That includes the sun visor mechanism and the vent covers.

Crown and chin intakes, channelled EPS

🔵 Wind noise is left unrated here. No independent measurement is published for this model, and a manufacturer's feature list is not a result.

Noise also depends enormously on screen height and riding position, so a single figure would mislead even if one existed.

Emergency release, closure and comfort

A ratchet closure is the right choice on a helmet fastened several times a day: it works in gloves, without looking, and needs no threading through rings.

🔵 Its one weakness is the preset length. Check it periodically, and after anyone else has worn the helmet.

Where it sits in LS2's range

For touring specifically, the case for the Storm III is that it removes the follow-up purchases. Anti-fog, glare, cold air up the chin bar and emergency access are handled from the box.

🔵 The case against it is 1600 g and no test record.

Care and replacement parts

The one component that cannot be serviced is the one that actually protects you. A crushed EPS liner does not recover, and a thermoplastic shell can look untouched over one.

🔵 After a serious knock, replace the helmet rather than assessing it by eye.

In the box

• LS2 FF818 Storm III helmet — Sporty, Grey, purple and pink (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

If you fall between two sizes, take the smaller one and let the padding settle. A helmet that slips on easily and feels immediately pleasant is usually one size too big.

🔵 Eight sizes, 2XS to 3XL, on three shells.

Specification

• Model — LS2 FF818 Storm III
• Part number — 168180407
• Colour — Sporty — Grey, purple and pink
• 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