Gloss black is the finish that flatters a helmet's shape more than any other, and the one that punishes careless cleaning more than any other. Both of those are worth knowing before you choose between it and the matt version.

1350 grams, and why that is the headline

🔵 Quoted weights are always for a middle shell. With three shell sizes covering 2XS to 3XL, the smallest helmets weigh less than 1350 g and the largest weigh more — LS2 does not publish per-shell figures, and we are not going to estimate them.

The stated tolerance is ±50 g.

HPTT shell, three shell sizes and ECE 22.06

🔵 The shell and the liner do different jobs, and it is worth keeping them separate in your head. The HPTT outer resists penetration and spreads the load across a wide area; the EPS underneath absorbs the energy by crushing.

Only the shell survives an impact. The liner crushes once.

No independent safety rating — and the trap that goes with it

🔵 What this helmet does have: ECE 22.06 homologation, which every legally sold helmet in Europe carries. What it does not have: any independent comparative rating from SHARP, ADAC or Certimoov.

The old FF353 Rapid's 2 stars belong to a different helmet and are deliberately excluded from this page.

About the solid gloss black finish

A deep gloss black returns a hard specular highlight along every curve, and that highlight is what makes the eye read the form of the shell — the crown line, the cheek shaping, the transition into the chin bar. A matt black shows you the outline; a gloss black shows you the surface. On a helmet with reasonably considered geometry that is the more flattering of the two, and it is why gloss black remains the best-selling helmet finish in Europe. 🔵 The cost is in the care. Gloss black is the single most unforgiving finish for swirl marks, because a dark clear coat shows every fine scratch that a dry cloth puts into it, and once they are there they are there. Never wipe it dry. Wash it wet, rinse the grit off before the cloth touches it, and dry with something clean and soft. It also carries black's conspicuity limitation in poor light. Between the two blacks at the same price the split is straightforward. Gloss shows the shape of the helmet and shows every swirl mark you put into it; matt shows the outline and forgives careless cleaning entirely. Both share the same disadvantage in poor light, so the choice is purely about how the helmet looks and how carefully you intend to wash it.

What this helmet does not have: an internal sun visor

🔵 The alternative to a drop-down shield is a tinted outer visor, and it carries a legal limit: across most European jurisdictions a tinted visor may not be used at night or in poor visibility.

The Rapid III has no internal sun visor, so plan for a clear visor and sunglasses, or a visor swap.

Chin and top intakes, channelled EPS

🔵 Airflow only happens if the air has somewhere lower in pressure to go. That is why the rear exhausts matter as much as the intakes, and why a helmet with vents at the front and nothing at the back moves very little air.

The Rapid III has the full path: chin and top in, channels across, exhausts out.

Anti-fog — prepared for, not supplied

🔵 What is in the box: the helmet, the fitted clear visor, the chin curtain and the breath deflector. What is not: a Pinlock insert, a tinted visor, a sun visor of any kind.

The visor is pinned and ready whenever you buy the lens.

Lining, closure and everyday comfort

🔵 Correct strap tension: snug under the jaw with room for one finger and no more. If you can roll the helmet forward off your head with the strap fastened, it is loose or the wrong size.

The ratchet lets you set that precisely and repeat it.

Where it sits in LS2's range

🔵 What the Rapid III is good at: being light, being cheap, and ventilating well. What it does not have: an internal sun visor, a Pinlock insert in the box, or any independent safety rating.

All three of those are covered honestly elsewhere on this page rather than left to be discovered.

Care and replacement parts

🔵 Helmets are consumables with a long life. LS2, like every manufacturer, advises replacement after roughly five years of use regardless of appearance — adhesives, foam and shell material all change with time and UV.

Keep the purchase date somewhere you will find it.

In the box

• LS2 FF820 Rapid III helmet — Solid, Gloss black (HPTT shell)
• Clear outer visor, fitted
• Chin curtain, fitted and removable
• Breath deflector, fitted and removable
• 🔵 No internal sun visor — this model does not have one
• 🔵 No Pinlock insert — the visor is prepared for a Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™, which is sold separately
• 🔵 No second visor and no intercom — both are separate purchases

Size guide

🔵 Buy tight. Every helmet loosens as the padding compresses, noticeably over the first few hours and again across the first season, so the correct size at purchase feels slightly too snug.

Thicker cheek pads are available if it loosens further.

Specification

• Model — LS2 FF820 Rapid III
• Part number — 168200012
• Colour — Solid — Gloss black
• Homologation — ECE 22.06
• 🔴 Safety rating — none. SHARP has no entry for the FF820, Rapid III or Rapid 3 (brand list checked directly). The 2-star result under „FF353 Rapid" belongs to the previous-generation helmet — different shell, different standard — and is deliberately not carried over. No ADAC or Certimoov result either
• Shell — HPTT injection-moulded thermoplastic; three shell sizes (2XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL)
• Weight — approx. 1350 g (±50 g), mid-size shell without accessories
• Sizes — 2XS to 3XL (eight sizes)
• 🔴 Sun visor — none. This helmet has no drop-down internal shield — unlike LS2's FF808 Stream II, FF811 Vector II and FF817 Challenger II. It is most of the reason it weighs 1350 g
• Visor — clear outer visor, scratch-resistant, tool-free change
• 🔴 Anti-fog — prepared for Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ — the insert is NOT included. The pins are fitted; the lens is a separate purchase
• Ventilation — chin and top intakes feeding channelled EPS, with rear exhausts — two intake paths, one more than the FF817. 🔵 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
• Interior — hypoallergenic, antibacterial, fully removable and washable. 🔵 No branded wicking fabric (no COOLMAX or X-Static) and no magnetic wind deflector — both appear further up LS2's range
• Included — chin curtain and breath deflector, both fitted and removable
• 🔴 FIM homologation — none — a road helmet, not eligible for FIM-sanctioned competition
• Serviceability — visors, cheek pads in several thicknesses, complete lining, chin curtain, 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
• Reflective stickers