Nardo grey arrived on motorcycles from the car world, and it stuck for a reason: it is a light, flat, slightly cool grey that reads as engineering rather than decoration. On a modular helmet it does something useful too — a mid-light tone shows the join between chin bar and upper shell far less than either black or white, so the helmet reads as one piece.

Three shells for seven sizes

Three shells for seven sizes (XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL), and the reason that matters is money rather than engineering. Each shell size needs its own injection tool, its own EPS moulds and its own homologation testing, which is why one-shell and two-shell helmets are the norm at this end of the market. The Scope II carries three at a hundred and seventy-nine, and that is the single most unusual thing on its specification sheet.

About the gloss Nardo grey finish

This is the grey that people notice without being able to say why. It sits between silver and slate, cool rather than warm, and under a gloss clear coat it picks up sky rather than sun — which is what keeps it from looking like primer. Against a black motorcycle it lifts; against a silver one it belongs; against anything brightly coloured it stays out of the argument. Practically it is the most forgiving of the three light finishes here. Road film is grey, so a wet commute leaves it looking far less neglected than gloss white would, and the clear coat still wipes clean in one pass, which matt Nardo would not. The one honest caveat: gloss shows fine scratches more readily than matt, so a microfibre cloth rather than a workshop rag is part of owning it.

HPTT: what the shell actually is

HPTT is a thermoplastic, and thermoplastic shells have a reputation problem they only half deserve. A composite shell is stiffer and lighter for the same strength, and that is a genuine advantage. What a thermoplastic does better is behave predictably: every shell is the same, because it is moulded rather than laid by hand, and there is no variation in resin content or fibre placement to worry about. On a helmet at this price that consistency is worth more than the extra stiffness would be.

Ninety degrees, not one hundred and eighty

Ninety degrees, with a new locking system LS2 introduced for the 22.06 generation. The mechanism is the part that was redesigned rather than the geometry — the bar itself travels the conventional arc that most modular helmets use, and it is the latch that holds it closed which had to change to pass the current standard's chin-impact regime.

What ECE 22.06 and the P/J label actually mean

ECE 22.06 is not a relabelled 22.05, and the difference is measurable. Impact points went from five to as many as eighteen. A second, lower test speed was added, because a helmet that performs at 8 m/s does not automatically perform at 6. And an oblique impact against a sandpaper-faced anvil was introduced to put a ceiling on rotational acceleration.

The P/J pair on the same label is the modular-specific part. A flip-up can be homologated closed (P), open (J) or both. This one was submitted and tested in each configuration and passed in each — which matters because a P-only modular is certified in one state, and opening it on the move puts you outside its approval.

Where it sits — and what SHARP actually tested

The comparison worth making first is not against another brand but against the row above this one in our own range. The FF820 Rapid III uses the same class of shell and weighs 1350 g — four hundred grams less. That difference is the entire cost of a chin bar that opens. It is a useful number to hold in your head while reading the rest of this page.

On test results: SHARP's three-star entry is for the FF902 Scope, tested May 2022 to ECE 22.05 at 1.65 kg over six sizes. This is the Scope II — 22.06, 1750 g, seven sizes, three shells. We are not going to present a predecessor's rating as this helmet's, in either direction.

COOLMAX, and where the air goes

Ventilation on the Scope II is a channel system rather than a pair of holes. The chin intake aims air at the inside face of the visor, which is what actually clears mist; the front intake feeds ducts moulded into the EPS so the flow crosses the head instead of stopping at the first block of polystyrene; the exhaust port sits in the shell's low-pressure wake and draws it out.

The interior is COOLMAX — a fibre with channels down its length that wicks moisture off the skin and spreads it to evaporate. It is removable, washable, hypoallergenic and cut by laser rather than stamped, which lets foam density vary within a single pad.

The visor, the sun visor and the Pinlock in the box

The anti-fog lens supplied here is a Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™, code DKS260, and it is worth being precise about what the number means rather than glossing over it. Pinlock grades their lenses by light transmission: 70 passes about seventy per cent of light, XLT considerably more. A 70 lens is very slightly darker than a bare visor at night. It is also included, where several helmets above this price include nothing.

Getting the helmet off a fallen rider

Retention is a micrometric ratchet buckle on a reinforced chin strap. Set the length once and the ratchet returns to that tension every ride, which sounds like a convenience and is really a safety feature: the commonest strap error is not a failed buckle but a strap done up loosely because the fastening is fiddly and you are in a hurry.

1750 grams, noise, and the rest of the honest list

What this helmet does not do. It does not save weight. At 1750 g it is the joint-heaviest helmet we stock, and a polymer shell carrying a chin bar is the whole explanation. It does not carry a crash rating — SHARP tested the previous generation, not this one. It does not fold its chin bar behind your head; ninety degrees is where it stops.

Wind noise, without a fabricated number: no measurement exists for this model. Structurally it enters at the neck roll, under the chin bar and through the vents. A naked bike at 130 km/h beats any helmet ever made, and a badly sized screen beats a good one.

When something wears out

The interior is the part that decides how long a helmet lasts you, and the part riders most often misdiagnose. Liner foam compresses and breaks down chemically from sweat; as it does, the fit loosens and the helmet starts to move on the head. The natural conclusion is that the helmet is finished. Usually the shell is untouched and a new liner restores it.

In the box

• LS2 FF902 Scope II helmet — Solid Nardo Grey
• Carrying bag
• Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ anti-fog insert (DKS260)
• Reflective stickers

Specification

• Model — LS2 FF902 Scope II
• Part number — 569021006
• Colour — Solid Nardo Grey — Gloss Nardo grey
• Homologation — ECE 22.06, dual P/J (protective and jet)
• Helmet type — Flip-up / modular, chin bar raising 90° with a redesigned locking system
• Shell — HPTT thermoplastic, three shell sizes (XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL)
• Weight — 1750 g (±50 g)
• Sizes — XS to 3XL (seven sizes)
• Visor — scratch-resistant, UV-stable, quick-release system
• Anti-fog — Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ (DKS260) supplied
• Sun visor — integrated, tinted, drop-down
• Impact liner — multi-density EPS with moulded ventilation channels
• Retention — micrometric ratchet buckle, reinforced chin strap, emergency release system
• Ventilation — chin intake, front intake, rear exhaust port
• Liner — COOLMAX®, laser-cut foam, hypoallergenic, removable and washable
• Intercom — prepared for the current LS2 Bluetooth system