Code is the graphic for riders who do not want a graphic. It is a tone-on-tone pattern — matt grey on matt black — that only resolves at conversation distance; from further away the helmet simply looks like a very good plain black one with some structure to it.

What SHARP measured, and where this helmet sits

A rating is a data point, not a verdict, so here is the whole data point. SHARP: four stars, tested August 2026, ECE 22.06, 1.7 kg, seven sizes, modular. Scores of five at both lower impact speeds across all zones; five at crown and rear and three at the sides at the highest. Chin bar fully locked in 37 % of impacts.

That last figure is the one this page does not hide, and the honest reading of it is in the section on what this helmet does not do. Nothing about it changes the four stars, which are SHARP's overall assessment with that behaviour already counted.

About the Code Matt Black Grey graphic

Tone-on-tone is the hardest kind of graphic to justify commercially and the most satisfying to own, because it does not photograph. A shop picture of this helmet looks almost identical to the plain matt black version, which is why patterns like it are rare and why people who buy one tend to keep it. In daylight the grey elements catch just enough light to describe the shape of the shell, doing the job that a gloss coat does on other helmets while staying entirely matt. What it will not do is make you more visible — this is the least conspicuous helmet on the page, and the reflective stickers in the box are not optional if you ride in poor light. If you want the Code pattern and want to be seen, the hi-vis version further down this range is the same graphic family with the opposite priority.

Three shells, and what KPA actually is

Seven sizes on three shells (XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL), in an injection-moulded KPA shell. Two properties of that material are worth knowing: it is dimensionally repeatable, so every shell out of the tool is the same — which is not automatically true of hand-laid fibre — and it is highly resistant to penetration because a polymer that yields locally beats a stiff composite that cracks. The cost is mass, and we do not dress that up.

Ninety degrees, and how the chin bar locks

The latch is a single mechanism doing two jobs at once, and the tension between them is the whole engineering problem of a flip-up. Too stiff and riders stop opening it, which defeats the point of buying one. Too light and it becomes the weak point in a chin impact. Every manufacturer picks a spot on that scale; SHARP publishes the consequence for this one, and the number is in the opening section of this page.

What ECE 22.06 and the P/J label mean

Straight-line impact was always the easier engineering problem. The current standard adds up to eighteen strike points, a second lower speed, and the oblique rotation test — three changes that together made 22.06 a different standard rather than a revision of the old one. The P and the J alongside it are two separate certifications of the same shell, one closed and one open.

Twin Visor, sun visor — and the Pinlock that is not in the box

A Pinlock lens has a service life of its own, independent of the visor, and it catches people out. The silicone bead hardens over a couple of seasons and breath starts to creep in at the edges. If a visor that used to stay clear now mists around its perimeter, replace the lens rather than the screen. Since the lens is a separate purchase on this helmet anyway, that is a cheap and simple fix.

Air, the breath deflector and the elastic-band liner

The interior is hypoallergenic and breathable, which are words that appear on every helmet ever made. What is worth extracting from them is this: the fabric is chosen to move moisture rather than absorb it, and the foam behind it is open enough to let that moisture reach the ventilation channels. A liner that holds sweat is a liner that stays damp between rides, and a damp liner is what makes a helmet smell after one summer.

1700 grams, no emergency release, and the rest of the honest list

The honest accounting on this helmet is short. It weighs 1700 g. It has no emergency release system, where both of our more expensive flip-ups do. It ships without an anti-fog lens, where both of those ship with one. Its chin bar opens ninety degrees. And SHARP recorded the bar staying fully locked in 37 % of impacts.

Against that sits a four-star independent rating that neither of the more expensive helmets has, at less than half the price of one of them. That is the trade, stated in both directions.

When something wears out

The chin strap cover is the smallest part of the interior and the one that gets the worst of it. It sits directly against the underside of your jaw, takes sweat continuously, and is what a beard works on hardest. Most riders never realise it comes off at all — it does, it washes with the rest of the interior, and it is inexpensive to replace when it has gone hard.

In the box

• LS2 FF908 Strobe II helmet — Code Matt Black Grey
• Carrying bag
• Reflective stickers
• 🔵 No Pinlock® insert — the visor is prepared for one (DKS520), sold separately

Specification

• Model — LS2 FF908 Strobe II
• Part number — 569082411
• Colour — Code Matt Black Grey — Code graphic, matt black and grey
• Homologation — ECE 22.06, dual P/J (protective and jet)
• Safety rating — SHARP 4 of 5 stars (tested August 2026, ECE 22.06); chin bar fully locked in 37 % of impacts
• Helmet type — Flip-up / modular, chin bar raising 90° with locking system
• Shell — KPA (Kinetic Polymer Alloy), three shell sizes (XS–S / M–L / XL–3XL)
• Weight — 1700 g (±50 g)
• Sizes — XS to 3XL (seven sizes)
• Anti-fog — prepared for Pinlock® 70 MaxVision™ (DKS520) — insert NOT supplied
• Visor — Twin Visor System, scratch-resistant, UV-stable, quick-release
• Sun visor — integrated, tinted, drop-down
• Impact liner — multi-density EPS with moulded ventilation channels
• Retention — micrometric ratchet buckle, reinforced chin strap, chin bar lock
• Emergency release — not fitted on this model
• Ventilation — chin intake, top intake, rear exhaust port, breath deflector
• Liner — 3D laser-cut, elastic-band crown, hypoallergenic, breathable, removable and washable
• Intercom — prepared for the current LS2 Bluetooth system
• Serviceability — complete chin bar available as a spare part in every one of the twelve colourways