#HornetX2

Adventure motorcycle helmets blend the features of on-road and off-road helmets, providing adventure riders with versatility that mirrors the capabilities of their machines in the great outdoors. Manufacturers of all kinds have entered the ADV helmet market, offering riders a wide array of options. To simplify your decision, we've compiled our top three picks of the best adventure motorcycle helmets, based on our extensive review and testing process, along with feedback from trusted enthusiasts and fellow journalists. When it comes to safety, we do our best to avoid recommending budget options, so below you'll find three picks that we believe are very similar in performance quality. As a result, these recommendations are listed in no particular order, and choosing the right one for you will largely depend on personal preference in terms of style and fitment.

Most motorcycle riders know of Shoei Safety Helmet Corp. as being a manufacturer of premium motorcycle helmets and one of the most popular helmet brands in the world. What many riders don’t know is that Shoei began producing helmets in 1960. Prior to that, the company’s helmets were primarily directed towards the construction industry. In 1962, the company provided helmets for the motorcycle racing market, and racing remains a key component of Shoei’s helmet development to this day. You don’t think that talents like Marc Marquez would use just any helmet – no matter the sponsorship payment – do you?

Way back in January of 2015, Shoei introduced the Hornet X2 helmet, and our man, Tom Roderick, attended the event, coming back with a shiny new helmet for his efforts. Flash forward to this past August as I was preparing to take our somewhat annual adventure tour, and I noticed that my trusty Shoei Hornet had been manufactured in 2012, making it about a year older than we recommend wearing a helmet. So, I decided to see why Tom liked the Hornet X2 enough to say that it was his favorite ADV helmet.

For no particular reason, my personal moto-wardrobe has been devoid of a new Shoei helmet for quite some time. Evans gave the new-last-year RF-1200 a fair, if not glowing, review, so when the RF’s 2015 color schemes were released, I put in an order for a Terminus TC-9 model. I wore it for the first time on my way to San Diego for Shoei’s presentation of its new adventure-touring lid, the Hornet X2. When it rains it pours.