With all the growth in the ADV/dual-sport market, you knew it wouldn’t be long before the crew at Klim produced an ADV helmet. The “weight,” no pun intended, was well worth it.

The helmet has the basic lines of a traditional MX helmet with its short snout and MX-style peak. What’s cool about the Krios is its ability to change into a full-on street helmet without peak, and full-on dirt helmet without face shield to use with goggles. When the helmet was launched it was only available in two colors, white or black. I chose the white because it’s much cooler in the hot Washington, DC. summers.

First thing you’ll notice when you pull it out the box is that this helmet is insanely lightweight. The medium comes in at a crazy 2 lb., 15.8 oz. I couldn’t believe it when we set it on the scale. This is the result of its hand-laid full carbon shell, utilizing optimal resin amounts which reduce weight while keeping a consistent shell thickness.

The interior consists of what Klim calls “Klimatek.” Basically it’s a smart adaptive foam. Like most fabrics used in today’s helmets, it’s anti-microbial and fast wicking. The shape of the helmet is definitely oval, as I’m intermediate oval and the “EPS” foam hits right at the top of my forehead. You can easily get a custom fit by pressing the foam inward until the desired fit is reached. Air flow is acceptable from the center forehead and chin bar ventilation system. But, to be honest, at this price point I was expecting a little more. The interior noise level at speed is better than average, but not by much.

Klim definitely invested in making the pin lock, polycarbonate, anti-scratch face shield optically correct. This makes riding at night a lot safer, without the halo effect that cheaper face shields create. A lot of people are super picky about how the detent system works in a premium helmet. The Krios is stout, with five positive-feeling clicks of ventilation and no weird positions messing with my line of vision.

All in all, Klim came out swinging with their first stab at the ADV-style helmet market, and they sure hit the weight mark with a bull’s eye. However, for the Krios 2.0, I would like to see a little more bang for the buck. Klim.com MSRP: $549 

Erratum: Klim now offers the Krios Karbon in five striking colors, as well as options for a pre-installed Sena 10U and a transition tint lens.

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