AFX FX-76 3/4 Vintage Helmet
(Weekly gear review by Alex Q)
So I have decided that there has been enough talk about old shitty motorcycles and ways to skirt the law while looking for places to camp, but not enough discussion about motorcycle related gear. We all know (whether or not we admit it to ourselves or others) that at least 50% of why we ride motorcycles is for the lifestyle that accompanies it. We are all narcissists and want to turn heads when we roll up to the bar on Thursday nights. If you are telling yourself as you read this that this doesn’t apply to you and looks don’t matter because you’re a purist and you’d rather stick your dick in the tailpipe of that vintage Moto Guzzi than concern yourself with the latest and greatest in Moto swag, then you are lying to yourself, god, and the motorcycle community at large. Even Ricky cares about how cool his vintage Wrangler denim vest looks despite the fact he has never put a pair of pants in a washing machine.
We all know this to be true so why not indulge. That being said I am going to start a weekly gear post dedicated to the kind of gear and accessories we all like and would buy. Feel free to comment, ask questions or make suggestions for future posts.
My first post will be about one of my favorite helmets out on the market. The company that manufactures this skid lid is called AFX and they specialize in designing and making affordable helmets for all sorts of riding conditions. One of these helmets is the AFX FX-76.
This basic, vintage inspired ¾ helmet is simply amazing. In size Medium it weighs a mere 1lb 12oz where the comparable Bell 500 Custom and Biltwell Bonanza weigh in at 2lbs 5.7oz and 2lbs 3.4oz respectively.
Afx has achieved this by using a fiberglass reinforced plastic shell and a new EPS technology called Conehead. The Conehead EPS is made with two different densities of foam sandwiched together in a way that creates peaks and valleys between the two layers. This allows impacts to be dispersed across the EPS liner rather than through it. This also means that the EPS can be a lot thinner and still provide the same impact protection as a normal EPS liner.
So… what does all this all mean you ask? It means that this inexpensive helmet made by a bargain helmet company is the lightest, lowest profile vintage ¾ helmet on the market that is still DOT and ECE 22.05 Certified and under $100.00. It comes in a variety of solid and metalflake colors as well as a few (very ugly) graphics.
Another selling point on this thing is the head shape. It has more of an oval shape to it that is similar to the Biltwell Gringo or Fulmer V2. It also comes equipped with a super nice black diamond stitched lining.
So if your Fulmer is fucked or your Bell is busted and you’re looking for a new lid to keep you head off the asphalt this may be a viable option for you. Check them out Here and enjoy the pics below.
-Quinn
From left to right: Bell Custom 500, AFX FX-76, Biltwell Bonanza
From left to right: Bell Custom 500, AFX FX-76, Biltwell Bonanza
19 responses to “AFX FX-76 3/4 Vintage Helmet”
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Random
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Published - Feb 3, 2010
Let’s see a pic of it on yours or somebody’s head.
Amazing Post, Appreciate the insight. Agree with Adam Let’s see these things on some heads.
…and I think you should change you post title to:
‘Gear review by The Boss”
Don’t fool yourself, Alex.
There are many of us who truly don’t give a fuck about appearance at this point.
The reason? Kids. Age. Tired of profiling needlessly. Limited time for playing games.
This is not to say that your maxim did not prove true a decade ago (or more) for most of us.
Good article nonetheless. I’m a Fulmer V2 man, myself. Might check this out on the next go ’round. Nice to see other companies make a reasonably safe plain helmet with all the racer-boy or hipster/chopper graphics.
Jason
I have both a Fulmer v2 and a Bell 500.
The Fulmer fits better, but the Bell has nicer attention to detail. IMO.
Next helmet I pick up is def going to be the FX 76.
It’s looks like it has the best qualities of all the other helmets.
Oh… And really good info. It’s cool to hear about the actually tech behind or inside of the helmet and how’s it different
Haha touche Jason.
Well done, Alex.
I’d like to see a review of different gloves.
I have these two gloves:
– roland sands diesel gloves
– wheelskin driving gloves
I love both. Neither have armor.
The wheelskin gloves obviously have no protection at all but are super comfy. The RSD gloves are annoying to get on and off IMO, but they’re good down to 40˚.
I can’t get into gloves that are crotch-rocket’ish.
Let’s see a review of a bunch of different pairs of cool gloves. Old / new / armor / no armor…
Not bad, Alex.
Ed,
These are nice traditional (non-armored) style gloves:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/14/67/903/691/ITEM/Olympia-Sports-4350-All-Season-I-Gloves.aspx
Thin enough to wear in the summer. Gel in the palm, but not too much. No racer boy graphics. Cheap enough that if you lose them you won’t cry for but a minute or so.
I break out the Gerbings come winter time. Plugging electric gloves into a panhead blows peoples mind for some weird reason. People comment constantly. The electricity doesn’t know it’s coming from an old bike ;-0
Jason
Next week I will do a winter glove write up since we are approaching the cold and rainy season.
damn, dude. great gear review. and definitely looking forward to the glove review as i could use some new gloves soon.
Nice post.. I went with a daytona lid.. http://www.daytonahelmets.com/d.o.t.-approved-34-shell-helmets buncha’ colors and DOT certified too… A glove review would be great. Maybe we can get a discount if we all buy in bulk. I’ve been thinking about these http://www.ironandresin.com/posts/view/iron-resin-x-vanson
Alex, how’s the sizing on these compared to the Bell and the Biltwell? The measurements seem to be different between the Biltwell and the AFX, and it looks like the AFX runs a bit large. Do you have a Medium in all three?
@Adam – The AFX does run almost a size larger than the Bell or Biltwell helmets. I wear a medium in Both the Bell Custom 500 and Biltwell Bonanza, but I wear a small in the AFX FX-76. I used all size mediums in the review for continuity.
I would love to find at least one picture of somebody wearing this dang helmet!
So how does this helmet compare to a DMD open face helmet, they claim to have the smallest ece certified helmet on the market???
Very interesting comparison, thanks for this! About the DMD claiming being the smallest, as Alex says, Im wondering that too.