Riding Gear: LS2 MX701 Explorer Carbon Frontier (Titanium/Red) Helmet

  LS2 MX701 Explorer Carbon Frontier (Titanium/Red) Helmet

The 1,450 gram (+/- 50 g) or 3.2 lb (+/- 0.11 lb) LS2 MX701 Explorer Carbon Frontier (Titanium/Red) helmet replaces my 6 year old 1,650 gram or 3.6 lb Nexx X.Wed2 helmet (1.9 kg or 4.2 lb with SMARTH Cardo Communicator as per my cheap luggage scale). Canadian distributor Kimpex only offers 3 Explorer Carbon models as of this date: Solid (all Carbon) $599.99 msrp, Focus (carbon/high vis Yellow) $649.99 msrp & Frontier (Titanium/Red) $649.99 msrp.  A shout out to Aaron & Modern Motorcycling in Vancouver for every day pricing that is competitive with online retailers & even Black Friday pricing....my all in cost was under $500, which is tremendous value for a light weight carbon helmet of this quality & features.

Features

• 1,450 gram (+/- 50g) intermediate oval shape (Champion Helmet's scale recorded 1,494 g or 3.29 lb for a medium & my cheap luggage scale shows 1.5 kg or 3.31 lb  for my large size
• 3 shell sizes: XS (53-54 cm) - S (55-56 cm) / M (57-58 cm) - L (59-60 cm) / XL (61-62 cm) - 2XL (63-64 cm) - 3XL (65-66 cm)
• removable vented peak with 3 position 1 hand adjustment, isolated from shell to reduce vibration & noise
• 4 intake air vents: 2 adjustable top front, fixed eye brow, adjustable chin 
• 7 exhaust air vents: 2 adjustable top back, 2 fixed rear, 1 fixed bottom back, 2 adjustable side + channelled EPS liner
• wide, 3D Optically Correct “A Class” Polycarbonate scratch & UV resistant visor with detent stop in up position & mechanical button lock when fully closed  + Pinlock 70 MaxVision. 2 additional tinted & 3 coloured visors are available.
• mechanical linkage large tinted interior sun visor available in 4 different tints
• eye glass fit system
• removable chin curtain
• hypoallergenic removable & washable liner
• quick latch adjustable reinforced chin strap, US models models fitted with D-ring style 
• emergency release cheek pads
• Carbon shell & multi-density EPS liner construction meets or exceeds ECE 22.05 & DOT FMVSS no. 218 safety rating. 2023+ models have the more current ECE 22.06 rating 1st introduced in 2020 & mandatory January 2024...pre 2023 models with the ECE 22.05 rating likely meet the 22.06 standard as no changes seem to have occurred to the helmet for 2023+ models.
• 5 year warranty

 

Unboxing

Travel Bag

Helmet Bag

Replacement parts/tool, Pinlock 70 MaxVision, air bladder doughnut

Champion Helmet LS2 MX701 Explorer Carbon 2023 Video Review

Champion Helmet Top 10 Adventure Helmets of 2024 Review & Road Test Summary

The LS2 MX701 Explorer Carbon scored 3 to 5 stars in all categories except for ventilation & was the quietest @ 96 db vs Adventure helmets from Bell, Nolan, Scorpion, AGV, Shoei, Schuberth, Klim & Arai with 5 being more expensive than the LS2 & 2 at least double the cost...a very good performance by the LS2! It will be interesting to see how the newer Airoh Commander 2 Carbon compares, hopefully to be include in their 2025 comparison review.

Note on noise level: Champion Helmets recorded noise levels & methodology is explained in the video above & best serves as relative quietness of the tested helmets to each other under the test conditions utilized. Actual noise levels for the LS2 Explorer Carbon experienced by riders will vary dependent upon many factors...online reviews by other sources range from relatively quiet to somewhat noisy so suggest doing your own due diligence with regards to what levels are acceptable to you...properly fitted ear plugs are recommended regardless.

Overview & Fitment

A ride review will have to wait until my bike is insured in the spring & will update the review then (May 01, 2025 initial ride review has been added below). Initial impressions are of overall premium finish, materials & performance for this price point & a viable alternative to more expensive helmets.  The intermediate to long oval shape provides fairly good fitment & additional room for the chin vs some other helmets, being evenly snug without any pressure points & goes on without folding my ears, barely...LS2 used to cite long oval shape on their Explorer website but currently cites intermediate oval, likely to appeal to a broader range of buyers. 

The one area where fitment is not perfect is around my ears, particular my right ear which feels like it is making contact at the upper ear area adding a pressure point during extended riding, particularly when wearing sunglasses. The helmet feels longer vertically on the inside than most other helmets & moving it up/down & a little side to side did not seem to improve fitment around the ears. I did observe a slight variance in the EPS liner on the right side only where 2 sections butt together with the lower part slightly proud of the upper liner...I manually flattened the protruding edge to be flush with the upper liner, which lessened the issue but not fully eliminating it. Perhaps this is an example of quality control for the Chinese made LS2 helmet &/or my larger than average ears. Another contributing factor may be that because there are no cutouts for speakers, that would otherwise provide more ear space, tolerances are smaller for adequate clearance for ears that are position close to or press up against the fabric coated EPS liner, depending on individual ear sizes. My head measures 58 cm or 22.8" & usually wear a medium or large depending on manufacturer & model. 

Proper fitment is critical to long term comfort & safety...some manufactures, like Shoei, offer Personal Fitting  Systems (P.F.S.) at designated dealer locations to tailor fit to individual head shapes. Although LS2 does offer an extensive parts replacement selection there does not appear to be foam pad fitment kits, although I suspect that replacement helmet liner & pads might be available. Utilizing some bicycle helmet fitment foam pieces I added a few at the top for better fitment for my head shape.

Eye Port & Fitment for Glasses

The eye port, which easily fits goggles, is extremely wide & expansive with outstanding vertical & horizontal sight lines allowing me to see my jacket zipper, pockets & feet when looking down + requires less head rotation during shoulder checks than my Nexx X.Wed2, which has a decently large sized eye port. LS2 claims an 'Eye Glass Fit System' but am not really sure what that is...regardless my glasses fit reasonably comfortably despite not having cut outs in the side foam or liner except as noted above. 

Visor/Shield

The visor has very good optics & outward vision, with the Pinlock 70 MaxVision not quite matching the visor's crystal clear optics & adding a slight yellow hue. It operates with a quality damped movement that holds a part open position well, at least without direct wind blast & has a solid detent stop when fully opened + a press button lock when fully closed...it should hold a slightly opened position to help minimize fogging, but does not have an anti-fogging detent position to hold the visor slightly open, which seems to be a common critique with many manufacturers. 

The visor & peak side mounts have been revised from the regular LS2 Explorer models with alloy vs snap in plastic side covers that cover the screws for ones with exposed screws for improved crashworthiness & ease of removal & are removed via 2 side screws pretreated with blue loctite for the visor + 1 top screw for the peak & the supplied tool. I found changing just the visor to be simple & no where near as finicky aligning the visor & peak in their mounts as some other helmets...the top screw is not removed, holding the peak in place while just the side screws are removed...install video is available on the LS2 website. That being said, a tool less system with separate peak & visor mounts is generally more favourable, particularly for those that carry multiple shields on rides.

Tinted Drop Down Sun Shield

It also features an internal drop down dark sun shield with good coverage activated via a slider located on the bottom left side of the helmet. The only nit pik would be for it to extend slightly lower so that the cut off was not at the same level as my instruments...but acknowledge that manufacturers have to leave enough room to clear various nose bridge sizes & shapes while still being able to retract the entire visor within the interior of the helmet. Sun Visor replacement is tool less with the visor ends snapping into place when it is in the down position (install video is available on the LS2 website). Time will tell how durable the activation system is as some degrade with dust & age & there have been reports of the sun visor hanging up on the internal channel...perhaps a blast of compressed air may correct the issue until pad & liner removal & thorough cleaning can be done, something that is recommended annually or as needed to refresh the helmet & components.

Quick Release Adjustable Chin Strap Latch System

It has a ratchet style metal quick release chin strap mechanism (see pic below) with a magnetically secured quick release tab providing very convenient operation & adjustment that can be done wearing gloves instead of the standard D-ring system fitted in the USA. Most regions outside the US seem to be fitted with the quick release latch system. LS2 spec'd  a conventional adjustable chin strap attaching the male end of the latch in conjunction with about 2.54 cm or 1" of separate latch adjustment range & wrapped the female quick release buckle in plush material that extends over the latch end for comfort.

  

Roomy Chin Bar, Interior Nose Guard & Chin Curtain

The roomy chin bar has more space between it & my chin than my Nexx X.Wed.2 helmet & the interior nose guard extends about 1/3 above the end of my nose & directs exhaled air away from & below the visor &/or glasses benefiting cold weather riding & anti-fogging + the chin curtain integrates well with the neck foam to create an effective seal that should minimize noise & wind from entering the helmet from under the chin...likely a contributing factor to the class leading noise level recorded by Champion Helmets (see video above).

3 Position 1 Handed Adjustable Peak

The 3 position adjustable peak seems well designed & implemented + relatively solid. It pivots in an arc on the side mounting posts with 3 detent stops on the top mounting screw via 1 handed toolless operation & is isolated from the helmet shell to minimize noise & vibration. The range of up/back & down/forward adjustment is about 2.54 cm or 1" with the lowest peak position about even with my line of sight horizon for very effective shielding from the sun without having to dip my head below the horizon unless it is low & directly in front & the top position being almost completely above my line of sight. This feature will be appreciated when transitioning from road to trail where body position relative to the horizon is dynamic & changing, particularly while standing. There is ample clearance between the visor & the peak with the peak in the highest & middle positions & the visor in the full up position, however, clearance is tight with the peak in the lowest position, whereby the underside of the peak vent edges may contact the visor due to flex under certain circumstances...so suggest only using the lowest peak position with the visor in the down position.

Bluetooth Communicator & Action Camera Mounting

I may require a coms upgrade as my older Cardo SMARTH Bluetooth with a com unit that mounts on the left side utilizing a tab that extends between the liner & shell & separate battery unit that mounts similarly at the back that will not mount on the LS2 Explorer because the sun visor slider lever is under the lower left edge where a coms unit typically mounts & a vent located at the bottom back edge where the battery would mount. The helmet does not have any dedicated Action Camera mounting plates/locations, leaving a clamp on chin mount as the most likely solution.

Lack of Speaker Cut Outs

There is a dedicated recessed mic location in the chin bar but no dedicated speaker cut outs in the EPS liner, instead having a large flat open area with non-padded liner material bonded to the EPS liner to accommodate the ears that may permit positioning of speakers to match individual ear canal orientation for optimized sound, but would need to be very slim & may interfere with helmet mounting & removal. This is just speculation & will report back when I get a new com system, but a few other reviewers have mentioned this issue after installing speakers. 

May 01, 2025 Initial Ride Review

It is a tall helmet from the top to the chin bar that catches my shoulders during shoulder checks.  It's  quieter that my Nexx X.Wed2, even with all vents open & almost too quiet with molded ear plugs. Note that I experimented with adding ~7 mm thick soft open cell foam shaped to fill in the ear spaces, but after a few extended rides found that they added too much pressure against my rather large ears & became uncomfortable, particularly when wearing sunglasses. I did retain the additional foam used to fill the gaps in the EPS liner where the chin straps anchor (see pic below) to help attenuate road & wind noise. Molded ear plugs & molded ear speakers w/2 speakers fit comfortably & provide very good sound when plugged into my older Samsung Galaxy S9 used for navigation or music mounted on the accessory bar above the dash or plugged into my current S25 kept in my jacket pocket. 

The built-in tinted sun shield provides good coverage & is easy to operate, but the blue grey tint alters colours more than I prefer with a cooler tint, but will appreciate the convenience of use when riding in situations with sun & shade sans dedicated sunglasses, allowing for easy transition to with or without the sun shield. Both shields have good optics & the main shield holds a part open position well, with a solid detent stop in the full open position preventing unwanted movement in rougher riding. 

The visor provides good protection from the sun in most riding conditions & does not catch the wind much when looking side to side on my Tenere 700 & doesn't seem to create any vibration, but does have a slight rattle at speed when looking sideways with the shield in the up position...the visor creaks a little at the mounting point when pushed from side to side...have added a little lithium grease to the shield & visor pivot/mounting locations that reduced the creak but not eliminate it. Note that I have a well sorted aftermarket wind management set-up that that can be viewed on my blog here which provides good protection, dramatically reduced buffeting & noise vs the oem dirt biased set up that allows shield up riding at all speeds. 

The internal nose breath guard sits high & is large (see pic above for Eye Port & Fitment for Glasses) limiting downward viewing of anything below the bottom of the Tenere 700 instrument dash, including the tank bag map pocket, but is easily accommodated with a slight downward head tilt.

The jury is still out on the quick release latch system vs traditional d-ring style that allowed me to use a Helmetlok securing it to my Barkbuster hand guard while draped over the Doubletake Adventure mirror stalk.

Overall, am happy with the LS2 Explorer carbon so far, particularly the light weight, wide view point, good optics, features, quality, looks, quieter performance than my previous Nexx X.Wed2 helmet & a $485 price point including tax .

Alternative Mid-Priced Carbon Helmets

The Airoh Commander 2 Carbon & Scorpion ADF-9000 Carbon Air (revised version of EXO XT9000 Carbon) offer similar features & price points.