The AGV K3 SV is the successor to the popular K3, with the SV denoting an integral sun visor. It’s a polycarbonate-shelled crash helmet that takes its design from the latest line of AGVs that includes the Corsa, GT Veloce and Pista GP – meaning it has a sharp, aerodynamcially-shaped chinguard and rear spoiler designed to cuts through the air and reduce buffeting. The K3 SV is priced to be a more entry level helmet though, and one that works on a range of road bikes and for a variety of riding styles.
- Weight – 3.3Lbs/1.49Kg
- Integral sun visor
- Comfortable but noisy
- Great ventilation
- Comes with a Pinlock antifog insert
- Not Snell tested
- SHARP 4 Star safety rating (out of 5)
- Micrometric fastener
- Typical pricing – $220-$300
Looking to buy an AGV K3 SV?
Please click below to drop onto the AGV K3 SV helmets pages at our recommended store and Amazon. And if you buy from either, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Page Contents
Safety and shell
The AGV K3 SV is a total redesign of the K3, including the shell. It shares its overall design with the latest range of AGVs, meaning it has a pointier look to the front and shares an integral spoiler to the rear that’s found on the GT Veloce. Unlike the GT Veloce, the K3 SV is constructed of polycarbonate; a cheaper and heavier material. However, it’s still DOT certified and while it hasn’t been tested by Snell, it scored 4/5 stars when tested by SHARP, meaning it’s right up there in terms of safety. It’s also around the same weight as the pricier helmet. All in all, the AGV K3 SV should provide the protection you need and outperforms many much pricier helmets in terms of safety.
AGV have put a great deal of focus on producing an aerodynamic helmet and owners are widely happy with the result. They find there’s very little buffeting and it’s stable at speed.
Helmet Noise
Unfortunately, owners of the K3 SV say it’s a pretty noisy lid. The K3 has great ventilation which often means there are more openings in the shell of the helmet to catch the air and make turbulence; and turbulence equals noise. It also means there’s an easy route for noise to enter the helmet and in the K3’s case, that makes for a noisy lid. It’s especially noticeable above 50 mph, so if you’re after a quiet crash helmet, then this probably ain’t the one for you.
Poor noise suppression seems to be a common problem with most helmets in this line, so AGV must be counting on folks preferring good ventilation and light weight over a quiet helmet. That said, most owners point to the fact that they wear ear plugs when riding any distance so it doesn’t bother most owners too much. If having a quiet helmet is particularly important to you, click ‘quietest’ to the right to see only helmets people find particularly quiet.
Size
The AGV K3 SV comes in two shell sizes and XS – XXL fitment sizes, with four different EPS (shock absorbing expanded polystyrene) liners. Like the other helmets in the range, AGV also offer a MS and ML fitment which gives buyers a bit more assurance they can get a size that’s just right.
Ventilation
In common with the latest range of AGVs, the K3 SV has really decent ventilation. It has a pair of chin vents operated by the usual (for AGV) slider inside the chin bar; a pair of forehead vents that open/close with sliders covering the vents; and a vent on the top of the head that’s unique to the K3 SV (presumably as the retractable sun visor gets in the way of the venting from the other vents).
Once you get used to how the different vents open, they’re reasonably simple to operate, even with gloves, and are an improvement on the GT Veloce and Corsa’s fiddly sliders. The top vent pulls in stacks of air and, because the K3 SV has lots of channels through out the polystyrene liner, it keeps your head nice and cool and removes the warm air via the rear vents. One or two riders have complained that the front venting is a little too aggressive with too much air coming up across the shield and into their eyes. But overall, ventilation on the K3 SV is good.
Shield/sun visor
The K3 SV has both a clear main shield and a tinted drop-down internal sun visor. The main shield has a quick-release system that is very simple to use – release the shield by pulling down on a tab on each side and the shield pops out. It clicks back into place with a bit of firm pressure on each side and is an excellent system that owners love.
The aperture for the shield is nice and wide, like the other AGVs in the range.
In the centre-bottom of the shield is a small slider that you can push upwards to open the shield just a crack and keep it there. It’s called ‘city mode’ and is designed to help with demisting when you’re riding slowly.
The sun visor opens using a lever behind the left hand side visor pivot. It’s easier to close than open, but it works pretty well by all accounts – the only grumbles being that it’s a bit too lightly tinted; but then I guess it’s probably just meeting legal requirements that often don’t allow tinted visors to cut out more than a certain % of available light. Also, a couple of owners have reported that it’s not particularly good quality because it distorts the vision a bit.
As usual, the sun visor is anti scratch but it’s not anti-fog, so unlike the main visor, it can steam up. It’s easy to remove to clean and replacements are available from AGV – including a high-vis yellow version for improved vision in low light.
Comfort
No problems reported with the comfort of the K3 SV. Once you’ve got the right size – helped by the intermediate MS and ML fitments, owners reckon it’s a comfortable helmet. The interior is the usual removable/washable liner that’s anti-microbial and moisture-wicking. There’s also glasses grooves cut into the liner to help glasses wearers slot their glasses into the helmet and prevent the stems of the glasses from digging in. All good here.
Looks & Graphics
Because the AGV K3 SV sits towards the foot of the range at an attractive price point, it’ll probably be one of AGVs biggest sellers – so there are heaps of graphics available. That includes the usual plain whites/blacks/ but also several Rossi reps and a Guy Martin/Simoncelli replica or two. You can see the current range on the AGV USA store website.
Best places to buy an AGV K3 SV?
Please click below to drop onto the AGV K3 SV helmet pages at our recommended stores and Amazon. And if you buy from either, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Video
Here’s some dude at AGV fondling his K3 SV Simoncelli rep.
Other stuff
The K3 SV comes with a micrometric chin strap fastener (easy to use and as safe as they come). It has internal cut-aways for AGVs own Share communicator speakers – but they’re not that big so either you might want to check that yours fit before buying – or be prepared to do a bit of trimming yourself (not too much mind as you don’t want to compromise side-impact resistance).
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Link-to-guides-page”]
Overall
The AGV is a great performing helmet – it scores well in SHARP safety tests, is comfortable and has some great features including fantastic ventilation and a drop down sun visor, not to mention its streamlined shape that reduces buffeting and lifting. It’s a looker too. It’s only the noise that lets it down. If you can live with that (or wear ear plugs) it’s a great helmet at a good price.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Alternatives—full-face-helmets”]
Looking to buy an AGV K3 SV?
Please click below to drop onto the AGV K3 SV helmets pages at our recommended store and Amazon. And if you buy from either, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
