SixSixOne Evo AM helmet

The Evo AM helmet is the latest helmet 661 has added to its range. The Recon helmet was 661’s first introduction into open face helmets, but this year it’s been pushed out of the way by the new, redesigned Evo AM.

The new helmet is built from a Contigo foam – claimed to be more shock absorbent than EPS – and a 360° retention system for the perfect fit. Fifteen vents keep the noggin cool and the whole helmet is secured by the ‘Fidlock’ magnetic buckle. Out of the box the helmet looks very nice. As always, there are a number of colours to choose from; discreet and stealthy to bright and ‘look at me’. For the test we had the black/blue model, which has a really nice gloss black shell with a small section of blue on and around the visor.

Straight away you can see the overall coverage of the helmet is good; the back of the head is well protected and the helmet sits nicely just above my ears. The Boa system makes the helmet very secure with just a few turns, though when I was messing with the adjuster and getting it just right, there was a point where by turning it just one more click it went from comfortable to painfully tight.

The chin strap is another good feature on the Evo AM. It adjusts as normal for tension but the actual locking system is a Fidlock closure system, which uses magnets to close the strap and then you just have to slide it up to release. This makes it easy to put on and remove without losing a secure strap. At first it did take a few rides to get used to the Fidlock strap but once I had, it was great.

One small thing I didn’t really like was the visor, which is fixed in place with no adjustment. However, after actually riding with the helmet, I realised that the visor doesn’t really need adjusting and it’s OK in the position it sits in – but I do think it’s always nice to have the option.

So, on to actually riding in the helmet. I found it to be really comfortable; it always felt really secure and didn’t move around or cause me any discomfort. The interior liner proved to be really comfortable and there were no pressure points in the helmet, plus it felt super snug on my head. After a few long rides I was even more impressed with how well ventilated it is. It felt like there was always a nice flow of air keeping my head cool – but then when I wasn’t as hot, the helmet stayed a nice cool temperature and didn’t get too cold. The Evo AM was also good when wearing goggles: it wasn’t pushed up by the frame and stayed nice and secure on my head.

I did notice that, compared to some other helmets out there, the Evo AM didn’t feel like it sat as low on my head as others. Even though it looked like it, it didn’t feel that way, which at first did make me a little tentative about riding super fast in case I did fall onto my head. After a little while though, you realise it does sit low and is very safe: you just have to get used to a different-feeling helmet.