Klim developed the X1 Alpha with a blank slate, working between its from its Rigby, Idaho, in-house rapid prototyping studio equipped with 3D printers and a homemade wind tunnel, and its carbon fiber helmet factory in China, in what turned out to be a years-long design process.

The juice, it appears, is worth the squeeze, because the drawn-out development has culminated in a hell of a new helmet.

We got our first batch of X1 Alpha helmets in and have already put on some some miles trying the helmet with a couple different bikes— with a windshield, and on a naked bike to see how the helmet performed in “clean air.” We’ll wait to rack up more time before offering a full review, but so far, so good, and it's safe to say this helmet is already at the top of its class.

Previous Klim helmets have always, to their detriment, been offered in only two shell sizes. But the X1 Alpha thankfully comes in three shell sizes, promising a better fit across a range of sizes.

Weighing nearly 20 percent less (3/4 of a pound!) than its closest obvious competition, the Arai XD-5, Klim still somehow manages to pack more tech and features into this carbon fiber chassis than any other helmet in the category.

From its Koroyd-EPS hybrid liner, to its excellent interior trim; to its photochromic, pinlock-equipped shield, and it's tool-free shield removal—this helmet has A LOT going for it.

Let’s dive in.

// Fast AF Shield Change

The first thing your’e going to want to do after unpacking this helmet is change out the clear shield that comes installed with the photochromic shield option that’s in the box. And while you’re at it, install the included XLT120 Pinlock insert.

For liability reasons, Klim doesn’t install the photochromic shield for you. But thankfully this helmet has, without exaggeration, the fastest shield change mechanism we’ve seen in over a decade of selling helmets. It’s tools-free and intuitive. 

Even without much practice, any reasonably mechanically inclined person will be able to remove, clean, and reinstall the shield before their buddies can finish topping off at the gas station stop.

The peak is adjustable with an easy push-button, and both it and the face shield can be removed by hand, without tools.

// Did we mentions Photochromic?

We’ve said it before and it’s worth saying again: pinlock insert +  photochromic shield = chef’s kiss.

Generally only available for select Shoei street helmets, a pinlock-equipped auto-tinting photochromic face shield offers the ultimate helmet upgrade. And while Shoei charges upwards of $200 for a Transitions-brand photochromic shield, KLIM includes theirs with every X1 Alpha helmet.

This simple combination of features alone gives the X1 Alpha a clear leg-up on it ADV competitors.

This is in fact the only premium adventure touring helmet to offer an auto-tinting pinlock shield since Shoei inexplicably stopped offering Transitions shields with its Hornet X2.

// Shell Games

Unlike previous KLIM helmet efforts, which were limited to only two shell sizes and often presented fit issues, KLIM wisely engineered the X1 Alpha platform around three shell sizes, with a total of five different EPS liners among the run. Shape-wise, this helmet follows what we see as the most common "intermediate-oval" head shape.

The Size Large  X1 Alpha gets its own dedicated shell and EPS liner. Sizes Medium and Small share a shell, but get individual EPS liners. XL Gets its own shell and EPS liner, and 2X and 3X share the XL shell with a custom mondo EPS. Check the size chart for a clear visualization of this distribution. 

Bottom line: with three shells, riders of all sizes will benefit from a more optimized fit.

// The Safety Story

The X1 Alpha is comprised of a carbon fiber exterior shell—good for both structural rigidity, and penetration protection. And on the inside it gets a unique hybrid construction of traditional black EPS impact foam a layer of green Koroyd tubing.

If you havne’t heard of Koroyd (link to Koryoyd.com) (pronounced “Core-Roid”) you’re not alone, but this distinct green helmet building material is becoming increasingly commonplace in better action sports options.

Koroyd consists of a matrix of welded plastic tubes that, as these handy charts (see sidebar, and scroll down) clearly corroborate, does a better job of absorbing the impact than EPS alone. 

This is because EPS foam “densifies” as it compressive, and progressively reaches its maximum energy absorption by the time it’s 60% compressed. Koroyd by contrast claims its material can absorb the same amount of energy compressing to a full 78% of its capacity. This more linear impact absorption is supposed to do a better job of “taking a hit” that traditional EPS foam.

Plus, the fact that Koroyd is 95% air means its naturally lightweight, and the hollow-tube construction conveniently promotes ventilation.

Klim employs the best of both worlds by creating a “Koroyd sandwich” between two layers of EPS foam.

// Tale of the Tape

Put the X1 Alpha on a scale next to its obvious competition, the latest generation Arai XD-5, released in 2024, and find that it weighs nearly 20% less—1,483 grams (3.27lbs) versus the 1,800-gram (4lb) Arai, medium-to-medium.

Part of that mismatch owes to the different safety certifications the respective brands are chasing. The Klim is DOT + ECE 22-06; while the Arai is DOT + SNELL — using Arai’s tried-and-true recipe of Kevlar reinforced fiberglass.

It’s easy to get into the weeds with helmet standards. We always say that the more helmets standards per helmet, the better; understanding that SNELL and ECE often are going to be mutually exclusive.

Suffice it to say we think the ECE 22-06 is a great standard, and there’s no arguing that 3/4 of a pound off your head is going to be a huge benefit to riders putting long days in the saddle.

And while you might expect some flex from an ultralight helmet, we have found quite the opposite — give the X1 the ol’ bearhug test, and the carbon fiber chassis is surprisingly stiff, with less perceptible flex than others in in this category.

// Comfortably Fun

KLIM has done a standout job with it the interior of the X1 Alpha. The helmet comes clad in a plush gray micro-fiber branded with the trademark “Brrrr,” which is supposed to promote cooling in warmer weather. We can’t vouch that in our initial late-winter New England test rides, but the theory checks out.

What we can report is that this is one of the most comfortable materials we’ve seen in a helmet, made all the better with a clever layout of elastic that runs through both the chin curtain area and the rear of the comfort liner — effectively forming a flexible gasket around the wearers head to seal out dust and wind.

Also included in the box is a chin-curtain extender that easily pops in for extra comfort riding in colder weather, or for quieter highway riding any time of year. The thing literally installs in two seconds, and can fit in a jacket pocket when not needed.

Speaking of wind, to their credit Klim engineers constructed a homegrown wind tunnel to help to help optimize the  X1’s aerodynamics.

We all should be riding with high quality motorcycle specific earplugs, anyway, but there’s no doubt that an ADV style helmet, with it’s air-ram peak, is going to be a little louder than a full-face street helmet.

Klim does include a plug for the peak mount, and two keyed caps for the shield hinge, to run this helmet in “street fighter mode” and while that may save a little neck strain on long highway pulls, "Street Mode" didn’t’ honestly seem that much quieter than riding with the peak.

Ventilation comes by way of a two-stage chin vent, which perceptibly tickles the chin with airflow when activated, and prevents a nice flat, presumably aeordynamic face when closed.

The helmet also has two large temple vents, which also produced tangible airflow when opened.

The rear of the helmet features an always-open passive exhaust vents—two under the spoiler, through which the Koroyd element is clearly visible; and there are two more mesh-lined vents located at the back of the neck. 

// Color Commentary

Colors and styling are always subjective factors, and we’ll hazard to say Klim did better than the industry average on its available color schemes for the X1 Alpha.

But we do have some quibbles.

1) Klim neglected to produce what should be the two constitutionally mandated standard colors — plain black, and white. The Carbon Matte Black is close enough, but a classic white would be a welcome addition.

And 2) Who named these colors? “Gloss Concept High Rise - Electric Blue Lemonade”? We love the helmet, and the colors themselves are better than most other helmet brand graphics, but 12 syllables is a few too many for one helmet color name. 

So we’ve taken the liberty of condensing the Klim nomenclature. The glossary of colors, decoded:  

Gloss Concept High Rise - Electric Blue Lemonade = Silver w/Electric Blue
Petrol-Strike Orange = Petrol Bue w/ Orange
Gloss Metallic Asphalt - Monument Gray = Gloss Charcoal/Gray 
Gloss Hi-Vis - White = Gloss High-Vis Yellow
Matte Peyote - Teak = Matte Tan/Teak
Gloss Metallic High-Rise - Monument Gray = Gloss Silver/Gray
Carbon Matte Black = Carbon Matte Black 

*Note these are all the same price except for Silver w/Electric Blue, and Petrol Blue w/ Orange, which carrier a nominally higher price tag. 

// Final analysis

Klim has produced a hell of a helmet, and we’re happy to add it to our wall of quality options representing the best helmet brands in the business.

There's usually a pretty clear line in quality between our Made-in-Japan options from Shoei and Arai, and everything else in the store. But with this new American-designed/Chinese-made* helmet, KLIM has earned a place at the big kids' table.

*Note/Fact: The world’s best carbon fiber comes out of China. And while we expect tariffs to rise the price on Chinese made goods, KLIM says this helmet will be excepted because it’s categorized as safety equipment.

While a $850 base price already is at the high end of the price scale, even if the sticker jumped 10 or 15%, we would still recommend it. It offers a great suite of creature comforts and safety features, and as with any quality helmet purchase, you amortize the investment over the 4-5 years of use you’ll get out of it, and it’s pretty cheap insurance for the service it provides.