After wearing AGV’s flagship lid for the last few months here are my thoughts.. for what they’re worth
Size: Seems like the GP-Techs are sized quite small. I am usually a medium in the cranium stakes but this AGV is a large and it fits me perfectly. So opt for one size up if you’re looking at one of these puppies.
Fit/Comfort: Initially slightly tight (as new helmets are supposed to be) but after a week or so the helmet is an absolute pleasure to wear. My previous helmet was an AGV X-Vent, an elite helmet in its time, but this GP-Tech is in another realm when it comes to comfort. I have also owned a Shoei which was an exceedingly pleasant helmet but again the GP-Tech is far better.
One of the designs I like is that they have made the padding round the ears far more accommodating. Previous helmets tended to squash my ears a bit but with the GP-Tech it seems AGV have attended to that little problem. However by giving your ears more breathing room they have allowed more road/wind noise to reach you. Nothing serious but it is noticeable.
Airflow: The GP-Tech has the usual venting and exhaust systems, and as usual with helmet manufacturers, they claim to have increased airflow in the helmet etc. To be fair the vents and exhausts do work better than previous designs, but at sub-60km/h the vents are pretty much useless. A small lift of the visor is required to receive some cool air. At 80Km/h + things get better. With all the vents open at max I can feel the air coming into the helmet.
Finish:
Exterior – The artwork and paint are really top notch – whether you like the Dreamtime design or not, the quality of the spray job is incredible. Typical spots where you can sometimes pick up spray problems on complex designs are where the air vents meet the actual shell but there are no such miss-alignments on the GP-Tech. The paint job is simply superb.
Interior – I wish I could pour as much praise on the interior as I have with the exterior. Sadly the Italian factory have missed a few beats here.
The neck roll has (or rather I should say 'had') some lovely red velvet ‘AGV’ logos on it. You can see in pic below where they were (only the grey ‘AGV’ lettering is now visible). I mean honestly! Who decides that red velvet on the bottom of a helmet is a good idea? A location that will see more dirt, scuffing and nicking than any other place on the helmet! Within a week I had caught one of the velvet A’s on a small splinter and plucked it clean off
. After weeping loudly and then cursing the design I decided to pull off the rest. They came off very easily which only goes to show that they would have been snicked off in the not too distant future.I see that in subsequent GP-Techs, AGV have not included the red velvet lettering.
Another problem with the neck roll is the seam stitching does not seem to up to scratch. Have a look closely at the picture and you can see I have had to repair one of the seams myself with a bit of thread (right hand-side as you look at the pic). Kind of disappointing when one considers the price of these helmets.
Again I see that AGV Europe/Asia/USA are offering new neck rolls free of charge - not free in SA though
New GP-Techs now come with a more robust seam design.
So I guess if you are currently looking at a new GP-Tech you need not worry about those two concerns as they appear to have been addressed by AGV.
Visor : My Dreamtime came with a spare dark tinted visor as well as the usual clear one. Can’t say I’ve done much riding with the tinted visor as there is always that risk that darkness will fall and you’re still out on the bike. As I’m sure all you bikers know, tinted visor and night time do not work well. What can I say about the clear visor… well.. um.. it’s clear so I can see through it ;p
Removing and attaching the visor is not as slick and easy as on my previous Shoei. However they have improved over their earlier AGV designs which could only be described as agricultural
I have to say the first few tries on the GP-Tech it was not that simple but once you get the hang of it you can change visors with minimal fuss. The click-stops on the visor are strong enough to keep the visor fully open (or any setting in-between) even at high speeds.
Strap : As with all helmets used in racing the strap has the regulation D-buckles to fasten the helmet securely. Nothing really special about it as it is pretty much the same for any helmet you buy these days. Strap is comfy though, doesn’t choke at high speeds or anything like that.
Carry Case: came with a good carry bag, nicely padded to prevent any nasty bumps and scratches.
Recommend it? Of course! It is a phenomenal helmet. Easily the most comfortable and well-made helmet I have ever owned - plus Valentino uses one so it is quite obviously made of win
Some piccies..
What's this Marushin? Never even heard of it... 
