MT Targo S helmet review | This budget lid could be the best helmet you've never heard of!

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The MT brand name will be instantly familiar to anyone who watches MotoGP support races as they have teams in both the Moto2 and Moto3 championships. A certain Pedro Acosta still graces the MT website, too, despite switching to Alpinestars once he hit the big time in MotoGP. 

What you may not know is that the Spanish firm was founded all the way back in 1986 by the Tomás family (the T in MT – M stands for Manufacturas) and these days their motorcycle helmets are sold in 117 countries around the world. 

Potentially, you’ve seen the disruptively cheap helmets they offer through UK retailers and assumed that they’re not for you – which is pretty much what I used to do, too. Well, think again. 

Is the MT Targo S helmet comfortable?

I think it would be fair to say that I’ve worn comfier helmets, but that doesn’t mean the Targo S is uncomfortable by any means. The interior fabric is slightly rough and scratchy compared to the plush, cosseting interiors of high-end competition but it’s not so bad that you particularly notice it in isolation. I wouldn’t want to pull it over a sunburnt forehead, but normal use is fine. 

I must have a fairly average head shape because I rarely experience discomfort from pressure points in helmets and the Targo S is no exception with hours on the road passed with no issues. 

At 1550g (weighed), it’s on the heavy end of the scale. This is perhaps due to the cost-cutting single shell size that has to go all the way up to XXL – although it’s not a massive-looking helmet. I’m an Arai fan and so I’m used to a weighty lid but colleagues who tend to wear top-spec carbon helmets have commented on the MT’s heft when they’ve picked it up. 

What about the visor?

The Targo S’s visor is a tale of two halves. The release mechanism is among the best I’ve used – it might be the best outright – and is so simple that you can operate it from day one with the helmet on your head. 

My problem with it is the design and quality of the mechanism in use. The first notch it opens to is 2” wide, far too open to be of use on the move. There are two notches even wider than this before you get to the fully open position and I cannot for the life of me think what use they could be. 

This is important because the Targo S is one of the steamiest helmets I’ve come across and so it would be really handy to open the visor just a crack and let some air through and prevent misting – especially in situations like filtering or making your way through town in the rain.  

The visor actuation is the most obvious place you can feel that this helmet costs ninety quid. Aside from the design flaw with the openings, it also feels snatchy, flimsy and cheap. 

The other slight issue is that the Pinlock doesn’t come in the box and for the six months I’ve been testing, there have been none available from the supplier, either. Given how much of a necessity the £35.99 Pinlock is, I’d be tempted to call this a £125 helmet rather than £90, but that’s still a bargain basement price to pay, obviously. 

Does this helmet have good ventilation?

You get a switchable central top vent flanked by two permanently open ones further back and a standard chin vent, but the Targo S is not a breezy helmet. As I mentioned above, it steams up if you even consider breathing out with the visor closed and even at motorway speed it struggles to stay clear. 

I’ve found my head feeling quite hot and clammy in cool temperatures and during a car park photo shoot in the sun I got so sweaty I couldn’t see where I was going any more. It wouldn’t be so bad if you could have the visor open a crack in traffic, I’ve been tempted to go old-school and put a cable tie around the chin bar! 

How noisy is it?

I’ve often found that cheap lids give themselves away by the noise they let through at speed. It’s a bit like the way a quality car can be detected by assessing the thud you get when you close a door – sort of… 

This isn’t the case with the Targo S, though, which is so quiet at motorway speeds I had to change the settings on my noise cancelling earbuds to let more ambient sound in. 

• Related: The best motorcycle earplugs

Is the MT Targo S a good looking helmet?

I deliberately chose this bawdy paint job (yes, really) because cheaper helmets will often attract a younger and less inhibited customer who may fancy a brasher option. It may not be to my usual taste, but it’s well-executed and the matte finish gives it a quality look. 

Away from the graphics I chose, the Targo S is a good-looking helmet with a sporty silhouette complete with an obligatory aerodynamic rear spoiler. The inexplicably blue interior – which prompts almost all who pick it up to say, “oh, it’s blue,” has even grown on me. 

How does it rate on quality?

The Targo S meets the current and tougher than previous ECE 22.06 helmet regulations and I have no qualms about putting it on my head, despite its lower price tag. Its predecessor, the ECE 22.05 Targo, was awarded just three Sharp stars but other new helmets in MT’s 2024 range have managed a full five. 

The visor issues I mentioned before do damage the quality score a little, but more annoying are the vent operating mechanisms, which are so flimsy you can easily open or close them without even noticing with a gloved hand. The chin vent is particularly susceptible and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve accidentally closed it when trying to open the visor and only noticed when I steamed up to the point of blindness. 

Is the MT Targo S helmet good value for money?

Whether you ignore the Pinlock and consider this a £90 helmet or build it into the price and call it £125 – the Targo S represents incredibly good value for money. If I was looking for a cheap lid to get going with my first bike, this would certainly be on my shortlist. 

And if you’re looking for a helmet to keep on the shelf for an occasional pillion, it would be a great option to consider, too. And with top-of-the-range lids costing as much as a month’s rent these days, there’s plenty of riders who might look to brands like MT for their own, main helmet, too. 

Other options include the identically priced HJC C10, which MCN Editor, Emma Franklin awarded five stars overall, the AGV K1-S, which starts at a steeper £159.99, or MT’s own £119.99 Braker SV recently tested by MCN Products Editor, Justin Hayzelden. 

My overall verdict

The general wisdom is that you should buy the best helmet you can afford, but as with all motorbike kit, more expensive doesn’t always mean better. The MT Targo S certainly backs this up and punches well above its weight. 

The bugbears I’ve mentioned in this review wouldn’t put me off buying one because the positive of the bargain basement price and the hemet’s general quality far outweigh the negatives. 

Whether you’re shopping for a helmet of your own on a budget or just looking for a cheap pillion lid that will do the job, this should definitely go onto your shortlist. 

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