World’s Lightest Off-road Helmet: Axor MX Carbon Launched

Axor has launched the new MX Carbon helmet at Rs 20,000. As the name suggests, the helmet shell uses carbon fibre, making it one of the lightest helmets on sale in India. Here’s all you need to know.

Axor MX Carbon

The Axor MX Carbon features a tri-polymer construction that is predominantly carbon fibre, which has helped it weigh just 1040 g, which is lighter than six Apple iPhone 17s. Axor claims that it is the world’s lightest helmet with triple certification, i.e., ECE 22.06, ISI and DOT certification. However, Axor currently only has three sizes to offer: S, M and L.  

The Axor creators explained how they had been constantly taking feedback from their test riders (including national rally champion Dev Venkatesh) while developing this helmet. Their main aim was to create a lightweight, made-in-India helmet that can reduce neck strain and offer better comfort during off-road sessions. 

Axor Factory Tour & Helmet Testing

We witnessed the launch of the MX Carbon at Axor’s parent company Vega’s headquarters in Belgaum. We were also privy to a tour of Axor’s factory, giving us a very good view of how a helmet is manufactured, assembled, and tested.

We started our tour with the injection moulding process, where we saw how helmet shells are made by melting plastic pellets and injecting the molten material into a mould. Interestingly, almost half of the workforce in this section were women. We then visited the carbon fibre manufacturing unit, where we saw how Axor’s MX Carbon helmet is made using carbon fibre sheets and cut using a waterjet cutting machine.

We also visited the painting facility, where we saw how the helmet shells are prepared through grinding and finishing before being painted. The process involved a high level of automation, with robots handling much of the painting process.

The tour ended at the testing labs, where we saw the MX Carbon undergo an impact test, being dropped from around 15 feet. The helmet had no major scratches or dents, while the sensors recorded no major stress points. Axor also demonstrated the strength of its helmet straps by using one to lift a motorcycle.

It was interesting to see Axor, an Indian manufacturer, step up its game and have global ambitions with its new carbon fibre helmet range. However, whether the MX Carbon truly lives up to those expectations is something we’ll only be able to determine when we test it ourselves.